In her tenth weekly report, Annika shares her continued teaching activities at German School Campus, student projects, and cultural highlights in Newport Beach and Orange County.

Forest Project: Seasons and Structure

The week started on Monday with the continuation of my forest project. In the 4th and 5th grade classes, the focus was on the topic “Seasons in the Forest.” Together, we discussed how the forest changes throughout the year and what makes each season special.

The 2nd graders explored the different layers of the forest. The children learned about the structure of a forest and were able to name and describe the different layers. In the kindergarten class, we focused on the woodpecker and the owl. Using audio recordings, the children got to know these forest animals playfully – the animal sounds were especially exciting for them.

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Spanish and German Film Studies

In Spanish class on Tuesday, we continued working with the story The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This time, the focus was on learning the adjectives “big” and “small” in a playful context. The students enjoyed using these new words in connection with the story.

After last week’s challenging exam, we started a new and more relaxed topic in Wednesday’s DSD class. We watched the film Dieses bescheuerte Herz together and then worked on different tasks related to the plot, the characters, and the film’s main messages. The students reflected thoughtfully on the topics and shared their impressions in class discussions.

On Thursday, the Spanish class focused on the topic of “Family.” The children learned the vocabulary for different family members and practiced using the words in exercises and short dialogues. They handled the new vocabulary well and had only a few difficulties.

Coastal Adventures: Annie’s Canyon

Over the weekend, I went on a trip down south to Encinitas and Carlsbad. I hiked through the impressive Annie’s Canyon, a narrow slot canyon with fascinating rock formations. I also visited the well-known tulip field in the area, which was in full bloom. The region amazed me with its beautiful beaches, scenic hiking trails, and stunning coastal landscape.