🏫German Level 4, Activity 02: Schule and Studium / School and Studies (Face to Face)
Description: Learning about and discussing U.S. school systems and German school systems.
Semantic Topics: Schule, School, Noten, Grades, Grammatik, Grammar, Studieren, Studium, Study.
Products: Video of education in Germany. Video über das Bildungssystem in Deutschland.
Practices: Education in the U.S. and education in Germany. Bildung in den USA und Bildung in Deutschland.
Perspectives: Value attached to education in the United States and German speaking countries. Wert auf Bildung in den USA und im deutschsprachigen Raum.
- Standard: 3.1 Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through German.
- Standard: 2.2 Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the cultures studied.
Idaho State Content Standards:
- Objective: CLTR 2.2 Describe the connections of products from the target culture with the practices and perspectives of the culture.
- Objective: COMP 2.1 Identify, describe and compare/contrast products and their use in the target culture with the learners culture.
NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:
- I can express my opinions on the school system, university, and professors.
- I can reason through scenarios regarding school and university.
- I can compare the similarities and differences between German and American schools.
Materials Needed:
Warm-Up
Ask the students the following discussion questions:
Diskussionsfragen:
- Was hält ihr von Homeschooling? (What do you think of Homeschooling?)
- Was sind für euch akzeptabel Gründe Schule zu schwänzen? (What are acceptable reasons for you to skip school?)
- Würdet ihr unser Schulsystem in den USA positiv oder eher negativ beschreiben? Warum? (Would you describe our school system in the U.S. positively or rather negatively? Why?)
- Was findet ihr am schwierigsten bei dem Uni Leben? (What do you find most difficult about university life?)
- Was macht eine/r gute Professor/in aus? (What makes a good professor?)
- Wenn ihr Kinder hättet, würdet ihr ihre Kinder auf eine Privatschule oder Realschule schicken? (If you had children, would you send them to private or public schools?)
- Seid ihr mit einem Freund aus eurer Schulzeit noch befreundet? Warum? Warum nicht? (Are you still friends with a friend from your school days? Why? Why not?)
- In euer Schulzeit habt ihr Sachen gekauft, die “in”/Trends waren? (Uggs? Sillybandz? Pokemon Cards? etc. (In your school days did you buy things that were “in”/trends? (Uggs? Sillybandz? Pokemon Cards? Etc.))
Main Activity
Watch segment of Deutschlandlabor-Folge 1 Schule (0:26-1:35)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3uatU-UH60 The purpose isn’t necessarily to understand all of the facts that are given, but rather focus on what they are seeing-how does it compare?
Ask students the following question(s) to finish the activity:
- Wie sehen die Deutsche Schulen aus? (What do the German schools look like?)
- Was ist ähnlich? (What looks similar?)
- Was ist anders? (What looks different?)
Wrap-Up
- Würdet ihr in Deutschland Studieren? Would you study abroad in Germany?
- Was findet ihr gut über das deutsche Schulsystem? Was findet ihr nicht so gut? What do you find is good about the German school system? What do find not so good?
- Möchtet ihr irgendwo anders ins Ausland studieren? Wo? Wisst ihr schon was über das Bildungssystem in diesem Land? (Do you want to study abroad somewhere else? Where? Do you know what the school system is like in that country?)
End of Activity:
- Read Can-Do statements once more and have students evaluate their confidence. (Use thumbs up/thumbs down)
- Encourage students to be honest in their self-evaluation.
- Pay attention, and try to use feedback for future activities!
NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:
- I can express my opinions on the school system, university, and professors.
- I can reason through scenarios regarding school and university.
- I can compare the similarities and differences between German and American schools.
cultural resources
Meet the Germans discuss the University System in Germany. This is mostly in English with German subtitles.
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