German

Guten Tag! (Good day!)

What a great start to the year we’ve had. Here’s a brief reflection on our learning in Term 1 followed by an overview of the topics that we are learning about this term, by year level.  

Foundation 

In Term 1, students enjoyed finding out about each other's cultural backgrounds and the many languages spoken amongst their class and cohort. There were some great discussions about why we learn different languages and respecting other cultures. The children were introduced to German and Germany as the country that German stems from. They learnt how to greet each other and introduce themselves in German. We hope you’ve enjoyed their renditions of our Hallo, Guten Tag song at home! 

This term, we are continuing to practice our German greetings and introductions each week.  Students are also learning how to count in German. We will be using the beloved children’s book ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ (Die kleine Raupe Nimmersatt) to learn about colours and numbers, and how to answer basic questions ‘What is this?’ and ‘What colour is this?’. We are using a range of  songs, videos, simple role plays, games and activity sheets to make language learning fun. 

Year 1 and 2 

Last term, our junior school students extended their German counting skills with the Year 1s focused on numbers 1-12 and the Year 2s exploring the numbers and counting patterns from 1-30. We used a range of songs, videos and games as well as verbal and written activities to keep learning fun and engaging. The ‘Naughty elf’ game (elf being the German word for 11) was a particular favourite. Year 2 students also took a closer look at the German alphabet, using it to spell their names. 

This term, our focus is on family. Students will be learning the names for family members and how to introduce and talk about others. We will be using a range of simple texts and activities to continue to build students’ receptive language skills (exploring, noticing, listening and recognising) while developing their oral communication skills. 

Year 3 and 4 

In Term 1, students added a catchy new song to their repertoire to help them learn the days of the week. I hope you enjoyed their renditions at home! Students learned how to use time phrases to talk about what they do on different days and practised asking and answering questions about what activities they each do using a combination of role-play, verbal and written activities. 

During Term 2 students are exploring German culture and its influence on our everyday lives. They will be researching German products and inventions that we use or have had a positive impact on our modern lifeworlds.

Year 5 and 6

During Term 1, students learned how to talk about their hobbies and interests, extending their vocabulary as well as their capacity to express likes and dislikes in German. Discussing both their own and others’ hobbies also provided the opportunity to revisit and practise how verbs change to reflect first and third person in German. There was a strong focus on functional language, using dialogues and multimedia texts to increase students’ vocabulary and language skills. The Year 5 and 6s accepted the challenge to develop their listening skills by identifying information from audio recordings of German children talking about their hobbies. Bravo! They have also been working to develop their writing skills. 

In Term 2, we are continuing to focus on functional language through our ‘At the shops’ unit. Senior school students will build on previous language knowledge and skills to learn basic phrases to help buy items when shopping. They will be practising these through a range of activities including classroom role-play, verbal and written activities and games. 

If you have any questions or would like to contribute to the German language and culture program, please feel free to reach out.  

Tschüss!

Lisa Hunt

Language Specialist