Guten Tag! In this class, you’ll work to gain more advanced German skills, step by step.
+ You’ll learn new vocabulary
+ You’ll practice two-way prepositions
+ You’ll become an accomplished reader 
+ You’ll learn about the world of German children’s literature

I have a PhD in German and 25+ years of experience teaching German, so I really know my stuff. I'm also a former homeschool mom who is warm and encouraging. I’m a careful explainer, and I provide lots of straightforward, clear examples. I know that if you take this class you will see a solid advancement in your German skills.

Please read more below for class details. I so much hope you’ll sign up for the class! Ben liebt Anna is a really enjoyable book, and I can’t wait to share it with you. 

--Dr. Jennifer

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Peter Härtling was one of Germany’s most important 20th-century authors. He wrote poetry and prose for adult readers, including a number of facinating historical-biographical novels on key German musicians and writers such as Franz Schubert (Romantic composer of “Der Erlkönig” and the song-series “Winterreise”) and E.T.A. Hoffman (Romantic fantasy writer you may know from the plot-weirdnesses of the Nutcracker Suite!).

Härtling also was extremely well-known as a children’s writer. His books for young people canvas a variety of key issues and bring his high literary qualities to a shorter book length and simpler prose style that children (and language learners!) can easily understand.

Ben liebt Anna tells the story of Ben, who falls for the new girl in class, a girl from Poland named Anna whose family faces a variety of challenges as they attempt to integrate themselves into German society. The book is quirky, funny, and accompanied by fabulous illustrations by Eva Muggenthaler. Ben liebt Anna has been read by generations of German schoolchildren and is a classic worth knowing; think Charlotte’s Web, James and the Giant Peach, Wonder.

In this Structured Reading class, you get vocabulary and plot support before reading each chapter. By the end of the 8 weeks, you will have read the whole first half of the book, a great accomplishment! 

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This Structured Reading class is perfect for…
- students who have taken German 1 and German 2 with me
- anyone who has reached the intermediate level in another way, e.g. duolingo, other introductory classes, or speaking German at home

+ Can you puzzle out the meanings of sentences like these?
Ben fragte Holger über die Liebe aus.
Anna trug ein geblümtes Kleid.
Onkel Gerhard machte immer viele Witze, und Ben fand ihn toll.

+ Do you know some basic German words like these?
der Boden, das Zimmer, die Arbeit, die Wohnung, neugierig, reden, wachen, streiten, wissen

If yes, then you’ll enjoy this Structured Reading class!

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The language of instruction is English and German. We read the text, naturally, in German.

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The class offers approximately 90 minutes of learning material per lesson, so a total of 270 minutes (16 class periods).

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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 (reading guides, videos, slide presentations, worksheets, vocabulary lists, and flashcards).

The class is listed as an 8-week class because there are 8 lessons, but you can go through the course at whatever pace works best for you.
- If you finish before the 8 weeks are up, great—you can move on to the next class.
- If you need longer than the 8 weeks, no problem. Just let me know.

If you have questions as you are working on the material, you can message me at any time.

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Here’s what you’ll do each lesson:

1 – You’ll watch a 15-20 minute video on the lesson’s content

2 – You’ll complete a reading guide for the chapter

3 – You’ll read the chapter

4 – You’ll watch a 15-20 minute video on the lesson’s grammar topic
I use two cameras: you’ll see me talking to you & you’ll see what I’m writing at my desk. I use big bright markers on a big sheet of paper so that you can easily follow the notes and examples. 

You can kick back and just soak in the information, or you can sit up straight and take notes along with me—whatever works best for you. You can pause the video at any time to take a break, use the speed controls to move things along, or even repeat the video 2 or 3 times. This is your learning and you can do it your way, at your pace.

5 – You’ll complete a worksheet. 
Each worksheet matches the lesson’s grammar topic. (In this class, everything is focused on two-way prepositions.) I also provide an answer key so that you can check your answers.

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Note: This material is part of the German 3 curriculum.

If you are taking my full curriculum, (German 1, German 2, German 3) and you are not yet in German 3, you may want to wait until then before working through this material. We work on it together, week by week, in German 3.

To see all of my Outschool classes, go here: 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.

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Sign up for “Structured Reading: Ben liebt Anna (Part 1 of 2)” now to work toward more advanced German skills!