Southern Utah Trip

Advanced (Level 4) ESL students had an opportunity to take a special content-based instruction course about the desert Southwest during Summer Block 1 in 2009 and 2008.

In the classroom, students learned about the history and geography of the region and problems the region faces such as water conservation and historical preservation. Students also learned about the peoples of the region, both past and present, read historical novels about Navajo code talkers and learned about the lives of Native Americans now. They learned about the interface between the Native American population and the people who arrived in the region more recently. Students' practiced their listening/speaking and reading skills in English as they learned about issues that are relevant to the area in which they were living and studying.

The course culminated in an excursion to Southern Utah, where they had an opportunity to meet denizens of the region and to provide a service to them. Students camped and cooked their own food with the teachers. The trip also included a rafting trip down the Colorado River.

This course will be offered again for Level 4 students during Summer Block 1 as one of the Listening/Speaking and Reading sections. Students who take these sections MUST go on the trip.

Please talk with Lisa Williamson Phone: 801-863-8729, E-mail: Lisa.Williamson@uvu.edu, if you are interested AND will be an Advanced Level student during the summer of 2010.