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