2D A Foreigner's Impression of Taiwan

2D A Foreigner's Impression of Taiwan

Taiwan may not be a popular country for foreigners to visit, but when they visit Taiwan, they will definitely find out the beauty of Taiwan.

Taiwanese people are really kind. Even though many of us cannot speak English well, we try our best to understand and express what we think. 

Delicious foods and fruits are everywhere to be found in Taiwan. Some common favorites are mango ices, braised pork over rice, "10,000 year old" eggs and "stinky" tofu, the last two many foreigners are afraid to try. 

There are convenience stores everywhere, even in the most remote mountain areas of Alishan  and offshore on Penghu and Matsu. Taiwan has the highest concentration of convenience stores in the world.

One thing many foreigners find "cool" about Taiwan is that there are scooters to be ridden everywhere. While Hawaii may be famous for its surfing culture, and Japan has its sumo wrestlers, Taiwan is a "scooter culture." 

Overarching Questions 
1. Why would a foreigner want to spend the rest of his life in Taiwan?
2. What is so repulsive to foreigners about "10,00 year old" eggs and "stinky" tofu?
3. What are your impressions about riding a scooter as a means for transportation?
4. What are the main differences between life in Taiwan and the United States? 
5. What are your most interesting impressions of teaching ESL to foreigners in the U.S.A.?
6. What are your thoughts about the "racial issue" in the U.S.A.? Is it as serious as it sounds?
7 In the upcoming U.S. presidential election, how does Mr. Trump's solution to racial problems stand up to reality? 

1A Methods for Communication in English

1A. Methods of Communication in English

1. Word bank - new words
2. Expand
3. Sentence patterns
4. Grammar

So far, most students in Taiwan go to cram schools to improve the English they learn in day school. Cram schools teach English starting from grammar; they make students memorize lots of rules but students lose a flexibility to become fluent. We do well on multiple choice tests but we often can't speak a full sentence when we need to talk with an English speaker.We need to keep a lot of vocabulary in our head and use those words to construct sentences. All the while, we must remember the grammar we have learned. It is not difficult to learn English; as long as we dare to speak it.



Overarching Questions
1. How can you learn English well? 
2. What is the best way to retain words we add to our word bank? 
3. How can we learn grammar in the most useful way?
4. What are the best methods for learning to communicate in English? 

3C Parks and Recreation

3C Parks and Recreation

1. "Read the world and the world reads you." "Read" means "understand."

2. Learning English is not only for tests; it's for meeting different people of the world.

3.In Taiwan, not only do we have endemic species but also our own pets. Don't let them become strays.

4. Besides national parks, there are places rich in natural resources that must be protected

5. Through English, we can touch the world, enjoy the world, and change the world.

Overarching Questions

1. Which of the Taiwan parks is the most impressive to you?

2. How should national parks be open to visitors?
3. Though there are many unique natural features in Taiwan, why are none of them listed in the U.N. World Heritage Sites? 

3B Dealing With Pollution

3B Dealing With Pollution 

It is quite important to build a cleaner environment for people and animals. There are too many factories emitting more and more CO2. We can pass laws to decrease pollution. One such law is the Kyoto Protocol. However, many countries which create the bulk of the world's pollution, haven't agreed to sign and follow the rules.      Everybody knows how to deal with pollution such as stopping the emissions of CO2.  Also If there were fewer vehicles in use, this would help decrease the CO2. However, in local developing countries, such as China, Vietnam and Thailand that need industry to develop their economy and create jobs for their workers, cutting production to reduce pollution remains a dilemma. 

Overarching Questions:
1. What do you think can be done to resolve this dilemma?

2. If you were the owner of a polluting factory in Asia, what would you do?  

Dealing With Pollution In Modern Taipei 

Taipei is the capital of Taiwan. It is a bustling city with many big buildings. The "Taipei 101" building, is a "green" building. In November 2009, the trustees of Taipei 101 announced that it would invest 60 million NT ($1,875,000 us) to a foundation to increase the "green" of the building such as maximizing the efficiency of electric systems (energy and LED light Platinum certification), sanitary water equipment (toilets, faucets) . This will be a model to improve the global environment. The U.S. Green Building Council calls Taipei 101 "the world's tallest green building."  

Overarching Questions:

1. Are there any 'green buildings" such as Taipei 101 in the U.S.?

2. How do you feel about "green" buildings proliferation?