German Swiss International School – Accra The Bilingual Advantage

Foreword

At GSIS-Accra, students work in very heterogeneous combinations within the framework of inter-year and bilingual teaching in the subsidiary
subjects. The internal school principles 4, 6 and 10 form the basis for dealing with heterogeneity. (See GSIS Accra mission statement). Social forms
such as partner and group work often alternate. Pupils benefit from this, among other things, in terms of language. This subject is taught to all students
in German.

The teaching methods are based on the DFU concept of the GSIS Accra (see point 5 in the DFU concept).

GSIS-Accra - School curriculum for ethics in grades 3 and 4

"In primary school ethics lessons, the focus is on the growing person who is capable of making free decisions and assumes responsibility. Building on
the early experiences of the development of the child's identity in the family and in kindergarten, the student deals with his personal and social identity
in ethics lessons. By perceiving his own needs and effects, formulating them and critically questioning them, he strengthens his personality. ...
The teaching is aimed at teaching values and norms and builds on existing knowledge from the pre-school period. The curiosity for an understanding
of the world and the development of the ability to judge require a sensitization for the environment as well as the understanding of the world, whereby
cognitive knowledge is extended and deepened. The recognition of one's own self and the position within the social environment are focused. As part
of a pluralistic society, students deal with their culture and other cultural circles. In doing so, he not only gains knowledge about them, but also
develops acceptance and tolerance. From his point of view, he is enabled to change the perspective during a partial determination.

The age-appropriate mediation and investigation of the four Kantian questions:

- What can I know? (epistemology)
- What do you want me to do? (morality and ethics)
- What can I hope? (Religion and Social Theory)
- What is man? (anthropology)
will be continued and deepened in the curricula of the secondary schools."

www.gsis-accra.org
German Swiss International School – Accra The Bilingual Advantage

Competences Subject area /content Time Material Methods School specific

(Examples) additions and
consolidation/
Differentiation
The pupil can: The pupils as an individual 9 - Textbook and - Recognition
(Subject –related competence) and personality development Weeks workbook- Ethik and observation
– name one’s own strengths and My strengths and weaknesses 3/4 games
weaknesses, My wishes - Workbook - Text analysis
– differenciate between changeable My feelings “Ethik an - Poster
general limits, What makes me happy? Stationen”3/4 - Discussion round
– explain the reason for feelings in Ability to handle failure nad - Teachers‘ - Developing a
different situations, rejection handbook “Ethik time plan
– describe handling of feelings, fachfremd - Thoughts
– correlate between wishful dreams and unterrichten“3/4
reality, -experiments
– describe wishes which can be fulfilled - picture
and those which cannot be fulfilled for observation
one’s self and others and able to make a - Role play
distinction that wishes depend on age, - Statue
interest as well as personal and the family
situations,
– communicate sensitity to time,
– explain the meaning of a point in time
by citing examples,
– give reasons for having a sense of
responsibility in handling one’s own time
and the time of other people,
– name and evaluate the possibility of
being responsible for how to use one’s
free time,
– question the implications of having a
variety media options available for an age
appropriate organization of free time,
– name the risks associated with the use
of the media,
– name and compare the phases of life,
–describe life in the past, present and

www.gsis-accra.org
German Swiss International School – Accra The Bilingual Advantage

future.

(Method competence)
– apply recognition and observation
games in a manner that is appropriate in
teaching the subject,
– distingusih between terms and counter-
terms,
– choose and evaluate sources of
information independently,
– plan, organize and present a media
product together with others,
– analyze assignment properly based on
the subject,
– applying rules during discussion
rounds,
– developing strategies for action in
specific situations, assessing as well as
reasoning,
– presenting one’s own feelings as well
as those of others creatively with different
methods,
– develop a time plan and cross-check,
– prove the subjective nature of time
through experiments,
– describe and evaluate different forms of
one’s own approach to thought and
handling through thoughts expereiments,
– Media products (e. g.picture story, age-
appropriate text) planning, developing and
presenting age-appropriate, subject related
and functional.

(Self and social competence)

– explain one’s own learning and life
goals and comparing them with those of
other people,

www.gsis-accra.org
German Swiss International School – Accra The Bilingual Advantage

– can assume different perspectives

during role play,
– showing empathy,
– do assignments and take up
responsibility for the mutual working
process in cooperative forms of work.

The pupil can: The pupil in social relations 8 - Textbook and - philosophizing
(Subject-related competence) Prejudice Weeks workbook- Ethik - arguing
– describe the meaning of family, the My family 3/4 - Mind map
mutual expectations of the members of the My friends - Workbook - Questions and
family, present the relations between Helping and accepting help Ethik an Interviews

rights and responsibilities, The Golden Rule Stationen 3/4 - Discussion
- Teachers‘ rounds
– name and compare the types of handbook Ethik - Conflict
friendships, fachfremd resolution
– explains what contributes to friendship unterrichten 3/4 - free drawing or
or what destroys it, - Stories from writing
– name the conditions for a nice Christianity (The - Role play
atmosphere in relationships between Golden Rule
people, /sermon on the
– recognize and critically evaluate the mount),
respective contributions to a social appropriate
environment, stories from
– explain the connection between rules, Islam (40
rights and responsibilities, social Hadithe, Sayings
expectations and possible sanctions, of Mohammad
– describe and differentiate between froms an-
bevaiour, norms and rules which are Nawawi, 13)
observed in different communities,
–naming the reasons for the importance
of respect for others and taking up
responsibility towards others,
– describing the results of untruthfulness
by citing examples,
– distinguish between conflicts which can
be resolved and those which cannot be

www.gsis-accra.org
German Swiss International School – Accra The Bilingual Advantage

reolved,
– naming and implementation of the
strategies of criticism,
–naming the causes and reasons for
success and failure and drawing of
conclusions,
–drawing conclusions on the
internationally valid rights and
explaingng them on the basis of the
children’s primary needs.

(Methods competence)
– confronting one’s self with ethical
questions in passages,
– through stories (e. g. children’s books,
fables, fairy tales) philosophizing,
– supporting decisions through
argumetation (e. g. ballon game),
– Information
gathering, ordering and
describing,
– Organizing question time and
interviews, proving thoughts and
viewpoints as well as evaluating pro- and
contra points of arguments.
– analzye conflicts in values and dilemna
– discuss modules for solution,
– planning, organizing as well as
presentation of media products (e. g.
comics, hand puppets, listening to radio
plays),
– implementation of the methods of
dealing with conflicts,
– present ethical subjects creatively
through free drawing or writing.

(Self and social competence)

– to have a feeling for other living

www.gsis-accra.org
German Swiss International School – Accra The Bilingual Advantage

situations,
– describe social relationships,
– perceive and understand others through
their mimic, gestures, voice and language,
– critically reflect on norms and rules,
– change perspectives and argue
according to the role taken,
– compare possible actions in conflict
situations,
– Take decisions and supporting them.

The pupil can: The pupil in his relationship 10 - Textbook and - research
(Subject based competence) to his own culture and weeks workbook Ethik formulate key
– ordert he feasts and celebrations in a foreign cultures 3/4 points
yearly cycle, My dreams and goals - Workbook
– name the origin of the feasts, Able to take decisions Everyone Ethik an
– explain traditions, changes in the cause of his/her Stationen 3/4
– describe the lives of selected life - Teachers‘
personalities in christiandom, show their handbook Ethik
activities as being examplary and Other countries– other customs fachfremd
establishing the link to the current time, Religious and worldly feasts unterrichten 3/4
– describe feasts, celebrations, traditions and celebrations
and customs of other cultures and
comparing them to one’s own,
– naming and comparing similarities and
differences in the lifestyle of people from
other countries,
– characterize the Golden Rule as a moral
norm i.e. explain the content and
meaning, demonstrate its general
application using different examples from
one’s own life.

(Methods competence)
– ask ethical questions and writing of
texts related to one’s own culture and
others,

www.gsis-accra.org
German Swiss International School – Accra The Bilingual Advantage

– research and formulation of key points,

– crosschecking thoughts and viewpoints,
– Find out about the ethical contents of
texts and other media.

(Self and social competence)

– support one’s own viewpoint,
– crosscheck arguments of others,
– argumentatively develop ethical
principles,
– respect others in their uniqueness,
– reflect on one’s own behaviour towards
others and evaluating this.

The pupil can: The pupil with regards to 10 - Textbook and - Media research
(Subject-based competence) natural environment weeks workbook Ethik - Mind map
– explain the inter-realtion between living The origin of the earth – 3/4
things and non-living things, different world views - Workbook
– Explaining obseravtions in the The four elements Ethik an
environment and naming natural Human being and animal – Stationen 3/4
phanomema, Each has a right to live - Teachers‘
– describe the conflict between man and Environmental protection handbook Ethik
nature, Products from the entire world fachfremd
– Give reasons for the importance of – buying responsibly unterrichten 3/4
environmental protection,
– Present one’s own approach to solutions
for the conservation of the environment.

(Methods competence)
– present one’s own experiences with
regards tot he natural environment,
– evaluate information from the media, –
present contents in the form of a mind
map,
– discover and describe the beauty and
uniqueness of nature,

www.gsis-accra.org
German Swiss International School – Accra The Bilingual Advantage

– present expereinces in nature through

movement and language,
– experiment and creatively design things
with marterials from nature
– name contracdictions with regards to
handling nature
– name some alternatives,

– present one’s own position creatively.

(Self and social competence)

– present one’s own viewpoint of nature
and compare with the viewpoints of
others,
– talk about the conflicts between human
beings and nature and name some
suggestions for possible solutions.

On competence development in ethics education at the Thuringian primary school

(based on: Curriculum of the Thuringian Ministry of Education, Science and Culture for Primary School, 2010)

In ethics, the methodological, personal and social competence as well as the professional competence are focused on the personality of the
student and his examination of questions of life and values.

Method competence - efficient learning

The student develops methodological competence by:
- actively listening,
- tasks are analyzed appropriately,
- obtains, processes and uses information from various media (images, texts from print and electronic media),
www.gsis-accra.org
German Swiss International School – Accra The Bilingual Advantage

- creates and presents simple media products (e.g. picture stories, texts),
- Media technology selected according to the task and used with help,
- designs and interprets images (e.g. free painting),
- weighs up pros and cons arguments on problems and suggests possible solutions,
- rules of communication,
- Present work results according to agreed rules.

Self- and social competence - self-regulating and learning together

The student develops self- and social competence by:
- self- and external perception,
- compares your own thoughts to those of others,
- expresses its own experiences and exchanges experiences with others,
- formulated their own goals,
- takes on other perspectives,
- recognizes conflicts and dilemmas,
- agrees on rules and standards, accepts and applies them,
- are pursuing a common goal,
- classifies itself into group processes and reflects these critically.

The learning competences are acquired in the examination of ethical facts and contents, which come both from the experience field of the
pupil and are of importance for the life of the learner.
For ethics teaching, the description of objectives is given for all competences in the learning areas:

- The student in his individuality and personality development

- The student in social relationships - The student in his relationship to his own culture and to foreign cultures
- The student in his relationship to the natural environment. This is where self- and social competence as well as methodological
competence experience their subject-specific development.

www.gsis-accra.org