Catalog Description

Hours: 72 lecture
Description: Introduction to German language and culture, including speaking, listening, linguistic and grammatical structure, reading, pronunciation and intonation patterns. Corresponds to two years of high school study. (CSU, UC)

Course Student Learning Outcomes

  • CSLO #1: Recognize and paraphrase elementary German that is spoken in simple present tense at moderate conversational speed.
  • CSLO #2: Formulate and pronounce intelligible grammatically correct sentences in present tense conversations with native or non-native speakers of German.
  • CSLO #3: Recognize and explain what is read in present tense from any elementary reading passage.
  • CSLO #4: Formulate and write short sentences and paragraphs in present tense using correct syntax.
  • CSLO #5: Compare and contrast cultural perspectives based on reading, discussions and videos.

Effective Term

Fall 2020

Course Type

Credit - Degree-applicable

Contact Hours

72

Outside of Class Hours

144

Total Student Learning Hours

216

Course Objectives

Through oral and written exercises, activities, and assignments, students will:
I.
a. Pronounce and spell German words correctly
b. Ask for basic personal information with both polite and informal language strategies
c. Identify the historical linguistic relationships between English and German
d. Make simple descriptive sentences of common classroom objects and clothing
e. Count to 1000000
f. Identify what constitutes a grammatical subject
f. Describe the weather
g. Recognize the various types of plural noun formation rules
h. Express the time of an occurrence in terms of weekday, month, season, or traditional clock time
i. Describe the relationship between High German and the other Germanic Languages
j. Describe the German climate
k. Describe the timeline of German immigration to the United States
II.
a. Describe the geographic location of natural features and cities within a country
b. Describe the geographic location of a country within a continent as well as relative to other countries
c. Describe people in terms of (European) nationalities and languages
d. Identify family members and give personal information about them
e. Command a basic vocabulary of intransitive and transitive verbs
f. Produce simple verbal statements using nominative pronouns and correct verbal conjugation in the
present tense
g. Switch between referencing third-person subjects with nominative pronouns, nominative definite noun phrases, nominative indefinite noun phrases, and proper names
h. Produce both declarative sentences with subjects in first position as well as declarative sentences with adverbial or objective elements in first position in accordance with the German syntactic verb-second principle.
i. Produce declarative sentences with verb complements in final position in accordance with the German syntactic verb-last principle
j. Identify the gender of compound nouns
k. Describe the role of The Goethe Institute in promoting the German language abroad
l. Describe the prominence of the German language in Europe
m. Describe features of the city Frankfurt am Main
n. Describe Germany’s role within the European Union
o. Describe the position of the German language in the world outside of Europe
III.
a. Identify common grocery items
b. Identify common stores for various types of goods
c. Inquire into the availability, quality, and price of items in a store and purchase the items in the desired quantity
d. Conjugate the verbs SEIN and HABEN in the present tense
e. Identify what constitutes a grammatical direct object
f. Decline nouns in both nominative and accusative cases using the correct definite article, indefinite article, negative article, and possessive articles
g. Produce the nominative and accusative forms of the animate and inanimate interrogative pronouns
h. Produce n-stem nouns in nominative and accusative forms
i. Command a vocabulary of common transitive verbs
j. Use the phrase “ES GIBT” to inquire about or describe the availability of goods
k. Use common accusative prepositions
l. Produce declarative sentences with infinitive complements of verbs in final position in accordance with the German syntactic verb-last principle
m. Negate indefinite noun phrases using KEIN-
n. Negate definite noun phrases using NICHT
o. Produce multi-clause sentence using coordinating conjunctions
p. Identify differences and similarities between German and American shopping establishments
q. Use the metric systems to describe weights and volumes
r. Identify types of bread, sausage, and cheese common in Germany
s. Identify common denominations in the Euro currency system
t. Identify differences and similarities between German and American pedestrian spaces
u. Describe features of the German city of Regensburg
IV.
a. Discuss likes and dislikes with regard to food and drink
b. Inquire into the availability and quality of a food or drink item in a restaurant, place an order for the given items, and pay the waiter
c. Identify mealtimes, common utensils and dishes, and common dishes in a restaurant
d. Identify the most common vowel-changing verbs and conjugate them
e. Identify what constitutes a grammatical indirect object
f. Decline nouns in the dative case using the correct definite article, indefinite article, negative article, and possessive articles
f. Produce the dative form of the animate interrogative pronouns
g. Identify the most common dative verbs
h. Use common dative prepositions
i. Describe features of German Cafes and Coffee Houses
j. Describe some regional culinary specialties of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland
k. Describe the general locations where wine grapes are cultivated in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
l. Describe differences and similarities between German and American table manners
V.
a. Name common German holidays and festivals
b. Produce ordinal numbers
c. Express dates for holidays, planned social events, and birthdays
d. Identify the location of the German Bundesländer relative to each other
e. Produce the past participles of weak verbs as well as common strong verbs
f. Employ either HABEN or SEIN as the perfect tense auxiliary verbs according to the semantic nature of the verb
g. Produce main clauses in the perfect tense with the auxiliary in second position and the past participle in final position
h. Identify common subordinate conjunction
i. Produce subordinate clauses with the finite verb in final position
j. Produce subordinate clauses with past participles in penultimate position and the finite perfect tense auxiliary verb in final position
k. Produce sentences with subordinate clauses in initial position
l. Describe some of the common customs in Germany during the Christmas season
m. Identify the 16 German Bundesländer and their relative geographic positions within Germany
n. Describe basic facts about religious diversity in German
o. Identify the most important traditional folk celebrations in Germany
VI.
a. Identify common buildings and landmarks within towns and cities
b. Ask for the relative location of, distance to, and directions to buildings and landmarks within towns and cities
c. Produce common adverbs and prepositions relevant to describing locations and giving directions
d. Produce personal pronouns in nominative, accusative, and dative cases.
e. Conjugate modal auxiliary verbs
f. Produce main clauses with finite modal auxiliaries in second position and infinitive complements in final position
g. Identify the usage difference between GERN and the verb MÖCHTEN
h. Produce subordinate clauses with the infinitive complement in penultimate position and the finite modal verb in final position
i. Identify the usage difference between ABER and SONDERN
j. Give basic facts about the Austrian city of Vienna and name several major Viennese landmarks
k. Describe basic features of the Art Nouveau (Sezessionsstil Movement) in Austria
l. Describe what Austrian “Heurigen Wine” is.

General Education Information

  • Approved College Associate Degree GE Applicability
    • AA/AS - Literature & Language
  • CSU GE Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU approval)
    • CSUGE - C2 Humanities
  • Cal-GETC Applicability (Recommended - Requires External Approval)
    • IGETC Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU/UC approval)
      • IGETC - 6A Lang other than Eng

    Articulation Information

    • CSU Transferable
    • UC Transferable

    Methods of Evaluation

    • Classroom Discussions
      • Example: Students will be graded for conducting exercises during class with their partners and offering an answer to the exercise when called upon by the instructor. Failure to do so will result in lost participation points. No points will be docked for responding with incorrect grammar, vocabulary, or pronunciation during practice exercises, although the instructor will provide grammatical, lexical, and phonetic critiques to the student’s response for the benefit of the class. Students will be graded for their presence at lecture. Failure to come to lecture will result in lost participation points unless the student provides the instructor with a doctor’s note accounting for a student’s medical absence.
    • Essay Examinations
      • Example: Students will be asked to read a passage in German and then summarize the main points in a short paragraph. Grade based on the grammatical accuracy and content. Ex (partial text): Deutsch ist sehr wichtig. Ungefähr 98 Millionen Europäer sprechen Deutsch als Muttersprache: die Deutschen, die Österreicher, Liechtensteiner, ein Großteil der Schweizer und ein Teil der Luxemburger und Belgier. Viele Ausländer arbeiten oder studieren in Deutschland, Österreich und in der Schweiz und lernen so auch Deutsch. Sehr viele Menschen in Europa sprechen zwei oder drei Sprachen. Sie finden das interessant und auch wichtig für Tourismus, Handel und Politik.
    • Objective Examinations
      • Example: Students will be asked to read a passage in German and write a paraphrase of its content. Graded upon the grammatical accuracy and suitability of the response. Ex (partial text): Axel: Herr Ober, die Speisekarte bitte! Ober: Hier bitte! Axel: Was empfehlen Sie heute? Ober: Die Menüs sind alle sehr gut. Axel: Gabi, was nimmst du? Gabi: Ich weiß nicht. Was nimmst du? Axel: Ich glaube, ich nehme Menü 1: Schnitzel und Kartoffelsalat. Gabi: Und ich hätte gern Menü 2: Rindsrouladen mit Kartoffelklößen. Ober: Möchten Sie etwas trinken? Gabi: Ein Glas Apfelsaft, und du? Axel: Mineralwasser. (Der Ober kommt mit dem Essen). Guten Appetit! Gabi: Danke, gleichfalls…Hm, das schmeckt. Axel: Das Schnitzel auch
    • Problem Solving Examinations
      • Example: Students will listen to audio material in German and respond in German to a set of questions about the audio material. Graded based on the grammatical accuracy and suitability of the response. Ex: After listening to an audio clip, the students will answer the following questions in German in complete sentences. 1. Woher kommt Nico? 2. Was ist Lisas Vater von Beruf? 3. Warum ist Nico in Deutschland?
    • Skill Demonstrations
      • Example: Students will be asked to write German translations of English sentences. Graded based upon the grammatical accuracy of the response. Ex: Translate the following sentence(s) to German: “I want to buy my father a tie for Christmas” “I would like a cup of coffee, please” “The cats jump through the window” Problem Solving Examination: Students will be asked a set of questions in German by the instructor and must respond with a logical and intelligible answer in German. Graded upon the grammatical accuracy and pronunciation of the response. Ex: (A = Instructor questions): A: “Wie alt bist du?” B: _________________________ A: “In welchem Monat bist du geboren?” B: _________________________ A: “Spielst du gern ein Instrument?” B: _________________________ A: “Welche Sprachen sprichst du?” B: _________________________

    Repeatable

    No

    Methods of Instruction

    • Lecture/Discussion
    • Distance Learning

    Lecture:

    1. In the sequence determined by the textbook, grammar points will be discussed conceptually in class with detailed comparisons between how the grammatical construction is expressed in English and then in German. This is primarily achieved by the instructor presenting glossed sentences on the board and on handouts, producing grammar tables on the board and on handouts, and cueing students to relevant examples in the textbook. (Objective: I.i)
    2. Cultural material will be presented by the instructor using reading passages from the textbook as well as videos, reading material, and visual aids, followed by an in class discussion. (Objective: II. a, n)
    3. Students will rehearse newly introduced grammatical and lexical topics in class with a myriad of partner exercises in class that focus on both comprehension of written and oral German material as well as production of spoken and written German. The instructor will facilitate the exercises by describing them in detail, providing information on any key words and/or phrases the students may not already know, and answering questions from students about the exercises. Examples may include: students verbally rehearsing simple German sentences that illustrate an important lexical or grammatical point, transforming sentences verbally from the present tense into the perfect tense, completing a German sentence by filling in missing determiners, posing simple yes-no questions provided from the book or the instructor to fellow students, posing open ending w-questions provided from the book or the instructor to fellow students, matching predetermined sentences to a set of pictures, describing a set of pictures using a students’ own words, translating English sentences provided by the textbook or the instructor into German, listening to audio material from the textbook or other sources selected by the instructor and responding to a set of questions about the content from the audio material, listening to audio material from the textbook or other sources selected by the instructor and paraphrasing in simpler language the content of the audio material, composing short poems based on a lexical/thematic topic selected by the instructor, open conversation based on a predetermined conversational topic, and responding to a set of questions after reading a short story or poem provided by the textbook or the instructor. (Objective: II f, i)
    4. Students will complete homework from a workbook determined by the instructor. Examples may include: transforming sentences verbally from the present tense into the perfect tense, completing a German sentence by filling in missing determiners, producing simple answers to posed yes-no or w-questions, generating a question to match a predetermined answer, listening to audio material and then providing answers to a set of questions based on said audio material, matching predetermined sentences to a set of pictures, listening to audio material and paraphrasing in simpler language the content of the audio material, and listening to audio material and recording in writing words, phrases, and sentences heard in the audio material. (Objective: IV a, b)

    Distance Learning

    1. Teaching the map of Europe: The instructor will curate a video (power point with commentary overlaid and captioning) showing visualizations of phrase like “in the north”, “in the middle”, and visualizations of whole sentences such as “German lies in Central Europe” with German at the top of the screen and an English gloss at the bottom of the screen. The video is embedded in a page with a text summary of its content, with sound bites of important vocab. The students will then be lead to a “drill page” with a guided review of the vocabulary (a chart with German words/phrases on one side and English on the other, but in a scrambled order) and a “Canvas” practice quiz to test their command of the vocabulary. They are then guided to a Canvas “conversation practice” page where they are to describe a map to either a partner or to themselves (the map is embedded on the page, and suggested vocab is given below). Objective: V-m
    2. Teaching the Dative Case: The instructor will curate a video (power point with commentary overlaid and captioning) showing visualizations of ditransitive action verbs like “to give”, “to send”, with a named recipient character (I give Arnold an apple, etc) with German at the top of the screen and an English gloss at the bottom of the screen. The proper nouns are then swapped out for various noun phrases, which are introduced by the new dative determiners. A chart is demonstrated at the end of the video. Students are then to go through a Canvas “practice” quiz in which they translate German sentences with dative structures (a new subject for them) into English, to establish an initial understanding of the subject. Students are then supplied on a “conversation drill page” a set of semi-complete statements regarding who they are giving gifts to (I give the man…) for which they select a direct object complement. Finally they are to do a simple “grammatical fill-in” drill (canvas practice quiz) for just the dative forms of the recipients in various sentences. This helps to scaffold the cognitive load in getting receptively and productively competent in the subject. Objective: III - f

    Typical Out of Class Assignments

    Reading Assignments

    1. Students will be asked to read short stories at home, render a translation of it into English, and answer basic questions about the story. Example: Friedrich der Große, König von Preußen 1740 bis 1786, hat eine berühmte Armee. In dieser Armee ist ein besonderes Regiment. Nur sehr große Soldaten findet man in diesem Regiment. Sie kommen aus Rußland, England, Frankreich und Spanien, denn sie bekommen in Preußen gutes Essen und guten Lohn. Friedrich liebt dieses Regiment besonders und besucht es oft. Er fragt dann immer dasselbe: „Wie lange sind Sie hier? Wie alt sind Sie? Sind Verpflegung und Lohn gut?“ der große: “the great” König (m): king Preußen: Prussia berühmt: famous Armee (f): army in dieser Armee: in this army Regiment (nt): soldier regiment besonder: special nur: only sehr: very Soldat (m., pl.-en): soldier man findet: one finds in diesem Regiment: in this regiment denn: because bekommen: receive Essen (n): food Lohn (m): wage, money lieben: loves dieses (nt): this besuchen: visit es: it oft: often fragen: ask dann: then immer: always dasselbe: the same thing wie lange: how long? “wie lange sind Sie hier?” / “wie lange bist du hier?”: how long have you been here? Verpflegung (f): accommodation … 1) Woher kommt der junge Solat? ____________________ 2) Was bekommen die Soldaten in Preußen? ____________________ ...etc… 2. Students will be asked to read a section from the textbook on Mozart, render a translation of it into English, and answer basic questions about the story. Example: Mozart hat eine große Liebe zum Klavier, zur Musik und zur Kunst. Mozart besucht oft seine Freunde und spielt Musik vor dem Abendessen. Er grüßt die Gäste freundlich, geht sogleich ins Musikzimmer und setzt sich ans Klavier. Dann spielt er stundenlang seine schönsten Lieder und Konzerte. Die Gäste kommen ins Musikzimmer und hören die Musik zu. Klavier (n): piano Liebe zu-: love for Kunst (f): art Abendessen (n): diner besuchen: to visit oft: often vor: before Gäste (< Gast (m): guest grüßen: to greet sogleich: immediately sich setzen an: to sit down at studenlang: for hours schönst-: most beautiful Lieder (< Lied (n)): song Konzert (m): concerto zu.hören: to listen to 1) Wofür hat Mozart eine große Liebe? ____________________ 2) Wer hört Mozarts Musik zu? __________________________

    Writing, Problem Solving or Performance

    Example A: Short Story writing Students will write a short story in German according to the given prompt. Students satisfy the requirements of the essay by including certain grammatical, lexical, and pragmatic features in their essay, as specified in the essay directions. After submitting a first draft, students will receive detailed feedback on grammatical and lexical usage mistakes. Students are to submit a second, corrected draft using this feedback from the instructor. Example of Short Story prompt: “You are in Salzburg Austria on Dec 6th (St. Nikolaus’ Day), buying Xmas presents for your family and friends, when a Krampus appears! What do you do?” Requirements: 1) Buy gifts for at least 2 people, using Dative grammar (Ie: I buy my mom some perfume, I buy my friend a tshirt), 2) Use at least 2 of the “stem-changing verbs” (semi-irregular verbs) (ie, verbs like laufen, sprechen, fahren…), 3) Use at least 4 prepositions (or MORE!) words like mit, zu, durch, für, aus… 4) Describe somethings you see in town by saying “es gibt (+Acc)” (there are…), 5) describe the weather Example B: Grammar Drill worksheets Students will regularly receive worksheets focused on producing German articles and verbs in their correct forms. These will include “fill-in-the-blank”, “translate into English”, and “translate into German” drills. Examples of Grammar Drill worksheet problems A) Fill in the article as directed _________ Mann (m) gibt __________ Frau (f) ______ Buch (nt) the (Nom.) the (Dat.) a (Acc.) B) Translate into English “Am Wochende möchte ich mit meinem Vater ins Kino gehen” _________________________________ C) Translate into German “For Christmas I would like to buy my mother some perfume” ______________________________________

    Other (Term projects, research papers, portfolios, etc.)

    Required Materials

    • Wie Geht's
      • Author: Sevin - Sevin
      • Publisher: Cengage Learning
      • Publication Date: 2015
      • Text Edition: 10th
      • Classic Textbook?:
      • OER Link:
      • OER:

    Other materials and-or supplies required of students that contribute to the cost of the course.