News for Parents

Every year, the pupils in grades 3, 6 and 8 take part in the Thuringian competence tests, a nation-wide comparison test in the subjects of German, Mathematics and English. The beginning of June was the third grade in German and Mathematics. Because of the online lessons, the children got the tasks digitally in their learning platform “Seesaw”, where they could work on them directly. The students have been familiar with these tests since the second grade, and  were able to cope with the tasks successfully.
While only the children in their mother tongue took part in the German tests for reading and listening, all pupils in class 3 took the Math test. Immediately after entering the individual results, the IGS received a comparison with the other schools in Thuringia. We are very pleased that the class average largely corresponds to the national average, and is even higher for some sub-competencies. This is an astonishing achievement, especially since all children have grown up in a multilingual environment. It has been shown that language-sensitive teaching can also achieve great success in mathematics.
Congratulations to the little Zebras!

This week, the 6th grade learned the separation processes of extraction and chromatography in chemistry class. The methods found practical application in the investigation of plant pigments and the constituents of milk. There were some interesting observations.

A reason to celebrate! For the fourth year in a row, all IGS participants of the official examination for the German Language Diploma Level 1 (DSD I) managed to reach the target level B1 (CEFR)). Congratulations You were able to convince the examiners in your listening skills and reading comprehension, written and oral communication!
We can be proud of a result of almost 85% of the total number of points. The strengths of our students continue to be in reading and listening, but we have also improved in speaking compared to last year.
The DSD I serves as proof of the German language skills required for admission to a preparatory college in Germany.
In the next school year, the IGS will also hold DSD I examinations in secondary level I and DSD II examinations in grade 11.

Franziska Barnickel
German as a Foreign Language Coordinator

At the beginning of June, the Internationale schulische Vergleichsarbeit 2 (international school comparative tests 2) of the Central Office for German Schools Abroad took place for the students of Grade 5 at language level A2 (CEFR). Despite being conducted online, listening, reading and written communication skills could be tested.
The students have also already prepared their presentations for the orals, but the speaking exam can only be held at the beginning of the next school year due to campus closures. We are pleased that all of our examinees were able to convince us of their skills, despite having to complete the exams digitally.
The Internationale schulische Vergleichsarbeit 2 tests are subtitled “On the way to the DSD” and serve to prepare students for the official German language diploma DSD at levels I and II, which the students will encounter a little bit later into their school career, and serve as language certificates for German preparatory colleges and universities.

At the beginning of June, the Internationale schulische Vergleichsarbeit 2 (international school comparative tests 2) of the Central Office for German Schools Abroad took place for the students of Grade 5 at language level A2 (CEFR). Despite being conducted online, listening, reading and written communication skills could be tested.
The students have also already prepared their presentations for the orals, but the speaking exam can only be held at the beginning of the next school year due to campus closures. We are pleased that all of our examinees were able to convince us of their skills, despite having to complete the exams digitally.
The Internationale schulische Vergleichsarbeit 2 tests are subtitled “On the way to the DSD” and serve to prepare students for the official German language diploma DSD at levels I and II, which the students will encounter a little bit later into their school career, and serve as language certificates for German preparatory colleges and universities.

As an IB World School with a particularly strong German profile, the IGS offers the Gemischtsprachige International Baccalaureate (GIB) as a school leaving certificate, which entitles after successful completion to university entrance in Germany and most countries around the world.
At already 36 German schools abroad worldwide, students complete the IB Diploma Programme with the GIB, in which in grades 11 and 12, German, History, and Biology or Chemistry have to be taught and assessed in the German language.
As a globally-minded school, the IGS has been an active part of the GIB SCHOOLS GLOBAL NETWORK initiative since its inception. Under the guiding principles of “Creating Learning Opportunities” and “Making Learning Visible”, its focus is on international cooperation to enable supraregional learning experiences for students.
This school year, for example, the IGS formed a newspaper editorial team under the direction of Ms. Barnickel, who participated in global Zoom meetings in order to launch the newspaper GIB GLOBAL NEWS in collaboration with students on different continents.
Get to know the IB and the global contexts better and read what moves our students on the subject of the very first newspaper edition “Heimat”. Click here. (German language)

This week, the 11th graders gave their Theory of Knowledge (TOK) presentations before the school administration, numerous teachers, and students from grades 7-10 who were attentive guests at the Zoom meeting.
The TOK course is all about strengthening the learners’ critical thinking skills. In contrast to other subjects, the focus is not primarily on acquiring new knowledge, but rather questioning existing knowledge and thinking about the nature of knowledge.
The IB students’ presentations dealt with topics such as “Can new knowledge change established values or beliefs?”, “What counts as good evidence for a claim?” And “How might the context in which knowledge is presented influence whether it is accepted or rejected?”
The lectures were of particular importance for grade 10, as they had the opportunity to gain initial insights into this interdisciplinary IB course, which they will also take from the next school year.

On Friday, the students in Grades 9 to 11 received a virtual visit from Dr. Berndt Tilp, the Head of the DAAD Information Centre in Ho Chi Minh City and his colleague, Tran The Binh. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is the direct contact in Vietnam for all questions related to studying in Germany.
In a 45-minute lecture, the students were able to gain an insight into the German Higher Education System, studying in Germany, and possible job and career opportunities in Germany. They then showed their great interest for a further period by asking far-reaching questions on the topics mentioned.
Questions raised by students could be clarified, e.g. whether it is better to study a certain course at the university or technical college, how much time is needed for procuring a student visa, and whether there are exchange programs with other European universities.
The exchange with the DAAD was a profitable opportunity for the older students of the IGS to find out about the educational opportunities available after the completion of the IB Diploma Phase.

Vo Thanh Tien (Michael), a pupil from the 6th grade, has shown a special interest in mathematical facts from his earliest years at IGS. This interest has been encouraged further  in the context of the school’s differentiated teaching policy.
With his particular talent, he independently solves mathematical problems in class that are usually only dealt with in higher grades. Together with his math teacher, Dirk Kehm, Michael even designs learning tasks for his classmates.
In addition to his mathematical skills, he has also developed skills in fields such as changing perspectives and communication. A particular fascination of Michael’s seems to be the topic of “sequences and rows”, which he worked on during the TET vacation together with Mr. Reisdorf which he then discussed with the 11th grade students.
In addition, Michael regularly and successfully takes part in extra-curricular math competitions. Recently, he has been recognized for his performance in the American Mathematics Olympiad. The IGS congratulates Michael on this success and looks forward to his further development with confidence.

Big questions for young people!
Children can ask complicated questions to which adults often don’t always know the answer. In general, it’s not about how we answer these questions, but how we teach our children to ask questions and look for answers.
Philosophizing helps train independent thinking and creativity, and foster problem-solving skills that we rely on as adults.
We are therefore particularly pleased that an online philosophy course for students in Grades 4-6 was able to start this week.