German Language and Culture
German Language and Culture
Courses | Languages and Leadership | German
Embedded Files
Teaching German with English Language Arts
Teaching German with English Language Arts
Starting in 2028, high school students in Illinois will need two years of foreign language credit to graduate. Since it will take time to develop two years of coursework for YouthBuild students, I'm beginning the German program as part of the English Language Arts program. This way, all students will have an opportunity to take part while earning credits toward English, and then I'll have an opportunity to build up the language resources necessary to guide students toward A1 or A2 proficiency in a foreign language.
For YouthBuild McLean County, my emphasis is to simultaneously introduce students to stories, language, and culture. Because our students are nontraditional, the typical linear approach to teaching a German course won't work well
As I update the German course, I'll post new pages with links to the lessons, videos, and exercises that I'll use in class.
General Requirements
General Requirements
The general requirements for one course of ELA German are:
25 pages of writing. These can be a mix of notes on German words and your thoughts in English.
Completion of 25 in-person language modules with pronunciation practice. The number of digital modules we get through during each lesson may vary.
Earning credit on the module requires a passing score on the quizzes for that module. We’ll do the digital activities together, and then students will fill out their answers on paper in pen as we go.
External Resources
External Resources
Foreign languages are challenging — it takes years of practice to gain a decent degree of fluency. The goal with these courses is to provide students with the groundwork for long-term learning.
External resources are a key component of this. Although I have a bachelors in German with eight years of German courses, I rely on regular language practice to maintain and develop my fluency. I won't be relying on just my own language knowledge to share the language and culture. The course will be built using videos, activities, and guides from a variety of sources. Here are some of the primary ones I'll be drawing from, and I highly recommend them to anyone considering learning German or sharing educational materials with their students:
Deutsche Welle: Deutsch für Anfänger: this free resource provides videos and lesson tutorials in greetings, pronunciation, the alphabet, and everyday conversations in German.
Deutsch Akademie Trainer Online Deutschkurs: this site provides 25,000 free exercises in German, both audio and written.
The German Project: through entertaining descriptions and dual-language children's books, this site provides students with a fun introduction to the German language.
André Klein's list of Online German Textbooks (from LearnOutLive): This excellent list of online texts provides access to seven free texts that provide a variety of lessons in basic and intermediate level German.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse