Advice for teachers –
German

Unit 2 – Area of Study 1: Interpersonal communication

Theme: The German-speaking communities
Topic: Cultural heritage
Sub topic: The arts

Outcome 1

Respond in writing in German to spoken, written or visual texts presented in German.

Examples of lear​ning activities

• Read a novel or short story, or view a film, in German. Individually, focus on its key aspects and make notes. Present to the class a general overview of the written or visual text noting significant features.
• Write a summary of one of the texts.
• Write personal journal entries to highlight main points and reactions to the selected texts.
• Watch a video about the author of one of the texts. Take notes about any relationship between the author’s life and the text, as well as any other significant and relevant connections or comparisons.
  
• Listen to a radio interview about one of the texts, or any aspect of it.
• Read several critical written pieces about the selected texts and note the points made, highlighting any similarities and differences between the criticisms.
• Choose a favourite character and create a poster of the character’s life, characteristics and relationships.
  
• Interview a German speaker about their memories and perceptions of one of the texts.
• Prepare a section to read or present to the class. Explain the choice of section.
• Write an evaluative review of one of the texts.
• 
  Explore the texts through listening, reading and viewing. Synthesise information, ideas and opinions into a persuasive email.

 

Detailed example

Persuasive email about an aspect of one of the texts studied

1. Listen to or view a section of the written/visual text. Identify the major events taking place, which characters are involved and how this fits into the plot.
2. Read reviews of the text. In small groups, discuss positive and negative views.
3. Write a 100-word response to each of the reviews.
4. Select a section of the text. In pairs, develop some questions about this section.
5. Swap questions with other groups and proceed to answer them.
6. Complete comprehension exercises based on the text and discuss responses with the class.
7. Read an email written in a persuasive style. Identify its main features.
8. Write a plan for the piece of writing (the persuasive email) to be undertaken.

Unit 2 – Area of Study 2: Interpretative communication

Theme: The world around us
Topic: Global and contemporary society
Sub topic: Migration

Outcome 2

Analyse and use information from written, spoken or visual texts to produce an extended written response in German.

Examples of lear​ning activities

• Research statistics about migration to a German-speaking country. Compare them to Victorian and/or Australian statistics. Consider the questions: Where do migrants to both countries come from? How do they arrive? Why do they come?
• Watch a video about migrants to a German-speaking country. Take notes and identify issues for further investigation.
• Listen to migrants talking about their lives before migration and their experience of living in a German-speaking country.
• Participate in a class discussion about general features of the migrant experience.
• View a series of historical photos that depict significant moments in the lives of migrants and analyse them.
• Visit the Immigration Museum in Melbourne to view and research relevant materials.
• Prepare a PowerPoint presentation reflecting aspects of the migrant experience, as researched, in a German-speaking country.
• Write a 200-word blog post about reactions to information gathered about migration.
• Watch a film about migration. Identify similarities and differences between current research and what is portrayed in the film. Discuss those aspects with a partner and create a poster for the class to read.
• Interview a person who has migrated to Australia.
• Write a biographical extract of a migrant in a German-speaking country.
• 
  Develop a role-play with another student, or in a small group, to explore reasons for leaving a homeland and going to a German-speaking country.
  
• Read a newspaper, magazine or online article that expresses the views of migrants to a German-speaking country.
• Conduct research to find out whether there are certain towns or areas that take more migrants than others. Find and discuss reasons why that might be so.
• Write a 250-word evaluative piece that compares the Australian and the German-speaking country’s experience of immigration.
• Complete questions after a listening and reading comprehension task and write up answers in another text type.
• Write an imaginative journal account to describe your first month in Australia or in a German-speaking country as a newly arrived migrant.
• Participate in a group conversation, sharing information about migrants from different places in the world and their journeys to a German-speaking country. Discuss the pros and cons of the migrants’ experience.
• Listen to a podcast from a migrant to a German-speaking country. Note any expressions used to describe their experience.
  

 

Detailed example

Role-play to explore reasons for migrating

1. List and quantify vocabulary related to this topic from all material studied so far.
2. Practise useful expressions and grammar in German.
3. Become familiar with features of informal German conversations designed to elicit information.
4. Discuss the expression of emotions by listening to extracts of conversations.
5. Write the script of an interview with a migrant to a German-speaking country regarding his/her experience. Share this with a classmate. Based on the two scripts, prepare and participate in a role-play to highlight the migrant’s experience in the German-speaking country.
6. Refine relevant material as well as grammar and expressions.
7. Practise aloud to establish the rhythm of interchange between the two characters – questioning and answering. Consider cultural elements specific to the German-speaking country’s conversational form.
8. Perform the role-play in front of the class.
9. Share oral and written feedback between peers and teacher.

Unit 2 – Area of Study 3: Presentational communication

Theme: The German-speaking communities
Topic: Historical and contemporary perspectives
Sub topic: Important historical events in a German-speaking country

Outcome 3

Explain information, ideas and concepts orally in German to a specific audience about an aspect of culture within communities where German is spoken.

Examples of lear​ning activities

• Research an historical event in a German-speaking country and write its timeline.
• Note the major developments in the historical event. Read extracts about the main figures and places of the historical event and summarise the elements in an informative piece of writing.
• Watch a video about the historical event.
  
• Working in small groups, choose an historical event and identify the reasons that led to the event. Prepare a poster and note on it the major elements of the event.
• Interview another student about their choice of historical event and why it is important in the history of a German-speaking country.
• Consider the aspects of culture that underpin this historical event and explain how it is understood by people in German-speaking countries.
• Research one or more of the figures associated with the historical event. Outline, in a short biography, their influences on the timeline of the event.
• Identify a particular aspect of the historical event. Address the questions: Why is this aspect important? What is the relationship between this aspect and the whole event? How did this aspect influence the course of the historical event? Identify any possible impact of this event on the world and/or Australia.
• Listen to radio talk shows about the historical event in the German-speaking country. Take notes about the participants’ opinions on this historical event. Read online contributions by historians about this historical event.
• 
  Prepare a series of images and an accompanying 200-word informative text to explain an historical event in a German-speaking country.
  

 

Detailed example

Two hundred-word article about an historical event

1. Watch a documentary about an historical event in a German-speaking country.
2. Read an article about the timeline of this event.
3. Create a glossary of appropriate historical terms to support this topic.
4. Identify cultural aspects of the historical event in the German-speaking country.
5. Research the different elements of the event and tabulate them.
6. Consider which aspects of the historical event were the most influential for the course of the event.
7. Create a montage of images to illustrate the historical event.
8. Listen to historians or local people talk about the historical event. Note their reactions and grade them as positive, negative or neutral. Note also examples of language used to describe the event.
9. Draft your text, explaining each image chosen and their link to the historical event. Combine content, language and cultural information to make connections and comparisons.
10. Research the elements required for the text type and choose grammar elements to best support the writing.