MediaKit Contents:
Syllabus:
Week 1
Willkommen! Grüße! (Welcome! Greetings!)
Students:
- Acquaint themselves with the D2L environment.
- Get acquainted with fellow classmates and instructor.
- Greet, and say good-bye to, each other in German.
- Practice “thank you”, “you're welcome”, “please”, “yes”, and “no”.
- Gain awareness of umlauts (¨) and the “ß”.
- Why learn German? Is German only in Germany? Looking at the German language in the world today. (This will involve some basic geography.)
- The existence of the formal and informal “you” in the German language.
Week 2
Hallo noch einmal! Wie sagt man das? (Hello again! How do you say that?)
Students will be able to:
- Say and understand good morning, good night, and other specific greetings and goodbyes.
- Read the German alphabet and pronounce the diphthongs “ei”, “ie”, “au”, “ee”, “oo”, “eu (äu)” as well as the letter “ß”.
- Das alles ist Deutschland! (That's all Germany!)
- Looking at different regions and people within the German-speaking world (populations, dialects, regions).
- The late afternoon custom of “Kaffee and Kuchen” (coffee and cake).
- Children's alphabet songs.
Week 3
Wie geht's? (How are you?)
Students will be able to:
- Ask each other how they are doing.
- Respond to this question in a variety of ways.
- Distinguish between when to use the formal and informal “you” in greetings and goodbyes.
- Use simple phrases such as “That's good” and “I'm tired” as well as the words “and, or, but”.
- Read and pronounce “a/ä”, “o/ö”, “u/ü”, as well as words beginning with “sp”.
- Learn about the (non-)use of “th” sound in German.
- Famous Germans and events throughout history.
Week 4
Das ist mein Leben. (That's my life.)
Students will be able to:
- Describe themselves (age, where they are from, qualities they possess)
- Describe family members and friends.
- Count from 0 – 20; know how to form numbers 21 and above.
- Recognize subject pronouns and use them to refer to people and things.
- Recognize and use “der, die, das” (the three “the's”).
- Recognize the capitalization of nouns.
- Practice the pronunciation of “ich”.
- Family and friends: learning feminine vs. masculine vs. neuter nouns.
- Comparing and contrasting family life across multiple cultures.
- Focusing on German policies regarding maternity and paternity leave (“Elternzeit”) and financial support when raising children (“Kindergeld”).
Week 5
Wie bitte? (Pardon?)
Students will be able to:
- Ask to have something repeated.
- Recognize and use different question words and ask basic questions with question words.
- Say “thank you” in a variety of ways; say “you're welcome” in a variety of ways.
- Ask and answer “yes/no” questions.
- Recognize and say the days of the week and the months of the year.
- Celebrating Christmas, New Year, October 3rd, Karneval, May 1st.
Week 6
Schön ist es heute! (It's nice today!)
Students will be able to:
- Describe the four seasons.
- Describe the weather today.
- Ask and answer about the time.
- Deepen understanding of question words and yes/no questions.
- Using the 24-hour clock and Celsius scale.
- Looking at differences in weather, climate, and geography.
- Focusing on the North Sea, Baltic Sea, and Alpine regions.
Week 7
Das ist mein Heim und meine Heimat.
(That's my home and my homeland.)
Students will be able to:
- Describe their house/home.
- Recognize plural forms of nouns.
- Use colors and other adjectives (such as “big, small, loud, quiet, etc.”).
- Recognize possessives (my, your, etc.)
- Looking at houses and apartments in the German-speaking world.
- “Green” (environmental) factors in German life.
- Initial look into life in the city and life in the countryside.
Week 8
Was machen wir? (What should we do?)
Students will be able to:
- Express interests and hobbies.
- Express preferences.
- Start planning a virtual trip to a German city.
- Cities and city life. Looking specifically at Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, and Vienna.
- Different modes of transportation.
- Hobbies and activities in the city.
Week 9
Essen und Trinken. (Eating and Drinking.)
Students will be able to:
- Talk about their favorite foods and drinks.
- Talk about what they do not like to eat or drink.
- Read a menu.
- Order in a restaurant.
- Continue planning a trip to a German city, adding a restaurant component.
- Food and drink.
- Different types of establishments: restaurants, inns, cafés.
- The “Euro”, money, prices, and (non-)tipping culture.
Week 10
Unterwegs. (Out and about.)
Students will be able to:
- Ask for help and directions.
- Apologize and express personal opinions.
- Use “this” words and “which” words.
- Write a postcard from their city. (Students finish trip project in this week.)
- Important establishments when traveling: museums, hotels and youth hostels, spa culture, train stations.
Week 11
Etwas Ruhe tut gut. (Some quiet can do good.)
Students will be able to:
- Express more hobbies and interests.
- Describe aspects of daily life.
- Describe their favorite books and movies.
- Distinguish between “here” and “there”.
- Literature and film.
- Newspapers and magazines.
- Life in the countryside and “wandern”: hiking, walking, and spending time in nature.
Week 12
Mit Freunden. (With friends.)
Students will be able to:
- Describe what they like to do with friends.
- Make “everyday” plans: using the telephone.
- Describe musical preferences.
- Discuss shopping.
- German music (an overview of a great variety: classical up to contemporary rock and hip-hop).
- Clothing and stores.
Week 13
Es war einmal... (Once upon a time...)
Students will be able to:
- Read and discuss professions.
- Recognize and describe animals.
- Express belief and disbelief.
- Fairy Tales.
- The Grimm Brothers.
- Castles in the German-speaking world.
Week 14
Heute und morgen. (Today and tomorrow.)
Students will be able to:
- Express (in English, in essay form) how their understanding of German and Germany has grown throughout this course and how they could see German/Germany fitting into their futures.
- Recognize basic rules of German word order.
- Read dates and years in German.
- Modern Germany: Overview of life since WWII.
- Reunification.
Week 15
Alles hat ein Ende. (Everything has an end.) Aber jedes Ende ist auch ein Beginn. (But every end is also a beginning.) Wohin? (Where to?)
Students will be able to:
- Write simple farewell messages.
- Recognize “is” vs. “was”.
- Record an oral good-bye.
- Discuss next steps and future plans.
- Germany in my life and the world: how does Germany affect my daily life and the rest of the world?
- Statistics about current global presence of Germany.
Course Objectives:
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