About German 101

Features of German 101:

(Jump ahead to German 102?)

• Short articles and dialogues in each chapter.
• Extra practice for each grammar concept.
• Links to an interactive video series that reviews grammar and vocabulary.
• Comic strips to promote interest, reading, and provide additional visual examples.
• Exercises for both in-class and out of class.
• Links to German music with grammar concepts. A range of songs from the 1980s to the present day is included to help introduce the music culture.
• Links to videos that reteach each grammar concept and pronounce new words.
• Oral Proficiency Interview practice at the end of each chapter with helpful tips.
• Quick upgrades as necessary. As feedback is received, more practice and videos will be added.

New words are introduced gradually in colored text boxes next to each concept.  Sections can be combined or rearranged to make the desired chapter length.  For example, if you wish to cover the alphabet on day one, simply do that section first.  I’ve placed it in the middle of chapter one because I prefer to gradually introduce it along with pronunciation as I go so that students begin to speak quickly and don’t grow disinterested.  Every effort has been made to compare similarities and differences between English and German.  Students whose native language is English can use that as a helpful resource to make learning German easier.  English speakers, especially, tend to have trouble with the concept of cases.  Therefore, I’ve taken the approach of focusing on the nominative case and present tense verb conjugations in chapter 1 with the accusative case in chapter 2.  Chapter 3 reviews both cases and reinforces the old verbs with the imperative.  The dative case will not be presented until German 102, to help prevent the mixing of these cases.

As for homework, I assign some activities from this textbook and put others on Canvas to be graded automatically.  This textbook has links to many online sites with automatically graded exercises, such as www.germanzone.org.  Deutsche Welle’s video series, Nicos Weg, also has interactive online exercises whose scores can be saved online for homework grades.  I also purchased Klett’s 66 Wechselspiele and Treffpunkt Dialog as additional practice to promote speaking in the classroom.