Licht als Quelle des Lebens

Learning Objectives

The overarching learning objective is to develop students’ awareness and mastery of the characteristics of academic and subject-specific language, as well as to strengthen their ability to transform language. Students should learn to analyse typical features of academic texts (technical terminology, passive voice, and nominal style) according to defined criteria, reflect on their functional effects in terms of objectivity and how they guide the reader, and purposefully translate dense, nominalised academic language into clear, accessible verbal style using active voice.

Content and Methods

The worksheet introduces the key characteristics of academic non-fiction texts (technical terminology, passive voice, and nominal style) and combines text analysis with practical language exercises. Working with a subject-specific text, students first compile a glossary of technical terms with context-based definitions and distinguish between passive constructions and nominal style using a two-colour highlighting technique.

Building on this, they conduct a functional stylistic analysis to examine the intended effects of linguistic density and the author’s conveyed stance towards the subject matter. The worksheet concludes with an active language transformation task in which students rewrite a highly nominalised example sentence that omits the agent, turning it into dynamic active-voice sentences. This involves breaking down complex verb-noun constructions and explicitly introducing the actors performing the actions.

Competencies

• Linguistic and grammatical analysis: Confidently identifying and clarifying technical terminology, as well as recognising syntactic forms of linguistic compression (nominal style and passive constructions).
• Functional and stylistic judgement: Reflecting on the rhetorical effects and functions of linguistic distance, objectivity, and impersonal presentation in academic texts.
• Language transformation: Purposefully translating complex, agentless nominal constructions into clear, action-oriented active sentences using verbal style.
• Lexical comprehension: Deriving the meaning of unfamiliar or highly specialised technical terms from context and formulating concise definitions (glossary work).

Target Group and Level

Upper secondary school (advanced level).

Objective: This worksheet uses a fictional criminal case to introduce students to the basics of nuclear chemistry and atomic structure in a playful way. Students examine β⁻ decay using the example of an isotope and learn to quantitatively determine atomic composition and radioactive decay processes based on atomic and mass numbers.

Content and Methods: The material is taught by combining contextual learning, tabular particle analyses, and mathematical methods for describing radioactive processes. The starting point is a fictional case file in which a laboratory investigation is used to develop fundamental questions about nuclear transformations and radiation. Building on this, the isotopes are analyzed in terms of their proton, neutron, and electron counts, and nuclear reaction equations and the principle of β⁻ decay are explored. This is supplemented by a quantitative evaluation of radioactive decay using half-life calculations to determine residual amounts and sample age, before students assess their understanding in a short, summary exit ticket.

Competencies:

• Subject-specific competence: Distinguishing between basic physical and chemical concepts (isotope, atomic number, mass number) and classifying nuclear transformations
• Scientific inquiry: Mathematical modeling of decay processes using half-life functions and deriving nuclear reaction equations
• Communication and Explanation Skills: Simplifying complex atomic processes to suit the audience

Target Audience and Level: Middle School

Students investigate how artificial intelligence is transforming a specific field, gaining an understanding of both the benefits and challenges of AI. The goal is to develop critical awareness of AI’s capabilities, ethical issues, and the ongoing need for human judgment in decision-making.

Content and Methods:

The worksheet guides students through an exploration of AI in a specific field by examining real-world examples. Students analyze ethical concerns. Methods include comprehension questions, multiple-choice tasks, comparison of benefits and risks, open-ended reflection questions, and a short argumentative essay about AI’s role in that field.

Competencies:

• Understanding technological applications of AI in a real-world professional field
• Critical evaluation of the benefits and risks of AI in that field
• Ethical reasoning about data privacy, bias, and human–machine interaction
• Analytical thinking about the balance between AI capabilities and human expertise
• Argumentative and reflective writing skills

Target Group and Level:

Grade 8 and up.

 

With the help of the worksheet, learners engage with the content of a film in a structured manner before, during and after viewing it in order to develop a deeper understanding and to reflect on and transfer what they have seen.

Content and methods: 

The worksheet begins by testing prior knowledge of the film. While watching, the pupils complete multiple-choice tasks to actively engage with and consolidate their understanding. After the film, transfer tasks are used for further processing and reflection on the topic.

Skills:

• Activating and building on prior knowledge
• Concentrated extraction of information from a visual medium
• Analysis, reflection and transfer of film content

Target group and level:

Grade 7 and above

Students learn to analyze information from various digital sources and link it logically in order to draw conclusions.

Content and Methodology: The worksheet offers an interactive puzzle task based around a found smartphone. The students analyze chat histories, pictures and an audio file to identify the owner of the smartphone.

Skills:

• Critical analysis of texts and media
• Logical thinking and reasoning
• Understanding historical and/or scientific contexts

Target Audience and Level: Suitable for teaching at lower secondary level.

This worksheet aims to introduce students to one specific solar system, focusing on its unique characteristics and the potential for extraterrestrial life, thereby expanding their understanding of planetary systems beyond our own.

Content and methods: The worksheet provides a detailed text about one specific solar system, including information about its stars and its planets. It uses multiple-choice questions to assess reading comprehension and requires students to provide descriptive answers based on the text. The worksheet also incorporates an audio component for an immersive learning experience.

Competencies:

• Reading comprehension
• Understanding of astronomical concepts
• Analytical thinking
• Evaluation of scientific information

Target group: 8th-10th grade

This worksheet aims to teach students about a selected topic from the field of astronomy.

Content and methods: The worksheet introduces the selected topic with a brief text. It uses true/false questions to test reading comprehension and a fictional interview with a famous astrophysicist to provide more context on the history of research and current scientific questions. The final section prompts students to explain concepts and summarize information from the interview.

Competencies:

• Reading comprehension
• Recalling and summarizing key information
• Analysis and critical thinking

Target group: 5-12th grade

This worksheet aims to familiarize students with the planets in our solar system, focusing on their order, relative sizes, and key characteristics.

Content and methods: The worksheet begins by prompting students to order the planets shown in an image. This is followed by a task to sort a list of planet names by size and distance from the Sun. The core of the content is a detailed text about one selected planet, covering its size, composition, atmosphere, position in the solar system, moons, rings, and habitability. Students are then required to fill out a profile for the planet based on the provided text, summarizing these characteristics. Finally, a mnemonic device is provided to help students remember the order of the planets.

Competencies:

• Knowledge of the solar system (planet order, names, characteristics)
• Reading comprehension
• Information extraction and summarization
• Memory skills (using mnemonic devices)

Target group: 4th-7th grade

Create an interview in which the students gain deeper insights into the scientist's work

Choose a basic chemistry topic and create a worksheet for your lesson.