An eminent man challenged me to explain what sailing in a schooner could do for international education. In reply, I said we had at that moment the application before us for a future king of an Arab country to enter Gordonstoun. I happened to have at the school some Jews... If the Arab and one of these Jews were to go out sailing on our schooner. perhaps in a Northeasterly gale, and if they were become thoroughly seasick together, I would have done something for international education. Kurt Hahn
Developing personalities Table of Contents IC and IB - an international education striving for excellence... 1 What are the International Classes?... 2 German Curriculum... 3 Moving between the English and German systems... 4 Language of instruction: English... 5 Preparation for the IB... 6 IB working methods... 7 International careers counselling... 7 Streaming in English, German and Maths... 8 German language... 9 Kurt Hahn - values and traditions...10 Cultural diversity...11 Admissions process & selection criteria...12 Foreign language requirements...13 Brief Outline of Year 8 Curriculum...15 Brief Outline of Year 9 Curriculum...16 Brief Outline of Year 10 Curriculum...17 Notes...19
IC and IB - an international education striving for excellence Salem has a long history of producing well-rounded and well-educated individuals through both its academic programme and its boarding school. This tradition was expanded with the introduction of the International Baccalaureate in 1991 and has been extended further with the International Classes in the middle school. The International Classes (middle school) and the International Baccalaureate (upper school) at Salem are aimed at two outcomes: firstly, to prepare our pupils for international living at a time of globalization, and, secondly, to enable them to experience excellence in both their academic and their boarding life. 1
Developing personalities What are the International Classes? The International Classes 8-10, at the Salem Middle School, use English as their language of instruction and are based on the Baden-Württemberg middle school curriculum. Students who fulfil all requirements are able to qualify for the German certificate (Mittlere Reife) after the successful completion of Year 10 (see language requirements below). The International Classes at Salem are aimed at students who plan to pursue an international university education in their future. It is essential that students who enter the International Classes have a solid command of the English language, are open to cultural diversity and to Kurt Hahn s educational philosophy. International students must understand that Salem offers more than an academic education. It places great emphasis on education in its broadest sense. In contrast to other international schools, the range of academic subjects is wide. Almost as important is the character building that comes from our demanding cultural, sporting, and service programme. It strives to shape character and mind. Internationalism is, therefore, an integral part of achieving this goal and not limited to the International Classes at Salem. 2
Instruction in the International Classes and in the German Classes share a core feature: The German (Baden-Württemberg) curriculum. A common year-level curriculum provides us with opportunities for common projects and time for common excursions. Some of these are illustrated below. Common Aspects IC - Year 8 Media/computer training Drug and violence prevention Project days Foreign language projects Health days Outdoor week Common Aspects IC - Year 9 Study trip to Struthof Historical focus causes and effects of WWII Newspaper project project days English extended work project Workplace observation Outward Bound 3
Developing personalities Common Aspects IC - Year 10 Project days Work experience and presentations Ecology trip Third language project Focus days Moving between the Englisch (International) and German systems Because the International classes and the German classes at Salem follow the same curriculum, it is possible for students to move from one system to the other during the eight years of their grammar school education. The first three years (Years 5-7) are conducted in German at our Lower School, Hohenfels, where pupils can also choose to take part in extra lessons for native English speakers. After Year 7, students elect either the German or the International stream, but, provided they have the necessay level of English or German, they can later change their minds and move into the other system. At the end of middle school (Year 10), students again have the option of studying in either English, for the International Baccalaureate, or in German, for the Abitur. These possible pathways are illustrated in the diagram below. 4
English is the language of instruction in all subjects except foreign languages. Teachers in the International Classes are either international staff who are native English speakers or German staff with a solid command of the English language. 5
Developing personalities It is of great importance that all our pupils are well prepared for their upper school studies, be they in the German Abitur or the International Baccalaureate. Our International Class pupils are instructed in accordance with the requirements of the Baden-Württemberg Board of Education. However, to ensure that students enter the IB with the best possible foundation, certain subjects in the International Classes are taught more intensively. Therefore, the timetable of the International Classes does not always coincide with the German Classes. There may also be some variation in subject content. 6
We ensure that certain elements that are essential in the IB are introduced and practiced thoroughly. This includes independent work methods, essay writing, writing of laboratory reports, examination culture and an extensive practice of the English language. All Year 10 students also complete the Personal Project, which is invaluable as preparation for the IB Extended Essay. The responsibility felt by the staff at Schule Schloss Salem towards their pupils doesn t end with their final examination. Through the higher education and careers information service at Salem International College as well as the Middle School, we aim to help them find their own path after the Abitur or IB Diploma. This intensive counselling process is designed to enable pupils to make informed career choices at the right time before their transfer to the IB (or Abitur) by making them aware of the available academic and vocational study options and their requirements. 7
Developing personalities Because students who are admitted into the International Classes have various educational backgrounds, most of the English, Maths and German lessons are streamed. Although students must reach a minimum standard (as set by the Baden-Württemberg ministry of education), to help them achieve to the best of their abilities, they are placed in a class that suits their skill level. 8
Salem is a German school with an international track; this means that all students have to learn German and should aim for a communicative proficiency after one or two years. German is offered in the regular curriculum for 4 hours a week. German language beginners receive additional hours for the first year. 9
Developing personalities Salem was founded by Max, Prince of Baden, and the renowned progressive educator, Kurt Hahn. At Salem, Kurt Hahn s philosophy and principles are lived and practiced in both the boarding school and our academic life. The seven laws of Kurt Hahn (which can be found on the Schule Schloss Salem homepage) are the foundation for our lessons and the structure of the academic year and are particularly evident in the school s service programme and its emphasis on experiential learning. 10
One of Kurt Hahn s experiential learning principles is the concept of Diversity and Inclusion. Our International Classes contain only part of our international population. We have students from all over the world studying in our German classes as well. Internationalism is lived everyday at Salem. Our students need to overcome the challenges an international environment brings and are rewarded by the rich experience it gives them. They experience tension and frustration and must learn to accept differences, solve crises and develop a real understanding of people 11
Developing personalities Admissions process & selection criteria Students applying for admission for the International Classes must be tested in the following subjects: Year 8 English/Mathematics Year 9 English/Mathematics Year 10 English/Mathematics/Combined Sciences Foreign languages must also be tested if the applicant did not attend a German Gymnasium. Students who do not fulfill the German curriculum requirements at the conclusion of Year 10 cannot be awarded the Mittlere Reife diploma. However, the Mittlere Reife is not a pre-requisite for admission to the IB. 12
Foreign language requirements for the German Mittlere Reife Students fulfilling these requirements will be eligible for the German diploma (Mittlere Reife) after Year 10. If these requirements cannot be fulfilled, special arrangements may be possible. Students entering the International Classes at Year 8 must have completed two years of a second foreign language (French or Latin) and may then choose between a third language or Combined Sciences. Students entering the International Classes at Year 9 must have completed three years of a second foreign language (French or Latin) and one year of the third language Combined Sciences may be elected at all times instead. 13
Developing personalities Students entering the International Classes at Year 10 must have completed four years of a second foreign language (French or Latin) and two years of the third language Combined Sciences may be elected at all times instead. Special tutoring may be organized, at additional cost, for students who do not fulfil the language requirements, but would like to qualify for the Mittlere Reife. Information is available upon request. German is mandatory to all students and will be taught in various levels, according to the student s language ability. However, the Board of Education does not consider German a foreign language and therefore it cannot fulfil the foreign language requirement for the Mittlere Reife. Students can also qualify for the widely accepted and respected Goethe-Institut Certificate. Students who have not studied a foreign language from Year 6 (or from any international equivalent of German Year 6) may be tested once a year in their native language. The preparation for these exams is organised on a self-taught basis. Information in regard to the exam standards is available upon request. 14
Brief Outline of Year 8 Curriculum Subject English German A1 Math Chemistry Biology Physics History Social Studies Religious Studies Combined Sciences Content 3-5 paragraph essay (topic sentence, thesis, support, paragraph structure), novel study, short stories, poetry, Shakespeare study, grammar and spelling, literary terms, speaking and listening Prose study, novel study, characterization, creative writing, lyric poetry, extended work project, literary terminology, argumentation, interpretation of various text genre, applied grammar and spelling Real numbers, calculation with surds, functions and terms, calculation with terms, quadratic equations, congruency, congruent triangles, mathematical proofs, probability, simultaneous equations Compounds, chemical reactions, reduction/oxidation, stoichiometry, hydrogen, water, acid and alkaline solutions Human anatomy, muscles, joints, senses, nervous system, brain function information processing, civilization diseases, diabetes, blood glucose regulation, stress, menstruation and contraception, Aids and HIV Optics, reflection, refraction, thermal effects, particle model, solids, liquids, gases, temperature and scales, heat energy, electricity, Rutherford s atom model, charges and current, conductors, insulators, Ohms Law Revolution: American Revolution, French Revolution, German Revolution (formation of Germany), Industrial Revolution, World War I Democracy in the community What is religion? What are the religions of the world? Love and friendship. Heating and cooling, optic and rays, paper production 15
Developing personalities Brief Outline of Year 9 Curriculum Subject English German A1 Math Chemistry Content Essay writing, novel study, short stories, war poetry, spelling and grammar, newspaper project, extended English project, literary terms, speaking and listening Interpretation of different text genre, newspaper project, poetry, novel study, applied language study Powers, roots, logarithms, linear system of equations, functions, geometry, Pythagoras theorem, theorem on intersecting lines, circle, shape, cone, pyramid, probability Atoms, elements, and compounds, isotopes and radioactivity, arrangement of electrons, why compounds form, ionic compounds and their properties, lab series: Ions and Ionic compounds Biology Not studied in Year 9 Physics Seeing and hearing, acoustics and optics, mass, density, electricity, machines, temperature, heat energy, energy currents History Weimar Republic (communism and October Revolution) - National Socialism World War II Cold War Social Studies Youth: Rights and responsibilities, UN convention on the rights of a child, Salem charter of students rights-political and economic systems, Human migration, law, justice and legislation (case studies) Religious Studies Combined Sciences Church and religion during the time of National Socialism; love, friendship, and responsible sexuality; dying, death, and rebirth Motion and exercise, physiology of exercise, electronics, surveying, earth 16
Brief Outline of Year 10 Curriculum Subject English German A1 Math Chemistry Biology Physics History Social Studies Religious Studies Combined Sciences Content Essay writing (literary, argumentative essay), Literary analysis, world literature, independent novel study, short stories, poetry, applied grammar and spelling Research and presentation methods, essay structure, writing (informative argumentative - discursive - descriptive - interpretative) Trigonometry, sine, cosine, tangent, functions, derivation, differentiability, characteristics of functions, vectors Acids and bases, important minerals, carbon cycle, organic compounds and functional groups, energy sources in comparison Reproduction and heredity (chromosomes, Mendel s principles of genetics, DNA), ecosystem (biotic and abiotic factors, food chain, protection of the environment, ecological balance). Physical quantities (speed, force, acceleration), Greenhouse effect Models and representations, worldviews, structures and analogies, social relevance of physics The two Germanys, reunification, globalization, New World Order, idea of Europe from Athens to Brussels European monarchies and republics EU World of work, balance of labour and capital, democracy (checks and balances), representative democracy, social welfare- national and European economic policies, Europe s future Theological/ethical seminar: introduction to philosophy (trimester). Religious Studies: bible study (trimester). Religious Studies: choice of topic (Buddhism, morality, fundamentalism) Pharmaceutical products, drugs, colours and dyes, climate change and energy 17
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Notes 19
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Contact: Kris Mourney Coordinator International Classes (8-10) Phone: +49 7553 919-348 kris.mourney@salem-net.de