Week 19

Week 19...  I can hardly believe it!

This week I went to Herr Hettig's English class to talk a bit about eating habits in the United States, which is a topic I have a lot to say about, since I love food and eating.  I also spent some time with Frau Krumrück's 11th graders as they watched "Oliver's Story," the sequel to "Love Story."  Furthermore, I played Scategories with my group of 7th graders to help them practice their vocabulary and unwind a little bit.  They might be buttering me up, but they told me that I am so cool.

I also observed a couple fun lessons in Frau Krumrück's room.  With her 7th grade class, she introduced the theme of sports by dressing up like a track star, playing "We are the Champions" and having students hold up and wave soccer scarves made out of paper.  

Soon after this lesson the 12th graders came in and Frau Krumrück introduced the topic "World of Work" in this class.  Students first discussed the question "Do you work to live or do you live to work?"  They then talked about who they would talk to to begin looking for a job and what they would need to do to prepare.  They read a text with "tips for young job seekers" and then completed a worksheet where they responded to statements about job expectations (In my job I will earn a lot of money, have a lot of vacation time, etc.).

My favorite class period of the week, however, was a 10th grade double lesson I observed.  In this class students split up into two groups depending on their home country.  I joined the "foreigner" group along with the students from Poland and one girl from Indonesia.  We went outside in front of the school, and the German students came and picked us up, introduced themselves, and then proceeded to give us a tour of the school, as if we were considering attending the school next year.  The tour had to be in English, of course, since we all spoke different languages.  While on the tour, the "foreign" students were required to also ask questions, so that they could practice their English, as well.  After the tour, we all went back to the classroom, which was set up like a long table with drinks and cookies.  One of the Polish students gave a short talk about their school and another student taught us some words in German.  We then had a discussion at the table with questions about the school and cultural differences.  Throughout this entire section, the speaker would use English, but Frau Krumrück would pretend she didn't understand English, so another student would then translate into German.  It was a lot of fun, and the students were really engaged.  In the group I was in, the students spoke only English on the tour, except when they were trying to figure out a translation, and then in the full group activity, students would switch off translating whenever someone new volunteered to try.  This is an activity I would love to do in my own classroom someday.

- Amy

Pre- and Post-Winter Break

Here are the highlights of my work (and fun) at my school during the week before winter break:

On December 16th I went to Frau Wollenberg's 8th grade class to talk a bit about Christmas in the United States.  I first presented some vocabulary and "The Christmas Song."  I then gave them a short, fun quiz about Santa, and we discussed Christmas traditions in the U.S.  Finally, I gave them some questions to use while interviewing a partner about their Christmas traditions.

I then went and helped set up in the gym for the Christmas program.

On December 17th, my husband Jesse and I took a trip to Berlin with the 11th graders.  We took a bus tour with a guide that taught us a bit about the architecture in Berlin, spent some time at Alexanderplatz, and then saw a comedian at a cabaret.

December 19th brought a repeat of my Christmas lessons for the 8th grader in Frau Krumrück's room.  This lesson, however, included some supplemental texts provided by Frau Krumrück, as well as a Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer video, and spanned two periods.

On this day the entire school also went over to the gym in the afternoon to see the Christmas program.  My school has so many talented singers, musicians, and dancers.

Finally, on December 20th, I went to the 12th grader's Christmas celebration.  We had snacks, cake, and I tried a traditional Polish Christmas dish called Krokiety, which was so delicious.  One student performed some Christmas songs on her violin and another played the accordion and then juggled.

Now we are back in school after a great two-week break.  Last week I spent some time in Frau Krumrück's 11th grade watching the movie Love Story (1970) and then giving a presentation on the most up beat topic I have covered in that class so far: traditions centered around death in the United States.  I also helped proctor the Vor-Abitur and I filled in for Frau Gärtner in her 10th grade class while she was also proctoring the exam, helping those students translate a text from German to English.  Then with my group of 7th graders, I lead a discussion about their goals for the new year, which was a lot of fun.  They are so energetic and enthusiastic!

- Amy