Week 13

This week I had the chance to Frau Krumrück's 11th grade English class and talk about various topics in relation to the United States.  Some of the topics were pretty serious, so I was a little nervous going into those class periods, but overall everything went well.

On Tuesday I went in and talked about abortion in the United States.  With all of these lessons the students first explained what they knew about the topic in Germany or Poland, so I was able to learn a bit myself, and then I jumped in and gave my input about the United States.  After reading a short text about abortion in the UK, that's how this class went.  I gave some information and statistics I had looked up the night before and I talked about about seeing displays and protests on campus.  Students then filled out a chart that asked them to imagine the consequences for various people involved (would-be father, grandparents, etc.) if a woman had an abortion or not.  Students then split up according to their beliefs and had a debate.  This was the one part of the class that was a bit uncomfortable, since there were only two students on the anti-abortion side.  However, I feel that these two students argued more convincingly than the others.  If I were doing a debate in my classroom though, I would have assigned students sides.

I visited the same class on Wednesday and talked about AIDS in the United States, sharing some statistics I looked up.  Since World AIDS Day was on December 1, I was also able to explain Obama's pledge to commit up to 5 billion dollars to the Global Fund if all other countries pledge 10 billion and the allocation of an additional 100 million dollars in the federal budget to AIDS research.  In this class period, students also listened to an interview with a teenage girl with AIDS and answered questions about the text.

Finally on Thursday I went to the lesson on gays and lesbians in society.  In this lesson, students first wrote down what they know about various subtopics (acceptance, gay marriage, adoption, etc.) and their country.  Students then shared what they wrote down.  I then explained what I knew about the situation in the United States.  Most of the information I had looked up was about same-sex marriage, but I was also able to speak a bit from personal experience.  There was some tension during this class; one student was speaking out as being non-accepting of homosexuals, and his peers who sat around him, the ones who were the most outspoken overall, were arguing with him.  It made for an interesting discussion, and it never got too out of hand, but I was worried it would.  We tackled some tough subjects this week.

Backtracking a bit, on Tuesday I also went to Frau Krumrück's 12th grade class and talked a bit about the role of the media in the United States.  I shared some statistics I found about TV, radio, newspaper, and internet use, as well as my personal experience with each type of media.  Students seemed to respond well to this conversation, and once again I got to learn a bit about Germany and Poland and how my students spend their time.  Our experiences were pretty similar, and Frau Krumrück was even surprised by how much her own students watch TV.

- Amy

Weeks 11 and 12

Here are some highlights from the last two weeks at my school:

Tuesday, December 19: I went to Frau Krumrück's 7th grade class, the class that is working on the Scotland unit, and we did some arts and crafts, putting together some paper models of Scottish buildings.  I had already put together one of each model the night before, so I was able to help the students when they ran into difficulties.

Thursday, December 21: I visited all three 8th grade classes to give them a Thanksgiving mind map assignment.  I asked them to go to the website popplet.com and create a mind map about what they already know about Thanksgiving and some words that they associate with the holiday.  I designed the activity for the online class I am taking, Planning for Instruction, and I was excited to try it out.

Tuesday, December 26: I went to one of Frau Wollenberg's 8th grade classes and facilitated some activities about Thanksgiving.  I first asked students how they liked creating the online mind map, and we put together a mind map together on the board.  Then the students used the words they had learned to do a fill-in-the-blank worksheet that would also teach them a bit about the history and celebration of the holiday.  We ended with something fun but something that still reinforced the new vocab, a word search.  The lesson went pretty well; overall, students were really engaged.

I also used this fill-in-the-blank activity with my 7th grade group, and they had some fun with it, although it was a bit more difficult for them.

Thursday, December 28: I did my Thanksgiving lesson two more times, once in Frau Krumrück's 8th grade class and once in Frau Wollenberg's other 8th grade class.  Both classes were double lessons.  In Frau Krumrück's class my lesson was interspersed with other materials she had prepared, so it was a nice co-teaching experience.  In Frau Wollenberg's class I added a conversation, asking students how they would celebrate Thanksgiving if they were in the United States, with the extra time.

I also used the fill-in-the-blank activity with one of the Polish students I tutor.  It was nice doing something other than just reading passages together.

Friday, December 29: I visited the 7th grade German grammar class I have been going to, and I turned out they were taking a test, so I wrote the test, as well.  It was unexpected, so I didn't study at all.  We'll see how I did...!

This Friday I also had a quick chat with Frau Krumrück, because I really don't know what the teachers at the school expected as far as my roll here, and I wanted to make sure I was living up to the expectations.  She didn't directly answer my question, but it sounds as if things are going alright.  She pointed out a couple classes I helped with over the past few days and indicated that I have been helpful.  She also outlined some ways I could help in the future, so I think my relationship with the school is doing alright.

- Amy

Week 10

This week I did some more reading tutoring and I worked again with my group of 7th graders.  They had a test coming up, and they weren't sure exactly what would be on the test, but they said they had been learning about London sites, so we read a text about the two Queen Elizabeths, and I made sure to point out every London site that was mentioned in the text!

On Wednesday I went to two of Herr Hettig's 11th grade English classes and talked about about different types of graphs.  I had to do a bit of research for this one, but it turned out well.  Herr Hettig then had the students to brainstorm topics that they could survey their fellow students about and make their own graph.

I also went to Herr Hettig's 9th grade history class, and Jesse met me there!  We team-taught about the pioneers.  It was so nice having someone fill in when I had a gap in thought and nothing to say in that moment, especially since history is not my strong point.

On Thursday I went and observed Frau Zarnodt, who is doing her Referendariat at the school, give a grammar lesson to a 7th grade class.  She was also being observed by a couple people from her university and her mentor at the Gymnasium.  The lesson was about the second conditional, and she presented the form in conjunction with information about the Lock Ness Monster, so students could say things like, "If I saw Nessie, I would take a picture."  It was a fun lesson, and it was interesting sitting in on the discussion afterwards with the observers.

Then on Friday, after sitting in on another 7th grade German grammar lesson, I went and observed Frau Krumrück teach her introduction lesson on Scotland.  She used a couple great activities that I'm going to steal in the future.  One of them is the memory game she posted up on the board with magnets.  Each card/picture also had a number written underneath, so students had to practice numbers as they took turns playing.  This is such a great idea that could be used for so many different topics.  The other activity is the trip to Scotland she had the students take.  She had all the students go to another room and there, laid out on the tables, were postcards, pictures, newspaper articles, and souvenirs from her trip (or trips) to Scotland.  It was a lot of fun.

- Amy

Week 9

Week 9...  Can you believe it?  The time has gone so fast, and I am starting to feel like I am in a groove at my school, which is both a positive and a negative.  It's good, because I am feeling very comfortable in my position.  It's not so good, because I don't want to get into a rut.  My goals for the next few weeks are to offer to teach a Thanksgiving lesson in the English classes and to observe more teachers.

This week I did some more reading tutoring.  I have noticed that these two Polish students are getting better at English pronunciation and that their reading fluency is improving.  I would like to do some research on techniques to improve reading fluency and help these students even more.

I also met for the second time with my group of 7th grade students during Lernzeit on Tuesday.  This week we worked on the present perfect (I have gone, I have seen, etc.), since that is what they told me they were working on in their English class.  I would like to prepare some fun lessons for these students, as well.

On Tuesday I also taught a 7th grade lesson for Frau Krumrück while she was administering a test.  I was given materials by Frau Krumrück and just asked to present them, so I am not writing my own lessons yet, but it was nice being able to teach.  We started with a word search, did some grammar, and then did a listening activity before I gave students some work time.  The class period was up and down, sometimes students payed attention and were engaged, but sometimes it got a little too much to handle.  I am still working on my classroom management, as I feel this is my weakest point as a teacher.  I think I have some good role models here at the school, though, so hopefully I will learn a lot this year.

I attended another history class this week and talked about the Constitution and patriotism again.  I also visited a 12th grade class to help administer a test.  At the end of this class period there was some time left, so I introduced myself and answered a couple questions.

On Friday I observed a 7th grade German grammar class.  This is something I want to make a habit of, because I know I will learn a lot from these classes.  On this day they were reviewing the parts of the sentence and the different cases in German.  I took a lot of notes.  Although I understood what they were talking about, a lot of the information is presented differently in the United States.  For example, when I learned German I was presented the cases in this order: nominative, accusative, dative, genetive.  In the classes I've observed so far, however, students learn the cases in this order: nominative, genetive, dative, accusative.  It's interesting to me as a grammar nerd!

- Amy

Grundschule am See

Last week started out just like any other week for me at the Deustch-Polnisches Gymnasium.  On Monday I introduced myself and answered questions in a 7th grade class and two 9th grade classes.  On Tuesday I did the same in an 8th grade class, observed a 9th grade class, and then worked on reading with the Polish students.  On Wednesday I went to one of Herr Hettig's English classes to talk about my beliefs about the purpose of school and the differences between schools in Germany and the United States as far as preparing students for the future.  I then did some reading tutoring before going back to Herr Hettig's room for the 9th grade history class I have talked to a couple times before.  That day they were discussing the Constitution.

This history lesson did not go very well for me.  I do not have a vast knowledge of history, American or otherwise, but even so I was asked to talk about the Constitution without having anything prepared.  I did my best, but I still ended up feeling a bit embarrassed.  One thought led to another, and by the end of the day I was feeling like I was not fulfilling my purpose here at the school.

However, all that changed on Thursday when I had the chance to visit the grade school.  I visited two 4th grade classes, and I left feeling refreshed and re-energized, knowing that I was helping out here after all.

In the first 4th grade class I visited, I stood up in front of the class and students took turns asking me questions in English, the questions they have learned by this point, since they have only had English one year so far.  Their teacher then allowed them to ask me questions in German.  In the second class, we all sat in a circle, and I first had a chat with the teacher in German about my time here so far, and then each student asked me a question in English.  They were allowed to repeat a question a previous student had said, just as long as they asked one question in English, so I ended up answering the question "What is your name?" several times.

I then went back to that first 4th grade class and observed their English lesson.  They were drawing a witch's house based on a book they had read previously.  This drawing didn't seem to have much of a purpose in the hour I was there, since students were simply drawing a house based on the teacher's instructions, but perhaps the picture will be used at a later time for another purpose.

Finally, I stayed and watched this class have their art lesson, as well.  They were painting a fall scene with colorful trees.  Both during the English lesson and this lesson, I noted how precisely students needed to follow the teachers' instructions in order for their work to be considered successful.

The next day, Friday, I went back to the grade school for a few hours.  I went into the last 4th grade class and observed a grammar lesson.  I answered questions from a 3rd grade class about Halloween in the United States.  Then, in the third hour, the principal of the school then took me into another 3rd grade class and I answered students' questions in English and German the entire hour.  The principal, Frau Erdmann, was so sweet and patient to the students, which was really nice to see after observing a couple really strict teachers.

At the Gymnasium on Friday, I helped out with a Halloween lesson in Frau Zornodt's class.  I introduced the lesson, giving a brief history of Halloween, as well as telling the students about Halloween in the United States.  Frau Zornodt then introduced a stations activity, in which students were asked to translate a Halloween recipe, write a scary story, and write an acrostic poem, among other activities.  This lesson also helped me feel like I was helping out at the school.

It got even better this week.  I went back to the grade school and helped out with a 2-hour Halloween lesson in one of the 4th grade classes, a lesson that included decorating cookies to look like monsters.  I also observed a lesson in a 2nd grade class in which students first practiced writing and then built reading huts in which to read the books they brought with them that day.

Die Lesehuette

At the Gymnasium I not only helped tutor the Polish students in reading (and continued to see progress!), but also during this Lernzeit, I met for the first time with a group of 7th graders I will be meeting with once per week from now on.  During this review time, we practiced the present progressive.  We first conjugated "to be," and then I had students answer questions, such as "What are you doing after school?" and "What am I doing right now?" accompanied, of course, but amusing charades by yours truly.  A couple students told me afterward that it was a fun lesson.

Well, that ended up being a really long post, but I hope you can see how much fun I had at the grade school, and how things are seeming to get better for me as a teaching assistant.  I hope I get a call to go back to the grade school next week.  I have also been asked by Frau Krumrück to teach a lesson in one of her classes next week, so I am looking forward to that!

- Amy

Klassenfahrt nach Kamminke

This past week my husband, Jesse, and I went on the 8th grade class trip to a youth hostel in Kamminke near the Baltic Sea.  I was a little bit nervous about the idea of going on this trip and being partially responsible for sixty 8th graders, but we ended up having a really nice, and really tiring, time.  Many of these students already knew each other from 7th grade, but a few were new to the school, and this trip was a chance for everyone to get to know their classmates, and it was a great opportunity for me to get to know some of my new students.

On Monday we arrived at the school around 8:30 and got onto the bus.  Two and a half hours later we arrived in Kamminke, got our rooms, and had a teachers meeting to review the schedule for the week.  Then it was time for lunch.  After lunch the students played games to get to know each other and break the ice a bit.  We then took a walk down to the Kamminker Hafen (harbor) before dinner.  After dinner Jesse and I went back to our room and I watched some German TV and got to bed early.

Tuesday began with breakfast and a walk to the Golm War Cemetary.  The students were charged with filling out a worksheet as they walked around the cemetery.  They were then given some information about a particular person buried there, and they were asked to summarize the information and present it to their classmates.  This was a tough excursion, as I was starting to notice the students who had a tendency to act out to impress their friends.  It was difficult getting everyone to listen up to the presentations, and at this point I was also unsure how much of a supervisory role I had on this trip, so I didn't want to overstep my bounds.

After lunch we took a bus to Ahlbeck on the Baltic Sea and walked through the town and along the beach to Heringsdorf.  Jesse and I were often surprised on this trip how much autonomy the 8th graders were given, and this excursion was no exception.  Students were given free reign around the town until the designated meeting time, and they were also asked to find their way back to the train station themselves.  Of course, some of them were late, but overall it went surprisingly well.

On Tuesday evening after dinner Jesse and I went over to the recreational room to see what the students were up to in their free time.  We ended up playing one game of Foosball and hours worth of table tennis.  I had never played table tennis before, but by the end I was feeling pretty comfortable with the game.  It was also fantastic getting to know some of the students a little better, and I think they liked seeing me have fun and make a fool of myself!

It ended up being really good that Jesse and I were there to keep an eye on the students, because elsewhere the teachers were doing room checks.  They did find some contraband, and some students had to call their parents and explain the situation.  After 10:00, which is the time that all students needed to be in their rooms, Jesse and I walked around, broke up parties, and herded students into their rooms.  It was tough, because there was so much gossiping and drama going around, but eventually things started quieting down and we headed off to bed ourselves.

Wednesday was a day spent at the youth hostel.  In the morning, students listened to a presentation about youth during Nationalsozialismus.  Again, it was tough to keep the students attentive; many of them were passing notes or just falling asleep.  Then in the afternoon students participated in a ropes course.  It was fun watching them go from trying to complete the course individually to working together as a team.  Once they had completed the course (whenever someone touched the ground, everyone in the entire group had to go back), they identified teamwork as being an important quality that helped them be successful.  Dinner was a grill-out, and then Jesse and I went and played Tischtennis again for a couple hours.  Jesse also wowed some of the students with his card tricks and explanations of his life in Nebraska.

We ended the night with another patrol to make sure students were where they needed to be, but it went quickly this time around.  I was also pleasantly surprised that the students seemed to be listening to me when I asked them to get to their rooms.  I had found my place as a supervisor on the trip, and I felt like I was doing a good job.  The teachers also mentioned later how much of a help Jesse and I were in this area.

Thursday was my favorite day, because I got to ride a bike for the first time in 12 years!  I was a little nervous, but riding a bike really does seem to be something you don't forget how to do.  We all rode together to Swinemünde in Poland, and then the students were given time to go on a Fotosafari and take pictures of certain locations in the Altstadt.  We had pizza for lunch and then had a little more free time in the town.  The plan was to ride down to the beach, but unfortunately the rain was only getting worse, so we just rode back to the youth hostel.

After dinner, the students had a Discoabend.  It was funny seeing this middle school dance in action, because so many of the students didn't want to dance or only danced for a couple songs.  The dance ended up petering out a little early, so Jesse and I put on some of our own music and hung out with a couple students who wandered in after that.

The next day we cleaned up our rooms and headed back to Löckntiz.  Jesse and I were really excited to get some sleep when we got back to our apartment, but other than being worn out, we were glad we were able to go on this trip.  I felt like I got to know these students a bit better and I was able to establish my role in the group fairly well.  I also have so many wonderful memories of the trip, since it was also nice for me from a travel perspective.  I got to go to Poland and a couple towns on the Baltic Sea.  I have already been asked if Jesse and I want to go with the 11th graders to Berlin in November or December, so I have another trip to look forward to!

- Amy

Weeks 3 and 4

The past two weeks I have been doing more observing, more introductions, and answering more questions in various classes around the school.  Frau Krumrück wanted me to get to know each class before I began focusing my time on the 11th and 8th graders.

23. September: I observed Frau Krumrück's 7th grade class.  I also sat in on Frau Wollenberg's 8th grade class, introduced myself, and answered questions for a bit.  On a more interesting note, I started working with two Polish students (one who comes to the Lernzeit regularly, and another who comes less regularly) on reading.  Frau Krumrück asked me to simply have them read texts to me, correct their pronunciation, and then have them read the text again, but I am wondering if I could look into better methods to help them.  Perhaps this could be a research project in the future!

24. September: I worked with the two Polish students again today.

25. September: I saw the Polish student who comes regularly (Marvin) during Lernzeit again today.  Some of the words we have been working on are starting to stick, which makes me happy.   I also introduced myself and answered questions in Frau Krumrück's 9th grade class.

26. September: I went to Frau Wollenberg's same 8th grade class today to observe.  The class was working on the present perfect progressive, so I learned a little bit about English grammar, too!

27. September: I sat in on Frau Krumrück's 7th grade class as they corrected their homework and did a listening comprehension test.

Some general notes from this week: Many, if not all, of the teachers I have observed seem to teach grammar without much of a context.  I have seen a lot of grammar worksheets.  The teachers here also tend to be blunter than American teachers to the point where I begin to wonder if they are being too mean or not.

30. September: This was an interesting day in Frau Krumrück's classroom.  She began the 2-hour lesson with an activity in which we wrote down 4 items that we would take with us if we were to move to another country.  We then got into groups and then had to decide on one 4-item list between the 4 of us.  My group was pretty quiet, and it was tough to get them to speak English to me.  Frau Krumrück then gave a lesson on the Statue of Liberty, beginning with a song called "Back in the New York Groove".  She even dressed the part in a green blanket and a Statue of Liberty foam hat.  It was a fun lesson, but the different parts didn't quiet go together.  There were too many elements, from a discussion of the homework about American vs. British English to a text about immigrants.

I then met with the Polish student, Marvin.  Finally, I went up to Herr Hettig's room by request, and he asked that I take three 11th grade students outside and have a discussion about the theme that they are working on: adolescence and independence.  We ended up just chatting about the differences between the American and German school systems, as well as differences between Germany and Poland.  Herr Hettig told me later that these students are the best in this particular English class, so he feels like they are bored and not reaching their full potential sitting in class.

1. October: I was picking Jesse up from the airport, so I wasn't in class.

2. October: After working with Marvin for a bit on reading, I went to Herr Hettig's history class again.  This time his class was discussing the Constitution, so I was asked to talk about patriotism in the United States.  It was a fairly interesting discussion, and I learned that Polish people tend to be more patriotic than Germans.  I then stayed for another hour in Herr Hettig's classroom, an 11th grade class, and he asked me to start a discussion about this theme of adolescence.  I had no idea where to begin, it was pretty spontaneous, but I think I did a pretty good job of keeping the conversation going by asking questions about the differences between the United States and Germany.  We ended up talking a lot about prom, homecoming, and school spirit.

This was a short week, so I had Thursday (Tag der Deutschen Einheit) and Friday off to spend with Jesse.

I hope I will begin teaching lessons soon.  I plan on talking to Frau Krumrück after fall break if nothing changes by then.

- Amy

Week 2 - Wir sind bunt!

This week was a special week at my school.  On Monday I simply went into a 10th grade class, listened to the grammar instruction, introduced myself and answered questions again.  However, Tuesday through Thursday the school celebrated the theme "Wir sind bunt!" (formerly "Bunt statt braun") with three days of projects and presentations.  Some students did art, others music, still others theater.  I sat in on a Handarbeit class (basically, arts and crafts).  We made coloful pompoms and cords out of string that we turned into decorations for the hall and the sign out in front of the school.  The first day I spent with a group of 10-12 graders and the second day I hung out with 7-9 graders.  I also had a chance to look around at the other projects, such as the artwork.  Then, on Thursday, a stage was setup in the courtyard, and the students presented their dances, skits, and songs.  There was also a food table called the "Internationale Meile" set up.  It was so much fun, and I was glad to have the chance to get to know some of the students a bit better.

On Thursday I also had a nice chat with a 12th grader at the school, a Polish student.  I asked her if students personally chose to come to this Polish-German school or if their parents encouraged them to do so.  She said that most of the time it is the students' own decision, that they want to go to the school.  She also explained to me that at the end of their time at the Gymnasium, the Polish students recieve diplomas not only from Germany, but also from Poland, but that this school is not any more work than going to school in Poland.  It was such a nice conversation, and I was able to learn a lot about the situation at the school.

- Amy

First Week Experiences

This week I officially started my position as a teaching assistant at the Deutsch-Polnishces Gymnasium in Löcknitz.  According to the information we received at orientation, we should spend the first couple weeks in our schools observing classes and preparing to start teaching.  However, my teachers got me up in front of the class right away, not teaching full lessons, but definitely active.  For the most part, I felt pretty confident, since I have teaching experience.  The only time I felt pangs of nervousness was when I taught a random history lesson in a 9th grade class (my grasp of American history is not that great).  At least my lesson was in English!

In most classes, I simply introduced myself and answered questions the student had about the United States.  I did this in two of Herr Hettig's 11th grade English classes.  One class was very curious, asking all sorts of questions from "You can't drink until you're 21...  So do teenagers not drink at all?" to "Wait, the highest speed limit you've ever seen is 75 mph/120 kmp?!"  That class period was a lot of fun, and tiring!  

The other 11th grade class was more reserved, at least when talking to me (they were pretty talkative amongst themselves) and the hour felt longer than an hour.  I tried keeping the conversation going by pointing out the differences between restaurants in Germany and the U.S., as well as mentioning the driving age and drinking age, but most of the students seemed to be checked out.

The most fun was when I introduced myself to Frau Krumrück's 8th grade English class.  We talked a lot about food and music.  Also, just like in the first 11th grade class I visited, all of the Polish students wanted to know what I knew about Poland and if I had ever been there.  I reassured them that I would visit at some point or another, and impressed them with probably the only Polish phrase I know, "dzień dobry."

I also introduced myself to Frau Krumrück's 11th grade class, although this did not last the entire period, as my other introductions did.  Instead, we spent the rest of the class talking about a story the students had read called "Walk Proud, Be Proud" about a young African American girl experiencing a woman feeling sorry for her for racial/class reasons.  I listened to the students read their summaries, and Frau Krumrück had me make comments on the content and the grammar.  I then talked a bit about my views on the story.

During this lesson where I was asked to talk about the state of the relationship between races in the United States, as well as when I introduced myself and answered students' questions, I was struck by how I was expected to represent and answer for the United States as a whole.  I had heard that I would be expected to do this, but even so, it surprised me.  I made sure to let each class know that I was only speaking from my own experience in the Midwest, and that the United States is so varied that I couldn't possibly answer for every single American.

In addition to these classes, I also listened to a couple students from Frau Krumrück's 11th grade English class give presentations about their exchange experiences in the U.K. and Thailand, and I went into Frau Zornodt's 7th grade class to help with a Station Activity the students were doing.  I sat in the back and students came to me to correct worksheets as they finished each one.  (The 7th graders were also so much fun!  Their eyes shined when I told them they did a good job.)

Overall, I had a lot of fun this week, and I am really looking forward to this year of teaching.  Frau Krumrück, Herr Hettig, Frau Gaertner, and I sat down on Thursday to start discussing where I would be when, and we decided that I would spend much of my time with the 11th graders, as well as the 8th graders, since this is the year they learn about the United States specifically.  After I helped out in Frau Wollenberg's class, she also mentioned that she would like me in her class every once in a while, so I am sure I will have plenty to do between those four teachers!

- Amy

Introduction - Preparing to Teach

Last Monday, September 2, I headed to the Köln Hauptbahnhof to meet all of the Fulbrighters and head off to our orientation at the hotel Maria in der Aue in Wermelskirchen.  We were there until the morning of the 5th, learning all about registering with the city, getting a visa, and, of course, teaching in German schools.  

Before orientation, I thought that all Fulbrighter teaching assistants were placed in secondary schools, such as Gymnasien and Realschulen.  However, I was surprised to learn that some of my colleagues have been placed in elementary schools (Grundschulen), middle schools (Mittelschulen), and occupational schools (Berufschulen).  There are so many wonderful opportunities out there for English teaching assistants.

I am glad and excited to be placed in the Deutsch-Polnisches Gymnasium in Löcknitz, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.  This is a secondary school (grades 7-12) for both German and Polish students.  My Betreuungslehrerin (the teacher who is looking out for me), Frau Krumrück, told me that it is sometimes hard for the Polish students at first, since all of their classes are in German.  This definitely reminds me of English language learners in the U.S. school system, and it will be interesting to see how the new Polish students adjust to their lives at the school.  This also explains why I was placed in this school in particular.

When I applied for my Fulbright, for my extra-curricular project I suggested that I take a look at German language learners in German schools.  I expected to be placed in a school with a large Turkish population, perhaps in the Berlin area.  I was not expecting a community that is 7% Polish, but I am so excited for this unique opportunity.  How many other teaching assistants have gotten the chance to teach at this school?  Not many, I would think.  I am in a subgroup of Fulbright teaching assistants in the "Diversity Program."  We are all in schools that have a diverse population for one reason or another, and I am also eager to learn about my colleagues experiences this year.

So, back to orientation.  We were split up into groups according to our Bundesländer (states), and in these groups we found partners or trios with whom to prepare a lesson.  My partner, Ashley, and I were assigned to plan a lesson for 9th grade students.  Looking through the sample Unterrichtsmaterialen (teaching materials) we were given, we found one worksheet on the differences in dating between Germany and the United States and another about giving advice.  We decided to combine the two.  Our lesson went as follows:

1. Introduction - We reminded our students that yesterday they learned about dating in the United States and compared it to dating in Germany.

2. Review -  We helped the students create a list of things they learned about dating in the United States.

3. Introduction to Advice Activity - We looked at one dating problem on the worksheet in the Unterrichtsmaterialen and as a class we formulated some advice.  (There was a great transition here by Ashley.  "Well, you know, sometimes dating doesn't go well.  And then you need some advice.")  After we had some advice ideas, Ashley and I acted out the problem posing and advice giving as a skit. 

4. Advice Activity - We split students into pairs and gave each pair a problem.  They then thought of advice.

5. Skits - The students then each took turns performing a skit with the problem and advice for the class.  Before each skit, we read through the problem on the worksheet as a class to make sure they all understood the problem.  After each skit, we asked the class if the advice was good or bad or, if there was more than one piece of advice given, which was better.

6. Situations - Finally, we looked at our list of pieces of advice and asked the students to think of other situations in which the same advice could be given.  For example, if the advice was to "be careful," this advice could also be given to someone planning on doing something dangerous, like cliff diving.

7. Wrap Up - We gave the students the homework of  writing to an advice column and then switching roles and giving themselves some advice.

Looking back on this lesson, I would switch some things around.  For example, I would read through all the problems as a class before splitting them off into groups instead of before each skit.  I would also move the skit example after students brainstormed advice in pairs and before they were ready to prepare their skits.

All in all, Ashley and I were pretty happy with our lesson and our performance for our group.  We received a lot of helpful feedback, including the couple items I mentioned above, as well as some nice complements.  It was great already having some teaching experience under my belt though.  A lot of the teaching assistants have never taught or even tutored before, so I am feeling pretty confident in my position.

Tomorrow I am going to go into a classroom and talk to students about a story they are reading.  It should be fun and interesting!

- Amy