German Basic Language Program

Course Description, Objectives, and Goals

Students In this 4-credit German language course, students will develop basic competence in speaking, listening, reading, and writing in German at the beginner level. Students will learn and practice high-frequency grammar structures and vocabulary in interactive, communicative activities, but also encounter various cultural perspectives and explore cultural practices and behaviors of diverse members of various German-speaking communities.

The goals of German 001 are to

• introduce you to the basic aspects of German grammar so that you can carry out basic communicative tasks
• help you acquire necessary vocabulary for expressing yourself on basic everyday topics
• introduce you to significant cultural practices and historical events from the German-speaking world
• help students develop skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening
• provide opportunities for interaction and continuous practice and review of German
• help you develop into skilled and strategic language learners and language users
• to provide you with necessary foundation to continue your German learning experience

At the end of German 1 you will have reached the Novice-Mid Proficiency level (ACTFL)/A1.1(CEFR) and the following performance benchmarks:

• You can introduce myself to other people and ask for their names.
• You can spell my name and other German words.
• You can count in German.
• You can ask for the time and tell the time.
• You can talk about the calendar and dates.
• You can greet and say goodbye in formal settings and informal settings.
• You can utter polite expressions in German.
• You can talk about yourself (your friends, your family, your hobbies, your/their age(s), your likes and dislikes, your daily routine).
• You can ask others simple questions (their occupation, their family, their hobbies, their likes and dislikes, their daily routine).
• You can talk about food and ingredients.
• You can perform grocery shopping in German.
• You can read a German food menu and order food at a German restaurant.
• You can express spoken and written invitations to birthday parties, etc.
• You can understand simple recorded monologs and dialogs.
• You can watch and understand short video sequences.
• Performing grocery shopping in German.
• You can read short narratives, e.g., blog entries, and emails.

Course Description, Objectives, and Goals

In this 4-credit German language course, students will develop basic competence in speaking, listening, reading and writing in German at the beginner level. Students will learn and practice high-frequency grammar structures and vocabulary in interactive, communicative activities, but also encounter various cultural perspectives and explore cultural practices and behaviors of diverse members German-speaking communities.

The goals of GER 002 are… 

• introduce you to further basic aspects of German grammar adding on to grammar aspects covered in GER1 so that you can carry out basic communicative tasks. 
• help you acquire necessary vocabulary for expressing yourself on basic everyday topics. 
• introduce you to significant cultural practices and historical events from the German-speaking world.
• help you develop skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening.  
• provide opportunities for interaction and continuous practice and review of German.
• help you develop into skilled and strategic language learners and language users.
• provide you with the necessary foundation to continue your German learning experience.

At the end of German 2 you will have reached the Novice-Mid Proficiency level (ACTFL)/A1.2(CEFR) and the following performance benchmarks::

• You can engage in small talk conversations about your work/studies, travel destinations, and the weather.
• You can write about a typical day at work/school.
• You can comprehend job ads.
• You can understand basic conversations happening at work. 
• You can read and understand blog entries based on a peoples’ work experience in Germany at the beginning German level. 
• You can read and understand simple letters and emails and respond to them in writing.
• You can talk about different parts of your body. 
• You can talk about various common illnesses and describe the symptoms. 
• You can understand conversations between doctors and patients.
• You can perform in situations that I might encounter at a doctor’s office/hospital in a German-speaking country.
• You can talk about your living situation, e.g., apartment, dorm room, house, etc.
• You can describe the interior of your apartment, e.g., furniture, rooms, colors, etc.
• You can read and understand ads for housing. 
• You can talk and ask about different living arrangements, e.g., shared apartments, studio, etc. 
• You can talk about clothing.
• You can give and receive compliments.
• You can perform in situations that I might encounter at a clothing store in a German-speaking country, e.g., how much is an item? Where do you find specific items in a store? etc
• You can plan a city tour in Germany.
• You can understand and give directions.
• You can write postcards.
• You can read and write short blog entries about travel.
• You can perform in short video calls with German native-speakers and talk about food related topics, my family and friends, and hobbies. At the end of the semester, students will be able to perform the following language tasks in German.

Course Description, Objectives, and Goals

This 4-credit German language course is designed to help you develop your skills in speaking, reading, and writing German at the intermediate level. You will learn, review, and practice high-frequency grammar structures and vocabulary in interactive, communicative activities, but also encounter various cultural perspectives and explore practices and behaviors of diverse members of different German-speaking communities.

The course goals of GER 003 are to:

• consolidate your knowledge and command of the basic aspects of German grammar so that you can carry out a variety of communicative tasks.
• broaden your vocabulary for expressing yourself on topics relevant to everyday life in German.
• help you consolidate and advance your skills in reading, listening, writing, and speaking German.
• provide you with opportunities for interaction in and continuous practice and review of German.
• help you develop into a skilled and strategic language learner and language user.
• help you to draw connections between your developing awareness about the multifaceted aspects of German-speaking culture/society and how it relates to your home cultures/societies, to understand how you negotiate your own identity in multiple (intercultural) spaces.

• You can talk and ask about things that happened in the past.
•  You can make plans with friends.
• You can justify personal choices in simple German.
• You can read and gather information from a German homepage.
• You can understand the differences between the educational systems in the German-speaking world and the US/your home country.
• You can talk about your time at High School and write a short commentary about it.
• You can express your opinion on simple topics and ask others for their opinions.
• You can talk about the advantages and disadvantages of certain behaviors, institutions, etc.
• You can compare things with each other. 
• You can watch films when they are scaffolded and talk about their plot.
• You can understand film descriptions.
• You can be polite in German.
• You can describe a city in the German-speaking world. 
• You can filter out basic information from longer descriptive texts and present it. 
• You can read short literary texts with scaffolded activities, e.g., poems and short stories.
• You can perform in short video calls with German native-speakers and talk about food related topics, your family and friends, clothing, and travel destination.