'MONOLINGUALISM
CAN BE CURED:
LEARN ANOTHER
LANGUAGE!'
THE GERMAN DEPARTMENT
The following are external links. You will be leaving a
DoDEA website.
News--December, 2005
German Partners from KGR Visit MAMS
By E W
Frau K and her English class from Kurpfalz-Gymnasium-und-Realschule (KGR) visited their 6th grade American friends at MAMS on December 14, 2005. The day started with a guided tour of the school grounds, where the school’s media center and the nurse’s office were the main points of interest.
Soon it was off to the auditorium for a great Christmas show that Mrs. G and her drama students put on. The guests occupied the first rows, and were provided with the scripts for the plays: The Forgetful Santa, and Santa Goes Mod. It was a great experience for these young visitors, and a fun way to learn more English!
After the plays, the partners ate together in the school cafeteria enjoying a delicious meal of spaghetti with meat sauce. The MAMS German-American Friendship Club hosted the lunch, which was graciously funded by donations from the Mannheim Community Club. We are very grateful for our German-American Friendship Club supporters.
After lunch it was time to burn off some of those calories, so the partners went to the gym and divided up into mixed teams for a game of line soccer that got everyone involved and having loads of fun.
Before departing, the students from KGR presented a gift to each partner at MAMS, wishing them a merry Christmas and a happy new year. It was truly a great day for all the students involved!
Sixth Graders Meet with German Partners to Study Art and Christmas
Tradition
By E W
The MAMS 6th grade Exploring German class participated in a day of
German-American cooperation on Thursday, 01 Dec. 2005. The class met
with its German partners at KGR (Kurpfalz-Gymnasium-und-Realschule) in
Mannheim, who hosted a very nice traditional German breakfast at the
school.
Afterward they went on a cooperative field study trip to the Kunstmuseum (Museum of Art) in Mannheim. Here the students sharpened their art-appreciation skills by attending a guided tour with the very knowledgeable and insightful museum guide. The students studied many paintings and the sculpture The Man in the Dark very carefully. At the end of the tour the students got to do some artwork themselves. The made their own portraits of The Man in the Dark. The likeness of many was staggeringly accurate!
The German-American program continued on after lunch (also hosted by KGR) with playing of games and an arts and crafts project involving sewing together red felt “leaves” to form an ornamental Weihnachtsstern (poinsettia).
It was another great day with our German friends for whom we are so very grateful.
DBGR Celebrates Christmas Traditions at MAMS on 29 Nov. 2005
A 6th grade host nation exchange class from DBGR (Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Gymnasium-und-Realschule) in Weinheim came to visit its counterpart, the Exploring German class at MAMS (Mannheim American Middle School) and celebrate German and American Christmas traditions on 29 Nov. 2005. This is the first year of what promises to be a very intensive and invaluable international school exchange cooperation.
Upon arrival at MAMS, the class of Frau K from DBGR went immediately to the multi-purpose-room where they met with their American partners and broke up into 5 groups: the baking group, the Christmas tree decoration group, The Advent-wreath group, the table decoration group, and the literary tradition group. The entire day was well-planned and orchestrated mainly by Frau K.
The baking group went to Mrs. G’s consumer science room where the partners took part in the assignment to bake traditional Christmas cookies from both countries. What a delicious enterprise! They read recipes, found the kitchen utensils, converted celsius temperatures to fahrenheit and much more. This was an interesting exercise for the Germans to speak about everyday things in the target language, namely English.
The other groups remained in the MPR and prepared all of the decorations for all to appreciate later while eating the Christmas cookies and drinking the homemade punch.
The literary tradition group read to entire group about how the traditions got started, where and how the are celebrated and so on. Christmas carols were sung by both the German and the American classes. The American students all received a gift from their German partners as a sort of “Adventskalender” (advent calendar), which is 24 days long (from Dec. 1st through Dec. 24th. This means that they open them progressively, each student opens his or her numbered gift on the calendar day. This extends the joy of receiving.
Everyone also had a great lunch together in MAMS’ cafeteria, which was graciously funded by donations from the Mannheim Community Club. We are very grateful for our generous German-American Friendship Club supporters.
The exchange class from DBGR expressed its gratitude for the wonderful and excitement filled day at MAMS!
The MAMS German-American Friendship Club Receives Funding from MCC
By E W
The Mannheim Community Club (MCC) recently distributed donation checks to individual recipients at MAMS. Herr W received a check for funding of the German-American Friendship Club’s host nation class exchanges and cooperative field study trips.
The MAMS German-American Friendship Club was created in 2001 to foster
German-American friendship and to enhance and nurture good
international relations with the host nation. Among its goals are a
positive host nation experience for the students at MAMS, bridging the
language and cultural barrier, and above all getting the American
students off post by means of organized field study trips, many of
which are mutual outings with host nation school exchange classes.
In spite of the stringent security measures, MAMS currently has three
(3) very successful host nation school partnerships. The partnerships
therefore directly affect approximately 50% of the MAMS population.
Monies are solicited from local organizations, for example, MARSC –
Welfare also known as Mannheim Community Club to help finance the field
study trips.
The German-American Friendship Club would like to express its sincere
gratitude to the Mannheim Community Club for these generous donations
that are indispensable resources for the support of academic
achievement, partnership exchanges, and field study trips.
News—November, 2005
German Student Visits MAMS
By E W
I. S. , a German student from Geschwister-Scholl Gymnasium in Mannheim, visited Mannheim American Middle School as part of a job-experience practicum on November 1, 2005. Herr W of the MAMS German-American Friendship Club gladly sponsored her seeing another opportunity for community partnership and intercultural exchange.
S. had many a useful and enlightening experience that day. Due to these
personal experiences, she was able to form a good idea of the
differences between the American and German school systems. She saw,
for instance, that the American teachers have their own classrooms and
that the students move from room to room, instead of the teachers going
from room to room. She noticed that the students have a uniform, and
that they must have a hall pass to travel during class sessions.
When asked whether the German school was stricter, she said that while
the American school seemed to be run in a stricter fashion overall, the
students and teachers seemed to have a more relaxed rapport than in the
school that she attends. Opportunities like these contribute greatly to
cultural understanding and international relations. We at MAMS welcome
the opportunity for further exchange.
German Student Teachers Visit MAMS
By E W
The MAMS German-American Friendship Club sponsored a visit by a group
of ten German student teachers and their mentor, Frau U Z. The group
came from the neighboring city of Heppenheim, and promises to be a good
source of host nation community partners.
After a brief introduction to and warm welcome by MAMS Principal, Mrs. JacquelineYardley, they attended Mrs. G's drama class presentation commemorating Constitution Day. This was certainly a highlight of the day. The singing of an original song, and the national anthem was very moving and inspiring. The recitals of the timeline of American history, the excerpt from the Gettysburg Address were well done and informative.
In a gesture of hospitality, the German-American Friendship Club treated the visitors to a delicious lunch in the MAMS cafeteria. Everyone had a “guten Appetit”.
The group embarked on a guided tour of the school, and observed a German as a Foreign Language class, an art class, and finally observed some Language Arts and Science classes in small groups. It was during the observations that it became increasingly apparent that all teachers must stem from a hunter and gatherer ancestry – as the student teachers were collecting ideas from the ever-so-capable MAMS professionals!
The soon-to-be teachers all expressed how impressed they were with the technological equipment that MAMS has at its disposal. They were also able to take a glance beyond their horizons, see how things are done elsewhere, and get some good ideas to implement in their own schools. It was a good experience for all involved.
The German-American Friendship Club
The German-American Friendship Club was created in 2001 by E W, the current German teacher at MAMS. Its purpose is to foster German-American friendship and to enhance and nurture good international relations with the host nation. Among its goals are a positive host nation experience for the students at MAMS, bridging the language and cultural barrier, and above all getting the American students off post by means of organized field study trips, many of which are mutual outings with host nation school exchange classes. In spite of the stringent security measures, MAMS currently has three (3) very successful host nation school partnerships and this is not only an integral part of the SHCP (School Home Community Partnership) program, but consistently achieves the CSP (Community Startegic Plan) goal #4 Network of Partnerships Supporting Achievement.
The German-American Partnership affects all students at MAMS in some way, for all 6th graders participate in Exploring German class and are subsequently promoted to 7th and 8th grade. The students involved directly in the German-American Partnership (those enrolled in German 1 and German 2 classes) score approximately 10 percentage points higher on Terra Nova standardized tests, and can be categorized at approximately 3 grade levels higher than the rest of the school population. The partnership has also fostered special interest in the foreign language program at MAMS because the students know that they get to have German partners, visit German schools, etc. Therefore, due to the partnership, the participating students are highly motivated and strive to learn more. Consequently they earn higher marks, which reaches the CSP goal #1: Highest Student Achievement.
Author W K Visits MAMS German Class
By E W
W K, the Author of the Deutsch Aktuell textbook series visited one
of Herr W’s German 1 classes at MAMS on October 18, 2005. The Deutsch
Aktuell (which means: current German) series was adopted and
implemented in 2002 and is currently being used in all DoDDS-Europe
German classes. He began work on his textbook as a hobby in 1978. He
told the class that he had a dream of creating a better textbook than
what was available at that time. He has succeeded in realizing his
dream.
Herr K jumped at the opportunity to work with the class on the
Lesestück (reading) asking them many questions and checking their
comprehension and oral proficiency. He was pleased to see the great
progress that the students had made in only 8 short weeks.
K also captivated the class when he told them what it was like for him
as a boy in Leipzig during and after the Second World War. The class
had just studied the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the Iron Curtain, and the
Day of German Reunification so they had some background information,
but they had many questions for K since he could tell them from first
hand experience. K related his experience of the days near the end of
the war when the British bombed Leipzig. His mother would gather up the
kids and run down to the air raid shelter. Their apartment building was
hit, and the apartments on both sides of them were destroyed, leaving
many dead. He recalled his family running through the flaming streets
on their way out of the city to an evacuation point. He explained why
he had to go to school barefoot after the war. His family had no money
for shoes. They would trade their clothes for food! He said with a wry
smile, “Those were not the ‘good old days’”. It was a very informative
question and answer session.
What an honor it was to have a man of so much experience, creative
talent, and dedication come to inspire the students (and teachers) at
MAMS with his charisma and positive outlook that shines so brightly in
spite of awesome adversity!
6th Grade Class from KGR Visits MAMS Partners
A host nation exchange class from KGR (Kurpfalz-Gymnasium-und-Realschule) in Mannheim came to visit its counterpart, the Exploring German class at MAMS (Mannheim American Middle School) on 24 October 2005. This is the fifth year this very intensive and invaluable school exchange cooperation.
Upon arrival in the hallowed halls of MAMS, the class of Frau U F from KGR was warmly greeted by both Mrs. Yardley, the Principal, and Mrs. Thornton, the Assistant Principal. What a great way to start the day!
The visitors embarked on a guided tour of the school, where they discovered many differences between the German and American school systems. It was interesting for them to see the students moving from classroom to classroom rather than having the teachers come to them. The school nurse, psychologist, and guidance counselors were also novelties.
A visit to Mrs. G’s Family and Consumer Science class provided the visitors with a hands-on application of the proper use of kitchen utensils of all sorts.
In Mrs. M’s Computer Lab the visitors were awed by the many computer stations. Here they spent some time together visiting the informative and entertaining school website.
The MAMS German-American Friendship Club hosted a great lunch in MAMS cafeteria, which was graciously funded by donations from the Community Club of Mannheim. We are very grateful for our German-American Friendship Club supporters.
After the excellent lunch, it was off to the gym, where with Mr. B divided up the visitors and the host class into mixed teams for a great game of line soccer that got everyone involved playing and having fun. The Americans were dazzled by the fancy footwork of the German partners.
The classes went to the BFV bowling alley where we were graciously offered a discount. After the visitors figured out their American shoe size, everyone bowled, had a good time, and got better acquainted. This event was also generously supported by parents of KGR students: A B,E D and B S, who brought not only encouraging words, but large bags of goodies to entice the classes into furthering their foreign language studies.
The exchange class from Kurpfalz-Gymnasium-und-Realschule expressed its gratitude for the wonderful and excitement filled day at MAMS!
April
2004
A host nation
exchange class
from Werner-Heisenberg-Gymnasium in Weinheim came to visit its
counterpart, the
German 1 (D1-B1) class at Mannheim American Middle School on 23 March
2004.
Upon arrival, the
class was
greeted by the Principal, Mrs. Yardley, and the Vice Principal, Ms.
Smith.
MAMS’ friendly office staff also greeted them and wished them a good
day.
The visitors were
surprised
to find that our school has its own nurse, psychologist and counselors.
These
are not standard at German schools.
Mr. K’s Technical
Education
class was the next stop. Here the visitors were impressed by the
beautiful
clocks that the students were making.
In Mrs. G’s home
economics
class the students were making peanut butter cookies! The visitors got
there
just in time to participate in the baking procedures and of course to
have a
delectable taste test of the American traditional favorites! They
thoroughly
enjoyed that.
In Mr. W’s
computer class the
German exchange students got a chance to get acquainted with our school
web
page. They enjoyed finding out more about the school in this way.
Mr. C’s science
lab provided
the next adventure. The students studied the effects of potential and
kinetic
energy while designing a model roller coaster on the computer. It
wasn’t so
much the designing of the roller coaster, but whether the cars would
stay on
the track that got the most exclamation out of the visitors.
In Mrs. N’s
Information
Center the visitors were awed by the many computer stations, and of
course all
of the things that can be done with them.
Then it was off
to the gym,
where the visitors and the host class divided up into mixed teams for a
great
game of beach ball volleyball that got everyone involved playing and
having
fun.
After a great
spaghetti lunch
together in MAMS cafeteria, which was graciously hosted by the Student
Activity
Fund, the partner classes went to the BFV bowling alley where Mr. P
graciously
received them. After the visitors figured out their American shoe size,
everyone bowled, had a good time, and got better acquainted.
It was the
beginning of
another great German-American friendship that will hopefully continue
on for
years.
The exchange
class from
Werner-Heisenberg-Gymnasium wishes to express its gratitude for the
wonderful
and excitement filled day at MAMS!
A host nation
exchange class
from Ludwig-Frank-Gymnasium in Mannheim came to visit its counterpart,
the
German 2 (D2-W1) class at Mannheim American Middle School on 12 Mar.
2004.
Upon arrival, the
class was
greeted by the Principal, Mrs. Yardley, and the Vice Principal, Ms.
Smith.
MAMS’ friendly office staff also greeted them and wished them a good
day.
The visitors
learned from Mr.
R that every student’s academic career at MAMS begins and ends in the
registrar’s office.
From Mr. H they
learned that
the counselors at MAMS are busy helping students with their problems
every day.
This was an interesting concept for them, for they have no such thing
as
counselors at their school.
Mr. K’s Technical
Education
class was the next stop. Here the visitors watched as the students were
making
clocks. They were able to observe them accomplish several of the 52
steps
necessary to complete the entire procedure.
In Mrs. ’s home
economics
class the visiting students learned the names of various cooking
utensils. They
also demonstrated (or at least guessed at) the proper usage of each of
these
(sometimes very foreign) kitchen utensils. European weights and
measures are
different and therefore many things are made differently.
In Mr. W’s
computer class the
German exchange students got an opportunity to get on the computers and
check
out the school web page. They were very taken with the amount of
information
and activities to be found there.
In Mr. C’s
science lab they
encountered something with which they were very familiar…”Rotkohlsaft”
(red
cabbage juice)! Doesn’t sound too interesting, huh? Well, what was
interesting
for them, however, was Mr. C’s “magic”. He turned the very purple juice
into a
red liquid and then he turned the red liquid into a clear liquid with a
“head”
on it! Mr. Wizard …uh…C demonstrated that an acidic liquid (with a high
PH like
vinegar or lemon juice) will lighten the natural purple color of the
juice.
Then he showed what a “base” (low PH value) substance could do to an
acidic,
high PH, red-colored liquid. He added some ammonia (or Dranoâ) and the red liquid changed immediately to
a clear
liquid with a foamy head. It was truly a fascinating demonstration.
In Mrs. N’s
Information
Center the visitors observed MAMS students working at the many computer
stations.
Soon it was off
to the gym,
where the visitors and the host class divided up into mixed teams for a
great
game of beach ball volleyball that got everyone involved playing and
having
fun.
After a great
lunch together
in MAMS cafeteria, the classes went to the BFV bowling alley where Mr.
P
graciously offered them student discount rates. Everyone bowled, had a
good
time, and got better acquainted.
The exchange
class from
Ludwig-Frank-Gymnasium wishes to express its gratitude for the
wonderful and
excitement filled day at MAMS!
A host nation exchange class from Kurpfalz-Gymnasium-und-Realschule in Mannheim came to visit its counterpart, the German 1 (D1-W2) class at Mannheim American Middle School on 15 Jan. 2004.
Upon arrival, the class visited Mr. K’s architectural design class in the Dell Lab. Here they could take a virtual tour of the houses that his students were designing on the computers. To this experience, visiting A U remarked, “I would like to design my own house.”
In Mr. W’s computer class, the German exchange students got an introduction to the HTML language. They were very impressed with the students’ web pages.
A virtual frog dissection in Mr. C’s science lab was the next adventure. This is certainly not as messy as the real thing! Visiting C W said it well, “Das ist ein wunderschönes Programm.” (That’s a beautiful program.) Could we sense a slight sense of irony in his expression?
The visitors enjoyed looking at the students’ sculptures in Ms. B’s art class. The subject was gargoyles and they looked like they belonged on a gothic church somewhere.
In Mrs. G’s home economics class the students had made peach cobbler! The visitors got there just in time to enjoy some cobbler and ice cream. They thoroughly enjoyed that.
In Mrs. N’s Information Center the visitors were awed by the many computer stations.
Then it was off to the gym, where Mr. B divided up the visitors and the host class into mixed teams for a great game of line soccer that got everyone involved playing and having fun.
After a great lunch together in MAMS cafeteria, the classes went to the BFV bowling alley where Mr. P graciously received them. After the visitors figured out their American shoe size, everyone bowled, had a good time, and got better acquainted.
The exchange class from
Kurpfalz-Gymnasium-und-Realschule
wishes to express its gratitude for the wonderful and excitement filled
day at
MAMS!
Last Update 01/03/06