Students who enter this level are able to accomplish everyday needs required to live in a new culture. In this course, students will begin to develop independence and autonomy so that, when communication does break down, they have some tools at their disposal to resolve these challenges independently. Students should welcome correction and guidance from their instructors, hosts, and others in the community as they progress.
By the end of this course, students will begin to converse at a rate of speed approaching normal conversation. They will start to become creative, spontaneous, and self-reliant as they solve problems, interpret texts, negotiate, and express their opinions, likes, and dislikes in the culture. Although students will make errors and experience communication breakdowns, they are sometimes able to resolve these on their own. Students will understand some colloquial expressions and slang, and will begin to understand a wider variety of native speakers from different backgrounds. By the end of this level, students will be capable of achieving the learning outcomes outlined below.
Prerequisites:
Proficiency at a level equivalent to IES Abroad’s Emerging Independent Abroad, as determined by placement test.
Attendance policy:
Attendance at all IES Abroad courses is mandatory. Absences will only be excused if you present a doctor's note. Unexcused absences will negatively affect the grade for participation. Excessive absenteeism will negatively affect the final grade.
Learning outcomes:
Students who are placed in this level should have achieved the outcomes in the Emerging Independent Abroad level as defined by the IES Abroad MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication.
By the end of the course, students will be able to achieve some of the outcomes for the Independent Abroad level as defined by the MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication. The key learning outcomes from the MAP are summarized below:
I. Intercultural Communication
A. Students will begin to identify at a basic level key host cultures, subcultures, habits, norms, and behaviors in a variety of settings, and they will be aware of the risk that generalizations can lead to stereotypes.
B. Students will start to identify their own cultural beliefs, behaviors, and values by contrasting and comparing them with those of the host cultures.
C. Students will be able to identify some gestures and body language, and they may be able to integrate some of those nonverbal actions into their interactions with native speakers.
II. Listening
A. Students will be able to understand some spoken communications of moderate complexity (media, speeches, music, conversations, etc.) on a wide range of concrete everyday topics as well as abstract topics covered in classes.
B. Students will begin to understand native speakers from a variety of backgrounds and limited experience with non-native speakers, and they will comprehend common colloquial expressions and slang.
III. Speaking
A. Students will be able to speak on and discuss concrete everyday and personal topics, abstract topics covered in classes, as well as other topics of particular interest to them.
B. Students will be able to participate and respond actively in a variety of interactions.
C. Students will be able to give short presentations on topics related to the host culture.
IV. Reading
A. Students will be able to read and understand articles, stories, and online texts using background knowledge to aid their comprehension.
B. Students will begin to read and understand the key ideas of academic texts on familiar topics with assistance.
V. Writing
A. Students will be able to meet many everyday writing needs (notes, text messages, formal and informal letters, emails, chats, online forums).
B. Students will be able to write essays for class that narrate, describe, report, compare, contrast, and summarize on a wide range of topics with developing degrees of grammatical and lexical accuracy.
C. Students will be able to edit their own and their peers’ writing for common errors covered in class.
Method of presentation:
Homework and participation, essays, Moodle, field studies
Required work and form of assessment:
Midterm 20 %
Final 30 %
Participation, homework, presentations, Moodle, field studies 50 %
content:
Week
Content
Assignments
Corresponding Learning Outcome(s)
Week 1
Mo-Fr
(intensive)
German Language and Culture Week
1. Functional:
• Introducing yourself
• German for everyday use: typical phrases to get along
• German small talk
2. Grammatical:
• Past tense
• Coordinating conjunctions
3.Vocabulary:
• Places and activities in the city
• Key data to Potsdam and Frederick the Great
4. Culture:
• City Search
• Visiting a museum, exhibition or similar in Berlin
• Field Trip to Potsdam
Interviewing classmates and teacher or staff
Reading articles about Potsdam and Berlin
Preparation for the
Field trip to Potsdam
Evaluation of City Search
Group Presentation
in Potsdam
I.A., II.A.,
III.A., IV.A., V.B.
Week 2
1.Functional:
· Talking about activities and preferences
· Talking about cities and sights
· Developing phonetic competence
2.Grammatical:
· Review of cases
· time-manner-place
3.Vocabulary:
· Free-time activities
· Happy life
4.Culture:
· German literature
· Field trip to Dresden
Making plans and arrangements
Writing a portrait using adverbs
Reading in roles: expressing a dramatic atmosphere
Collecting information about Dresden
I.A, III.A., IV.A., V.A,
Week 3
1.Functional:
· Talking about experiences, impressions and plans
· Stating an opinion, coming to an understanding
2.Grammatical:
· Review: Local prepositions
· Position and direction verbs
· Passive Voice (s. p.)
3.Vocabulary:
· Travel
· Countries and nationalities
4.Culture:
· Traveling in Europe
Describing places and reasons for traveling
Combine/sum up to main points
Moodle: Making a glossary
Interviewing host
II.A., III.A., IV.A., IV.B., V.B.
Week 4
1.Functional:
· Talking about housing situation
· Describing districts in Berlin
· Listening comprehension about living situation of German people
2.Grammatical:
· verbs with prepositions
· da-/wo-compounds
3.Vocabulary:
· Different living styles
· Vocabulary related to housing situation
4.Culture:
· Housing in Germany and the US
· Food culture
Presenting students'
neighborhood
Writing a summary of impressions of the city
Making a (street) questionnaire
I.A., II.B., III.A., III.C.
Week 5
1.Functional:
· Talking about daily headlines
· Stating pro and contra
· How to agree, disagree and to share opinions
2.Grammatical:
· Modal verb “sollen” in subjective using
· n - Declination
· Review for midterm exam
3.Vocabulary:
· Media culture
4.Culture:
· German media culture
Moodle: Working on glossary
Listening exercises on local politics and current affairs
Describing various newspapers
Role-play: advertising for a local project
I.B., II.A., II.B., III.B., IV.A.,V.B.
Week 6
Midterm
Midterm
Week 7
1. Functional:
· Talking about experiences
· Talking about differences
· Expressing impressions and opinions
2.Grammatical:
· Comparative, superlative
· Meaning of non separable prefixes in verbs
3.Vocabulary:
· Character traits
4.Culture:
· Colloquial speech / spoken language and slang
· German proverbs and interjections
· German and American traits
Role-play: importance of learning languages
Collecting examples for various speeches
Writing: contrasting German and American people and edit with classmates
I.B., I.C.,
II.B., III.B., IV.A.
Week 8
1.Functional:
· Talking about culture (film, music, art)
· Giving recommendations
· Comprehending structures of film dialogues, and lyrics
2.Grammatical:
· Relative clauses
· Declension of adjectives
3.Vocabulary:
· Vocabulary related to culture
4.Culture:
· German film: t.b.a.
· German music/art
Suggesting art events to friends
Explaining a story/plot
Reading about a German filmmaker
I.B., II.A., II.A., V.B., V.C., IV.B.
Week 9
1.Functional:
· Talking about studies or job applications
· How to give a presentation
2.Grammatical:
· Subordinating conjunctions
· Prepositions of Genitive
3.Vocabulary:
· Job and profession
· College and university
· Job-related adjectives
4.Culture:
· German and American working conditions
Describing working experiences
Analyzing statistical information about the job market (Berlin/Germany)
Moodle: glossary
I.A., I.B., II.B., III.A., IV.A., IV.B.
Week 10
1.Functional:
· Talking about protection of physical and mental health
· Talking about public facilities and services
· Talking about experiences
2.Grammatical:
· Subjunctive II: Advice
· Subjunctive II: Conditional phrases (present and past with modal verb)
3.Vocabulary:
· The human body
· Health problems
4.Culture:
· German and American health system
· Kinds of humor
Interviewing classmates: “What if…”
Role-play: at the doctor's
Giving instructions and telling short funny stories
I.A., I.B., II.A., III.A.
Week 11
1.Functional:
· Review for final exam
2.Grammatical:
· Review for final exam
3.Vocabulary:
· Review for final exam
4.Culture:
· Review for final exam
Review for final exam
Week 12
Final
Final
Subject to changes depending on level and progress of class.
Required readings:
Grammar book with all relevant subjects for the course.
Martina Marquardt-Langermann was born in Berlin. She has a Diploma in History and German Literature and holds a PhD in German literature with studies on literature and intellectuals in dictatorships. For more than ten years she has been a lector of German language at professional training centres and several institutes, including the Goethe Institute, the Technical University of Berlin and FU of Berlin. For the last few years she was a course director for the summer program “German for young adults” at the Goethe Institute in Berlin.
Students who enter this level are able to accomplish everyday needs required to live in a new culture. In this course, students will begin to develop independence and autonomy so that, when communication does break down, they have some tools at their disposal to resolve these challenges independently. Students should welcome correction and guidance from their instructors, hosts, and others in the community as they progress.
By the end of this course, students will begin to converse at a rate of speed approaching normal conversation. They will start to become creative, spontaneous, and self-reliant as they solve problems, interpret texts, negotiate, and express their opinions, likes, and dislikes in the culture. Although students will make errors and experience communication breakdowns, they are sometimes able to resolve these on their own. Students will understand some colloquial expressions and slang, and will begin to understand a wider variety of native speakers from different backgrounds. By the end of this level, students will be capable of achieving the learning outcomes outlined below.
Proficiency at a level equivalent to IES Abroad’s Emerging Independent Abroad, as determined by placement test.
Attendance at all IES Abroad courses is mandatory. Absences will only be excused if you present a doctor's note. Unexcused absences will negatively affect the grade for participation. Excessive absenteeism will negatively affect the final grade.
Students who are placed in this level should have achieved the outcomes in the Emerging Independent Abroad level as defined by the IES Abroad MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication.
By the end of the course, students will be able to achieve some of the outcomes for the Independent Abroad level as defined by the MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication. The key learning outcomes from the MAP are summarized below:
I. Intercultural Communication
A. Students will begin to identify at a basic level key host cultures, subcultures, habits, norms, and behaviors in a variety of settings, and they will be aware of the risk that generalizations can lead to stereotypes.
B. Students will start to identify their own cultural beliefs, behaviors, and values by contrasting and comparing them with those of the host cultures.
C. Students will be able to identify some gestures and body language, and they may be able to integrate some of those nonverbal actions into their interactions with native speakers.
II. Listening
A. Students will be able to understand some spoken communications of moderate complexity (media, speeches, music, conversations, etc.) on a wide range of concrete everyday topics as well as abstract topics covered in classes.
B. Students will begin to understand native speakers from a variety of backgrounds and limited experience with non-native speakers, and they will comprehend common colloquial expressions and slang.
III. Speaking
A. Students will be able to speak on and discuss concrete everyday and personal topics, abstract topics covered in classes, as well as other topics of particular interest to them.
B. Students will be able to participate and respond actively in a variety of interactions.
C. Students will be able to give short presentations on topics related to the host culture.
IV. Reading
A. Students will be able to read and understand articles, stories, and online texts using background knowledge to aid their comprehension.
B. Students will begin to read and understand the key ideas of academic texts on familiar topics with assistance.
V. Writing
A. Students will be able to meet many everyday writing needs (notes, text messages, formal and informal letters, emails, chats, online forums).
B. Students will be able to write essays for class that narrate, describe, report, compare, contrast, and summarize on a wide range of topics with developing degrees of grammatical and lexical accuracy.
C. Students will be able to edit their own and their peers’ writing for common errors covered in class.
Homework and participation, essays, Moodle, field studies
Week
Content
Assignments
Corresponding Learning Outcome(s)
Week 1
Mo-Fr
(intensive)
German Language and Culture Week
1. Functional:
• Introducing yourself
• German for everyday use: typical phrases to get along
• German small talk
2. Grammatical:
• Past tense
• Coordinating conjunctions
3.Vocabulary:
• Places and activities in the city
• Key data to Potsdam and Frederick the Great
4. Culture:
• City Search
• Visiting a museum, exhibition or similar in Berlin
• Field Trip to Potsdam
Interviewing classmates and teacher or staff
Reading articles about Potsdam and Berlin
Preparation for the
Field trip to Potsdam
Evaluation of City Search
Group Presentation
in Potsdam
I.A., II.A.,
III.A., IV.A., V.B.
Week 2
1.Functional:
· Talking about activities and preferences
· Talking about cities and sights
· Developing phonetic competence
2.Grammatical:
· Review of cases
· time-manner-place
3.Vocabulary:
· Free-time activities
· Happy life
4.Culture:
· German literature
· Field trip to Dresden
Making plans and arrangements
Writing a portrait using adverbs
Reading in roles: expressing a dramatic atmosphere
Collecting information about Dresden
I.A, III.A., IV.A., V.A,
Week 3
1.Functional:
· Talking about experiences, impressions and plans
· Stating an opinion, coming to an understanding
2.Grammatical:
· Review: Local prepositions
· Position and direction verbs
· Passive Voice (s. p.)
3.Vocabulary:
· Travel
· Countries and nationalities
4.Culture:
· Traveling in Europe
Describing places and reasons for traveling
Combine/sum up to main points
Moodle: Making a glossary
Interviewing host
II.A., III.A., IV.A., IV.B., V.B.
Week 4
1.Functional:
· Talking about housing situation
· Describing districts in Berlin
· Listening comprehension about living situation of German people
2.Grammatical:
· verbs with prepositions
· da-/wo-compounds
3.Vocabulary:
· Different living styles
· Vocabulary related to housing situation
4.Culture:
· Housing in Germany and the US
· Food culture
Presenting students'
neighborhood
Writing a summary of impressions of the city
Making a (street) questionnaire
I.A., II.B., III.A., III.C.
Week 5
1.Functional:
· Talking about daily headlines
· Stating pro and contra
· How to agree, disagree and to share opinions
2.Grammatical:
· Modal verb “sollen” in subjective using
· n - Declination
· Review for midterm exam
3.Vocabulary:
· Media culture
4.Culture:
· German media culture
Moodle: Working on glossary
Listening exercises on local politics and current affairs
Describing various newspapers
Role-play: advertising for a local project
I.B., II.A., II.B., III.B., IV.A.,V.B.
Week 6
Midterm
Midterm
Week 7
1. Functional:
· Talking about experiences
· Talking about differences
· Expressing impressions and opinions
2.Grammatical:
· Comparative, superlative
· Meaning of non separable prefixes in verbs
3.Vocabulary:
· Character traits
4.Culture:
· Colloquial speech / spoken language and slang
· German proverbs and interjections
· German and American traits
Role-play: importance of learning languages
Collecting examples for various speeches
Writing: contrasting German and American people and edit with classmates
I.B., I.C.,
II.B., III.B., IV.A.
Week 8
1.Functional:
· Talking about culture (film, music, art)
· Giving recommendations
· Comprehending structures of film dialogues, and lyrics
2.Grammatical:
· Relative clauses
· Declension of adjectives
3.Vocabulary:
· Vocabulary related to culture
4.Culture:
· German film: t.b.a.
· German music/art
Suggesting art events to friends
Explaining a story/plot
Reading about a German filmmaker
I.B., II.A., II.A., V.B., V.C., IV.B.
Week 9
1.Functional:
· Talking about studies or job applications
· How to give a presentation
2.Grammatical:
· Subordinating conjunctions
· Prepositions of Genitive
3.Vocabulary:
· Job and profession
· College and university
· Job-related adjectives
4.Culture:
· German and American working conditions
Describing working experiences
Analyzing statistical information about the job market (Berlin/Germany)
Moodle: glossary
I.A., I.B., II.B., III.A., IV.A., IV.B.
Week 10
1.Functional:
· Talking about protection of physical and mental health
· Talking about public facilities and services
· Talking about experiences
2.Grammatical:
· Subjunctive II: Advice
· Subjunctive II: Conditional phrases (present and past with modal verb)
3.Vocabulary:
· The human body
· Health problems
4.Culture:
· German and American health system
· Kinds of humor
Interviewing classmates: “What if…”
Role-play: at the doctor's
Giving instructions and telling short funny stories
I.A., I.B., II.A., III.A.
Week 11
1.Functional:
· Review for final exam
2.Grammatical:
· Review for final exam
3.Vocabulary:
· Review for final exam
4.Culture:
· Review for final exam
Review for final exam
Week 12
Final
Final
Subject to changes depending on level and progress of class.
Grammar book with all relevant subjects for the course.
Koithan et.al, Aspekte, Lehrbuch 1, Langenscheidt, 2007.
Martina Marquardt-Langermann was born in Berlin. She has a Diploma in History and German Literature and holds a PhD in German literature with studies on literature and intellectuals in dictatorships. For more than ten years she has been a lector of German language at professional training centres and several institutes, including the Goethe Institute, the Technical University of Berlin and FU of Berlin. For the last few years she was a course director for the summer program “German for young adults” at the Goethe Institute in Berlin.