Famous Cities: Listening & Speaking Practice in German
Look at fun postage stamps, learn about German cities, boost your listening & speaking skills! Taught by a former college professor and homeschool mom.
Jennifer Bjornstad, PhD (German/Writing)
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(194)
Rising Star
What's included
3 pre-recorded lessons
3 weeks
of teacher support1 year access
to the contentAssignments
1 hour per week. Learners will watch short videos. The videos include listening and speaking activities. Students will have time to do each activity during the video, and then we will go over the correct answers together. There are 3 listening & speaking activities.Certificate of Completion
A Certificate of Completion is available upon request.Class Experience
US Grade 4 - 5
Intermediate Level
Guten Tag! In this class, you’ll listen to questions and give answers in German. Our “conversations” will be based on some beautiful postage stamps (drawn by Heinz Schillinger) that give you views of famous German cities. In this class, you’ll get… + three 10-minute interactive videos + the opportunity to ask me any questions that come up as you do the work I have a PhD in German and 25+ years of experience teaching, so I really know my stuff. I'm also a former homeschool mom who is warm and encouraging. I take you through the learning material clearly, step by step. Read below for more details. I hope you’ll join the class! --Dr. Jennifer ------------ STAMPS BY HEINZ SCHILLINGER An artist named Heinz Schillinger designed the postage stamps we will look at in this class. He designed them for the German Post Office (the “Deutsche Bundespost”). He drew these stamps in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. He drew monuments, portraits, and things from nature. He even won a prize for “most beautiful postage stamp in the world”! One particularly nice set of stamps shows us line drawings of famous German cities like Bremen, Hamburg, and Oberammergau. ------------ THE SELF-PACED FORMAT This is a self-paced class, which means there are no live meetings on Zoom. Instead, you work your way through the pre-recorded, pre-written learning materials posted in the classroom (interactive videos). You can go through the class at whatever pace works best for you. - If you finish early, great—you can move on to your next German class! - If you need more time, no problem. Just let me know. If you have questions as you are working on the material, you can message me at any time. The class will probably take you around 30 minutes to complete. ------------ LEARNING MATERIALS Here’s what you’ll do in the class: 1 – You’ll watch 3 videos (10 minutes each). - We’ll look at some postage stamp images. - I’ll ask questions in German about the images. - You’ll give answers in German. Along the way, we’ll learn some important vocabulary for describing cityscapes! ------------ LANGUAGE Language of Instruction: English Language of Reading Texts: German ------------ ADVANCED BEGINNER & INTERMEDIATE LEVEL This class is best for advanced beginners or intermediate-level learners. Answer the following questions to determine if you’re ready for the class. + If I asked you questions like these in spoken German, would you understand? Wo ist die Brücke: im Hintergrund, oder im Vordergrund? Wie viele Fenster gibt es in dem Haus in der Mitte: drei, oder dreizehn? + Do you know some basic German words like these? der Baum, der Fluss, das Schiff, die Brücke, das Fenster, die Tür If yes, then you’ll enjoy this class! ------------ THE COMPLETE CURRICULUM If you’re interested in becoming truly fluent in German, see my full German curriculum: https://outschool.com/search?q=bjornstad. Send me a message if you have questions or would like a copy of my “German for High Schoolers” information sheet.
Learning Goals
Students will build vocabulary knowledgeStudents will practice their listening & speaking skills
Syllabus
3 Lessons
over 3 WeeksLesson 1:
Hamburg
12 mins of video lessons
Lesson 2:
Heidelberg
9 mins of video lessons
Lesson 3:
Saarbrücken
11 mins of video lessons
Other Details
Learning Needs
This self-paced class works well for students with unique learning needs. Students can pause the video to make notes and rewind to watch a section again for deeper understanding.
Parental Guidance
Here's an answer key for the words and sentences in the course description that you can use as a little placement test for your learner:
+ Can you puzzle out the meanings of sentences like these?
Es gibt viele Bäume im Wald hinter der Stadt.
There are many trees in the forest behind the city.
Die Schiffe bringen Produkte von einem Land zum anderen.
The ships bring products from one country to another.
Die Häuser sind sehr niedrig, und die Bergen sind sehr hoch.
The houses/buildings are very low, and the mountains are very high.
+ Do you know some basic German words like these?
der Baum, der Fluss, das Schiff, die Brücke, das Fenster, die Tür
tree, river, ship, bridge, window, door
Pre-Requisites
This class works best for learners at the advanced beginner or intermediate level. Have your learner take the little placement test in the Course Description. (You can check their answers with the key in the Parental Guidance section.)
Joined November, 2020
5.0
194reviews
Rising Star
Teacher expertise and credentials
2 Teaching Certificates
Indiana Teaching Certificate in English/Language Arts
Indiana Teaching Certificate in Foreign Language
Doctoral Degree in Foreign Language from University of Wisconsin-Madison
I have been teaching German, writing, and arts & humanities for more than 25 years, including 18 years of full-time work at Valparaiso University and 4 years now on Outschool. I have a PhD in German Literature, and I am a trained and licensed high school German teacher (grades 5-12). I bring first-rate content knowledge and pedagogical expertise to the online classroom, plus a genuine love of working with young learners.
I am especially interested in helping younger students become enthusiastic language learners. My focus on learning strategies and study skills is an added benefit, useful for any learner.
See my Profile Page for my resume.Reviews
Self-Paced Course
$5
weekly or $15 for all content3 pre-recorded lessons
3 weeks of teacher support
Choose your start date
1 year of access to the content
Choose your start date
Ages: 10-12
