Cross‑Grade Reading Adventure: The Kurzhosengang in Grade 5D&6D

by Ute Massow

In recent weeks, our students in Grade 5D & 6D read the adventures of the "Kurzhosengang" — four eleven‑year‑old boys from a small Canadian town: Rudolpho, Snickers, Island and Zement. Traveling incognito, they each tell their version in a TV interview of how the gang got its name; every story shows courage, solidarity and real heroics — which version is true remains open. Rudolpho recounts a winter hurricane that destroys the school, the rescue from the buried gym, and saving the class with a "borrowed" fire truck. Island tells of following a wolf while playing hockey, discovering a crashed car and helping a heavily pregnant woman — right up to the birth of her child. Snickers describes a movie night besieged by the rival Pauli gang, while a grizzly gets into the house, is outwitted on the sofa, falls asleep and is eventually removed by rescue teams. Zement, who can see ghosts, prevents a train derailment on the way to Toronto that was caused by the spirit of a boy — the train is stopped in time.

As part of the unit, the students learned to take others’ perspectives and practised writing inner monologues and diary entries. The finale was a board game where everyone tested their knowledge; the prize was a lollipop — and regardless of who won, it was huge fun. Our clear recommendation: this book is well worth reading! Cross‑grade teaching like this is great fun. Stay tuned for the upcoming theatre performance in May 2026.

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Curious? See these cross-grade level classes for yourself. Schedule a visit to the German European School Manila (GESM) today: www.gesm.org/book-a-tour