Home: Teach About U.S. Update // June 15 - Going Green Awards 2019/20

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TEACH ABOUT U.S.

UPDATE // June 15, 2020

Dear Subscriber,

While we're in the midst of preparing the upcoming U.S. Election Project, with our next webinar coming up tomorrow, we would like to use this opportunity for an announcement that is very dear to us and our partners: the Going Green 2019/20 awards!

When we started Going Green six years ago in 2014, we came up with a slogan that we never would have expected could be so accurate as it turned out this spring:

When the going gets tough, the tough go green!

And yet, faced with the unprecedented situation of a global pandemic, nationwide school closures, and this situation's repercussions on our daily lives, this year's over 700 registered online participants and many more in the 47 registered courses impressively demonstrated that building a better, greener future starts at our own doorsteps.

We are incredibly proud of everyone who submitted an action plan to this year's competition and we recognize how difficult it must have been to come together - in person or virtually - to work on these projects. So hats off to you and thank you to for your devotion to the environment and this project through this difficult time.

Participants in both Germany and the U.S. spent many weeks learning about sustainable activities, ranging from researching biodiversity and micro-plastics, to fair fashion options in their local community to the effects of the COVID-19 on the environment. Learning about all the things you have been working on in the last several months was inspiring to us as well.

#Competition The winning projects are:

Small Steps - Big Impact by the Biology and Global Citizenship courses at Schuldorf Bergstraße in Seeheim-Jugenheim and East Bay International School in Emeryville, California.

GoingGreenTogether: One Day without Plastic by the English course at Louise Henriette Gymnasium Oranienburg and Odyssey Charter School in Wilmington, Delaware

Clothes Swap - Resused Fashion by the English course at Schuldorf Bergstraße, Seeheim-Jugenheim

Sustainable Living in Future Lüneburg by the English course at Herderschule Lüneburg

Can Facade Greening Reduce the Effects of Urban Heat Islands by the E-Phase Biology course at Goethe Gymnsasium Frankfurt

While these projects stand out, others are close runner-ups and deserve our recognition for their creativity and hard work:

What makes a city green? and Portland as Role Model for other Cities by the English course at Hans-Thoma-Gymnasium Lörrach

Corona Crisis Lessond for the Environment by the English course at LernZeitRäume Heidelberg

We urge you all to read about these truly inspiring student projects in our blog! Again, congratulations to all participants and especially their teachers who have facilitated this project, knowing that its impact will extend well beyond the walls of their classrooms.

Yours,

Mallory King,
Dr. Martina Kohl,
and Joannis Kaliampos
on behalf of the Teach About U.S. Team and Partners

WEBINARS: TEACHING THE U.S. ELECTION 2020
REGISTER NOW

U.S. Embassy School Election Project

Due to the corona situation, our teacher training seminars for May and June had to be cancelled. Instead, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates General, Teach About U.S. and a number of local partners throughout Germany will offer webinars on Teaching the U.S. Election 2020.

Please register to join the conversation and take part in the Q&A with the faculty. After registering, you will receive a confirmation e-mail containing information about joining the webinar (see link below).

June 16, 16:00-17:30h | Teaching the U.S. Election 2020: Focus on voting

Program moderated by Dr. Martina Kohl, U.S. Embassy Berlin

Teaching the U.S. Elections 2020 – Campaigning and Voting in Times of the Corona Health Crisis
Dr. Mark Rozell, Ruth D. and John T. Hazel Chair in Public Policy, School of Policy, Government, and International Affairs, George Mason University

Teach About US - Innovative Ways of Teaching English: The Election Project 2020
Joannis Kaliampos, Program Manager, Teach About US, Leuphana University Lüneburg

June 22, 14:15-15:45 | Teaching the U.S. Election 2020: Focus on social media

Program moderated by Dr. Martina Kohl, U.S. Embassy Berlin and Prof. Dr. Christiane Lütge, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Teaching the U.S. Elections 2020 – Social Media in Times of Limited Campaigning
Dr. Terri Towner, Associate Professor of Political Science, Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan

Teach About US - Innovative Ways of Teaching English: The Election Project 2020
Joannis Kaliampos, Program Manager, Teach About US, Leuphana University Lüneburg

July 1, 16:00-18:00h (CEST) | The U.S. Embassy School Election Project

Program moderated by Dr. Martina Kohl, U.S. Embassy Berlin

This is a webinar entirely dedicated to introducing teachers to the U.S. Embassy School Election Project. The program will include an introduction to the project curriculum and Moodle platform and input from our partners and guests. We will also announce the results of our State Lottery during this webinar. More information tba.

We would like to thank our partners for co-hosting and supporting these events!

Webinar info & registratrion

We are getting ready for the U.S. Embassy School Election Project. Though this year’s project format will be similar to the previous project cycles, we are in the process of adding cutting-edge pedagogical approaches and educational technologies. Our Facebook site and the Teach About U.S. Blog will accompany the Moodle course environment.

What’s important now:

Registration is open now – sign up now for the project
Join us for the webinars in May and June (see above).
Classroom materials from the 2016 project are available online; the 2020 curriculum is currently being developed and will become available before the summer holiday.
We have received the first notifications from U.S. schools who want to be connected to a German partner. Contact us if you are a German teacher and interested starting a transatlantic cooperation.
If you are an American teacher wanting to be matched with a German partner, pls. contact the Transatlantic Outreach Program (or view our info page for U.S. teachers).