Itzapa children progress update, Guatemala

Class Zunil is moving along brilliantly. Meike, our project intern from the past 6 months, has managed to get to La Le Li Lo Lu, which is the 4th syllable in the kids' learning process, hence by now all the kids are able to read easy words and sentences. Concerning math, the kids can all read and write the numbers up to 10, and we are soon going to move on to the numbers 10 – 20. The amazing thing is that even the weaker kids like Nery, Henry, Nelson and Yeimi are able to read and write full sentences!

With the help of Angela, our volunteer from Australia, the kids of Class Fuego are expanding their knowledge of different syllables every week. Moreover, they are improving their numerical skills by learning about odd and even numbers, extending their numbers up to 40 and counting in two’s. Even Erick, who just moved up from Zunil about 6 weeks ago is doing brilliantly. Besides that, Glendy, Edgar and Axel are doing really well. Additionally, there has been some painting going on in the class room so that the kids now have an alphabet, lots of animals from the sea and the jungle on their walls. Arini, from Canada, takes over this week.

The classroom of Atitlan is currently changing into an underwater world/ jungle, thanks to long-term volunteer Megan, from the UK, as the kids are studying the animals which live in these areas. Besides that, the budding Attenboroughs are focusing on basic reading comprehensions as well as on writing skills (writing small stories about their friends). They are also going to start nouns, verbs and adjectives soon. Concerning math, all the kids are able to do addition with carrying, and they have just started subtraction including borrowing.

We have taken some kids into an extra class where they are going to be prepared to move up to class Acatenango. Amy, who volunteered with us in Ecuador, has returned and will be working with Sergio, Rosmery, Limny, Edy, Jose, Glendy and Maria.

Class Acatenango has had quite a good attendance in the last few weeks, with Ryan, from the UK, creating dynamic and exciting lessons, making it possible to bring nearly all the kids back onto one level. In Spanish, they are focusing on the difference between nouns, verbs and adjectives, while they have started multiplication and word problems in math. Additionally, they are learning the basics of the surrounding countries of Guatemala, as well as the basics of the digestive system. Edison who just moved up from Atitlan about 6 weeks ago is doing very well, whereas Erikson is the most focused and hardest working boy in the class.

The kids of Pacaya are trying to improve their Spanish skills at the moment by writing descriptive stories. Moli, our long-term intern took them a long way and now Kayla takes over for the next week. Moreover, they are doing reading comprehensions with questions that can not always be answered by reading the text, but by thinking about the story. In math, they are still doing multiplication and ‘centenas y decenas mas cerca’, as well as word problems. The kids that stand out the most are Luis, Wendy, Yoselin and Ingrid.

Tacana and Toliman are currently exploring the writing and reading process of stories with Profe Lee, from the US. Each day they are reading a section of ‘Charlotte’s Web’, together. Moreover, they started some creative writing, in which Sonia for instance wrote an amazing story about her best friend. Concerning math, the kids finished long division and have now started fractions which is a really complicated concept for them to understand, however, Alisia and Fransisca picked it up straight away. Besides that, the class is improving their English skills as well as their knowledge in geography and biology.

Finally, to adhere to FCO Travel Advise, we have had to change to using a private minibus each day, rather than the Chicken Bus. A sad changeover though necessary as the busses aren't always the most mechanically sound!

Itzapa children progress update, Guatemala