Chabot College Fall 2009
Replaced Fall 2010
Course Outline for German 1A
BEGINNING GERMAN
Catalog Description :
1A - Beginning German 5 units
Introduction to the German-speaking cultures of the world featuring the study and practice of the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) of German. Strongly recommended: eligibility for English 1A. 5 hours lecture, 1 hour laboratory.
[Typical contact hours: lecture 87.5, laboratory 17.5]
Prerequisite Skills :
None
Expected Outcomes for Students :
Upon completion of the course the student should be able to:
1. compare and contrast American and German-speaking cultural practices in relation to speech, social attitudes, and values;
2. demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the culture of German-speaking people, including formative historical events and relevant geographical information;
3. demonstrate proficiency in understanding and using, orally and in writing, the grammatical structures presented and vocabulary assigned;
4. correctly spell "active" vocabulary items, write basic autobiographical information, and take dictation based on assigned vocabulary;
5. demonstrate the ability to comprehend a short conversation composed chiefly of the vocabulary and grammar studied;
6. apply the sentence patterns and grammar structures presented in the course to create new sentences in culturally appropriate ways both orally and in writing;
7. conduct a simple, culturally sensitive conversation in German on topics studied, using words and expressions in structurally correct sentences;
8. write a coherent and culturally appropriate paragraph of sixty words or more on a topic studied and/or discussed in class;
9. make simple descriptions in German related to size, shape, and color orally and in writing;
10. demonstrate functional competency in German pronunciation.
Course Content (Lecture) :
1. Introduction to the history and geography of German-speaking countries, cities, regions, and other places of the world
2. Social and cultural information necessary to understand important differences between German and American cultural practices and to be sensitive to cultural differences in social interactions
3. Functional vocabulary and grammar to allow students to: a. identify themselves in the target language (name, age, nationality, place of birth, profession or occupation) orally and in writing b. order food and drink in restaurants, buy food in shops and markets, read menus, and write shopping lists c. greet others, make introductions, take leave, thank, and write simple culturally appropriate expressions of thanks d. express spatial relationships (far, near, right, left, etc.) orally and in writing e. ask for, read, understand, and write simple street directions f. count, understand, and write numbers, and be sufficiently comfortable with numbers for simple financial transactions in the currency of the target culture(s) g. use vocabulary related to weights and measures orally and in writing h. make descriptions related to size, shape, and color orally and in writing i. identify clock time, the date, the weather, and be able to read and write them as well j. discuss in simple terms their likes and dislikes and to inquire in culturally sensitive terms into likes and dislikes of others, orally and in writing k. function successfully in basic cultural interactions that involve buying tickets and requesting and paying for services (public transportation, taxis, post offices, hotels)
4. Introduction to elements of German phonetics for good pronunciation

Chabot College
Course Outline for German 1A, Page 2
Fall 2009
5. Thorough practice with the German alphabet and spelling
6. Presentation of numbers for counting and use in conversational context
7. Syntax and grammar that allows students to correctly use orally and in writing: a. singular and plural nouns in masculine, feminine, and neuter genders b. the nominative and accusative cases of nouns and pronouns c. subject, object, and disjunctive pronouns d. prepositions, including accusative prepositions and two-way prepositions e. regular and irregular verbs (including sein, haben, werden, wissen , and kennen ) in the present, present perfect, and simple past tenses, indicative and imperative moods f. separable prefix verbs g. basic sentence structure and word order and case as signals of meaning h. modal auxiliaries and omission of the dependent infinitive with modals i. direct and indirect objects and their signals and word order j. adjectives and their endings k. the indefinite article ein in the nominative and accusative l. noun-pronoun relationship m. the meanings and use of sie and Sie n. the infinitive o. the construction verb + gern p. the position of nicht and the use of nicht and kein for negative constructions q. the position of finite verbs in statements r. showing possession with proper names s. possessive adjectives in the nominative and accusative t. demonstrative pronouns der, das, die in the nominative and the accusative u. verbs with stem-vowel changes v. impersonal expression es gibt w. word order and case as signals of meaning x . Mögen and möchten -forms y. basic sentence structure (independent and dependent clauses with coordinating and subordinating conjunctions) z. dative case, masculine N-nouns in the dative, the dative of wer , dative personal pronouns, prepositions, and verbs
Course Content (Laboratory):
1. Activate lecture content using interactive audio and audiovisual programs on CDs, DVDs, CD
ROMS, target language websites, etc., featuring culturally authentic and contextual guided speaking, reading, and writing activities such as cued repetition of native speech, dictations, cued oral responses, listening comprehension, and interactive realia (culturally authentic texts).
2. Organized laboratory activities including conversation groups.
3. Fundamentals of German pronunciation: a. Vowel purity for vowels other than the three diphthongs b. Long vowels written double, followed by a silent h , in open syllables, and the combination ie c. Short vowels followed by a consonant written double, in syllables ending in more than one consonant sound, and in closed syllables d. Unstressed e e. The three dipththongs written au, ei (or ai ), and eu (or äu ) f. Umlauted vowels g. Voiced and unvoiced consonants h. The German /R/ i. Consonant combinations
Methods of Presentation:
1. Lecture/discussion in target language
2. Choral/individual repetition of model speech
3. Re-creation of dialogues and improvisation
4. Small group activities leading to skits, dialogues, etc. curriculum 0809 dk 11/12/08

Chabot College
Course Outline for German 1A, Page 3
Fall 2009
Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress :
1. Typical Assignments a. Demonstrate "ordering" skills in a restaurant skit b. Demonstrate aural understanding of street directions by tracing examples of such directions on a map c. Laboratory assignment: Demonstrate proficiency in German pronunciation by making a recording of the poem "Lorelei" by Heinrich Heine d. Write a paragraph that includes basic biographical information, such as nationality, place of birth, birthday, and current residence
2. Methods of Evaluating Student Progress a. Tests, quizzes, and interviews to evaluate the four language skills in relation to material presented b. Student participation in class activities c. Homework assignments d. Recordings from the language laboratory to evaluate pronunciation skills. e. Final examination
Textbook(s) Typical :
Vorsprung: A Communicative Introduction to German Language and Literature, Thomas A. Lovik, J.
Douglas Guy, and Monika Chavez , 2 nd edition, Houghton Mifflin, Boston and New York, 2007.
Vorsprung: Student Activities Manual Second Edition, Thomas A. Lovik, J. Douglas Guy, and Monika
Chavez, Houghton Mifflin Company (Boston and New York) 2007.
Special Student Materials :
None curriculum 0809 dk 11/12/08