Літній табір ISI 2024 | Тиждень 4

The fourth week of the ISI-Dublin English language Summer Camp. 🙌

The fourth week of the Summer camp was exciting as it was the first time for the students and the activity leaders to try some of our new activities. These activities have only been introduced this, Summer. The students started the week by going on a guided tour of Christchurch Cathedral, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and Dublin Castle. The students had the opportunity to learn about the fascinating history of politics and religion in Dublin. Other students travelled to Awesome Walls, a wall-climbing facility in Finglas. The students embraced the challenge of climbing the walls by using all their strength and determination to get to the top of each wall.

The next day the students also had the opportunity to go to the Irish Museum of Modern Art. The groups brought to the museum were accompanied by two expert guides from the museum. The guides explained the exhibition and its highly contemporary nature in detail. It allowed the students to perceive the current geopolitical events of the world from a highly nuanced perspective. On Wednesday, after some more sports and games in the gym, the students rocked out singing a few numbers in our karaoke evening. We heard many songs from the likes of Taylor Swift, and Katy Perry, and many rappers from Spain, Italy, and France. It was great to see some of the students’ (and the activity leader’s!) talent for singing emerge.

On Friday, the students partied at our disco in the rehearsal room at Belvedere College. Emotions ran high during the end of the disco as for some of the students it was their last dance and last day at the Summer Camp. Many t-shirts and Irish flags were signed to commemorate their time spent in Ireland. During the weekend the remainder of the students got to go to Trim Castle in Co. Meath. The students were treated to a guided tour of the castle by an expert tour guide from the OPW. The history of the castle and its place in premodern Irish history. The students also got to go on a tour of the hill of Tara. The guide explained its significance to ancient Irish culture and the students were able to enjoy the stunning vistas and rest where Irish kings once stood.

This week was a highly diverse week, with new activities that were a big success. Let’s hope these successes will continue into week five of the Summer Camp.

Escape Room

Puzzles, fun themes, and racing against the clock to escape an unknown captor or location. You would not normally think of an escape room as a method of language learning. However, when you need to communicate ideas of what unique twists and turns might help you escape, clear communication is essential.

This week ISI’s Summer Camp students did just that at Adventure Rooms Dublin. Whether they were on a World Trip, part of the Mafia, or escaping from the Black Queen, the students had to work together to unlock the secrets of their room in the 30 minutes before their mysterious captor arrived.

Escape rooms are appealing for their whimsical stories and the rush of adrenaline that comes with solving a puzzle as part of a team. These positive feelings are associated with important life skills such as being a team player, thinking critically, and creativity. At Adventure Rooms, none of the rooms include math, so all the puzzles are based on word play, hidden details around the room, or making connections between objects around the room. Having to name the objects and communicate what to do with them encouraged the students to practice their language skills in a “high stakes” environment.

What stands out about this activity is how much effort the students put into solving the puzzles involved in escaping. They were willing to work with students they had not worked with before and were patient with students who could not speak at the same level they did. By the time they escaped, everyone had contributed to the solution in some important way.

Many of the students had never tried an escape room, which makes this experience even more special as it provides insight into pop culture. While the escape rooms are playful and silly with their immersive themes, the students found themselves practicing their English speaking and listening skills to solve the puzzle. In the end, this activity is a win even if they did not fully solve the puzzle. The students had fun while learning and working on practical life skills.

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Enzo, Marc, Carlos, Andrei and Zeke