COURSE TITLE: German I

SY 2014-2015

PREREQUISITE: None

DESCRIPTION: Students experience an introduction to the German language and to the culture of German-speaking countries. The basic objectives are to help each student attain an acceptable degree of proficiency in the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and to present the language within the context of contemporary German culture.

MAIN TOPICS:

Listening Students will learn to recognize vowel and consonant sounds; comprehend basic vocabulary, phrases and simple sentences; extract information from various sources. Speaking Students will learn to reproduce German sounds and intonation patterns and use learned vocabulary and structures appropriately to express themselves in various situations. Reading Students will learn to recognize written words and phrases in isolation and in context, and to interpret their meaning. Writing Students will learn to copy and/or reproduce from memory in a progressive manner, letters, syllables, words, phrases, and simple sentences; make appropriate responses to questions; write guided sentences; compose dialogues and simple paragraphs combining active vocabulary and learned grammatical structures. Culture Students will familiarize themselves with elements of culture which may include daily life, geography, history, art, music, customs, holidays and festivals, and entertainment.

CREDIT INFO: This course provides one credit toward fulfilling the foreign language requirements for an Advanced Studies Diploma (three years of one language or two years each of two languages). Students who receive credit for German I in middle school may count this course in meeting both credit and subject area graduation requirements. SY 2014-2015 SY 2014-2015

COURSE TITLE: German II

PREREQUISITE: German I

DESCRIPTION: German II continues to emphasize the communication skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. This course requires students to practice communicating in a variety of practical situations. The reading selections emphasize vocabulary development and further expose students to learn grammatical structures in context. Written work demonstrates correct use of vocabulary and syntax. Students continue to explore various aspects of German culture.

MAIN TOPICS:

Listening Students will learn to distinguish and comprehend more complex speech by a variety of native speakers. Speaking Students will refine and reinforce previously learned vocabulary and structures in statements, questions and answers, and initiate limited conversation. Reading Students will read for global comprehension, summarize the content of reading selections, and answer questions based on contextual clues. Writing Students will be able to use correct spelling, punctuation, and capitalization; to respond to questions; and to compose sentences and short paragraphs using appropriate grammar structures. Culture Students will explore cultural aspects of German-speaking countries in greater depth.

COURSE TITLE: German III

PREREQUISITE: German II

DESCRIPTION: German III continues to emphasize comprehension and communication skills. Complexity increases in all phases of language study. Reading selections and writing assignments review and reinforce grammar and vocabulary. German culture continues to be an integral part of the course.

MAIN TOPICS:

Listening Students will extract and comprehend information from longer and more complex passages from a variety of sources. Speaking Students will more readily formulate questions and responses relating to lesson topics while refining pronunciation. German will be used as the primary means of communication in the classroom. Reading Students will read level appropriate materials for more detail while continuing to read more complex authentic materials for global comprehension. They will summarize and answer content questions on reading selections. Writing Students will use correct spelling, punctuation, and capitalization to create more detailed complex sentences and compositions. Culture Students will explore cultural aspects of German-speaking countries in greater depth.

COURSE TITLE: German IV/V Honors – Upper Level

PREREQUISITE: German III/IV

DESCRIPTION: In German IV Honors, students will refine their comprehension and communication skills in the context of authentic texts and various literary works. The course uses a thematic approach, including such topics as current social issues, travel, the environment, media, music and art. MAIN TOPICS:

Listening Students will sustain understanding over longer stretches of connected discourse and grasp principle ideas of more specialized presentations. Speaking Students will demonstrate ability to communicate in a variety of contexts with a wider range of grammatical structures with greater accuracy; will circumlocute occasionally to express thoughts. German will be used in classroom communication. Reading Students will read a wider variety of texts with greater consistency of comprehension. Writing Students will refine and expand their use of complex grammatical structures in creative writings and guided writings and will begin to consistently include idiomatic expressions. Culture Students will explore cultural aspects of German-speaking countries in greater depth, with an emphasis on the upper level themes covered on the AP exam.

CREDIT INFO: This course provides one credit toward fulfilling the foreign language requirements for an Advanced Studies Diploma. All year long honors courses receive a “weight” of .5. SY 2014-2015

GERMAN AP SYLLABUS

Course components:

1. Pre-reading activities and vocabulary 2. Grammar review 3. Essays 4. Cloze exercises 5. Reading comprehension and discussion activities 6. Speaking tasks 7. Listening activities

Pre-reading activities and vocabulary: The pre-reading activities vary according to the reading selection and the thematic unit. If the reading is from the book, there is a set vocabulary. If the reading is something based on current events, the vocabulary will be developed from the text.

Grammar review: The grammar book provides an excellent review. It includes basic grammatical concepts. Although students should have mastered much of the grammar, a quick review of even the most elementary concepts is beneficial. As the grammar becomes more and more complex students will refine their skills as they apply these concepts to oral and written assignments.

Essays: The instructions on the essays are similar to those found on the AP Exam. As the year progresses more time is devoted to essay writing incorporating more advanced structures and better organizational skills.

Cloze exercises: Students practice completing cloze exercises comparable to the AP Exam. Strategies are developed to facilitate the selection of the appropriate semantic elements.

Reading Comprehension and Discussion Activities: Discussion activities revolve around current events as well as the literary texts covered in class. Activities range from rudimentary comprehension to comparative analysis.

Speaking tasks: Students practice speaking including AP picture sequences and short answer questions.

Listening activities: Listening resources include textbook related materials, as well as authentic and relevant samples from native speakers.

CREDIT INFO: This course provides one credit toward fulfilling the foreign language requirements for an Advanced Studies Diploma. All students enrolled in AP classes are expected to take AP examination. AP final grades are “weighted” by 1.0 if the student passes the course and takes the related examination. SY 2014-2015

Bibliography: Books

Dreke, Michael, and Wolfgang Lind, eds. Wechselspiel: Sprechanlässe für Partnerarbeit im kommunikativen Deutschunterricht. Arbeitsblätter für Anfänger und Fortgeschritte. Belin: Langenscheidt, 1985.

Plauen, E.O., ed. Vater und Sohn: Bildgeschichten. Stuttgart: P. Reclam, 1994.

Plauen, E.O., ed. So ein Dackel: 22 Bildgeschichten fün den Sprachunterricht. Stuttgart: Ernst Klett Verlag, 1983.

Rankin, Jamie and Wells, Larry D., Handbuch zur Deutschen Grammatik. 4th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004.

Scholl, Inge. Die Weiße Rose. Stuttgart: Ernst Klett Verlag, 1953.

Teichert, Herman U. and Hahn, Gabriele. Allerlei zum Besprechen. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998.

Teichert, Herman and Teichert, Lovette. Allerlei zum Lesen. 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005.

Twomey, Paula Carmardella. Reflexionen: 35 Guided Essays in German. Teachers Discovery, 2003.

Vail, Van Horn and Sparks, Kimberly. Der Weg zum Lesen. 3rd ed. Fort Worth: Harcourt College Publishers, 1986.

Wells, Larry D., ed. Mitlesen Mitteilen: Literarische Texte zum Lesen, Sprechen, Schreiben und Hören. 3rd ed. Boston: Thomson Heinle, 2004.

Useful Websites

About: German Language, http://german.about.com (website)

AP Central, http://apcentral.collegeboard.com (website)

Filme und So, http://fileundso.de (podcast)

German News, [email protected] (website)

Kino im Kopf, http://feeds.feedburner.com/kinoimkopf (podcast)

Online newspapers from German speaking countries Podster.de (directory of German podcasts), www.podster.de (website)

Schlaflos in München, http://schlaflosinmuenchen.com (podcast)