We had a big old class today since we integrated with the 8th graders due to Fr. Carlander's absence.
It all started off quite normally: we did a video of 6 German riddles, did Meine Woche, and then proceeded to our different lessons.
The 8th graders worked on a packet of assignments while the 7th graders progressed further in their lesson on modal verbs.
We did "sollen" and "müssen," focusing primarily on the nuanced meaning of "should" and "must" respectively. Sollen is used not merely in the sense of "what ought to be done," but also in a sense of obligation or wisdom, e.g. "this is what you are obligated to do" as well as "this would be a good idea." Incidentally, this is reflected in Martin Luther's translation of the Bible, wherein he used "sollen" for the 10 Commandments.
Example: "Du sollst nicht töten" (thou shalt not kill).
Müssen is a little nuanced. Yes it can mean simply "must" as in what one has to do, but when used in the negative (muss nicht) it actually states what one "doesn't have to do."
Example: "Du musst nicht schlafen" doesn't mean "you are not allowed to sleep," but rather "you don't have to sleep."
After lunch, the 8th graders performed some presentations they had been working on, and then as a whole combined class we made our own "10 Commandments." Each student came up with 10, then selected their best 2, and we voted as a class on the total list. My favorite was, "Du sollst nicht Zwerge braten" (you shouldn't grill dwarves).
We finished up our comparative Iron Age Religion by talking about the Nordic-Germanic gods and how they were worshiped.
Mit Vergnügen
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Saturday, January 21, 2017
21.Januar '17 - Slightly morbid
Guten Tag,
Today we opened class with some riddles, 5 Rätsel entirely auf Deutsch that left the class scratching their heads in confusion... not because of the language, but because of the riddles themselves.
Try this one on for size:
"Ein Man baut ein blaues quadratisches Haus. All 4 Wände sind nach süden gerichtet. Es kommt ein Bär vorbei. Welche Farbe hat der Bär?"
We went over sentence structure once more (SHIV/SHIM) and applied it once again to the modal verbs. We quickly reviewed the overall list from last week, shown below, and then focused a bit on how to politely ask permission.
Wollen - Want
Sollen - Should
Müssen - Must
Können - Can
Dürfen - May
Möchten - Would Like
Last week we talked about how using möchten to express desire (I would like suchandsuch, please!) was by far the more polite way of doing so rather than using wollen (I WANT IT I WANT IT I WANT IT). This week we covered the bane of all children: "Can I do suchandsuch?" "I don't know, can you?" and how that annoying bit of correction translates into German almost directly.
When asking permission, use dürfen instead of können, otherwise, like in English, you are literally asking whether or not you have the ability to do something.
We covered in-detail the conjugations of the verbs we've done so far (wollen, möchten, können, dürfen) and did some short roleplay with können/dürfen.
Our cultural historical unit continued with a lesson over the Roman Empire's religious habits, both the gods themselves (Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, etc.), observance (libations, prayer, sacrifice, etc.) and most importantly, syncretism and "the cultural identity." We covered in-depth how religion was less about metaphysics and internalized belief and more about "what one does," what it meant to be a good Roman. That this was why citizens and assimilated cultures were expected to (gradually) worship as the Romans did, for the sake of cultural conformity as opposed to any kind of "zeal" or "piety."
Syncretism is always my favorite to cover, the whole "You can worship your gods but slightly differently and also by the way they have the same names as my gods for now on" form of appropriation leading to assimilation. The illustration we did was this:
*me wearing a centurion hat*
"So you're a Roman now. I see you guys worship 'Odin,' huh? Well that's nice. We call him Mercury. You can keep worshipping Odin but be sure to call him Mercury. Also, teach your kids to say 'Mercury' from here on. K? Cool."
Next week we will cover the Germanic half of the comparison with the teutonic/nordic pantheon and religious practices.
I was asked again why we are learning about Rome. The point of this, of comparing Iron Age Rome and Iron Age Germania in all of their various facets of life is to emphasize two things:
~Mit Vergnügen
Today we opened class with some riddles, 5 Rätsel entirely auf Deutsch that left the class scratching their heads in confusion... not because of the language, but because of the riddles themselves.
Try this one on for size:
"Ein Man baut ein blaues quadratisches Haus. All 4 Wände sind nach süden gerichtet. Es kommt ein Bär vorbei. Welche Farbe hat der Bär?"
We went over sentence structure once more (SHIV/SHIM) and applied it once again to the modal verbs. We quickly reviewed the overall list from last week, shown below, and then focused a bit on how to politely ask permission.
Wollen - Want
Sollen - Should
Müssen - Must
Können - Can
Dürfen - May
Möchten - Would Like
Last week we talked about how using möchten to express desire (I would like suchandsuch, please!) was by far the more polite way of doing so rather than using wollen (I WANT IT I WANT IT I WANT IT). This week we covered the bane of all children: "Can I do suchandsuch?" "I don't know, can you?" and how that annoying bit of correction translates into German almost directly.
When asking permission, use dürfen instead of können, otherwise, like in English, you are literally asking whether or not you have the ability to do something.
We covered in-detail the conjugations of the verbs we've done so far (wollen, möchten, können, dürfen) and did some short roleplay with können/dürfen.
Our cultural historical unit continued with a lesson over the Roman Empire's religious habits, both the gods themselves (Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, etc.), observance (libations, prayer, sacrifice, etc.) and most importantly, syncretism and "the cultural identity." We covered in-depth how religion was less about metaphysics and internalized belief and more about "what one does," what it meant to be a good Roman. That this was why citizens and assimilated cultures were expected to (gradually) worship as the Romans did, for the sake of cultural conformity as opposed to any kind of "zeal" or "piety."
Syncretism is always my favorite to cover, the whole "You can worship your gods but slightly differently and also by the way they have the same names as my gods for now on" form of appropriation leading to assimilation. The illustration we did was this:
*me wearing a centurion hat*
"So you're a Roman now. I see you guys worship 'Odin,' huh? Well that's nice. We call him Mercury. You can keep worshipping Odin but be sure to call him Mercury. Also, teach your kids to say 'Mercury' from here on. K? Cool."
Next week we will cover the Germanic half of the comparison with the teutonic/nordic pantheon and religious practices.
I was asked again why we are learning about Rome. The point of this, of comparing Iron Age Rome and Iron Age Germania in all of their various facets of life is to emphasize two things:
- The complexity and gravity of the decision made by the tribesmen not to assimilate (The Battle of Teutoburg)
- The uniqueness of Germany and German history in Western Europe
Germania's interactions with Rome in the first century AD determined the (would-be) country's path forward in ways we are still feeling to this very day. That is why we talk about Rome and Germania.
~Mit Vergnügen
Saturday, January 14, 2017
14. Januar '17 - Being Polite
Today we began with a "Meine Woche" presented by yours truly, and then did our listening comprehension with a video from Mirellativegal about "How to be Vegetarier," which gave us such insightful tips as "Esse kein Fleisch" and "Kaufe kein Fleisch."
Our lesson covered modal verbs, their proper sentence structure (similar to SHIP, modal verb is the helping verb and the main verb goes at the end) and their usage in proper discourse.
We covered how "dürfen" (may) is correctly used instead of "können" (can) when asking permission, and how "möchten" (would like) is the polite way of making a request in lieu of using "wollen" (want).
These are very similar to polite discourse in English.
We did some roleplaying with this, and at the end played a game of "Wer hat das Einhorn?" for Spaß.
The homework is that the kids must persuade me not to give them anymore homework. In 4 sentences, using the appropriate modal verbs, tell me:
Our lesson covered modal verbs, their proper sentence structure (similar to SHIP, modal verb is the helping verb and the main verb goes at the end) and their usage in proper discourse.
We covered how "dürfen" (may) is correctly used instead of "können" (can) when asking permission, and how "möchten" (would like) is the polite way of making a request in lieu of using "wollen" (want).
These are very similar to polite discourse in English.
We did some roleplaying with this, and at the end played a game of "Wer hat das Einhorn?" for Spaß.
The homework is that the kids must persuade me not to give them anymore homework. In 4 sentences, using the appropriate modal verbs, tell me:
- You would not like homework, and why
- Why I should not give homework
These will be read aloud in front of the class, and the more persuasive (and dramatic) the reasons and their presentation, the better.
Mit Vergnügen
Sunday, January 8, 2017
8. Januar '17 - And We're Back
With the chaos, havoc, mayhem, pandemonium, bedlam, and all-around shenanigans of the holidays finally past us, life and Deutsch Schule have resumed as normal.
For our first class of 2017, we began as we had in the past with "Meine Woche," though this time covering the entire holiday sweep, "Meine Feiertage." I wish I could say it was interesting, but I have a remarkably boring family.
Our listening comprehension for the day went a bit differently than usual. When I began handing out copies of our song to translate, "Familie bis ins Mark" from My Little Pony, someone lamented that it'd be so much more fun if we could just sing the song instead. So we did. We walked through the song text together as a class, and then sang through it a couple times (much to the surprise of students who walked in late, only to see us all singing a pony song).
The bulk of our work went into a review and wrap-up of our past unit over the past tense/present perfect. Students were divided up into 3 groups, each of which had to re-teach the class over one of the key points:
For our first class of 2017, we began as we had in the past with "Meine Woche," though this time covering the entire holiday sweep, "Meine Feiertage." I wish I could say it was interesting, but I have a remarkably boring family.
Our listening comprehension for the day went a bit differently than usual. When I began handing out copies of our song to translate, "Familie bis ins Mark" from My Little Pony, someone lamented that it'd be so much more fun if we could just sing the song instead. So we did. We walked through the song text together as a class, and then sang through it a couple times (much to the surprise of students who walked in late, only to see us all singing a pony song).
The bulk of our work went into a review and wrap-up of our past unit over the past tense/present perfect. Students were divided up into 3 groups, each of which had to re-teach the class over one of the key points:
- Syntax, "SHIP" (Subject, Helping Verb, In-between details, Past Participle)
- Strong vs. Weak verbs (forming the past participle)
- Haben vs. Sein (using helping verbs)
In each presentation, they had to make a poster, notes on the board, examples, and exercises. This was in lieu of a test or quiz on the topic.
Next week, we resume our learning about the Roman Empire and Iron Age Germany. There has been some confusion expressed as to why we are bothering with Rome when "it isn't German."
To further clarify, the bulk of what we know about ancient Germany comes from its interaction with Rome and the writings of such historians as Pliny and Tacitus. Understanding what was recorded (and what has since been discovered) about this ancient gaggle of tribes requires understanding the writers of the histories as well as the state of the world at that time.
For instance, understanding Germania's successful resistance against absorption by Rome (unlike pretty much all of the rest of Western Europe) requires understanding that this was not a struggle of "FREEDOM!" versus "THE EMPIRE," of a small band of noble warriors versus a monolothic empire of evil, but rather a nuanced struggle of economic opportunism versus cultural dissonance between loosely federated "farmers with sticks" and a civilization so advanced that they even had indoor plumbing.
In short, by understanding Rome, we understand what Germania was and wasn't, which better sets the stage for understanding the rest of German history.
Our next lesson is comparative religion in Imperial Rome and Iron Age Germany, or as I like to call it, "Planets versus Marvel Movies." I consider it a personal challenge each year to try to explain to 7th graders what polytheistic synchretism is.
To further clarify, the bulk of what we know about ancient Germany comes from its interaction with Rome and the writings of such historians as Pliny and Tacitus. Understanding what was recorded (and what has since been discovered) about this ancient gaggle of tribes requires understanding the writers of the histories as well as the state of the world at that time.
For instance, understanding Germania's successful resistance against absorption by Rome (unlike pretty much all of the rest of Western Europe) requires understanding that this was not a struggle of "FREEDOM!" versus "THE EMPIRE," of a small band of noble warriors versus a monolothic empire of evil, but rather a nuanced struggle of economic opportunism versus cultural dissonance between loosely federated "farmers with sticks" and a civilization so advanced that they even had indoor plumbing.
In short, by understanding Rome, we understand what Germania was and wasn't, which better sets the stage for understanding the rest of German history.
Our next lesson is comparative religion in Imperial Rome and Iron Age Germany, or as I like to call it, "Planets versus Marvel Movies." I consider it a personal challenge each year to try to explain to 7th graders what polytheistic synchretism is.
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