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Teach About US Update // Dec. 19, 2017
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Dear Subscriber,
Just before the holiday break, we would like to give you an update on Teach About US/Going Green:
- 22 classes are currently enrolled on the platform, and we are expecting many more after the holidays;
- the first classroom has submitted their reports on eco-challenges to the Virtual Townhall for discussion;
- U.S.-based schools are looking for German partners;
- we have added new STEM-based content to the teaching modules and materials for a project week on community energy planning “Power to the People”;
- teacher trainings are planned for Freiburg (Jan. 16) and Berlin (Jan. 22).
Before you read on, the Teach About US Team would like to thank you for your continued support and wish you a happy holiday season, some well-deserved rest, and all the best for 2018!
Yours,
Joannis Kaliampos
on behalf of the Teach About US Team and Partners
 Joannis Kaliampos
Leuphana Universität | Scharnhorststr. 1 | 21335 Lüneburg Fon +49 (0)4131.677-1662 | E-Mail | Web
This newsletter’s topics at a glance:
Going Green 2017/18 - Participate now!
The Going Green curriculum is available throughout the school year, and we are prepared to assist you.This year’s project cycle Is picking up momentum.
Our first participants have begun working on their eco-challenges. For example, the students at AEG Neubrandenburg shared their survey results about environmental awareness and outcomes from their self-experiments on various topics. But see for yourself and let our students know how you like their work.
As in previous years, a student competition for outstanding green action plans will conclude this school year’s campaign. It is not too late to sign up for the project.
ACTION: Please upload your action plans by midnight, March 30, 2018.
We will announce winners on, or around, Earth Day which is April 22, 2018.
The U.S. Consulate General in Düsseldorf together with the NRW Ministry of Education will invite Going Green participants to a concluding student meeting and award ceremony on April 19, 2018. We are happy that NRW Education Minister Yvonne Gebauer will participate in the event. Additional regional award ceremonies and/or school visits will be announced early next year.
Connecting with a U.S.-based partner class
ACTION: Reply to this e-mail if you are interested in partnering with an American teacher and students.
Our collaboration with the Transatlantic Outreach Program (TOP) has facilitated over 40 short- and long-term “Transatlantic tandems” since 2015, and more U.S. colleagues have signaled their interest to enter virtual exchanges with a German classroom. More info under “German-American Collaboration”.
Linking EFL and STEM
STEM-based additions to the Going Green teaching modules allow for a transdisciplinary approach to teaching sustainability. (STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.) Materials include, for example, student experiments on producing bio-plastic, understanding the science behind GMOs, and many more suggestions. Review our demo course to learn more about this. Updated information on this can be found here.
A fully developed project week “Power to the People” is ready for classroom use starting January 2018: Modelled after community energy planning guidelines by the U.S. department of energy and the Deutsche Energie Agentur dena, the project week curriculum asks your students to plan a fictional town’s transition to renewable energy sources. Students explore real-life case studies and best practices in the U.S. and Germany and develop an action plan that is economically, ecologically, and technologically viable. They pitch their approach in a two-minute video to an expert commission The project week addresses contents and competences of both English language and Science instruction. The Moodle course for this curriculum is currently being tested by participants in Berlin and will be made available in January. Team up with your EFL/science colleagues. For more information, see here.
Upcoming teacher trainings
We will kick-off the new year with new teacher training seminars introducing the expanded Going Green curriculum and the project week on renewable energy. Learn about how to use our teaching materials flexibly in your classrooms. Teacher trainings include hands-on workshops focusing on teaching content and blended-learning methodology. Please share this information with interested colleagues and sign up online:
Teacher Training Seminar: Get Involved! Going Green – Education for Sustainability in the EFL and STEM Classroom
Freiburg:
- January 16, 2018, 3.00-5.30 PM, Carl-Schurz-Haus Freiburg
- Registration until January 9 online with Uta Schröder (schroeder@carl-schurz-haus.de)
- Fee: EUR 5
- With Joannis Kaliampos (Leuphana University)
- More information and program, see here.
Berlin:
- January 22, 2018, 3.00-5.45 PM, LIFE e.V. Berlin
- Registration until January 15, 2018, online on our website.
- With Tanja Brothen (Deputy Cultural Attaché, U.S. Embassy Berlin), Dr. Martina Kohl (U.S. Embassy Berlin), Dr. Karin Ernst (LIFE e.V. Berlin), Katja Krüger (LIFE e.V.) and Joannis Kaliampos (Leuphana University)
- More information and program, see here.
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From our Teach About US Blog
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Thanks for Subscribing
The team at Teach About US wants to extend a hearty 'thank you' to all of our wonderful teachers, students, and readers. You've made the Teach About US community shine, and we want to keep that going! If you're not a regular just yet visit the Teach About US website for some exciting student projects, fun and interactive teaching resources on politics and sustainability in the U.S., and much more! |
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