German I is a highly interactive class which emphasizes the development of communication skills in the areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Teachers use cooperative learning and other strategies to create a learner-centered classroom in which all students are actively involved in class and using German. Students also develop an understanding and appreciation of the customs and culture of Germany. The textbook, Komm Mit, includes a workbook, tapes, videos, and other supplementary materials.
The second level of the Komm Mit textbook is used, and the emphasis continues to be on developing proficiency in listening comprehension, speaking, reading and writing. German is used primarily in the classroom. Cooperative learning and other learner-centered activities allow the active participation of all students in class, and allow all students to be actively engaged in using the target language. Students in German 2 also learn a great deal about German geography and culture.
Cooperative learning groups and learner-centered strategies continue to enable active participation of all students. In German III students deepen their knowledge of German grammar, and develop and expand their writing skills with longer essays and stories. Ease of reading is developed more fully through supplementary short stories, as well as a detective story in the second semester. German is used exclusively in the classroom, and students further develop their oral proficiency skills.
Students in German IV continue to be actively engaged in class through their participation in cooperative learning groups and other strategies which make students active participants in class. German is used exclusively in the classroom. Writing skills are further developed, and students write several essays and creative writing assignments. A detective story is read, as well as several short stories. In the second semester students read a short German novel. There is a study of German history, culminating in a unit on the Holocaust, which includes literature from this period. By the end of fourth year German, students have a comprehensive knowledge of German grammar, and are able to speak comfortably in German with a high level of proficiency.
09/01/2005