German 2 Language and Culture

Course Catalog ID:

4044

Subject Categories:

Global Language

Description

Guten Tag! This course continues to build on the initial proficiency students developed in German 1. In a fast-paced, interactive classroom environment students will strengthen the skills they have already learned while developing proficiency in new areas through speaking, listening, reading and writing. Students should expect to participate actively in class each week. By the end of the course, students will be able to handle short social interactions in everyday situations by asking and responding to a variety of questions. They will be able to talk more freely about familiar topics and will be able to write short paragraphs on familiar topics. They will be able to understand the main topic of spoken and written communication about familiar topics. They will learn to discuss events that happened in the past. Students will continue to explore German culture through weekly culture highlights and through a special project each semester.

Notes and Requirements

Grade Levels^*:

9, 10, 11, 12

(* Determined by Date of Birth and declared Grad Year. Enrollment outside these grade levels requires written concurrence from TPS Support.)

Standard vs. Honors: TPS offers German 1 and 2 in two levels: standard and honors, where this “standard” course is one day of live class per week and “honors” is two days of live class per week. How do you choose between them? The workload and level of difficulty are similar, but the honors class has more dedicated opportunity for instruction and speaking, so your proficiency will be higher after the honors course. If you are seriously considering going to German 3 or higher — or if you just love the idea of learning German from a world-class expert teacher — then you will want to take the “honors” course with two days of live class per week. If you are pretty sure you just want two basic years of German to meet your foreign language requirement, then you may prefer this excellent “standard” course with one live class per week. You can change your mind in either direction after each year, and you can still go to German 3 from either track (though you will be better prepared from the “honors” track).

Suggested Pairing: Would you like to add more German cultural activities and conversational practice to your German experience? Enroll in the German Language and Culture Club (4046) course along with this course.

Reviews from Students and Parents

“Great teacher who brings a great deal of creativity to each class. We learn the language, not just through lectures and homework, but through fun exercises in class that promote mastery of the language. We watch and translate German video skits; we read through fun scripts as a class; we write stories and sentences in the language; and we do fun projects that help us to delve into the history and culture. I have taken TPS German for the last two years, and look forward to taking it next year.”

Natalie F

Student

“This class was the perfect blend of culture and language. The teacher did a splendid job of incorporating the Austrian and German traditions during class in addition to teaching us the concepts of the German language. This was a fun class and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.”

Emily B

Student

“The German courses at TPS have been some of my favorite courses throughout high school. The program has placed me at a level far above many of my peers coming from other educational environments in my ability to understand, speak, and test in a world language. The teacher creates a wonderful environment for our learning during class time where each of the students, no matter his or her abilities or skill level, can comfortably practice the German language. Through these courses, I have been exposed to opportunities that have bolstered my personal resume and allowed me to test my abilities and stretch myself. The teacher has always been extremely willing to help in any area possible so that I can grow as a student of the German language and culture. For other students searching for an enjoyable way to learn a language extremely influential in today’s world, I would fully recommend the German program here at TPS.”

Joshua V

Student