Field Trip to Uruma City Fire Brigade

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Okinawa AMICUS International Grade Fours went on a Field Trip to visit Uruma City Fire Brigade on the third Friday of the school year. The trip was part of the Social Studies Curriculum. The six teachers and three classes hopped into the gold and silver school buses (two of a fleet of thirteen) and were delivered to the door. The Fire Station Chief formally greeted us, thank you gifts were presented and then the tour began. The students visited the Emergency Call Centre and the fire fighters day quarters. The children also climbed into the ambulances, fire trucks, and sea recue vehicles. The highlights included putting on the emergency breathing apparatus and watching four lucky individuals being decked out in the fire fighters full kit. A good time was had by all.







Two Grade Four Classes are immersion classes with 30 Japanese students each, and I share the international class of 23 students. Each class has two full time teachers, one foreign teacher and one Japanese teacher who is bilingual. The three Grade 4 classes need to be taught similar content at a similar pace, and so collaborative planning takes up at least 6 lessons per week. Each teacher has responsibility for planning and preparing 13 x 45 minute classes a week, and supports their colleague for a further 6 classes per week. Both teachers are present with the class most of the time. This pattern is the same for every year level. I am responsible for English, Maths, Art and ICT; my teaching partner has responsibility for Japanese, Social Studies, Philosophy (Life Skills) and PE. There are specialist Science and Music teachers. All curriculum must be matched to the Japanese national curriculum and there are textbooks for every subject. In every classroom there is an interactive white board (Promethean soft ware) with a book projector linked to it.







The staff are friendly, supportive, and well travelled and come from thirteen countries, including France, the UK, Kenya, Singapore, Canada, Fiji and the Philippines. More than half of the Japanese staff are native Okinawans. It is complex, interesting, challenging and a nice place to teach.

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Comments

[Dimity Ware]

Hi
Looks like a great day...very cute little firefighters.

[trees]

immersion! !
Wow!!!! Thats a workload, but isn't it wonderful working in a bilingual dual classroom setting ! Love reading your blog. Oh weather is cold cold and lots of rain :))