Garden City Public Schools
Garden City, New York
Course: German 4 R/H
Overview of Course
This course focuses on strengthening the skills of listening, speaking, reading and
writing. There is a strong emphasis on advanced grammatical structures and usage,
literary and cultural reading selections, vocabulary acquisition, and composition writing.
There is a strong focus on the communicative use of the language, making it primarily an
advanced conversation course. The 4H course provides the groundwork for the Advanced
Placement course. The syllabus for the Advanced Placement Examination will be
followed throughout the year. This course completes half of Checkpoint C of the NYS
syllabus.
Instructional Philosophy
The Department of World Languages believes that the primary goal of second language
learning is the achievement of functional communication in the context of the target
language. Language learning is also an invaluable asset to students who will be taking
their place in the world today. To achieve this goal, the aim of the department is twofold:
To teach students the skills necessary for effective communication in the foreign
language; i.e.: listening, speaking, reading and writing. To provide students with the
insight into and appreciation of the foreign culture in order that they become more
informed and understanding citizens of the world.
Knowledge and Skills Objectives
Students will be able to use a language other than English for communication.
Listening and Speaking are primary communicative goals in modern language learning.
These skills are used for the purposes of socializing, providing and acquiring information,
expressing personal feelings and opinions, and getting others to adopt a course of action.
Reading and Writing are used in languages other than English for the purposes of
socializing, providing and acquiring information, expressing personal feelings and
opinions, and getting others to adopt a course of action.
Students will develop cross-cultural skills and understandings.
Effective Communication involves meanings that go beyond words and require an
understanding of perceptions, gestures, folklore, and family and community dynamics.
All of these elements can affect whether and how well a message is received.
Required Textbook and workbook : Denk Mal! - Vista Higher Learning 2012
Additional recourses will be provided by the teacher and will include:
Web Links
Culture and History
Music, Radio & Television
News and Magazines
Literature
Language Learning Sites
Chat and Virtual Worlds
Country/City Tours
Integration of World Language Lab
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Students will develop a greater level of proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and
writing German.
Students will have a deeper cultural knowledge of German-speaking countries.
Students will demonstrate mastery of grammar and vocabulary equivalent to a college
level German course.
Students will demonstrate the ability to make comparisons with their native language and
German.
Students will make connections with the course content and other curricular areas
(including technology) to support and enhance their learning through prepared
presentations and assignments.
Units of Study
Lektion 1: Fühlen und erleben (Feeling and Experiencing)
Thematic Vocabulary: Introduction, Feelings, Personal Relationships, Character Traits,
Family,
Grammatical Topics:
 Irregular persent tense verbs
 Nominative und Akkusative
 Pronomen und Possessivadjektive
 Verb „nehmen“ with 10 different prefixes
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Students will have in depth discussions/debates based on their opinions about:
1. What is a difference between personality and individuality
2. What they know about German American interactions
Projects:
 A Power Point presentation on significant German-Americans
 A production of a documentary movie involving interviews in German with aged
German immigrants
Literatur: Die Familie (K. Tucholsky)
Reports: Die Vereinigten Staaten und Deutsche Einwanderung II
Kultur: „Amerika, du hast es besser“ Article
Film: “Outsourcing” movie
Essay writing: A Day With My Ideal Partner
Lektion 2: Zusammen leben (Living Together)
Thematic Vocabulary: Urban Life, Events, Activities, and Institutions in a City
Grammatical Topics:
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The three reasons for Dative
Genitiv
Genitive prepositions
2-way preposiotions
Separable and unseparable prefixes
Verb „ziehen“ with various prefixes
Students will have in depth discussions/debates based on their opinions about:
1. The preferences of where one should live and work and why
2. Discussing the consumer culture, the benefits and limitations
Possible Projects:
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Students will contact a person from Germany and let that person describe a place
where they live in Germany. The students will compare it to Garden City. (Best
please to eat, to exercise, to meet other people….)
Students will research a German Designer and prepare a presentation about
his/her life. They will then work in groups to create their own design or urban
idea and create a news ad to publicize their lifestyle.
Literatur:
1. Geschäftstarnungen (from Russendisko, by W. Kaminer)
2. „Berlin, damals uns heute“
Kultur: „Berlin: Multikulturell seit Jahrhunderten“
Film: „Auf der Strecke“
Essay writing: My Perfect Living Place
Lektion 3: Medieneinflüsse (Media Infleunce)
Thematic Vocabulary: Media, Communication, Social Power,
Grammatical Topics will be exercised in a proper communicative context:
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Simple/narrative past of weak verbs
Simple/narrative past of strong verbs
Relative pronouns
Relative clauses
Coordinating, adverbial, and subordinating conjunctions
Verb „stehen“ with various prefixes
Students will have in-depth discussions/debates based on their opinions about:
1. How dos the media influence what one thinks and what one buys
2. The different perspectives from different countries
Project: Present one website from a German speaking country
1. Discuss the pros and cons of commercials there are
2. Discuss the credibility of sources of information
Kultur: The life of Johannes Gutenberg; Hamburg ein MedienMekka
Film: Worst Case: Ein Tag in der Werbung
Literatur: Zonenkinder by J. Hensel
Supplemental Materials:Bertelsmann website www.bertelsmann.com/#st-1
Essay writing: The Ideal Country According to Me, Socially and Politically
Lektion 4: Wegfahren und Spaß haben
Thematic Vocabulary: Travel, Entertainment, Social life, Adventures,
Grammar:
 Das Futur
 The many faces of the verb “werden” – to become
 Adjectives preceded by indefinite article
 Adjectives preceded by definite article
 Unpreceded adjectives
 Verb „halten“ with various prefixes
Students will have in depth discussions of:
1. Travel destination or a type of adventure that mostly suits them
Project
1. Present a type of entertainment or leisure activity from a German speaking country
Literatur Hier ist Tibten! (H. Böll)
Kultur :
1. The Karneval article
2. Badefreuden oder Großstadtabenteuer?
3. Bremen, Niedersachsen und Nordrhein-Westfalen
Film: Björn oder die Hürden der Behörden
Supplemental Materials and Readings:
Movie like Die Alpen http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3119298/
Travelogue websites like http://www.reiseberichte.de/
Essay writing: What does Adventure Mean to Me
Lektion 5: Kunstschätze (Art Treasures)
Thematic Vocabulary: Arts, Perception, Creative expression, Art Market, Developing a
Concept
Grammar:
 comparatives and superlatives
 Da- and wo-compounds
 prepositional verb phrases
 Modals
 Verb „stehen“ with various prefixes
Students will have in-depth discussions/debates based on their opinion about:
1. The differences between American and German art
2. The role of art in life
3. Expectations regarding their future jobs
Projects:
1. Present a skit of an artist-looking-for-gig interview
2. Present a German artist with a PP
3. Photoshop your Dream!
Literatur: Briefe an einen jungen Dichter by R.M. Rilke
Kultur: Österreich, Judenstil (Art Nouvaux), Egon Schiele, Österreich: Unterwegs im
Bilderbuchland, Musik, Musik, Musik
Film: Artgerecht
Essay writing: “Every Person is an Artist.” (J. Beuys)
Supplemental Materials: Websites and Video such as http://www.monopol-magazin.de/ ;
Dokumenta Exhibition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDpyb0vat2s