Positivity and Proficiency

Something I have not been as great about doing during these Covid times has been reading novels.  My hope is that next school year I will get back to them again.  We are currently reading a novel in my level 3 and 4 AP classes and the plan is to read one in German 1 before the end of the year.  As I've said before, I am so impressed by my students and what that notice and ask about whenever we read a longer text.  They always ask great questions about the grammar and punctuation because they are seeing so much of the language.  Here are some of the activites that I like to do either after reading a section or to start the next day to remember what we read the during the previous class. Some of the fastest and simplest activties we do are 2 truths and a lie.   Students write 2 things that happened in the chapter and 1 thing that did not.  They read them outloud and classmates say which is the lie.  Another well liked activity is social media posts...

 Grüß dich!  Using authentic materials in my instruction has really lead to my students using more natural language and progressing more quickly (in some ways for some students).  I am a planner and do teach units.  Students love talking about favorite animals and pets alike and the animal unit is normally a class favorite.   When using authentic materials I remind students that it is okay that they do not understand every word.  I don't understand every word in English!  I also tell them to be proud of themselves for being able to take away major topics, a few details, and a few new words from an authentic material.  Students will notice so many new things (things I overlook and don't even think about until they point it out) about the language and culture from authentic materials.   When looking for authentic materials, I will google in the target language and add phrases like simple language or explained for kids to the end....

Hi again!  Today I want to share how I approach grammar in my classes.  I currently have 4 classes of German 1, 1 class of German 3, and 1 class of AP German 4.  In my level 1 classes, I teach grammar more as vocabulary and break it down more.  In my opinion, students do not need to conjugate all of the verbs or use all possessive pronouns on the same day.  This doesn't stick with the students and not all students are ready for everything at once.  Many students use something because they hear it or see it but aren't quite sure about the why.  Students are still getting grammar instruction in my class, but it's not the main focus.  Instead of saying our goals are conjugating verbs, we say what we are doing with that grammar instead.  Our goal is to tell what a friend or family member likes to do in his/her freetime.    For example, when we talk about our hobbies in class, I will have students talk about themselves for one day....

  Blog Post #1...Here We Go! Welcome!  I have thought about starting a blog for a couple of years now but have been reluctant to do so.  There are so many amazing Spanish and French teachers who have blogs and share what they are doing in their classrooms.  The German teaching world is blessed with a great community of teachers who share a lot; I couldn't survive without the numerous Facebook Groups that exist (AATG Listserve Fans!!) or conferences.  We don't have too many German teachers who are blogging though or sharing things a little more in depth.  I've been so nervous to do so too and thought of many reasons not to start a blog.  I am not that great of a writer, my German is not perfect, and even though I am in my 14th year of teaching I am such a work in progress as a teacher (especially during these Covid times).  I steal so many ideas from other teachers and don't always create things myself.  Often I think if I'm doing this, everyo...