This week we came back from winter break, which was two weeks long. During the winter break I met with the student from the Regionalschule for two more tutoring sessions. I then met with her again the Monday we went back to school and on that Tuesday. It seems like what she wants from these sessions is help with homework and occasional test preparation, so I have been helping her answer questions, write texts, and practice different grammar forms.
On the first Tuesday back, February 18, I went to Frau Krumrück's 11th grade class and watched the students give presentations about the varieties of English. On this day students presented information about British English, Irish English, and Australian English. I also gave a short presentation about American English, although I felt that there was so much information and so much I wanted to say, it was hard to pare everything down to a 10 minute presentation. I really enjoyed talking about American English though.
On that same Tuesday in the 5th and 6th lessons I was in class with the 12th graders. In the first hour the students worked on a grammar activity, but in the second hour I lead a discussion with two separate groups. It was a bit tough because the students who aren't taking the English portion of the Abitur stayed for both groups, but I still gave the second group a couple minutes to write down key words and thoughts about the subject before we discussed. The topic Frau Krumrück gave me was "How can the problem of high unemployment be solved?"
Finally on Tuesday I did some reading tutoring and met with my group of 7th graders in the Lernzeit. With the 7th graders I lead a discussion about what they did during the two-week break, first having them make some notes about the topic, just as I had done with Frau Krumrück's 12th graders.
Wednesday was a little more relaxed. I went to Herr Hettig's 11th grade English classes to talk about what makes a nation. In both classes Herr Hettig first presented a standard definition of "nation." Then I talked about what I think makes the United States a unified country and how it differs from the standard definition, focusing on the issue of diversity. Students then created lists of the elements of a country (culture, traditions, sense of belonging, etc.), and I walked around the room to help.
On Thursday I led another discussion with a group of Frau Krumrück's 12th graders. This time the theme was "Who has the greatest influence on the economy?" I am glad the students had some great ideas about this topic, since I am no economist! In the 5th and 6th hour Herr Hettig then requested that I take groups of students into an empty classroom and just have conversations with them in English. We ended up talking about hobbies, hopes for the future, and a little bit about American culture when the students asked questions.
- Amy
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Monday, February 3, 2014
2nd Semester
Monday the 20th of January was the start of the second semester at the Deutsch-Polnisches Gymnasium, so many of the classes I observe and help started new units. The 11th graders are now talking about the varieties of English, for example, which a double lesson I observed on Tuesday, January 21. I am still tutoring my group of 7th graders during the Lernzeit, and we've been talking about their favorite sports and the Olympics the past two weeks. In Herr Hettig's 11th grade English class I helped students prepare presentations about English-speaking countries on Wednesday, January 22, and then I sat in on some of these presentations on Wednesday the following week. Frau Krumrück's 12th graders are currently talking about the "World of Work." I sat in on one of these lessons on Thursday the 23rd and then led a discussion the following week on Thursday about how difficult it is for young people to find jobs in our areas of Germany, Poland, and the United States. Finally, the 8th graders are now in a unit about California, which they started in a double lesson on Thursday the 30th.
On Thursday the 23rd I got to have a conversation with a few students from one of Herr Hettig's class. He pulled me out of the hall and asked me to come talk to them about what they would do if they saw a fight start at school or what they would do to de-escalate a situation. We talked a little bit about the actions they should take, such as going to get a teacher for help, but apparently these girls never see fights happen at school. I asked them why they think that is and I told them about the situation at my high school (I heard about fights, but I never saw them). We then talked a bit about the differences between schools in Germany and the United States, as well as between Germany and Poland. The girls told me that Poland teachers are very strict in comparison to German teachers, and that they go to the teachers from Germany at the Gymnasium when they have an issue or just need someone to talk to. My favorite part of being a teaching assistant at this school is just being able to sit down and talk to the students.
On the last day of school before our two-week winter break, a couple of the 7th graders invited me to their Zeugnisaufgabe, or handing out of report cards. Each student was called to the front of the room, and their class teacher gave them their report card, gave a few comments about it, and then wished them luck in their studies. If the student had a bad grade or a grade that could simply be improved, he asked them to point to the grade on the card, so that he knew they were aware of their weaknesses, but so he didn't draw too much attention to the negatives while these students were in front of the entire class. We then said good-bye to one of the 7th graders whose grades weren't quite good enough for him to stay at the Gymnasium. Frau Zarnodt told me he will be going to the Regionalschule from now on. The class speakers gave him a stuffed giraffe and some chocolates, wished him luck, and said the class would miss him. We then spent the rest of the hour hanging out and eating sweets the students had brought.
A side note: I tutored a 9th grader from the Regionalschule in English on Monday the 27th, helping her write a text for school, but so far I haven't heard back from her about wanting to meet again, so we'll see what happens.
- Amy
On Thursday the 23rd I got to have a conversation with a few students from one of Herr Hettig's class. He pulled me out of the hall and asked me to come talk to them about what they would do if they saw a fight start at school or what they would do to de-escalate a situation. We talked a little bit about the actions they should take, such as going to get a teacher for help, but apparently these girls never see fights happen at school. I asked them why they think that is and I told them about the situation at my high school (I heard about fights, but I never saw them). We then talked a bit about the differences between schools in Germany and the United States, as well as between Germany and Poland. The girls told me that Poland teachers are very strict in comparison to German teachers, and that they go to the teachers from Germany at the Gymnasium when they have an issue or just need someone to talk to. My favorite part of being a teaching assistant at this school is just being able to sit down and talk to the students.
On the last day of school before our two-week winter break, a couple of the 7th graders invited me to their Zeugnisaufgabe, or handing out of report cards. Each student was called to the front of the room, and their class teacher gave them their report card, gave a few comments about it, and then wished them luck in their studies. If the student had a bad grade or a grade that could simply be improved, he asked them to point to the grade on the card, so that he knew they were aware of their weaknesses, but so he didn't draw too much attention to the negatives while these students were in front of the entire class. We then said good-bye to one of the 7th graders whose grades weren't quite good enough for him to stay at the Gymnasium. Frau Zarnodt told me he will be going to the Regionalschule from now on. The class speakers gave him a stuffed giraffe and some chocolates, wished him luck, and said the class would miss him. We then spent the rest of the hour hanging out and eating sweets the students had brought.
A side note: I tutored a 9th grader from the Regionalschule in English on Monday the 27th, helping her write a text for school, but so far I haven't heard back from her about wanting to meet again, so we'll see what happens.
- Amy
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