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CHRISTINA ANNA
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Goethe Institut certified teacher. Start speaking in German right from the first class. 100% customized lessons 5+ years of teaching experience Conversational German Fun, friendly and dynamic
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About CHRISTINA ANNA
I have been a teacher for the past 10 years and have experience teaching students of all ages. I have a degree in German, which has given me a strong foundation in the language. I also have more than 10 years of experience teaching German to students of all ages. I am confident that I have the skills and experience to be an excellent German teacher and contribute to the success of your school.
I am a passionate teacher who is always looking for new ways to engage my students and help them learn. I am creative and innovative, and I always strive to find new and interesting ways to teach the language. I am also patient and understanding, and I am able to adapt my teaching style to meet the needs of each student.
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1. German is easy to acquire
Let’s start off by debunking the myth that German is especially hard. Despite all the jokes that are being made about it being an impossible language, if you are an English speaker, you are actually already quite advantaged.
This is because German and English share the same Germanic root. Consequently, there are many thousands of words which are closely related known as “cognates.” For example, the English chin is Kinn in German. Water becomes Wasser and father turns into Vater. Not so hard after all, is it?
Furthermore, unlike Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, or Arabic, there is no new alphabet to learn, only a few letters to add. If you already know Latin script (and if you do not, I am incredibly amazed you have been following the article this far) the only new arrivals will be the umlauts ä, ö and ü as well as ß which is just a fancy German s.
And that’s not all. There are more shortcuts for learning German fast. It’s really not the time sink that so many people make it out to be. You just have to learn how to study smart rather than study hard.
With the right resources, you can cut through the difficult parts of the language. For example, the FluentU program uses authentic German videos with interactive captions to immerse you in the language and culture as you learn. Or you can check out Germanpod101 for insightful podcasts that are effective in teaching about the culture and language.
The key is to find the program (or programs) that work best for your learning style, and you, too, will soon realize how easy it can be to learn German.
2. German is the language of inventors and innovators
It is said that Germany is the country of poets and thinkers — Das Land der Dichter und Denker. There is definitely no denying the second part. A large percentage of the world’s most impressive achievements were first conceived of in German.
Over one hundred Nobel Prizes have gone to brilliant Germans for accomplishments in physics, medicine, chemistry, literature and other areas. That is not even counting the prizes awarded to people from the other two major German-speaking countries Austria and Switzerland. Plus, many of the recipients from other nations received their training at German universities.
So if you are looking to add a Nobel Prize to your resume, learning German might not be a bad place to start. Perhaps you have slightly lower goals, and are just looking to absorb some of this genius by reading famous publications in their native language.
3. German is an important language in academia
With that big a number of award-winning scientists from its home country, it might not come as a surprise that German is very important in the academic community. In fact, it ranks second as the most commonly used scientific language.
One of the reasons for this is that the German book market is the third largest in the world, right after the Chinese and English publishing industries. Since the percentage of these books that are being translated into other languages is fairly limited, only a knowledge of German will give you access to them.
4. German is the gateway to a world-class higher education
One of the reasons why German has such a high standing in the science community is the fact that Germany’s universities have an excellent international reputation. In the year 2011 ,the country was the fourth most popular destination for students from abroad with more than a quarter million foreigners being enrolled in German schools.
What’s more, the German system for higher education boasts a number of universities with a very low or non-existent tuition fee. No wonder scholars and researchers are flocking there! Learning German to save on student debt sounds like a pretty good return of investment.
5. Germany is an economic powerhouse
German is not only an interesting option for academics, but also those in the business world should consider brushing up on their Deutsch. Germany is the biggest economy within the European Union and the fourth largest worldwide. It is home to numerous international corporations and on the front line of new technologies.
While the schooling system in Germany is set up in a way that every German citizen knows at least some English, communicating with someone in their native tongue is a sign of good faith that is appreciated everywhere. Knowing the language of your German business partners can greatly improve your chances for effective communication and successful professional relationships.
6. German companies are global market leaders
Speaking of German companies: want to work for a business which is an international market leader in its field? Having German skills on your resume might be able to help you get in the door.
Germany is home to a large number of economic global players. Siemens, Volkswagen, Adidas and Lufthansa are globally recognized brands and corporations. The country also hosts some of the biggest international trade fairs including CeBIT, the world’s largest exhibition for information technology, as well as the IFA trade fair for consumer electronics.
Meanwhile the German capital Berlin is turning into a hub for innovative startups. Some go so far as to dub it “the Silicon Valley of Europe.” As a consequence, knowing German has the potential to greatly enhance your career opportunities.
7. German is the most widely spoken native language in Europe
English, French and German are the three official working languages of the European Union. In absolute numbers, German is the second most-spoken language on the continent of Europe. However, when it comes to native speakers, German is number one.
For centuries the language served as a lingua franca (a common language which unifies different peoples) in large parts of the European continent. It continues to serve this purpose as an important second language in central and eastern Europe. In the English-speaking world, German is also the third most taught foreign language. In addition to that it comes in at tenth place as one of the major languages of the world. That’s not too shabby for a relatively small country.
It may not have the numbers behind it that Chinese does, but knowing German gives you approximately 100 million additional people to talk to. Not such a small pool after all!
8. German has a big online presence
You don’t even have to meet those 100 million people in the real world. You can do so from the convenience of your own home! German websites make up a huge part of the internet. In fact, in terms of domain endings that are clearly affiliated with a particular country, Germany’s .de is the most popular top-level domain out there. I know, I’m as surprised as you are.
Knowing German gives you access to an additional 15 million websites and that is not even counting the German sites ending in .net, .org and .info. Of course, in terms of absolute numbers .de takes second place to .com which is way ahead of everything else. Second place in the whole worldwide web? Not bad at all, Germany, not bad at all.
9. Germans are everywhere
Even if you are not planning on going to a German-speaking country or are reluctant to stalk German speakers on the internet, don’t worry: they will find you. If you have traveled abroad, you have likely witness this phenomenon firsthand. Germany’s citizens are some of the world’s most voracious travelers. With almost six weeks of annual leave and plenty of disposable income, you can run into them allover the globe.
In fact, German people are record holders when it comes to money spent on international travel. For years they invested more in globetrotting than anyone else. It is only lately that they had to cede the pole position to tourists from China. However, that did not keep them from spending an impressive 84 billion dollars on traveling in 2012!
Those of you in the tourist industry can tap into this market with German-speaking guides and staff. If you are just looking to make friends on the road, a little German can make a big difference when you bump into a native German speaker.
10. German culture is part of the world heritage
Though Germans have a reputation for being left-brained, analytical and in love with logic, the German-speaking world has also produced some of the greatest literary, musical, artistic and philosophical minds in human history. It is the language of the famous written works of Goethe, Kafka, Brecht and Mann. It was the native language of composers Mozart, Bach, Schubert, Beethoven and Wagner. Revolutionary philosophy poured onto the pages in German when pens were first lifted by Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, and Heidegger.
Learning German gives you the opportunity to appreciate the masterpieces of these artists in their original form. It lets you tap into parts of the world’s cultural heritage in a direct and unfiltered manner. Goethe’s “Faust” alone, which is written completely in rhyme form, is well worth the effort. Wouldn’t it be cool to pick up some of your favorite works in German and discover the true meaning of the original text for yourself?
Have students fill out index cards with some personal info (e.g. their name, hometown, hobbies/interests, why they are studying German, their goals for the class, and whether/when they’ve been to D/A/CH before). Use these e.g. every other day to randomize calling on students, or to form groups; a bonus is that the cards “take attendance for you.”
No answer to a simple question posed to the class as a whole: Rather than providing the response yourself, or struggling to elicit an answer, try “OK, 10/20/30 Sekunden mit PartnerIn.” Students will typically have lots to say to each other, and will be able to respond when the time is up. If not, the question may have been harder than expected, and it will be worthwhile to provide an explanation.
Inner and outer circles for efficiently varying partners (“speed-dating”) and keeping students talking for a longer period of time; every few minutes, one of the circles (whichever one was more convenient to find a seat in) moves e.g. counterclockwise. Parallel lines of chairs can also work. Possible activities:
Students tell their (new) partners about a topic they’ve researched, a video they watched, something they chose to read, or e.g. favorite foods, their morning routine, or what they did this weekend. Students get really good at discussing “their” topic, AND hear from lots of other students.
The inside asks questions, and the outside answers.
Both circles move in opposite directions and improvise a role play or discuss a topic based on a prompt attached to their current location (e.g. in der Apotheke, auf der Bank…)
“5 Minuten schreien”: Pair each student up with a partner sitting at least 3 chairs away. Assign a simple, low-stakes speaking prompt (Simple questions on an overhead, or routine prompts like “5 Minuten sprechen” [about anything], “Was hast du heute gemacht?” or “Was machst du am Wochenende?” Students stay in their seats, and so have to speak loudly/confidently enough to be heard by their partner. Great for energizing a tired group, and building confidence in speaking.
“5 Minuten schreiben” (i.e. “free-writing”) to get discussions going and practice writing. No need to collect/grade this ==> students will feel freer to “just write”
Ideas for the end of class:
Give students 1 minute to tell their partner 2 things they learned in today’s class.
Review any vocabulary/phrases you wrote on the board during class: for each word/phrase, have the class tell you its meaning, then erase it.
Use the projector to model online dictionary use in class: show students how YOU find words!
Reading corrected paragraphs to a partner: If you’ve corrected something students have written, have them read it aloud to a partner, and then discuss one thing they learned from the corrections. This allows students to process your feedback. For longer essays, students can just read a paragraph.
In providing written feedback, less is more: Choose just two or three things to correct – whatever will be most useful and feels within the student’s reach to correct. [If this is being discussed at a workshop: PartnerInnen: How do you go about this – What works best for you?]
Informal in-class role plays: Once students are done, have each pair/group perform for another pair/group, and ideally for yet another pair/group after that. This way, each group performs their role play at least once. No problem if they’re not finished. If you hear something great, it can be performed for the whole class. Establishing this pattern will also motivate students for future role play tasks.
Vocabulary games:
Quizlet live:
Quizlet Live Demo Video
Detailed Quizlet Live Instructions
Actual Demo [no link: this can only be done “live”!]
Students who don’t have a smartphone can pair up with students who do.
“Back-to-Back” game: Students stand back-to-back, so only one of them can see the board. Write 10-20 vocab words on the board. Students can start to play when you start writing. The student who sees the board gives their partner clues for the word. When the partner guesses the word, they move on to the next one. Let students refer to the vocab list so they don’t get stuck on unknown words, and learn while they play. After a couple of minutes, have students rotate, so the other partner sees the board. Encourage students to “cheat” by listening to what other pairs are saying! Alternative format: The student who sees the word forms a sentence with the word; student 2 has to translate the sentence. Student 1 & 2 help each other as needed.
Around the World / Um die Welt:
Have students help you set up the chairs in a big circle (or anything that will allow a student to go systematically around the room)
Find a volunteer to start. S/he stands behind the chair of the student to his/her left. You write a word on the board. The standing student and the student s/he is standing behind compete to be the first to say the translation of the word.
If the standing students wins, s/he moves one chair to the left, again standing behind another student; otherwise the sitting student stands up and moves one chair to the left, and the standing student sits down in the sitting student’s chair. Then you repeat the same procedure with the next word.
The goal is for one student to make it all the way around the room (the “world”), or, failing that, for someone to be the student who got to “go” the farthest.
If both students are equally fast, give them another word.
If neither student knows the word, you can open it up to the class to guess; the first student to say the word takes the standing student’s place (moving one spot to the left), and the standing student takes this “winner’s” chair. If no one knows the word, the current pair plays another round.
Adapt the rules as you see fit
Laufdiktat: Choose a short, relevant passage. Stick several copies of the text on the walls of your classroom, and form teams of 3-5. One student is the “writer”; the rest take turns running to the text on the wall, memorizing as much as possible, then coming back and dictating it to the “writer.” No limit on the number of trips. When one team is finished, project the text and let students compare their work to the “answer.” Distribute the copies of the text to try to prevent collisions or “traffic jams.”
Dictogloss: Choose a short, relevant passage. Read it aloud twice at a normal pace. Instruct students to take notes strategically; tell them they will then work in groups to try to reconstruct the text as best they can. Students get a lot out of this intense interaction with the language and content of the text. This activity may be more successful and more enjoyable once students have done it a few times.
Pronunciation: Emphasize comprehensibility over “native-like-ness”; work at the sentence or paragraph level, not just at the word level.
Exception: Konsonantisches und vokalisiertes R (Here is an R-overhead for more advanced students that could be adapted for beginners): This is fun to work on, and especially the vokalisiertes R addresses some of the most noticeable “Americanisms”
When a tricky sentence/word/sound trips up a student, have the whole class repeat it a couple of times (if there’s time). This lets the student know that this is not just her/his problem.
Rather than having students read texts, instructions, questions etc. for the class as a whole, have students take turns reading these for a partner, ideally after you provide a model. This allows everyone to practice, and allows you to walk around and provide feedback. Try the “read and look up” idea: students read what they are going to say, then look up from the page and say it to their partner.
Word-level activity practicing listening for sound differences that affect meaning: Aussprache-Bingo
Wer wird Millionär Find and play through a game with good questions before class (a few questions may not be appropriate for all classrooms): Bibliothek > Frühere Sendungen, and/or play with the Auswahlfragentrainer (via Trainieren)
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