Welcome to the class, and welcome to the blog!

Willkommen in diesem neuen Schuljahr! This class is my favorite class, as it is the only class I teach, and accordingly it is the best (and worst) class of my entire annual repertoire.
Welcome to the 7th grade of the Danube Swabians Weekend German School!

A few notes about how class is run:

1. This blog is updated (and linked via email) weekly on either Saturday or Sunday following, depending on circumstances. Herein shall be outlined all pertinent class activities, topics covered, and most importantly, the occasional homework assignment. 
2. Homework is an infrequent occurrence, hence any given assignment is that much more important to get done. Usually it is only either 'extra credit' or as make up for not having been in class.
3. In-class participation is graded as "Fleiss" each semester. Participation is tracked by each student individually via a Mitmachen Tabelle that I provided; each time they answer a question, contribute to a discussion, or participate in activities, I tally points for them for that day, with the goal being to get at least 5 marks per day. Doing the homework assignments provides equivalent participation points for those who were not in class.
4. The vast majority of our work is in-class research, group projects, and creative activities. Accordingly, while we cover a great deal of material, it is less academic and more kinesthetic. Posting assignments to be done at home is challenging in that so much of what we do requires the classroom setting, so please attend as often as possible. 
5. We do a great deal that requires internet access, such as interactive games and research. Bringing a phone or tablet that can use the Wi Fi every day is highly recommended. I am not one of those teachers who confiscates phones, so long as they are not becoming a distraction.

We have begun the school year by getting to know one another a bit through some extremely creative and original games that of course I made up myself and didn't at all get off any teaching websites (that I'd be happy to share with you). On day one we played a game I call "Wie heißt du?" that is fun because it involves projectiles. 

Each morning, we open the class up with a presentation I call "Meine Woche," wherein I describe in a German tirade all the interesting (or if it was a boring week, entirely fabricated) things that I have done this week, and the students summarize it back to me or answer questions. This is a so-called "ice breaker" as well as some listening comprehension.

After that, we go into listening comprehension exercises, wherein I play either a song, music video, or even podcast in German (typically off YouTube), and the students answer questions and talk about it. Week one it was a video from my favorite podcaster, Mirellativegal. This week, it was a new and creative take on the Cinderella story by one of my favorite bands, "Das Letzte Streichholz" by Oomph!

This week and last week we have been going over how to express preferences and likes using gern, lieber, and am liebsten either with "haben" (in the case of nouns) or with verbs (in the case of activities). 

To practice this, we have gone around asking one another's preferences on different topics, and then presenting the results in poster form, and this past week we also did some elaborate role plays in class wherein groups of 3 discussed/argued about their made-up plans. 

We also played a game of Kahoot over the topic. 

We will be wrapping up that unit next week with a short assessment that will be done in class.

Mit Vergnügen

29. April '17 - Story Time

Today we told stories! Or rather we finished up the presentations of fairy tales and poems, followed by each student presenting the tongue twisters that they had made for homework.

Next we engaged in an activity that I can as of now finally start calling a tradition, since it's the second year that we've done it: so-called 'Warm Fuzzies.' This activity involves every student in the class writing 1 nice thing about every other student. We then cut these out into little paper bits, collect them per person, and as such every student comes away from the activity with a nice little pile of compliments.

We followed this up with a video from Mirellativegal, and then got to the main event: introducing "Das Romische Rätselhafte Mordbankett" or "The Roman Murder Mystery Banquet." Yes, I had to invent the word "Mordbankett" for this. Apparently the Germans never had the need for the phrase, "Murder Banquet."
In two weeks on 5/13 (since we need to prepare a bit next week), we shall have our own Iron Age era themed equivalent of "Clue," basically. We shall bring food, wear costumes, and each portray a pre-assigned character. One of us will be gradually poisoning every one else over the course of the "evening," and the banquet guests (in an Imperial Roman villa) must figure out who it is... before it's too late. This usually last about an hour, and for the sake of learning no one is allowed for the duration to speak in anything but:

• German (because obviously)
• Latin (because Rome)
• Greek (because again, Rome)
• Aramaic (rare but it happened)
• Ancient Gaulic (if you know how to do this, I'm impressed) 

Further details will be discussed next week, including the food and entertainment assignments. Each student must not only bring something, but also perform something as well for the sake of the partygoers. 

Mit Vergnügen~

22.April '17 - Märchen und Gefahr

Today was danger day, the day that tests us, taking us to our very limits, challenging us to move beyond what once we thought our highest boundaries. Today... we read fairy tales.

For the first hour of the day, we read aloud and discussed several German fairy tales, which of course, being German fairy tales, were weird beyond comprehension. There was a dwarf-killing talking bear who turned into a prince, shoe making elves who teleport into your house at midnight, and of course a wolf capable of devouring grandma whole and completely unscathed.

Once the madness was at an end, we next ran our annual obstacle course. With most of the class in a conga-style line with their eyes closed, one at a time a single student would call out commands (Nach rechts, nach links, vorwärts, rückwärts, halt) to guide them through the school, out the doors, around a field, etc.

We ended the day talking about proper pronunciation of common German syllables and running through some tongue twisters.

The homework for the week is for each to make up their own German tongue twister, at least 10 words long.

Mit Vergnügen

AATG Day - 8.April '17

Today we spent most of the day taking the level 1 AATG exam.

For the rest of class, we went over and began what will be a series of in-class presentations for the next time we meet, 22. April.

The assignment is as follows:

Gedichte-Geschichte-Märchen Vorlesen
Pick out a poem, story, song or fairy tale to read out loud to the class. This must be between 5 and 10 minutes long when you read it. 
Prepare 5 questions to ask the class to test their comprehension. 
The questions may be in English (if about main ideas) or in German (if about specific details). 

So far we have the following stories chosen:

• Peter: Rottkäppchen
• Samantha: Sneeweißchen und Rosenrot
• Anna U: Die Prinzessin auf der Erbse
• Emily: Frau Holle
• Sarah: Als der Nikolaus Kam
• Peter: Zum Ersten Tag als Rentner

You may not choose the same story as someone else.

These stories must be well-practiced so that they may be read aloud quickly and, most importantly, comprehensibly. Stumbling through and asking how to say words will greatly disrupt the experience and make it harder for the class to understand. 

Mit Vergnügen

1.April '17 - Teutoburg, No Tricks

The most fun thing about teaching on April 1st was that the class spent the entire day anticipating a prank that never came. That is the best kind of prank, you see: doing nothing at all and letting their minds run with it.

Today we did Teutoburg. I can say quite easily it was the best Battle of Teutoburg play I have seen to-date! We ran through it 3 times, recorded, and then had an encore performance for the 4th and 6th grade classes so the latter could see what to expect next year and, well, the former was just curious and wanted to know what all the noise was about.

After the break, we had a further lesson on the dative case, expanding it into a lesson on the accusative and the difference between the two.

NEXT WEEK WE ARE TAKING THE AATG LEVEL 1 EXAM. THOUGHT YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW. THIS IS A BENCHMARK AND A STUDY AID FOR NEXT YEAR'S LEVEL 2 EXAM THAT THEY WILL TAKE AS 8TH GRADERS. SO WHILE THIS TEST IS INDEED FOR REAL, IT IS INTENDED AS PRACTICE. PLEASE BRING A LAPTOP OR TABLET AND EARBUDS/HEADPHONES.

Mit Vergnügen!

11.März '17 - Pretty Pictures

We began our day like any other day, only this time with sugar. There was so much sugar. I had way too many cookie bars, so I brought them to class. The class ate their fill, so I gave it to the 8th grade. That class ate their fill, so I gave it to the 6th. Then the teachers. Then the parent volunteers.

After our sugar, we began the People of Teutoburg presentations. We ran through half the class, and the other half will present next week.

Most of the time was then spent with a review of the dative case, followed by our Unicorn Hunt (a scavenger hunt) wherein the class had to locate the unicorns I hid throughout the school, using only the riddles I made for them. Once found, they had to describe (in complete sentences with dative prepositions) where the unicorns had been.

After the break, we fulfilled our annual tradition of making a new Teutoburg mural. It's a beauty, really.

Starting next week, we will begin work on our Teutoburg play.

Mit Vergnügen

4.März '17 - Beginning Teutoburg

Guten Tag,


Today we opened with finishing out most of the "Meine Nächste Woche" Presentations, followed by my week as well.

We wrapped up the Future Tense unit with a pop quiz on the topic.

Then, we introduced our new unit over cases. First we are doing the dative case, the case used for stating spatial location.

Beginning a new aspect of our overarching historical unit, we read and went through a packet I made summarizing the Battle of Teutoburg Forest. We discussed the key figures in the event, and as homework each child present is doing independent research on said key figures as well.

In coming weeks, we will do our annual Teutoburgerschlacht mural as well as the class play and, of course, the Roman Murder Mystery Banquet.

Mit Vergnügen