Scotch College

The world of water/weltwasser

Year 11 German students win international recognition

Students of German in Year 11 spent the first semester researching the impact of water on the Australian environment, economy, culture and leisure activities, as part of an international Internet project, developed in conjunction with students of German in schools in Canada, Italy, Sweden and Russia.

The Scotch students - Tom Cade, Alistair Graham, Tom Gray, Alex Koidl, Nick Mason, Ninan Mathew, Nick Opie, Mark Purnell, Felix Riebl, Struan Robertson, Adam Sher and Hannes Zirknitzer - worked in small groups, and kept in touch by e-mail with students in the other participating schools.

You are invited to view the finished project (and brush up your German) at the following web site: http://www.jakgym.se/projekt/wasser

As well as providing an opportunity for the students to use their German, the project was also entered in the international 'Water Worlds' competition sponsored by the Goethe-Institut (the German language and culture institute) in conjunction with the forthcoming World Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany. 200 free trips to Expo 2000 are the main prizes to be won in this competition.

The Scotch students were thrilled to learn recently that their project has been short-listed to be judged by an international panel, in the final stage of this competition. Their fine effort was honoured at a reception at the German Consulate.

The project came about after their German teacher, Frau Tarran, was awarded a scholarship last year by the Goethe-Institut to attend an intensive seminar in Munich with fourteen other teachers of German from around the world with the theme 'The effective use of the Internet in the teaching of German'.

Ms Elaine Tarran, Head of Languages