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Climate Phenomena
Impact of El Nino on the Weather
Weather, atmospheric condition and climate must be clearly distinguished. Weather describes the current state of the atmosphere surrounding us in a certain place. That means that the weather may change by the day or even at hourly intervals, and that the weather on Earth differs considerably. Our Earth is surrounded by a thick envelope of air which is composed of different layers. This envelope of air is called atmosphere. The weather takes place in the lowest layer of the atmosphere, the troposphere. Due to the Earth’s gravity, it is the densest part of the atmosphere because it contains 80 per cent of the air and almost all gaseous water, which is the moisture bound in the air. The driving force of all weather events and the constantly revolving masses of clouds and air in the troposphere is the sun. Through light and heat radiation the sun provides energy and is like an engine powering our weather. So the foundations of the weather are the warming sunrays, the water in its hydrological cycle and the air which surrounds us with its pressure balancing wind flows that mix and react with one another according to simple physical laws. When these components are available in various amounts, elemental weather phenomena such as fog, clouds, rain, snow, wind, frost and sunshine are formed. The weather often changes daily and sometimes even several times a day and is almost never the same everywhere. So weather is the momentarily perceptible state of the lower atmosphere, the troposphere, in a specific place at a specific time. In the course of a year, the large-scale weather pattern can also remain the same for some days or weeks. Typical characteristics of similar weather are called atmospheric condition.
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Curriculum-centred and oriented towards educational standards
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Blogging
The weblog or blog, for short, as a medium is not much older than this century. Blogs came into being in the World Wide Web as ’messages from below’, as web pages from web creators who wanted to share their view of the world with the world. They are short notes, long texts, pictures, videos, which are posted loosely and at random intervals to the world for an undefined public.
Computer Games
This film covers the topic of computer games in a variety of ways and from many different angles. Apart from the fascina- tion of computer games for users, the historical development as well as the production of computer games are described. The established genres are introduced, the guidelines of the German BPjM are explained. In light of recent public discussions, a neutral overview of the pros and cons of playing computer games is given, and different kinds of player behaviour are outlined. In this film, the pupils will recognise many aspects of their favourite pastime that encourage an independent, constructive use of this medium and reinforce their media competency. The film and teaching material are very closely related to the real-life situation.
Peer Mediation
Lena and Max attend the 7th form. Max is new in class. During a break, Max notices that Lena and her friend are laughing at him again. Max loses his temper! He slaps Lena in the face. That hurts and Lena runs back into the classroom with a red cheek. The growing conflict between the two has escalated. Just like Lena and Max, every day pupils all over Germany have rows with each other. At the Heinrich Hertz Gymnasium in Thuringia, pupils have been trained as mediators for years. At set hours, they are in a room made available by the school specifically for mediation purposes. The film describes the growing conflict between Max and Lena and shows a mediation using their example. In doing so, the terms “conflict” and “peer mediation” are explained in a non-technical way. The aims of peer mediation and its progress in five steps as well as the mediators’ tasks are illustrated. The art of asking questions and “mirroring”, which the mediators must know, is described and explained. Together with the comprehensive accompanying material, the DVD is a suitable medium to introduce peer mediation at your school, too.