Abitur NRW Englisch 2022 · GK · Haupttermin

Klausurteil A: Leseverstehen und Schreiben integriert

Klausurteil A

Laila Lalami

The Other Americans

The novel takes place in California, where the Moroccan Guerraoui family has settled after emigrating.

Your head in the clouds. The idiom rang like an echo in my life. It had started when I was

nine or ten, so absorbed in reading my books that I didn’t hear my name when I was called

to the dinner table. “You have your head in the clouds,” my mother would say, often with

affection. A few years later, when I helped out at the restaurant after school, the remark turned

5 into a bitter reprimand. “You gave out the wrong change. You have your head in the clouds,”

my mother complained. And later yet, when I decided against medical school, it became an

accusation. “You’re going to ruin your life, benti. You have your head in the clouds!”

Having my head in the clouds was my way of surviving. This realization came to me early,

on my first day at Yucca Mesa Elementary, when Mrs. Nielsen cheerfully read the children’s

10 names on the roster, but could not bring herself to say “Nora Zhor Guerraoui.” Twice she

started on the middle name and stopped, frowning at the consonant cluster. The class grew

silent, united in its curiosity about the word that had made the teacher falter. Then Mrs.

Nielsen lowered her reading glasses over her nose and peered at me. “What an unusual

name. Where are you from?” At recess, the kids fanned out and gathered again in small

15 groups – military kids, church kids, trailer-park kids, hippie kids – groups in which I knew

no one and no one knew me. I stayed behind by the blue wall that bordered the swings, and

watched from a distance. In the cafeteria, I ate the zaalouk my mother had put in my lunchbox,

while the other girls at my table whispered among themselves. Then Brittany Cutler, a pretty

blonde with plaited hair and a toothy smile, turned to me and asked, “What are you eating?”

20 I looked up, immensely grateful for a chance to finally talk to someone. “Eggplant.”

“It looks like poop.”

The other girls tittered, and for the rest of the day they called me a poop-eater. […]

In class, I was quiet. At lunch, I sat alone. The silence cloaked me with safety, but it betrayed

me a few months later, when Mrs. Nielsen became convinced I had a learning disability.

25 She called my mother into the classroom one sunny morning in May and used words like

severe mutism, social anxiety, oppositional behavior. The terms failed to elicit a flicker of

recognition from my mother. After a moment, Mrs. Nielsen’s voice dropped to a whisper.

“There’s something wrong with your daughter,” she said. I sat on a yellow mat in the corner,

playing, listening, waiting for my mother to say, “There’s nothing wrong with my daughter.”

30 But she only nodded slowly, as if she agreed with the teacher.

When my father came home that night and found out what had happened, he said the teacher

was a fool. “Hmara,” he called her, a word he reserved for the television anchors with whom

he argued during the eight o’clock news. Then he reached into the fridge for a beer and

started sorting through the bills on the kitchen counter. I watched my mother’s face for a

35 reaction. It was immediate. “And you know more than the teacher?”

“I know more about my daughter.”

“Salma didn’t have this problem in kindergarten. She was first in class, always.”

“There is no problem, Maryam.”

“If she doesn’t speak, she has to repeat the year. That’s what the teacher said.”

40 “No, she doesn’t.” He ruffled my hair. “Nor-eini, try to speak in class, okay?”

But the teacher’s threat, relayed and amplified by my mother, was indelible in my mind. Not

speaking meant that I would have to repeat, and repeating meant that I wouldn’t have to see

Brittany Cutler or her acolytes every day. So I stayed in kindergarten another year. I learned

the alphabet again and the pledge of allegiance again, though this time there was Sonya

45 Mukherjee, a girl who was just as quiet as me, a girl who didn’t fit in with the others, either.

By the time I started the first grade, I had one friend.

Still, it wasn’t until middle school that I fell in with my own tribe – music nerds. Two

summers earlier, having noticed my talk of music and colors, my father had enrolled me in

piano classes with Mrs. Winslow, a neighbor who had retired to the desert after years of

50 teaching music at USC. She gave a name to how I saw the world. Synesthesia. And with that

word came the realization that there was nothing wrong with me, that I shared this way of

experiencing sound with many others, some of them musicians.

Annotations:

7 · benti · – Arabic for “daughter”

17 · zaalouk · – Moroccan salad of cooked eggplants

26 · severe mutism · – a strong form of an anxiety disorder in which a person cannot speak if triggered

32 · hmara · – Arabic insult

37 · Salma · – Nora’s older sister

37/43 · kindergarten · – here: first year of school in the USA

40 · Nor-eini · – here: a name used by the father expressing his affection for Nora

43 · acolytes · – term used in a religious context to describe a person who serves and follows faithfully

44 · pledge of allegiance · – a promise of loyalty made by Americans to their flag and country

49 · desert · – here: Yucca Valley

50 · USC · – University of Southern California

50 · synesthesia · – here: the ability to “see” sounds as colours

1. Describe what Nora experiences and how she behaves during her first year at school. (Comprehension) [12 Punkte]

Klausurteil A: Leseverstehen und Schreiben integriert

Klausurteil A

Laila Lalami

The Other Americans

The novel takes place in California, where the Moroccan Guerraoui family has settled after emigrating.

Your head in the clouds. The idiom rang like an echo in my life. It had started when I was

nine or ten, so absorbed in reading my books that I didn’t hear my name when I was called

to the dinner table. “You have your head in the clouds,” my mother would say, often with

affection. A few years later, when I helped out at the restaurant after school, the remark turned

5 into a bitter reprimand. “You gave out the wrong change. You have your head in the clouds,”

my mother complained. And later yet, when I decided against medical school, it became an

accusation. “You’re going to ruin your life, benti. You have your head in the clouds!”

Having my head in the clouds was my way of surviving. This realization came to me early,

on my first day at Yucca Mesa Elementary, when Mrs. Nielsen cheerfully read the children’s

10 names on the roster, but could not bring herself to say “Nora Zhor Guerraoui.” Twice she

started on the middle name and stopped, frowning at the consonant cluster. The class grew

silent, united in its curiosity about the word that had made the teacher falter. Then Mrs.

Nielsen lowered her reading glasses over her nose and peered at me. “What an unusual

name. Where are you from?” At recess, the kids fanned out and gathered again in small

15 groups – military kids, church kids, trailer-park kids, hippie kids – groups in which I knew

no one and no one knew me. I stayed behind by the blue wall that bordered the swings, and

watched from a distance. In the cafeteria, I ate the zaalouk my mother had put in my lunchbox,

while the other girls at my table whispered among themselves. Then Brittany Cutler, a pretty

blonde with plaited hair and a toothy smile, turned to me and asked, “What are you eating?”

20 I looked up, immensely grateful for a chance to finally talk to someone. “Eggplant.”

“It looks like poop.”

The other girls tittered, and for the rest of the day they called me a poop-eater. […]

In class, I was quiet. At lunch, I sat alone. The silence cloaked me with safety, but it betrayed

me a few months later, when Mrs. Nielsen became convinced I had a learning disability.

25 She called my mother into the classroom one sunny morning in May and used words like

severe mutism, social anxiety, oppositional behavior. The terms failed to elicit a flicker of

recognition from my mother. After a moment, Mrs. Nielsen’s voice dropped to a whisper.

“There’s something wrong with your daughter,” she said. I sat on a yellow mat in the corner,

playing, listening, waiting for my mother to say, “There’s nothing wrong with my daughter.”

30 But she only nodded slowly, as if she agreed with the teacher.

When my father came home that night and found out what had happened, he said the teacher

was a fool. “Hmara,” he called her, a word he reserved for the television anchors with whom

he argued during the eight o’clock news. Then he reached into the fridge for a beer and

started sorting through the bills on the kitchen counter. I watched my mother’s face for a

35 reaction. It was immediate. “And you know more than the teacher?”

“I know more about my daughter.”

“Salma didn’t have this problem in kindergarten. She was first in class, always.”

“There is no problem, Maryam.”

“If she doesn’t speak, she has to repeat the year. That’s what the teacher said.”

40 “No, she doesn’t.” He ruffled my hair. “Nor-eini, try to speak in class, okay?”

But the teacher’s threat, relayed and amplified by my mother, was indelible in my mind. Not

speaking meant that I would have to repeat, and repeating meant that I wouldn’t have to see

Brittany Cutler or her acolytes every day. So I stayed in kindergarten another year. I learned

the alphabet again and the pledge of allegiance again, though this time there was Sonya

45 Mukherjee, a girl who was just as quiet as me, a girl who didn’t fit in with the others, either.

By the time I started the first grade, I had one friend.

Still, it wasn’t until middle school that I fell in with my own tribe – music nerds. Two

summers earlier, having noticed my talk of music and colors, my father had enrolled me in

piano classes with Mrs. Winslow, a neighbor who had retired to the desert after years of

50 teaching music at USC. She gave a name to how I saw the world. Synesthesia. And with that

word came the realization that there was nothing wrong with me, that I shared this way of

experiencing sound with many others, some of them musicians.

Annotations:

7 · benti · – Arabic for “daughter”

17 · zaalouk · – Moroccan salad of cooked eggplants

26 · severe mutism · – a strong form of an anxiety disorder in which a person cannot speak if triggered

32 · hmara · – Arabic insult

37 · Salma · – Nora’s older sister

37/43 · kindergarten · – here: first year of school in the USA

40 · Nor-eini · – here: a name used by the father expressing his affection for Nora

43 · acolytes · – term used in a religious context to describe a person who serves and follows faithfully

44 · pledge of allegiance · – a promise of loyalty made by Americans to their flag and country

49 · desert · – here: Yucca Valley

50 · USC · – University of Southern California

50 · synesthesia · – here: the ability to “see” sounds as colours

2. Analyse the way in which Nora's parents, as well as the relationship they have with their daughter, are presented. Take narrative perspective and use of language into account. (Analysis) [16 Punkte]

Klausurteil A: Leseverstehen und Schreiben integriert

Klausurteil A

Laila Lalami

The Other Americans

The novel takes place in California, where the Moroccan Guerraoui family has settled after emigrating.

Your head in the clouds. The idiom rang like an echo in my life. It had started when I was

nine or ten, so absorbed in reading my books that I didn’t hear my name when I was called

to the dinner table. “You have your head in the clouds,” my mother would say, often with

affection. A few years later, when I helped out at the restaurant after school, the remark turned

5 into a bitter reprimand. “You gave out the wrong change. You have your head in the clouds,”

my mother complained. And later yet, when I decided against medical school, it became an

accusation. “You’re going to ruin your life, benti. You have your head in the clouds!”

Having my head in the clouds was my way of surviving. This realization came to me early,

on my first day at Yucca Mesa Elementary, when Mrs. Nielsen cheerfully read the children’s

10 names on the roster, but could not bring herself to say “Nora Zhor Guerraoui.” Twice she

started on the middle name and stopped, frowning at the consonant cluster. The class grew

silent, united in its curiosity about the word that had made the teacher falter. Then Mrs.

Nielsen lowered her reading glasses over her nose and peered at me. “What an unusual

name. Where are you from?” At recess, the kids fanned out and gathered again in small

15 groups – military kids, church kids, trailer-park kids, hippie kids – groups in which I knew

no one and no one knew me. I stayed behind by the blue wall that bordered the swings, and

watched from a distance. In the cafeteria, I ate the zaalouk my mother had put in my lunchbox,

while the other girls at my table whispered among themselves. Then Brittany Cutler, a pretty

blonde with plaited hair and a toothy smile, turned to me and asked, “What are you eating?”

20 I looked up, immensely grateful for a chance to finally talk to someone. “Eggplant.”

“It looks like poop.”

The other girls tittered, and for the rest of the day they called me a poop-eater. […]

In class, I was quiet. At lunch, I sat alone. The silence cloaked me with safety, but it betrayed

me a few months later, when Mrs. Nielsen became convinced I had a learning disability.

25 She called my mother into the classroom one sunny morning in May and used words like

severe mutism, social anxiety, oppositional behavior. The terms failed to elicit a flicker of

recognition from my mother. After a moment, Mrs. Nielsen’s voice dropped to a whisper.

“There’s something wrong with your daughter,” she said. I sat on a yellow mat in the corner,

playing, listening, waiting for my mother to say, “There’s nothing wrong with my daughter.”

30 But she only nodded slowly, as if she agreed with the teacher.

When my father came home that night and found out what had happened, he said the teacher

was a fool. “Hmara,” he called her, a word he reserved for the television anchors with whom

he argued during the eight o’clock news. Then he reached into the fridge for a beer and

started sorting through the bills on the kitchen counter. I watched my mother’s face for a

35 reaction. It was immediate. “And you know more than the teacher?”

“I know more about my daughter.”

“Salma didn’t have this problem in kindergarten. She was first in class, always.”

“There is no problem, Maryam.”

“If she doesn’t speak, she has to repeat the year. That’s what the teacher said.”

40 “No, she doesn’t.” He ruffled my hair. “Nor-eini, try to speak in class, okay?”

But the teacher’s threat, relayed and amplified by my mother, was indelible in my mind. Not

speaking meant that I would have to repeat, and repeating meant that I wouldn’t have to see

Brittany Cutler or her acolytes every day. So I stayed in kindergarten another year. I learned

the alphabet again and the pledge of allegiance again, though this time there was Sonya

45 Mukherjee, a girl who was just as quiet as me, a girl who didn’t fit in with the others, either.

By the time I started the first grade, I had one friend.

Still, it wasn’t until middle school that I fell in with my own tribe – music nerds. Two

summers earlier, having noticed my talk of music and colors, my father had enrolled me in

piano classes with Mrs. Winslow, a neighbor who had retired to the desert after years of

50 teaching music at USC. She gave a name to how I saw the world. Synesthesia. And with that

word came the realization that there was nothing wrong with me, that I shared this way of

experiencing sound with many others, some of them musicians.

Annotations:

7 · benti · – Arabic for “daughter”

17 · zaalouk · – Moroccan salad of cooked eggplants

26 · severe mutism · – a strong form of an anxiety disorder in which a person cannot speak if triggered

32 · hmara · – Arabic insult

37 · Salma · – Nora’s older sister

37/43 · kindergarten · – here: first year of school in the USA

40 · Nor-eini · – here: a name used by the father expressing his affection for Nora

43 · acolytes · – term used in a religious context to describe a person who serves and follows faithfully

44 · pledge of allegiance · – a promise of loyalty made by Americans to their flag and country

49 · desert · – here: Yucca Valley

50 · USC · – University of Southern California

50 · synesthesia · – here: the ability to “see” sounds as colours

3. Select one of the tasks below:

3.1 A recent survey asked young Americans what the American Dream means and how relevant it is today. One respondent described the USA as offering “an opportunity for people to better their lives, in a society where people are equal and all have the same access to resources”. Comment on this statement, drawing on what you have covered in class about American myths and realities as well as on current social and political developments. (Evaluation: comment) [14 Punkte]

Klausurteil A: Leseverstehen und Schreiben integriert

Klausurteil A

Laila Lalami

The Other Americans

The novel takes place in California, where the Moroccan Guerraoui family has settled after emigrating.

Your head in the clouds. The idiom rang like an echo in my life. It had started when I was

nine or ten, so absorbed in reading my books that I didn’t hear my name when I was called

to the dinner table. “You have your head in the clouds,” my mother would say, often with

affection. A few years later, when I helped out at the restaurant after school, the remark turned

5 into a bitter reprimand. “You gave out the wrong change. You have your head in the clouds,”

my mother complained. And later yet, when I decided against medical school, it became an

accusation. “You’re going to ruin your life, benti. You have your head in the clouds!”

Having my head in the clouds was my way of surviving. This realization came to me early,

on my first day at Yucca Mesa Elementary, when Mrs. Nielsen cheerfully read the children’s

10 names on the roster, but could not bring herself to say “Nora Zhor Guerraoui.” Twice she

started on the middle name and stopped, frowning at the consonant cluster. The class grew

silent, united in its curiosity about the word that had made the teacher falter. Then Mrs.

Nielsen lowered her reading glasses over her nose and peered at me. “What an unusual

name. Where are you from?” At recess, the kids fanned out and gathered again in small

15 groups – military kids, church kids, trailer-park kids, hippie kids – groups in which I knew

no one and no one knew me. I stayed behind by the blue wall that bordered the swings, and

watched from a distance. In the cafeteria, I ate the zaalouk my mother had put in my lunchbox,

while the other girls at my table whispered among themselves. Then Brittany Cutler, a pretty

blonde with plaited hair and a toothy smile, turned to me and asked, “What are you eating?”

20 I looked up, immensely grateful for a chance to finally talk to someone. “Eggplant.”

“It looks like poop.”

The other girls tittered, and for the rest of the day they called me a poop-eater. […]

In class, I was quiet. At lunch, I sat alone. The silence cloaked me with safety, but it betrayed

me a few months later, when Mrs. Nielsen became convinced I had a learning disability.

25 She called my mother into the classroom one sunny morning in May and used words like

severe mutism, social anxiety, oppositional behavior. The terms failed to elicit a flicker of

recognition from my mother. After a moment, Mrs. Nielsen’s voice dropped to a whisper.

“There’s something wrong with your daughter,” she said. I sat on a yellow mat in the corner,

playing, listening, waiting for my mother to say, “There’s nothing wrong with my daughter.”

30 But she only nodded slowly, as if she agreed with the teacher.

When my father came home that night and found out what had happened, he said the teacher

was a fool. “Hmara,” he called her, a word he reserved for the television anchors with whom

he argued during the eight o’clock news. Then he reached into the fridge for a beer and

started sorting through the bills on the kitchen counter. I watched my mother’s face for a

35 reaction. It was immediate. “And you know more than the teacher?”

“I know more about my daughter.”

“Salma didn’t have this problem in kindergarten. She was first in class, always.”

“There is no problem, Maryam.”

“If she doesn’t speak, she has to repeat the year. That’s what the teacher said.”

40 “No, she doesn’t.” He ruffled my hair. “Nor-eini, try to speak in class, okay?”

But the teacher’s threat, relayed and amplified by my mother, was indelible in my mind. Not

speaking meant that I would have to repeat, and repeating meant that I wouldn’t have to see

Brittany Cutler or her acolytes every day. So I stayed in kindergarten another year. I learned

the alphabet again and the pledge of allegiance again, though this time there was Sonya

45 Mukherjee, a girl who was just as quiet as me, a girl who didn’t fit in with the others, either.

By the time I started the first grade, I had one friend.

Still, it wasn’t until middle school that I fell in with my own tribe – music nerds. Two

summers earlier, having noticed my talk of music and colors, my father had enrolled me in

piano classes with Mrs. Winslow, a neighbor who had retired to the desert after years of

50 teaching music at USC. She gave a name to how I saw the world. Synesthesia. And with that

word came the realization that there was nothing wrong with me, that I shared this way of

experiencing sound with many others, some of them musicians.

Annotations:

7 · benti · – Arabic for “daughter”

17 · zaalouk · – Moroccan salad of cooked eggplants

26 · severe mutism · – a strong form of an anxiety disorder in which a person cannot speak if triggered

32 · hmara · – Arabic insult

37 · Salma · – Nora’s older sister

37/43 · kindergarten · – here: first year of school in the USA

40 · Nor-eini · – here: a name used by the father expressing his affection for Nora

43 · acolytes · – term used in a religious context to describe a person who serves and follows faithfully

44 · pledge of allegiance · – a promise of loyalty made by Americans to their flag and country

49 · desert · – here: Yucca Valley

50 · USC · – University of Southern California

50 · synesthesia · – here: the ability to “see” sounds as colours

3. Select one of the following tasks:

3.2 On her way home, after Mrs. Winslow has explained synesthesia to her for the first time, Nora thinks about her childhood and about what she hopes and fears for the future. Write her interior monologue. (Evaluation: re-creation of text) [14 Punkte]

Klausurteil A

Laila Lalami

The Other Americans

The novel takes place in California, where the Moroccan Guerraoui family has settled after emigrating.

Your head in the clouds. The idiom rang like an echo in my life. It had started when I was

nine or ten, so absorbed in reading my books that I didn’t hear my name when I was called

to the dinner table. “You have your head in the clouds,” my mother would say, often with

affection. A few years later, when I helped out at the restaurant after school, the remark turned

5 into a bitter reprimand. “You gave out the wrong change. You have your head in the clouds,”

my mother complained. And later yet, when I decided against medical school, it became an

accusation. “You’re going to ruin your life, benti. You have your head in the clouds!”

Having my head in the clouds was my way of surviving. This realization came to me early,

on my first day at Yucca Mesa Elementary, when Mrs. Nielsen cheerfully read the children’s

10 names on the roster, but could not bring herself to say “Nora Zhor Guerraoui.” Twice she

started on the middle name and stopped, frowning at the consonant cluster. The class grew

silent, united in its curiosity about the word that had made the teacher falter. Then Mrs.

Nielsen lowered her reading glasses over her nose and peered at me. “What an unusual

name. Where are you from?” At recess, the kids fanned out and gathered again in small

15 groups – military kids, church kids, trailer-park kids, hippie kids – groups in which I knew

no one and no one knew me. I stayed behind by the blue wall that bordered the swings, and

watched from a distance. In the cafeteria, I ate the zaalouk my mother had put in my lunchbox,

while the other girls at my table whispered among themselves. Then Brittany Cutler, a pretty

blonde with plaited hair and a toothy smile, turned to me and asked, “What are you eating?”

20 I looked up, immensely grateful for a chance to finally talk to someone. “Eggplant.”

“It looks like poop.”

The other girls tittered, and for the rest of the day they called me a poop-eater. […]

In class, I was quiet. At lunch, I sat alone. The silence cloaked me with safety, but it betrayed

me a few months later, when Mrs. Nielsen became convinced I had a learning disability.

25 She called my mother into the classroom one sunny morning in May and used words like

severe mutism, social anxiety, oppositional behavior. The terms failed to elicit a flicker of

recognition from my mother. After a moment, Mrs. Nielsen’s voice dropped to a whisper.

“There’s something wrong with your daughter,” she said. I sat on a yellow mat in the corner,

playing, listening, waiting for my mother to say, “There’s nothing wrong with my daughter.”

30 But she only nodded slowly, as if she agreed with the teacher.

When my father came home that night and found out what had happened, he said the teacher

was a fool. “Hmara,” he called her, a word he reserved for the television anchors with whom

he argued during the eight o’clock news. Then he reached into the fridge for a beer and

started sorting through the bills on the kitchen counter. I watched my mother’s face for a

35 reaction. It was immediate. “And you know more than the teacher?”

“I know more about my daughter.”

“Salma didn’t have this problem in kindergarten. She was first in class, always.”

“There is no problem, Maryam.”

“If she doesn’t speak, she has to repeat the year. That’s what the teacher said.”

40 “No, she doesn’t.” He ruffled my hair. “Nor-eini, try to speak in class, okay?”

But the teacher’s threat, relayed and amplified by my mother, was indelible in my mind. Not

speaking meant that I would have to repeat, and repeating meant that I wouldn’t have to see

Brittany Cutler or her acolytes every day. So I stayed in kindergarten another year. I learned

the alphabet again and the pledge of allegiance again, though this time there was Sonya

45 Mukherjee, a girl who was just as quiet as me, a girl who didn’t fit in with the others, either.

By the time I started the first grade, I had one friend.

Still, it wasn’t until middle school that I fell in with my own tribe – music nerds. Two

summers earlier, having noticed my talk of music and colors, my father had enrolled me in

piano classes with Mrs. Winslow, a neighbor who had retired to the desert after years of

50 teaching music at USC. She gave a name to how I saw the world. Synesthesia. And with that

word came the realization that there was nothing wrong with me, that I shared this way of

experiencing sound with many others, some of them musicians.

Annotations:

7 · benti · – Arabic for “daughter”

17 · zaalouk · – Moroccan salad of cooked eggplants

26 · severe mutism · – a strong form of an anxiety disorder in which a person cannot speak if triggered

32 · hmara · – Arabic insult

37 · Salma · – Nora’s older sister

37/43 · kindergarten · – here: first year of school in the USA

40 · Nor-eini · – here: a name used by the father expressing his affection for Nora

43 · acolytes · – term used in a religious context to describe a person who serves and follows faithfully

44 · pledge of allegiance · – a promise of loyalty made by Americans to their flag and country

49 · desert · – here: Yucca Valley

50 · USC · – University of Southern California

50 · synesthesia · – here: the ability to “see” sounds as colours

Klausurteil B: Sprachmittlung isoliert

4. You are spending a year at a high school in the USA and taking part in a project called Initiatives in Education. Your teacher wants you to present an example from Germany. Write the script for your presentation, in which you outline the initiative described in Ricarda Breyton's article, why it was launched and what it is meant to achieve. (Mediation) (18 Punkte)

Textgrundlage: Klausurteil B

Ricarda Breyton

Die auffallende Stille bei der Begabtenförderung

Als die Bildungsminister von Bund und Ländern im Januar des vergangenen Jahres in Berlin zusammenkamen, verkündeten sie ein groß angelegtes Programm: Über zehn Jahre wollen Bund und Länder gemeinsam testen, wie besonders leistungsfähige Schüler besser gefördert werden können. […]

[D]as 125 Millionen Euro teure Programm „Leistung macht Schule“ [ist] inzwischen angelaufen, wie auf der Projektwebsite zu lesen ist. An 300 Projektschulen werden demnach seit Herbst Modelle zur besseren Förderung von Begabten erprobt. […]

Fünf Jahre dürfen die Schulen die Projekte erproben, für deren Umsetzung sie zusätzliche Lehrerstunden erhalten haben und je ein Forscherteam, das sie wissenschaftlich begleitet. Danach sind weitere fünf Jahre vorgesehen, um zu prüfen, welche Projekte sich auf andere Schulen übertragen lassen. Werden hier tatsächlich die Grundlagen gelegt, um Spitzenschüler in Deutschland endlich zu erkennen und zu fördern? Oder droht das Programm ein schön klingendes Modellprojekt zu bleiben, das kaum Wirkung entfalten wird in der Breite?

Es sind Fragen, die sich nicht nur die beteiligten Forscher stellen, sondern zunehmend auch Eltern und Lehrer. Während die Forscher davon schwärmen, mit ihrem Projekt nicht weniger als ein Umdenken im Bildungssystem einzuleiten, wachsen bei den anderen die Zweifel. Warum, so fragen Lehrer, wolle die Politik umfassend erforschen, wie Begabtenförderung funktioniere? Könne man nicht sofort mit der Förderung beginnen, indem man die Schulen mit mehr Personal ausstatte? Zehn Jahre sind schließlich eine lange Zeit. Zehntausende talentierte Schüler werden ihren Abschluss machen, ohne in den Genuss einer besonderen Förderung gekommen zu sein.

Dabei besteht dringender Handlungsbedarf. Die Pisa-Studien haben gezeigt, dass es in Deutschland nicht nur eine vergleichsweise große Gruppe von leistungsschwachen Schülern gibt – sondern auch eine sehr kleine Gruppe von ziemlich guten. Doch während die leistungsschwachen Schüler über die Jahre dank kräftiger staatlicher Förderung etwas aufholten, blieb der Anteil der guten und sehr guten auf einem niedrigen Niveau – zu niedrig nach Ansicht von Politikern, Lehrern und auch Forschern. Die Frage ist: Was tun?

Es gehe auch darum, die Haltung mancher Lehrkräfte zu überdenken, sagt Gabriele Weigand von der Pädagogischen Hochschule Karlsruhe. Sie koordiniert den Forschungsverbund Leistung macht Schule, der die Begabtenförderung an den 300 Projektschulen vorantreiben will. „Bislang werden Schülerinnen und Schüler oftmals in drei Kategorien eingeteilt: die Begabten, die Normalbegabten und die vermeintlich weniger Begabten.“ Oft fehle die Zeit für die Begabten, denn diese kämen im Unterricht ja bereits gut mit. „Dabei braucht jeder Schüler und jede Schülerin eine spezielle Förderung“, sagt Weigand. „Jeder hat Potenzial, das er noch viel stärker entfalten kann.“

Weigand schwebt eine Form des individualisierten Unterrichts vor, bei dem jeder auf seinem Niveau lernt. Im besten Fall erhielten alle Schüler Aufgaben, die unterschiedliche Wege der Bearbeitung erlaubten. Denkbar sei auch, zwei Stunden jedes Schultags für Projektarbeit vorzusehen, in der die Kinder ihre Interessen weiter vertieften. „Wir müssen weg von dem Regelunterricht, in dem alle im selben Tempo lernen sollen“, sagt Weigand.

Wie das genau funktionieren kann, wollen Weigand und die beteiligten Wissenschaftler in den kommenden Jahren erforschen. Dabei gehe es nicht darum, ein Konzept zu entwickeln, das für alle Projektschulen gelte. Vielmehr müssten die Schulen vor Ort selbst entscheiden, wie sie sich aufstellen wollten. […]

Das Konzept stößt auf Zustimmung – etwa bei der Deutschen Gesellschaft für das hochbegabte Kind. „Gerade auch begabte und hochbegabte Kinder entwickeln ihr Potenzial am besten, wenn sie passend zu ihrem Lernniveau lernen können“, sagt deren Präsidentin Martina Rosenboom. „Es muss sehr stark individualisiert gearbeitet werden.“ Allerdings seien entsprechende Konzepte bereits seit Jahren bekannt: „Es gibt genug Beispiele aus der Praxis, bei denen zum Beispiel das selbstgesteuerte Lernen gut funktioniert.“ So lernten Kinder bereits an vielen Schulen zumindest in einigen Schulstunden eigenverantwortlich. „Wir brauchen jetzt den politischen Willen, das umfassend umzusetzen.“

Anmerkung: Pisa-Studien – internationale Vergleichsstudie schulischer Leistungen

Klausurteil A: Leseverstehen und Schreiben integriert

Rainesford Stauffer

Why Teens Are Creating Their Own News Outlets

In the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, Olivia Seltzer, now 15, noticed a shift at

school. “Basically overnight, all we could talk about was politics and what was going on in

the world,” she tells Teen Vogue. Many of her peers in Santa Barbara, California, had parents

who were undocumented immigrants, so the issues in the news hit close to home. Suddenly

5 the personal felt very much political. “This massive interest in the news and politics came

with an equally massive gap in the media,” Seltzer continues. “Traditional news sources are

primarily written by and geared toward an older demographic, and unfortunately, they don’t

always connect to my generation.” […]

In February 2017, she launched theCramm, which offers a daily look at major stories from

10 around the world, distilled into a newsletter that lands in email and text inboxes each weekday.

Every day, she rises at 5 AM to read the news before school, poring over outlets, including

the BBC, CBS, NBC, The New York Times, Politico, and Reuters, among others, to ensure

readers are receiving an “unbiased point of view with the news.” Seltzer works with an

editorial team that helps research stories and finds inspiring individuals to interview for the

15 newsletter, an advisory board comprised of “trusted adults,” and “ theCramm Fam,”

ambassadors from around the world who promote theCramm. After reading, she compiles

about 30 headlines into the Notes app, then divvies up articles of the day into sections

before writing her coverage, which works to make the news “engaging, informative, and

easily digestible.”

20 Despite the perennial tsk-tsking from older generations who fret that today’s young people

are obsessively scrolling social media on their phones, a recent survey by Common Sense

Media found that 78% of American teens ages 13 to 17 say it’s important to them to follow

current events. Young adults are more likely to consume news through social media sites

than they are [to consume news through] traditional news organizations, online or in print,

25 but that isn’t necessarily a negative when it comes to news. Teens who use social media are

more likely to be civically engaged, and smartphone users who engage with social media

report they’re more regularly exposed to people who have different backgrounds, and feel

like they have more diverse networks.

Claiming young adults are zoning out on current events instead of zooming in ignores the

30 fact that they’re digital natives, who grew up navigating an increasingly tech-reliant culture.

Instead of staring at cable news, they’re pioneering new ways to engage with the stories

that meet them where they are.

This isn’t just a matter of style, like how theCramm breaks down big stories into witty,

need-to-know facts; it’s medium too. Seltzer explains that she noticed a lot of her friends

35 […] didn’t check their inboxes regularly, so she decided to create an option for people to

receive theCramm via text. “I don’t think other news sources or a lot of people are aware

that young people don’t really use email addresses,” she says. […]

There’s a news-literacy element to young people launching their own media outlets too, which

is particularly important in an era where disinformation and misinformation seep into our

40 online worlds. Seltzer points out that textbooks exist for math, science, English, and history –

areas of study and focus from kindergarten onward. Media literacy doesn’t receive the same

kind of attention in school. “We don’t have any source to learn about politics and what’s going

on in the world,” she says. “We’re just expected, when we turn 18, to all of a sudden be able

to vote and know who we’re going to vote for. It takes time to actually cultivate a political

45 knowledge and standing.”

That’s what Seltzer plans for theCramm: She’s in the process of creating a quiz that can

point individuals in the direction of the political party they might align with, a question she

said readers ask her all the time. But as technology evolves, which stories are being told

(and how we’re telling them) becomes a kitchen-table issue, and Seltzer wants to create

50 even more space for young people to be news leaders. “I envision a 24-hour live-news site,

video features, and a team of journalists and correspondents, with everything curated by

teens and young adults and written in the signature style of theCramm,” she says of her

ambitions. “My ultimate goal with theCramm is to create a media source the likes of BBC,

NBC, and CNN, but for young people.”

Annotations:

Language mistakes in the original text have been corrected.

1 · 2016 presidential election – reference to the election of Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States

3 · Teen Vogue – online magazine for young people

20 · tsk-tsking – a sound made to show disapproval

49 · kitchen-table issue – topic that affects ordinary people on a daily basis

51 · to curate – here: to select, arrange and present material

1.

Outline what the text tells us about theCramm and why it was set up. [12 Punkte]

(Comprehension)

Klausurteil A: Leseverstehen und Schreiben integriert

Rainesford Stauffer

Why Teens Are Creating Their Own News Outlets

In the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, Olivia Seltzer, now 15, noticed a shift at

school. “Basically overnight, all we could talk about was politics and what was going on in

the world,” she tells Teen Vogue. Many of her peers in Santa Barbara, California, had parents

who were undocumented immigrants, so the issues in the news hit close to home. Suddenly

5 the personal felt very much political. “This massive interest in the news and politics came

with an equally massive gap in the media,” Seltzer continues. “Traditional news sources are

primarily written by and geared toward an older demographic, and unfortunately, they don’t

always connect to my generation.” […]

In February 2017, she launched theCramm, which offers a daily look at major stories from

10 around the world, distilled into a newsletter that lands in email and text inboxes each weekday.

Every day, she rises at 5 AM to read the news before school, poring over outlets, including

the BBC, CBS, NBC, The New York Times, Politico, and Reuters, among others, to ensure

readers are receiving an “unbiased point of view with the news.” Seltzer works with an

editorial team that helps research stories and finds inspiring individuals to interview for the

15 newsletter, an advisory board comprised of “trusted adults,” and “ theCramm Fam,”

ambassadors from around the world who promote theCramm. After reading, she compiles

about 30 headlines into the Notes app, then divvies up articles of the day into sections

before writing her coverage, which works to make the news “engaging, informative, and

easily digestible.”

20 Despite the perennial tsk-tsking from older generations who fret that today’s young people

are obsessively scrolling social media on their phones, a recent survey by Common Sense

Media found that 78% of American teens ages 13 to 17 say it’s important to them to follow

current events. Young adults are more likely to consume news through social media sites

than they are [to consume news through] traditional news organizations, online or in print,

25 but that isn’t necessarily a negative when it comes to news. Teens who use social media are

more likely to be civically engaged, and smartphone users who engage with social media

report they’re more regularly exposed to people who have different backgrounds, and feel

like they have more diverse networks.

Claiming young adults are zoning out on current events instead of zooming in ignores the

30 fact that they’re digital natives, who grew up navigating an increasingly tech-reliant culture.

Instead of staring at cable news, they’re pioneering new ways to engage with the stories

that meet them where they are.

This isn’t just a matter of style, like how theCramm breaks down big stories into witty,

need-to-know facts; it’s medium too. Seltzer explains that she noticed a lot of her friends

35 […] didn’t check their inboxes regularly, so she decided to create an option for people to

receive theCramm via text. “I don’t think other news sources or a lot of people are aware

that young people don’t really use email addresses,” she says. […]

There’s a news-literacy element to young people launching their own media outlets too, which

is particularly important in an era where disinformation and misinformation seep into our

40 online worlds. Seltzer points out that textbooks exist for math, science, English, and history –

areas of study and focus from kindergarten onward. Media literacy doesn’t receive the same

kind of attention in school. “We don’t have any source to learn about politics and what’s going

on in the world,” she says. “We’re just expected, when we turn 18, to all of a sudden be able

to vote and know who we’re going to vote for. It takes time to actually cultivate a political

45 knowledge and standing.”

That’s what Seltzer plans for theCramm: She’s in the process of creating a quiz that can

point individuals in the direction of the political party they might align with, a question she

said readers ask her all the time. But as technology evolves, which stories are being told

(and how we’re telling them) becomes a kitchen-table issue, and Seltzer wants to create

50 even more space for young people to be news leaders. “I envision a 24-hour live-news site,

video features, and a team of journalists and correspondents, with everything curated by

teens and young adults and written in the signature style of theCramm,” she says of her

ambitions. “My ultimate goal with theCramm is to create a media source the likes of BBC,

NBC, and CNN, but for young people.”

Annotations:

Language mistakes in the original text have been corrected.

1 · 2016 presidential election – reference to the election of Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States

3 · Teen Vogue – online magazine for young people

20 · tsk-tsking – a sound made to show disapproval

49 · kitchen-table issue – topic that affects ordinary people on a daily basis

51 · to curate – here: to select, arrange and present material

2.

Analyse in what ways the author expresses her stance on Olivia Seltzer and theCramm. Concentrate on the communicative strategies and the language used. [16 Punkte]

(Analysis)

Rainesford Stauffer

Why Teens Are Creating Their Own News Outlets

In the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, Olivia Seltzer, now 15, noticed a shift at

school. “Basically overnight, all we could talk about was politics and what was going on in

the world,” she tells Teen Vogue. Many of her peers in Santa Barbara, California, had parents

who were undocumented immigrants, so the issues in the news hit close to home. Suddenly

5 the personal felt very much political. “This massive interest in the news and politics came

with an equally massive gap in the media,” Seltzer continues. “Traditional news sources are

primarily written by and geared toward an older demographic, and unfortunately, they don’t

always connect to my generation.” […]

In February 2017, she launched theCramm, which offers a daily look at major stories from

10 around the world, distilled into a newsletter that lands in email and text inboxes each weekday.

Every day, she rises at 5 AM to read the news before school, poring over outlets, including

the BBC, CBS, NBC, The New York Times, Politico, and Reuters, among others, to ensure

readers are receiving an “unbiased point of view with the news.” Seltzer works with an

editorial team that helps research stories and finds inspiring individuals to interview for the

15 newsletter, an advisory board comprised of “trusted adults,” and “ theCramm Fam,”

ambassadors from around the world who promote theCramm. After reading, she compiles

about 30 headlines into the Notes app, then divvies up articles of the day into sections

before writing her coverage, which works to make the news “engaging, informative, and

easily digestible.”

20 Despite the perennial tsk-tsking from older generations who fret that today’s young people

are obsessively scrolling social media on their phones, a recent survey by Common Sense

Media found that 78% of American teens ages 13 to 17 say it’s important to them to follow

current events. Young adults are more likely to consume news through social media sites

than they are [to consume news through] traditional news organizations, online or in print,

25 but that isn’t necessarily a negative when it comes to news. Teens who use social media are

more likely to be civically engaged, and smartphone users who engage with social media

report they’re more regularly exposed to people who have different backgrounds, and feel

like they have more diverse networks.

Claiming young adults are zoning out on current events instead of zooming in ignores the

30 fact that they’re digital natives, who grew up navigating an increasingly tech-reliant culture.

Instead of staring at cable news, they’re pioneering new ways to engage with the stories

that meet them where they are.

This isn’t just a matter of style, like how theCramm breaks down big stories into witty,

need-to-know facts; it’s medium too. Seltzer explains that she noticed a lot of her friends

35 […] didn’t check their inboxes regularly, so she decided to create an option for people to

receive theCramm via text. “I don’t think other news sources or a lot of people are aware

that young people don’t really use email addresses,” she says. […]

There’s a news-literacy element to young people launching their own media outlets too, which

is particularly important in an era where disinformation and misinformation seep into our

40 online worlds. Seltzer points out that textbooks exist for math, science, English, and history –

areas of study and focus from kindergarten onward. Media literacy doesn’t receive the same

kind of attention in school. “We don’t have any source to learn about politics and what’s going

on in the world,” she says. “We’re just expected, when we turn 18, to all of a sudden be able

to vote and know who we’re going to vote for. It takes time to actually cultivate a political

45 knowledge and standing.”

That’s what Seltzer plans for theCramm: She’s in the process of creating a quiz that can

point individuals in the direction of the political party they might align with, a question she

said readers ask her all the time. But as technology evolves, which stories are being told

(and how we’re telling them) becomes a kitchen-table issue, and Seltzer wants to create

50 even more space for young people to be news leaders. “I envision a 24-hour live-news site,

video features, and a team of journalists and correspondents, with everything curated by

teens and young adults and written in the signature style of theCramm,” she says of her

ambitions. “My ultimate goal with theCramm is to create a media source the likes of BBC,

NBC, and CNN, but for young people.”

Annotations:

Language mistakes in the original text have been corrected.

1 · 2016 presidential election – reference to the election of Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States

3 · Teen Vogue – online magazine for young people

20 · tsk-tsking – a sound made to show disapproval

49 · kitchen-table issue – topic that affects ordinary people on a daily basis

51 · to curate – here: to select, arrange and present material

Klausurteil A: Leseverstehen und Schreiben integriert

Aufgabe 3: Select one of the two tasks below (3.1 or 3.2).

3.1

Assess to what extent digitalisation and social media use can be regarded as one of humanity's greatest challenges in the 21 st century. Draw on the text as well as on what you have covered in class about how globalisation affects culture and communication. [14 Punkte]

(Evaluation: comment)

Rainesford Stauffer

Why Teens Are Creating Their Own News Outlets

In the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, Olivia Seltzer, now 15, noticed a shift at

school. “Basically overnight, all we could talk about was politics and what was going on in

the world,” she tells Teen Vogue. Many of her peers in Santa Barbara, California, had parents

who were undocumented immigrants, so the issues in the news hit close to home. Suddenly

5 the personal felt very much political. “This massive interest in the news and politics came

with an equally massive gap in the media,” Seltzer continues. “Traditional news sources are

primarily written by and geared toward an older demographic, and unfortunately, they don’t

always connect to my generation.” […]

In February 2017, she launched theCramm, which offers a daily look at major stories from

10 around the world, distilled into a newsletter that lands in email and text inboxes each weekday.

Every day, she rises at 5 AM to read the news before school, poring over outlets, including

the BBC, CBS, NBC, The New York Times, Politico, and Reuters, among others, to ensure

readers are receiving an “unbiased point of view with the news.” Seltzer works with an

editorial team that helps research stories and finds inspiring individuals to interview for the

15 newsletter, an advisory board comprised of “trusted adults,” and “ theCramm Fam,”

ambassadors from around the world who promote theCramm. After reading, she compiles

about 30 headlines into the Notes app, then divvies up articles of the day into sections

before writing her coverage, which works to make the news “engaging, informative, and

easily digestible.”

20 Despite the perennial tsk-tsking from older generations who fret that today’s young people

are obsessively scrolling social media on their phones, a recent survey by Common Sense

Media found that 78% of American teens ages 13 to 17 say it’s important to them to follow

current events. Young adults are more likely to consume news through social media sites

than they are [to consume news through] traditional news organizations, online or in print,

25 but that isn’t necessarily a negative when it comes to news. Teens who use social media are

more likely to be civically engaged, and smartphone users who engage with social media

report they’re more regularly exposed to people who have different backgrounds, and feel

like they have more diverse networks.

Claiming young adults are zoning out on current events instead of zooming in ignores the

30 fact that they’re digital natives, who grew up navigating an increasingly tech-reliant culture.

Instead of staring at cable news, they’re pioneering new ways to engage with the stories

that meet them where they are.

This isn’t just a matter of style, like how theCramm breaks down big stories into witty,

need-to-know facts; it’s medium too. Seltzer explains that she noticed a lot of her friends

35 […] didn’t check their inboxes regularly, so she decided to create an option for people to

receive theCramm via text. “I don’t think other news sources or a lot of people are aware

that young people don’t really use email addresses,” she says. […]

There’s a news-literacy element to young people launching their own media outlets too, which

is particularly important in an era where disinformation and misinformation seep into our

40 online worlds. Seltzer points out that textbooks exist for math, science, English, and history –

areas of study and focus from kindergarten onward. Media literacy doesn’t receive the same

kind of attention in school. “We don’t have any source to learn about politics and what’s going

on in the world,” she says. “We’re just expected, when we turn 18, to all of a sudden be able

to vote and know who we’re going to vote for. It takes time to actually cultivate a political

45 knowledge and standing.”

That’s what Seltzer plans for theCramm: She’s in the process of creating a quiz that can

point individuals in the direction of the political party they might align with, a question she

said readers ask her all the time. But as technology evolves, which stories are being told

(and how we’re telling them) becomes a kitchen-table issue, and Seltzer wants to create

50 even more space for young people to be news leaders. “I envision a 24-hour live-news site,

video features, and a team of journalists and correspondents, with everything curated by

teens and young adults and written in the signature style of theCramm,” she says of her

ambitions. “My ultimate goal with theCramm is to create a media source the likes of BBC,

NBC, and CNN, but for young people.”

Annotations:

Language mistakes in the original text have been corrected.

1 · 2016 presidential election – reference to the election of Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States

3 · Teen Vogue – online magazine for young people

20 · tsk-tsking – a sound made to show disapproval

49 · kitchen-table issue – topic that affects ordinary people on a daily basis

51 · to curate – here: to select, arrange and present material

Klausurteil A: Leseverstehen und Schreiben integriert

Aufgabe 3: Select one of the two tasks below (3.1 or 3.2).

3.2

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the ways in which people work and communicate have changed considerably. You are taking part in the youth forum The Workplace of the Future: write the script for a debate statement on the forum's topic, focusing on your ideas of a healthy and enriching working environment. Draw on your own experiences as well as on what you have covered in class about the challenges of studying and working in a globalised world. [14 Punkte]

(Evaluation: re-creation of text)

Klausurteil B: Sprachmittlung isoliert

You and your American partner school are taking part in a Social Sciences project dealing with how political parties may develop in your respective countries.

Write an email to your exchange partner in which you outline Andrea Römmele's views on how relevant political parties are to young people in Germany, as well as the recommendations she makes. (18 Punkte)

Rainesford Stauffer

Why Teens Are Creating Their Own News Outlets

In the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, Olivia Seltzer, now 15, noticed a shift at

school. “Basically overnight, all we could talk about was politics and what was going on in

the world,” she tells Teen Vogue. Many of her peers in Santa Barbara, California, had parents

who were undocumented immigrants, so the issues in the news hit close to home. Suddenly

5 the personal felt very much political. “This massive interest in the news and politics came

with an equally massive gap in the media,” Seltzer continues. “Traditional news sources are

primarily written by and geared toward an older demographic, and unfortunately, they don’t

always connect to my generation.” […]

In February 2017, she launched theCramm, which offers a daily look at major stories from

10 around the world, distilled into a newsletter that lands in email and text inboxes each weekday.

Every day, she rises at 5 AM to read the news before school, poring over outlets, including

the BBC, CBS, NBC, The New York Times, Politico, and Reuters, among others, to ensure

readers are receiving an “unbiased point of view with the news.” Seltzer works with an

editorial team that helps research stories and finds inspiring individuals to interview for the

15 newsletter, an advisory board comprised of “trusted adults,” and “ theCramm Fam,”

ambassadors from around the world who promote theCramm. After reading, she compiles

about 30 headlines into the Notes app, then divvies up articles of the day into sections

before writing her coverage, which works to make the news “engaging, informative, and

easily digestible.”

20 Despite the perennial tsk-tsking from older generations who fret that today’s young people

are obsessively scrolling social media on their phones, a recent survey by Common Sense

Media found that 78% of American teens ages 13 to 17 say it’s important to them to follow

current events. Young adults are more likely to consume news through social media sites

than they are [to consume news through] traditional news organizations, online or in print,

25 but that isn’t necessarily a negative when it comes to news. Teens who use social media are

more likely to be civically engaged, and smartphone users who engage with social media

report they’re more regularly exposed to people who have different backgrounds, and feel

like they have more diverse networks.

Claiming young adults are zoning out on current events instead of zooming in ignores the

30 fact that they’re digital natives, who grew up navigating an increasingly tech-reliant culture.

Instead of staring at cable news, they’re pioneering new ways to engage with the stories

that meet them where they are.

This isn’t just a matter of style, like how theCramm breaks down big stories into witty,

need-to-know facts; it’s medium too. Seltzer explains that she noticed a lot of her friends

35 […] didn’t check their inboxes regularly, so she decided to create an option for people to

receive theCramm via text. “I don’t think other news sources or a lot of people are aware

that young people don’t really use email addresses,” she says. […]

There’s a news-literacy element to young people launching their own media outlets too, which

is particularly important in an era where disinformation and misinformation seep into our

40 online worlds. Seltzer points out that textbooks exist for math, science, English, and history –

areas of study and focus from kindergarten onward. Media literacy doesn’t receive the same

kind of attention in school. “We don’t have any source to learn about politics and what’s going

on in the world,” she says. “We’re just expected, when we turn 18, to all of a sudden be able

to vote and know who we’re going to vote for. It takes time to actually cultivate a political

45 knowledge and standing.”

That’s what Seltzer plans for theCramm: She’s in the process of creating a quiz that can

point individuals in the direction of the political party they might align with, a question she

said readers ask her all the time. But as technology evolves, which stories are being told

(and how we’re telling them) becomes a kitchen-table issue, and Seltzer wants to create

50 even more space for young people to be news leaders. “I envision a 24-hour live-news site,

video features, and a team of journalists and correspondents, with everything curated by

teens and young adults and written in the signature style of theCramm,” she says of her

ambitions. “My ultimate goal with theCramm is to create a media source the likes of BBC,

NBC, and CNN, but for young people.”

Annotations:

Language mistakes in the original text have been corrected.

1 · 2016 presidential election – reference to the election of Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States

3 · Teen Vogue – online magazine for young people

20 · tsk-tsking – a sound made to show disapproval

49 · kitchen-table issue – topic that affects ordinary people on a daily basis

51 · to curate – here: to select, arrange and present material

Klausurteil A

VV Brown

To be black in the British countryside means being an outsider

Only 2% of black people in Britain live in the countryside, according to a 2017 study. I am

part of that 2%. I live in a small village just outside Milton Keynes, where I am the only

woman of colour.

My partner and I moved from London in 2016 to escape the intensity of city life. Our home

5 in the capital was comfortable but, because of increasing house prices, we didn't feel we could

afford the lifestyle we truly wanted for our growing family.

Leaving London didn’t intimidate me much; I was used to adapting. I had grown up in

Northamptonshire, and travelled around the world as a musician. I understood country life.

Yet I did have small apprehensions. Where would I find a quality black hair salon, and would

10 I miss the rich multiculturalism I’d had on my doorstep? We decided, despite this, that a

driveway and a large plot of land was better.

However, being in a village as a black female with children felt different from my childhood

memories. As a child I went to a quintessential British private school in the countryside,

where I was sheltered from national arguments and controversies around race.

15 This time around, I have found that being black means always being associated with big cities

and “urban” living. I am constantly being asked where I am from, as if I am a fumbling mess

who has got lost on the way from the capital. On one of my first visits to the local mother-

and-baby group, I remember another mother touching my child’s hair as if she was petting

a dog. Later on, I’d hear ignorant comments, with others in the group using outdated terms

20 such as “coloured” or “half-caste”. Once, someone even said “negro”.

I’d feel anxious when asking for inclusive books and multicultural themes in my children’s

classroom: would I be perceived as the “troublemaker” parent?

Walking into a country pub, it’s embarrassing to witness the silence and stares, followed by

the eruption of talking again once the customers have recovered from the cultural tsunami

25 of having a black woman walk in.

The daily micro-aggressions of country life are constant, and the anticipation of negative

reactions to my presence has become tiresome.

It would be offensive to generalise that all white country folk are racist, of course; but it’s

important to understand that ignorant, racist things can come out of the mouths of nice smiley

30 people in wellington boots.

The countryside is a territorial place, full of imperial nostalgia, that harks back to a time when

black people were not welcome. The very concept of Britishness is wrapped up in images

of the fields of England – and I do not represent that concept. Yet, as part of a dual-heritage

family leaving an overpriced city to set up life beyond the smoke, I am now a representation

35 of the countryside’s future.

People don’t often take the time to step out of their cultural bubbles, which means they are

susceptible to lazy stereotypes. In June, the BBC show Countryfile looked at racial diversity

and it was argued that a lack of access to the city for traditional countrysiders was the reason

for the disconnection and perceived hostility to minorities. Lack of access? I cannot accept

40 this, as the internet has opened up the world to all of us.

Strangely, the show elicited several complaints to the broadcasting regulator, Ofcom, claiming

that racism was no longer an issue in the countryside, that things had moved on. It would be

interesting to know how many black people shared those thoughts.

Ethnic minorities have tended to settle in cities, where there are stronger communities and

45 better job prospects; but with Covid-19, the traditional working environment is rapidly

evolving and moving in a direction where we can set up shop anywhere we want. Perhaps

this will lead to a cultural exodus from the cities.

Britain is a wonderful, ever-changing nation. Its new cultural heritage is fascinating. With

dual-heritage children being the fastest-growing demographic in Britain and the world

50 becoming more open-minded, I hope this beautiful mix of cultures and new versions of

Britishness will be represented in the countryside. We could forge a new identity for country

living that is not associated with old stereotypes.

I’d like to play a part in dismantling those old views. […]

I love the countryside: it’s where I want my children to grow up, and it’s where my family

55 has built our for ever home. I should not have to feel like an outsider. It should feel like I have

a right to live here, rather than a privilege.

Annotations:

2 · Milton Keynes · – a large town about 50 miles north-west of London

8 · Northamptonshire · – a rural area in England

13 · quintessential · – the most typical example of something

20 · half-caste · – very offensive: a term used for people of a mixed ethnicity

30 · wellington boots · – tall rubber boots often associated with the landowning aristocracy in the United Kingdom

31 · imperial nostalgia · – referring to the mentality of white British superiority during the time of the British Empire

41 · Ofcom · – Office of Communication; authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom

Klausurteil A: Leseverstehen und Schreiben integriert

1.

Outline why VV Brown decided to leave the city behind and what she goes through living in the countryside. (Comprehension) [12 Punkte]

Klausurteil A

VV Brown

To be black in the British countryside means being an outsider

Only 2% of black people in Britain live in the countryside, according to a 2017 study. I am

part of that 2%. I live in a small village just outside Milton Keynes, where I am the only

woman of colour.

My partner and I moved from London in 2016 to escape the intensity of city life. Our home

5 in the capital was comfortable but, because of increasing house prices, we didn't feel we could

afford the lifestyle we truly wanted for our growing family.

Leaving London didn’t intimidate me much; I was used to adapting. I had grown up in

Northamptonshire, and travelled around the world as a musician. I understood country life.

Yet I did have small apprehensions. Where would I find a quality black hair salon, and would

10 I miss the rich multiculturalism I’d had on my doorstep? We decided, despite this, that a

driveway and a large plot of land was better.

However, being in a village as a black female with children felt different from my childhood

memories. As a child I went to a quintessential British private school in the countryside,

where I was sheltered from national arguments and controversies around race.

15 This time around, I have found that being black means always being associated with big cities

and “urban” living. I am constantly being asked where I am from, as if I am a fumbling mess

who has got lost on the way from the capital. On one of my first visits to the local mother-

and-baby group, I remember another mother touching my child’s hair as if she was petting

a dog. Later on, I’d hear ignorant comments, with others in the group using outdated terms

20 such as “coloured” or “half-caste”. Once, someone even said “negro”.

I’d feel anxious when asking for inclusive books and multicultural themes in my children’s

classroom: would I be perceived as the “troublemaker” parent?

Walking into a country pub, it’s embarrassing to witness the silence and stares, followed by

the eruption of talking again once the customers have recovered from the cultural tsunami

25 of having a black woman walk in.

The daily micro-aggressions of country life are constant, and the anticipation of negative

reactions to my presence has become tiresome.

It would be offensive to generalise that all white country folk are racist, of course; but it’s

important to understand that ignorant, racist things can come out of the mouths of nice smiley

30 people in wellington boots.

The countryside is a territorial place, full of imperial nostalgia, that harks back to a time when

black people were not welcome. The very concept of Britishness is wrapped up in images

of the fields of England – and I do not represent that concept. Yet, as part of a dual-heritage

family leaving an overpriced city to set up life beyond the smoke, I am now a representation

35 of the countryside’s future.

People don’t often take the time to step out of their cultural bubbles, which means they are

susceptible to lazy stereotypes. In June, the BBC show Countryfile looked at racial diversity

and it was argued that a lack of access to the city for traditional countrysiders was the reason

for the disconnection and perceived hostility to minorities. Lack of access? I cannot accept

40 this, as the internet has opened up the world to all of us.

Strangely, the show elicited several complaints to the broadcasting regulator, Ofcom, claiming

that racism was no longer an issue in the countryside, that things had moved on. It would be

interesting to know how many black people shared those thoughts.

Ethnic minorities have tended to settle in cities, where there are stronger communities and

45 better job prospects; but with Covid-19, the traditional working environment is rapidly

evolving and moving in a direction where we can set up shop anywhere we want. Perhaps

this will lead to a cultural exodus from the cities.

Britain is a wonderful, ever-changing nation. Its new cultural heritage is fascinating. With

dual-heritage children being the fastest-growing demographic in Britain and the world

50 becoming more open-minded, I hope this beautiful mix of cultures and new versions of

Britishness will be represented in the countryside. We could forge a new identity for country

living that is not associated with old stereotypes.

I’d like to play a part in dismantling those old views. […]

I love the countryside: it’s where I want my children to grow up, and it’s where my family

55 has built our for ever home. I should not have to feel like an outsider. It should feel like I have

a right to live here, rather than a privilege.

Annotations:

2 · Milton Keynes · – a large town about 50 miles north-west of London

8 · Northamptonshire · – a rural area in England

13 · quintessential · – the most typical example of something

20 · half-caste · – very offensive: a term used for people of a mixed ethnicity

30 · wellington boots · – tall rubber boots often associated with the landowning aristocracy in the United Kingdom

31 · imperial nostalgia · – referring to the mentality of white British superiority during the time of the British Empire

41 · Ofcom · – Office of Communication; authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom

Klausurteil A: Leseverstehen und Schreiben integriert

2.

Analyse in what ways the author conveys her opinions about the situation of black people living in rural Britain. Take into account the communicative strategies and the language used. (Analysis) [16 Punkte]

Klausurteil A

VV Brown

To be black in the British countryside means being an outsider

Only 2% of black people in Britain live in the countryside, according to a 2017 study. I am

part of that 2%. I live in a small village just outside Milton Keynes, where I am the only

woman of colour.

My partner and I moved from London in 2016 to escape the intensity of city life. Our home

5 in the capital was comfortable but, because of increasing house prices, we didn't feel we could

afford the lifestyle we truly wanted for our growing family.

Leaving London didn’t intimidate me much; I was used to adapting. I had grown up in

Northamptonshire, and travelled around the world as a musician. I understood country life.

Yet I did have small apprehensions. Where would I find a quality black hair salon, and would

10 I miss the rich multiculturalism I’d had on my doorstep? We decided, despite this, that a

driveway and a large plot of land was better.

However, being in a village as a black female with children felt different from my childhood

memories. As a child I went to a quintessential British private school in the countryside,

where I was sheltered from national arguments and controversies around race.

15 This time around, I have found that being black means always being associated with big cities

and “urban” living. I am constantly being asked where I am from, as if I am a fumbling mess

who has got lost on the way from the capital. On one of my first visits to the local mother-

and-baby group, I remember another mother touching my child’s hair as if she was petting

a dog. Later on, I’d hear ignorant comments, with others in the group using outdated terms

20 such as “coloured” or “half-caste”. Once, someone even said “negro”.

I’d feel anxious when asking for inclusive books and multicultural themes in my children’s

classroom: would I be perceived as the “troublemaker” parent?

Walking into a country pub, it’s embarrassing to witness the silence and stares, followed by

the eruption of talking again once the customers have recovered from the cultural tsunami

25 of having a black woman walk in.

The daily micro-aggressions of country life are constant, and the anticipation of negative

reactions to my presence has become tiresome.

It would be offensive to generalise that all white country folk are racist, of course; but it’s

important to understand that ignorant, racist things can come out of the mouths of nice smiley

30 people in wellington boots.

The countryside is a territorial place, full of imperial nostalgia, that harks back to a time when

black people were not welcome. The very concept of Britishness is wrapped up in images

of the fields of England – and I do not represent that concept. Yet, as part of a dual-heritage

family leaving an overpriced city to set up life beyond the smoke, I am now a representation

35 of the countryside’s future.

People don’t often take the time to step out of their cultural bubbles, which means they are

susceptible to lazy stereotypes. In June, the BBC show Countryfile looked at racial diversity

and it was argued that a lack of access to the city for traditional countrysiders was the reason

for the disconnection and perceived hostility to minorities. Lack of access? I cannot accept

40 this, as the internet has opened up the world to all of us.

Strangely, the show elicited several complaints to the broadcasting regulator, Ofcom, claiming

that racism was no longer an issue in the countryside, that things had moved on. It would be

interesting to know how many black people shared those thoughts.

Ethnic minorities have tended to settle in cities, where there are stronger communities and

45 better job prospects; but with Covid-19, the traditional working environment is rapidly

evolving and moving in a direction where we can set up shop anywhere we want. Perhaps

this will lead to a cultural exodus from the cities.

Britain is a wonderful, ever-changing nation. Its new cultural heritage is fascinating. With

dual-heritage children being the fastest-growing demographic in Britain and the world

50 becoming more open-minded, I hope this beautiful mix of cultures and new versions of

Britishness will be represented in the countryside. We could forge a new identity for country

living that is not associated with old stereotypes.

I’d like to play a part in dismantling those old views. […]

I love the countryside: it’s where I want my children to grow up, and it’s where my family

55 has built our for ever home. I should not have to feel like an outsider. It should feel like I have

a right to live here, rather than a privilege.

Annotations:

2 · Milton Keynes · – a large town about 50 miles north-west of London

8 · Northamptonshire · – a rural area in England

13 · quintessential · – the most typical example of something

20 · half-caste · – very offensive: a term used for people of a mixed ethnicity

30 · wellington boots · – tall rubber boots often associated with the landowning aristocracy in the United Kingdom

31 · imperial nostalgia · – referring to the mentality of white British superiority during the time of the British Empire

41 · Ofcom · – Office of Communication; authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom

Klausurteil A: Leseverstehen und Schreiben integriert

Select one of the two tasks below (3.1 or 3.2):

3.1

Drawing on social and political realities in the United Kingdom, evaluate whether the “beautiful mix of cultures” (l. 50) continues to pose a challenge for multicultural Britain today. Base your answer on the text and on what you have covered in class. (Evaluation: comment) [14 Punkte]

Klausurteil A

VV Brown

To be black in the British countryside means being an outsider

Only 2% of black people in Britain live in the countryside, according to a 2017 study. I am

part of that 2%. I live in a small village just outside Milton Keynes, where I am the only

woman of colour.

My partner and I moved from London in 2016 to escape the intensity of city life. Our home

5 in the capital was comfortable but, because of increasing house prices, we didn't feel we could

afford the lifestyle we truly wanted for our growing family.

Leaving London didn’t intimidate me much; I was used to adapting. I had grown up in

Northamptonshire, and travelled around the world as a musician. I understood country life.

Yet I did have small apprehensions. Where would I find a quality black hair salon, and would

10 I miss the rich multiculturalism I’d had on my doorstep? We decided, despite this, that a

driveway and a large plot of land was better.

However, being in a village as a black female with children felt different from my childhood

memories. As a child I went to a quintessential British private school in the countryside,

where I was sheltered from national arguments and controversies around race.

15 This time around, I have found that being black means always being associated with big cities

and “urban” living. I am constantly being asked where I am from, as if I am a fumbling mess

who has got lost on the way from the capital. On one of my first visits to the local mother-

and-baby group, I remember another mother touching my child’s hair as if she was petting

a dog. Later on, I’d hear ignorant comments, with others in the group using outdated terms

20 such as “coloured” or “half-caste”. Once, someone even said “negro”.

I’d feel anxious when asking for inclusive books and multicultural themes in my children’s

classroom: would I be perceived as the “troublemaker” parent?

Walking into a country pub, it’s embarrassing to witness the silence and stares, followed by

the eruption of talking again once the customers have recovered from the cultural tsunami

25 of having a black woman walk in.

The daily micro-aggressions of country life are constant, and the anticipation of negative

reactions to my presence has become tiresome.

It would be offensive to generalise that all white country folk are racist, of course; but it’s

important to understand that ignorant, racist things can come out of the mouths of nice smiley

30 people in wellington boots.

The countryside is a territorial place, full of imperial nostalgia, that harks back to a time when

black people were not welcome. The very concept of Britishness is wrapped up in images

of the fields of England – and I do not represent that concept. Yet, as part of a dual-heritage

family leaving an overpriced city to set up life beyond the smoke, I am now a representation

35 of the countryside’s future.

People don’t often take the time to step out of their cultural bubbles, which means they are

susceptible to lazy stereotypes. In June, the BBC show Countryfile looked at racial diversity

and it was argued that a lack of access to the city for traditional countrysiders was the reason

for the disconnection and perceived hostility to minorities. Lack of access? I cannot accept

40 this, as the internet has opened up the world to all of us.

Strangely, the show elicited several complaints to the broadcasting regulator, Ofcom, claiming

that racism was no longer an issue in the countryside, that things had moved on. It would be

interesting to know how many black people shared those thoughts.

Ethnic minorities have tended to settle in cities, where there are stronger communities and

45 better job prospects; but with Covid-19, the traditional working environment is rapidly

evolving and moving in a direction where we can set up shop anywhere we want. Perhaps

this will lead to a cultural exodus from the cities.

Britain is a wonderful, ever-changing nation. Its new cultural heritage is fascinating. With

dual-heritage children being the fastest-growing demographic in Britain and the world

50 becoming more open-minded, I hope this beautiful mix of cultures and new versions of

Britishness will be represented in the countryside. We could forge a new identity for country

living that is not associated with old stereotypes.

I’d like to play a part in dismantling those old views. […]

I love the countryside: it’s where I want my children to grow up, and it’s where my family

55 has built our for ever home. I should not have to feel like an outsider. It should feel like I have

a right to live here, rather than a privilege.

Annotations:

2 · Milton Keynes · – a large town about 50 miles north-west of London

8 · Northamptonshire · – a rural area in England

13 · quintessential · – the most typical example of something

20 · half-caste · – very offensive: a term used for people of a mixed ethnicity

30 · wellington boots · – tall rubber boots often associated with the landowning aristocracy in the United Kingdom

31 · imperial nostalgia · – referring to the mentality of white British superiority during the time of the British Empire

41 · Ofcom · – Office of Communication; authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom

Klausurteil A: Leseverstehen und Schreiben integriert

Select one of the two tasks below (3.1 or 3.2):

3.2

Your school is running a project called Opening Horizons – Education of the Future, and you have been asked to join a panel discussion on this subject. Using VV Brown’s claim that many people prefer to stay in their “cultural bubbles” (l. 36) as your starting point, write a script for a debate statement on how schools can prepare students for the challenges of studying and working in a globalised world. Draw on your own experience and on what you have covered in class. (Evaluation: re-creation of text) [14 Punkte]

Klausurteil B: Sprachmittlung isoliert

You are participating in an international youth project on Current Living Trends Across Europe. For the project's website, you are asked to describe the situation in Germany. Write the article outlining Christoph Höland's statements on why people move away from cities and how the Corona pandemic has affected this trend. (18 Punkte)

Klausurteil A

VV Brown

To be black in the British countryside means being an outsider

Only 2% of black people in Britain live in the countryside, according to a 2017 study. I am

part of that 2%. I live in a small village just outside Milton Keynes, where I am the only

woman of colour.

My partner and I moved from London in 2016 to escape the intensity of city life. Our home

5 in the capital was comfortable but, because of increasing house prices, we didn't feel we could

afford the lifestyle we truly wanted for our growing family.

Leaving London didn’t intimidate me much; I was used to adapting. I had grown up in

Northamptonshire, and travelled around the world as a musician. I understood country life.

Yet I did have small apprehensions. Where would I find a quality black hair salon, and would

10 I miss the rich multiculturalism I’d had on my doorstep? We decided, despite this, that a

driveway and a large plot of land was better.

However, being in a village as a black female with children felt different from my childhood

memories. As a child I went to a quintessential British private school in the countryside,

where I was sheltered from national arguments and controversies around race.

15 This time around, I have found that being black means always being associated with big cities

and “urban” living. I am constantly being asked where I am from, as if I am a fumbling mess

who has got lost on the way from the capital. On one of my first visits to the local mother-

and-baby group, I remember another mother touching my child’s hair as if she was petting

a dog. Later on, I’d hear ignorant comments, with others in the group using outdated terms

20 such as “coloured” or “half-caste”. Once, someone even said “negro”.

I’d feel anxious when asking for inclusive books and multicultural themes in my children’s

classroom: would I be perceived as the “troublemaker” parent?

Walking into a country pub, it’s embarrassing to witness the silence and stares, followed by

the eruption of talking again once the customers have recovered from the cultural tsunami

25 of having a black woman walk in.

The daily micro-aggressions of country life are constant, and the anticipation of negative

reactions to my presence has become tiresome.

It would be offensive to generalise that all white country folk are racist, of course; but it’s

important to understand that ignorant, racist things can come out of the mouths of nice smiley

30 people in wellington boots.

The countryside is a territorial place, full of imperial nostalgia, that harks back to a time when

black people were not welcome. The very concept of Britishness is wrapped up in images

of the fields of England – and I do not represent that concept. Yet, as part of a dual-heritage

family leaving an overpriced city to set up life beyond the smoke, I am now a representation

35 of the countryside’s future.

People don’t often take the time to step out of their cultural bubbles, which means they are

susceptible to lazy stereotypes. In June, the BBC show Countryfile looked at racial diversity

and it was argued that a lack of access to the city for traditional countrysiders was the reason

for the disconnection and perceived hostility to minorities. Lack of access? I cannot accept

40 this, as the internet has opened up the world to all of us.

Strangely, the show elicited several complaints to the broadcasting regulator, Ofcom, claiming

that racism was no longer an issue in the countryside, that things had moved on. It would be

interesting to know how many black people shared those thoughts.

Ethnic minorities have tended to settle in cities, where there are stronger communities and

45 better job prospects; but with Covid-19, the traditional working environment is rapidly

evolving and moving in a direction where we can set up shop anywhere we want. Perhaps

this will lead to a cultural exodus from the cities.

Britain is a wonderful, ever-changing nation. Its new cultural heritage is fascinating. With

dual-heritage children being the fastest-growing demographic in Britain and the world

50 becoming more open-minded, I hope this beautiful mix of cultures and new versions of

Britishness will be represented in the countryside. We could forge a new identity for country

living that is not associated with old stereotypes.

I’d like to play a part in dismantling those old views. […]

I love the countryside: it’s where I want my children to grow up, and it’s where my family

55 has built our for ever home. I should not have to feel like an outsider. It should feel like I have

a right to live here, rather than a privilege.

Annotations:

2 · Milton Keynes · – a large town about 50 miles north-west of London

8 · Northamptonshire · – a rural area in England

13 · quintessential · – the most typical example of something

20 · half-caste · – very offensive: a term used for people of a mixed ethnicity

30 · wellington boots · – tall rubber boots often associated with the landowning aristocracy in the United Kingdom

31 · imperial nostalgia · – referring to the mentality of white British superiority during the time of the British Empire

41 · Ofcom · – Office of Communication; authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom