Teach About US Update // Nov. 20, 2017

Teach About US Update // Nov. 20, 2017

by Joannis Kaliampos -
Number of replies: 0

Teach About US Update // November 20, 2017

This month's newsletter: Partnerships with U.S. schools, Going Green school competition, and updates on curriculum content.

Teach About US Update // Nov. 20, 2017

 

Dear Subscriber,
Let us update you on Going Green 2017/18 and encourage you to join the ongoing project if you haven't done so already. This newsletter will address the following items: We can only keep Going Green going if you participate. Let's make this project sustainable. Sign up via teachaboutus.org and engage.
 
Yours,

Dr. Martina Kohl and Dr. Karin Ernst
on behalf of the Teach About US Team and Partners

 
Contact:  
Joannis Kaliampos
Leuphana Universität | Scharnhorststr. 1 | 21335 Lüneburg

                         Fon +49 (0)4131.677-1662 | E-Mail | Web

   

Partnerships with U.S. schools

Our partners in Washington D.C, the TOP team, have successfully been recruiting American teachers who would like to partner with German colleagues and students in the Going Green project. It has been difficult in the past to match interested schools, so here is your chance: so far 20 American teachers have signaled their interest.
 
How can this partnership work? 
Well, that’s basically up to you and your partner school and depends on the time you are able to invest. You define the relationship. Your engagement can work on several levels:
  • a joint e-classroom on Moodle and a joint action plan
  • separate classrooms but an intensive exchange of ideas and a joint action plan
  • an informal exchange involving the forum on Moodle, skype sessions or e-mail conversations.
There is a time difference, so an exchange isn’t uncomplicated. However, this is a unique chance to reach out to a “real” audience, have a meaningful conversation, compare notes on actions to be taken to combat climate change and establish a relationship through Going Green. Who knows, some of these partnerships might even lead to actual visits that have a purpose beyond sightseeing.
 
ACTION:  Please send Katja Krüger an e-mail asap if you are interested in a partnership! Outline in a few sentences what kind of exchange you envision, the school type, number and age of your students and when you plan to engage in the Going Green project (contact: krueger@life-online.de)

Going Green: Dates and competition

The Going Green curriculum is available throughout the year, and we are prepared to assist you. However, if you and your students want to participate in the school competition, we need to set deadlines. The annual Going Green school competition invites participants to submit their green action plans for sustainable actions in their communities.

ACTIONPlease upload your action plans by midnight, March 30, 2018 (more information will be posted in due time on our website).

We will announce winners on, or around, Earth Day which is April 22, 2018. The dates for final events will be announced early next year. The U.S. Consulate Düsseldorf is planning a final event with student presentations and an award ceremony around April 18 or 19, 2018. We are very grateful that once again the Ministry of Education is our partner in NRW. Depending on the number of participants, we will either have a final event, invite award winning classes to the U.S. Embassy and the Consulates or visit your schools.
 

Updates on curriculum content

We have been working hard on making the website more user-friendly. We have also further expanded the curriculum. We are following up on two participant suggestions: design a project week and add MINT/STEM content to the already existing modules.
 

Project Week – Theme “Renewable Energy”

The basic structures and MINT/STEM content have been developed, but due to a delay caused by a team member’s extended sick leave, we haven’t been able to put the finishing touches on the materials. Also, we decided that such an ambitious curriculum needs to be piloted. We are currently working with one of our participating schools on that and will report further. If you are interested, we will send you a pdf version of the already existing materials.
 

Extended STEM modules

In the meantime, we have structured the existing modules in such a way that they can be taught in an interdisciplinary fashion as a project week. Please see the graph below.
Extended modules:  Check them out. We have added MINT/STEM activities to the modules Plastic/Recycle and Food/Local (almost complete). Team up with your science colleagues.


 

From our Teach About US Blog

Recent posts
Our  bloggers report about green developments and challenges in the US. Read on in their blog posts and use these texts in your classes.

All Politics Is Local: Localities and Regions at the COP 23 in Bonn
by the Teach About US team

Visions for more Water Sustainability in the State of 10,000 Lakes
by Tobias Luthe

Lessons not Learned
by Markus Ziener
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