Secondary students wrote poems in Spanish and German to share their thoughts about the topic of sustainability. The students’ work was on display at the Sustainability Evening at school this week.
Congratulations to the students for their fantastic shared effort to put this topic into words. Many thanks to the teachers for organising the event and for making sustainability a topic in the language classes.
We are thrilled to share the exciting scientific exploration our Grade 6 Science students embarked on during their “Blood Splatter Detectives” laboratory experience this month.
This lab allowed our young scientists to put on their detective hats and practice the scientific method while investigating the intriguing relationship between the height of a drop and the diameter of the resulting splatter. In this hands-on experiment, our students honed their observation, measurement, and data analysis skills. The steps of the scientific method were meticulously followed as they designed their experiments, made predictions, collected data, and drew conclusions based on their findings.
The enthusiasm and curiosity in the lab were contagious as our students eagerly tested various drop heights and meticulously recorded their observations. They considered factors like drop height, the type of surface the ‘Shrek blood’ (in this case, a green food colouring as a substitute for blood) landed on, and the shape of the resulting splatter. This allowed them to understand the concept of variables and how they influence experimental outcomes. Throughout the lab, our budding scientists exhibited an impressive level of teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. They supported one another, discussed their observations, and even recalibrated their experiments when needed to ensure the highest level of accuracy.
ECK
Our Grade 4 students had beautiful weather for their road safety training this year. On four different days we made a short trip to the practice court of the traffic police in Kirchheim.
Once arrived, students got bikes and listened well to instructions from experienced police officers. They all gained knowledge about traffic rules including right-before-left and traffic signs, how to turn left safely and what to do when there is an obstacle on the road.
Now they know how to ride their bikes safely and we hope that they are all able to practice their skills and knowledge regularly.
Here is what some of the Grade 4 students said:
„I missed riding my bike. I definitely want to go on bike rides more often now.“
„ Riding on the small track was a lot more difficult than on the big one. I had to remember the right-before -left rule.“
„ This was so much fun. I can’t wait to show my parents what I have learned!“
SH
Once again, students at H.I.S. have participated in the annual project „Schüler machen Zeitung“, organised by the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung.
This involves a six-week subscription of the newspaper, which is read and discussed daily in the classroom. At the end of the project, students are invited to submit their own articles to the RNZ, and the best entries are published in a special supplement.
This year, more than 700 students from 29 classes at 12 of Heidelberg’s secondary schools participated in this project, and it is a great success for our students in Grades 8,9 and 10 that 16 of them saw their article published, some already in a December edition of the RNZ, most of them in the special supplement „Schüler machen Zeitung“, which was published this week.
One example is Bennet’s article on the special challenges faced by deaf or hearing-impaired footballers:
ASe
On Monday, four of our grade 9 students (Martin, Mattia, Miquel and Leon) had the opportunity to join Jonas Labrenz, local reporter at the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung, for a behind-the-scenes glimpse of Heidelberg Christmas market.
The students met and interviewed stallholders and the organiser of the market. They will write about their experience as part of our „Schüler machen Zeitung“ project.
ASe
On the occasion of the World Food Day 2022, the „It’s my Serve” Creative Writing Group began to write figure poems in shapes of food.
The poems are picturing a world where no one is left behind, and everyone has access to healthy and affordable food.
The final group project, a big big “poem tree” with coloured figure poems, is now displayed in the hallway.
Well done Creative Writing Group:
Nashwa, Bernard, Catarina, Maddy, Ollie, Sanpi, Oscar, Raga, Kaisa, Pascal, Cy, Aron, Mars, Oscar, Sywon, Maahi, Ekaterina, Dunsin, Liam, Charlotte, Lourdes
BK
Grade ten students worked this week on posters for the MYP Evening that is scheduled for November.
The students have been studying the causes, practices and effects of the First World War. Recently, students have also been practicing source analysis skills. Each poster will feature an image that the students analyse in more detail. The pictures relate to topics such as conditions in the trenches, the home front, women’s football during the war and the Christmas truce of 1914.
You can find out more in the MYP Evening this November!
KG
In ‘What time is it?’, the students of Grade 8 Design have explored the impact that consumer trends in specific communities have on the functionality of a product.
The students where their own clients and they put a lot of effort into creating a clock that represents a personal interest making use of several tools, machines, and materials in the workshop.
The final products were evaluated according to the final stage of the design cycle, and, before that, the students worked extensively doing research, creating sketches and 3D models for their design solutions, and learning how to use power tools safely to make the clocks.
BS
Grade 9 students have had a first introduction to the Personal Project end of May. The group spent most of the day in the library together.
The aim of the session was to allow students to familiarize themselves with the requirements of the personal project and also help them to develop potential ideas of their own to start the process as well as learn about the process, documentation and presentation of the personal project report.
The morning session as focused on Approaches to Learning. Students were asked to consider which skills they would need and how they would be helpful for the Personal Project. This was followed by a session on being internationally-minded and being able to see points from different perspectives.
After the break each group of students were given a topic to consider (space, journalism, sport and environment) and asked to model the process, they had to begin with writing a learning goal and working out what product they could make. They then designed success criteria for their product and considered how the product would be evaluated on the developed success criteria.
It was an enjoyable morning and we hope that students find some inspiration over the next few weeks so that they start the process before the summer holidays.
We look forward to working further with the students next year and holding more sessions to support the students and their supervisors through the process.
SAB