Our secondary school

Our school is the only international school in Berlin that prepares students for the bilingual Abitur (German/English) or the IB Diploma. With a maximum of 22 students per class, a maximum of two classes per grade and a highly motivated international staff, we offer a safe, stimulating and caring learning environment in all areas.

We accompany our students throughout their school years on their journey to find what makes them truly happy. We want them to enjoy lifelong learning and to find careers as global citizens, for example in our focus areas of Nature & Climate, Cosmopolitanism & Diversity, Sport & Team Spirit, Well-Being, Science & Technology, Music & Dance, Arts & Crafts or Language & Culture.

Our students have the opportunity to participate in a varied extracurricular programme up to Year 10. Our extracurricular programme includes remedial classes, expert clubs, music, dance, science, sports, art, crafts and different languages.

Opening doors to the world through the English language

We believe that learning English opens doors to the world. The aim of English lessons is to develop and strengthen our students’ critical thinking, expand their imagination and train them to be responsible global citizens.

We look forward to hearing from you

Rückerstraße 8,9,10  10119 Berlin-Mitte

phone +49 30 688 3323 0
office@cosmopolitanschool.de
www.cosmopolitanschool.de

IB Diploma Programme & Abitur Coordinator: Fatima Camara
camara@cosmopolitanschool.de

Click here for information on the Secondary Years Programme at the Berlin Cosmopolitan School.

German

With our German lessons, we want to provide students with individual, differentiated and transdisciplinary access to the learning content of the subject. We promote cooperative learning methods and ensure the advancement of lifelong learners through varied instruction. The goal of our work is to accompany the students on their way to becoming self-confident, communicative adults by imparting subject knowledge and methodical competencies.

In our lessons, lifelong learners are trained in the differentiated use of various texts and media. When selecting content, we pay particular attention to age-appropriate topics that are linked to the interests and lifeworld of the students. By dealing with texts in small learning groups, we sensitize our students to literary traditions and awaken their interest in modern literature.

Special attention is given to the teaching of grammar, spelling and punctuation rules. Targeted vocabulary work is also a central component of our German lessons.

 

Math

The Secondary Mathematics Curriculum at Berlin Cosmopolitan School is firmly rooted in the Rahmenplan but with an international flair. It takes students all the way from the end of the Primary Years Programme up to meet the challenges of the Diploma Programme and Abitur.  

Real structure, differentiation, variety and vigour have been incorporated into the programme, as well as practical problem-solving. Cross-curricular parallels between subjects are regularly drawn to facilitate a more rounded, mathematical education suited to the individual needs of the learner.  

The learning materials used during the course are varied and rich, incorporating a range of textbooks, worksheets, investigations and online resources such as Bettermarks, Desmos, Geogebra and Excel.  

The principal language of instruction in the earlier years of secondary Mathematics is English but with special consideration for the differences in English and German notation and formulae. In Grade 10, particular emphasis will be focused upon Mathematics in the German language in preparation for the MSA. Students who go on to take the Abitur in Grade 11 will do so in German, and those who study for the Diploma Programme will do so in English.  

Outside of the classroom, BCS has had much success in the Mathe Olympiade and the Mathematics Kangaroo, as well as a myriad of other international competitions. 

Berlin Cosmopolitan School aims to produce modern, truly internationally minded problem-solvers who appreciate and enjoy Mathematics. 

Music & Dance

Music & Dance: from Start to Stage – under this motto we have firmly anchored practical music making as well as a wide range of dance forms in our curriculum from kindergarten to the Abitur or International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP). Our goal is to promote the personal development of all students through collaborative music making and dancing to the point of stage presentation.

During regular class time, our students learn the basics of at least two instruments (strings, recorder, piano, ukulele, percussion).

In kindergarten the children regularly dance children’s dances, in 1st and 2nd grade “Rhythm and Movement”. On this basis, the students have the opportunity to specialize according to their inclinations and talents.

In the music classes from the first grade up to the 10th grade, there are also guitar, piano, band, a capella choir, classically oriented ensemble, and so-called music labs, which teach percussion and improvisation in connection with the creative use of digital technology.

Through our after-school clubs, students:in have the opportunity to develop further through numerous choir and band formats. To promote instrumental skills, we offer the so-called “Cosmovatorium” with instrumental and vocal lessons. New students without instrumental skills are integrated musically into the classes with the help of the Cosmovatorium.

Our musical forge for our music performance courses or music as an artistic subject in the IB DP is the classically oriented “Mixed Ensemble”, in which the students can play from the 9th grade. A special focus of the music lessons is the learning of string instruments.

In the area of dance, we offer our students a wide range of extracurricular activities starting in 3rd grade: Ballet, Tap Dance, Musical & Show, Ball Room, Latin or Street Dance, to name just a few. Talented dancers can choose the so-called “Förderballett” from the 8th grade on, which serves as preparation for dance as an artistic subject in the IB DP.

For a first stage experience of our music and dance ensembles and soloists, there are bimonthly Casual Concerts; a forum for advanced students are the Open Community Concerts twice a year, where students and teachers share the stage. In addition, the curtain rises for our students in the Talent Show.

Science

In the natural sciences department, we want to get our students excited about the natural sciences. Our goal is to awaken scientific curiosity in our students. We encourage learning through discovery and link newly acquired scientific knowledge with real-world phenomena.

The lessons are based on the German curriculum for biology, chemistry and physics (Berliner Rahmenplan/Sek I & II) – supplemented by topics from the National Curriculum for GCSE as well as the curriculum of the IB Diploma Programme. In Grades 11 and 12, we offer the Abitur Basic Course and Abitur Advanced Course in Biology, Chemistry and Physics, as well as IB Diploma courses in Biology, Chemistry and Physics at Standard Level (SL) and Higher Level (HL).

Our modern technical laboratory and biology room provide opportunities for students to become familiar with scientific methods and processes through hands-on activities. Conducting and evaluating experiments, developing logical thinking, and analyzing help students develop a critical and deeper understanding of the world.

In this way, we lay the groundwork for students who want to pursue careers in science, engineering, or medicine. Computer simulations using interactive smart boards are often used to facilitate understanding of more complex mechanisms.

For more complex experiments, students visit the laboratories of Bayer-Pharma AG, the Transparent Laboratory in Berlin-Buch and the Ökowerk in Grunewald. Our scientific excursions usually take us to the Medical History Museum of the Charité, the Museum of Natural History, the Institute of Applied Genetics of the FU Berlin, the Herbarium of the Botanical Museum in Berlin-Dahlem, and the Biosphere Potsdam, among others. In addition, we explore the water and forest ecosystems in the local forests and protected landscape areas. In this way, the students experience “science in action” and deepen the knowledge they have acquired in class. Of course, strict adherence to ethical standards is paramount in all learning activities: our experiments do not compromise animal welfare.

In the individual subjects and interdisciplinary projects, our Schüler:Innen regularly use equipment to record readings from various sensors. The high school students devote 4-5 weeks to their own research and present their results at the annual Science and Biology Fair. In addition, grade 9 students work on a scientific topic, combining knowledge from all three subjects to emphasize the interdisciplinary approach. IB students in grade 11 devote ten hours to the so-called Group 4 project. This is a group activity in which students from different Group 4 subjects (biology, chemistry and physics) and other international schools cooperate. This gives students an understanding of the connections between scientific disciplines and methods.

For students who have difficulty grasping new concepts or who want to delve deeper into specific topics, we offer special support classes.

Sport

We strive to balance the ratio of academic and non-academic activities. We believe that our sports program offers students a wide range of choices to ensure this balance. Our goal is the holistic development of our students and their best possible preparation for their time after Berlin Cosmopolitan School.

We want our students to be as active as possible. Not everyone is enthusiastic about sports. However, our main concern is that our students are taught the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle. Our philosophy is to provide our students with as many sports opportunities as possible. If they develop an enthusiasm for one or more of these sports and continue to play them as adults, we will have achieved our goal.

Research shows that human development benefits greatly from sports and physical activity – for example, by promoting cognitive function, motor skills and confidence in one’s own abilities. Our sports program is deliberately designed to teach our students social skills: Playing together as a team, setting and pursuing goals, building friendships, and working toward a community purpose. We are not just about ‘faster, higher, further’ but about perseverance, discipline and work ethic.

We create a positive learning environment where our students feel safe and can engage in many sports activities without pressure. Diversity is key for us. Some prefer individual sports or experiential activities; others appreciate the social aspects of team sports or seek physical challenges. We believe that at our school, everyone can find a sport that suits them. Our job is to find out what the students:inside enjoy and give them a chance to try it.

In addition to the regular physical education classes, we offer our students two additional hours per week as part of our extracurricular program. Our extracurricular program includes more than 20 sports. Learners should choose at least one sport from this extracurricular program. We also have more than 100 children in our afternoon basketball clubs, and our school maintains a partnership with multiple German basketball champions ALBA Berlin. In 2016, both our boys’ and girls’ teams won the ALBA high school league. We also cooperate with the Viktoria Mitte soccer club and have our own school team, Central Hoops Berlin Cosmopolitan e. V..

Gymnasium