This post is for the German Improvers Class at the City of Portsmouth College (Highbury Campus) on Thursday evenings from January to March 2025. RG
A shortened link to this page is rebrand.ly/cgeb
The classes are due to run on Thursday evenings from 6:00 to 7:30 pm on:
January 16th
January 23rd
January 30th
February 6th
February 13th
February 20th - Half Term - no class
February 27th
March 6th
March 13th
March 20th
March 27th
Outside the classroom
>> German Socials - Practice your language in a social setting. German Speakers in Portsmouth on Facebook or this blog post. tinyurl.com/0520ectc
We have a twin city in Duisburg. I am the Chair of the Twinning Association for France and Germany. To find out more about our twin cities, visit this website.
In August, we will have a week's visit from our German Twin City of Duisburg
Use the internet to improve your listening skills and begin to tune your ear to spoken German outside of the classroom.
Tagesschau - click on "Sendung verpasst" at the top, and it will load the most recent programme you can watch via streaming - Pictures etc. will help you to follow what is being said.
Deutsche Welle - 24/7 news channel like BBC 24
Many of the leading online TV channels are blocked outside of Germany/EU. However, some programmes, such as news and documentaries, are often available. Again, it is valid more as something to put on in the background to 'tune your ear' to the sound of German.
ZDF Leichtnachrichten - Simpler German news from ZDF (Germany's BBC Two)
ARD (Germany's BBC One)
Arte (A Franco-British TV Channel)
German Music
This link is to the blog where I collect German singers and bands from across time. If you have no or few German favourites, why not have a look? They may pique your interest, and you can explore others by yourself, making your discoveries.
This padlet is where I collect many online German Language Learning Resources.
Very useful tools ...
linguee.de For context and more in-depth ideas.
The topic of non-binary terminology in German (I have never heard, read or seen them anywhere but here, though).
We have two coursebooks available at the college, and I also have a few other coursebooks at my disposal to choose the odd theme.
Das Leben A1 (Beginners)
Das Leben A2 (Beginners/Intermediate)
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This Improvers class runs from 7:30 to 9 pm in April on Thursdays. The classes are due to run on:
Thursday: 1st, 8th, 15th & 22nd May, 5th, 12th, 19th & 26th June.
(provided the minimum number of attendees is reached).
Some grammar will likely be covered again; however, the themes and topics will differ.
You can register your interest in classes in April by emailing Jennifer Parr, the Adult Ed courses administrator. Alternatively, use the link above to register via the college website.
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Donnerstag, den 6. März
Tonight, we will learn about the family and possibly describe people. Files
Das Leben Kap 10 - (Interactive Exercises)
Hast du/Haben Sie Geschwister?
Hast du/Haben Sie Haustiere?
Hast du/Haben Sie Kinder?
Hast du/Haben Sie Enkelkinder?
Again, if you want extra reinforcement - this episode covers the family in German.
Rosenmontag in Duisburg
DW News - Rosenmontag 2025
Fasching in Köln/Düsseldorf Theresa May 2017
For those worried about the der/das/die/den/dem/des/der/ etc..
Donnerstag, den 27. Februar
Something to consider is paying the bill in a German Restaurant first as we did not get that far before half term. (Interactive Exercises)
Discussing likes and dislikes. - Very important of course is... "How to pay the bill!"
Getting to grips with understanding others speaking German.
Folge 40 Bezahlen S.45
Vokabeln - S51.
For reinforcement of food and drink ...
Donnerstag, den 13. Februar
Something that may be of interest...
Unfortunately, I have a clash in Caen the very same weekend. However, other German speakers from Portsmouth could likely be going...
This summer, there is potential for a Portsmouth boat at the Dragonboat regatta in Duisburg (our twin city).
Are any of the members of this class interested in taking part?
Unfortunately, there is no funding from the City Council, so individuals would need to organise their own travel and accommodation, etc.
Still, it could be a fun opportunity for participants to explore our twin city, [Welcome to Duisburg | Visit Duisburg], with whom we have been linked for 75 years this year.
The festival runs from Friday to Sunday, 13-15 June. Each dragon boat team can enter up to 20 people, and the Portsmouth boat will be taking part in a race on the Saturday with the potential for practice on the Friday. Have a look here: [Dragon Boat Fun Regatta]
Please email for more details if interested by 16th February, 2025.
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NEXT WEEK IS HALF TERM - SEE YOU ON FEBRUARY 27TH
Tonight, we will look at buying food and drink in a café (Interactive Exercises)
We will revise the general regular verb formation of the Present Tense Conjugation in German
The book Das Leben Chapter 3 has some exercises we will examine.
We can look at how to turn 'a' into 'not a' !! If there is time, we will look at the basic arrangements for meeting and how to pay for the food and drink ordered!
Hausaufgaben
You might like to look at these pages as well as the interactive games at the top.
If you are having problems with the German Alphabet - try this
After today's lesson, we will have covered the themes in these lessons (14 of them). They can serve as revision and reinforcement for you.
Next steps (probably after half term, aber wenn es nötig wäre)...
Tonight, we look a little more at food and drink. (Interactive Exercises)
Discussing likes and dislikes. - Very important of course is... "How to pay the bill!"
Getting to grips with understanding others speaking German.
Folge 40 Bezahlen S.45
Vokabeln - S51.
For reinforcement of food and drink ...
Donnerstag, den 6. Februar
Tonight, we will look at buying food and drink in a café (Interactive Exercises)
Plus:
Kapitel 1 - Grammatikübung - Vokabeln
We will look at the general regular verb formation of the Present Tense Conjugation in German and then check we have the essential vocabulary noted from the first two introductory sections of the course.
We will look at numbers, telephone numbers, and addresses...
The book Das Leben Chapter 3 has some exercises we will examine.
We can look at how to turn 'a' into 'not a' !! If there is time, we will look at the basic arrangements for meeting and how to pay for the food and drink ordered!
Intro to tenses in German
The Present Tense
Donnerstag, den 30. Januar
Most of you can give and spell your names, but can you spell the names of your street and home town?
Wie sagt man... pen, pencil, rubber, ruler, sharpener, book, exercise book...
Das Leben - Sommerkurs in Leipzig. S. 17>>. - Greetings, introducing yourselves and discussing languages (nationalities).
Einheit 1 Titel 11 - 13 Das Leben Ch1 & 2 Nationalitäten Länder
sich vorstellen Wiederholung
This is from a BBC for Schools and Colleges programme - The first episode deals with introducing yourselves and describing people. (That is something we will cover in subsequent lessons).
Donnerstag, den 23. Januar
Tonight, we will look at what you can remember from last week...
Can you give and spell your names and the names of your street and home town?
From the coursebook Das Leben today, we will look at the German Alphabet and spellings.
(Use 4, 5 & 6) Hören Einheit 0
We will also look at some basic greetings. (Use 7, 8, & 9) Hören Einheit 0
We may look at classroom items...
Was bedeuten diese Fragen? (What do these questions mean?)
Wie heißt das auf Deutsch?
Was heißt ... auf Deutsch?
Entschuldigung, kannst du das bitte buchstabieren?
Ich verstehe das nicht. Kannst du das bitte wiederholen?
Können Sie/Kannst du das bitte an die Tafel schreiben?
Können Sie/Kannst du das bitte buchstabieren?
Wie schreibt man das?
Was bedeutet das?
Was gibt es im Klassenzimmer? PPT Das Federmäppchen
Donnerstag, den 16. Januar
Tonight, as we have not met before, we will look at beginning to learn German. - We will answer the German questions for:
Who are you? Why are you learning German? What does Germany mean for you?
Wer sind Sie? Warum lernen Sie Deutsch? Was bedeutet Deutschland für Sie?
By the end of this session, you should be able to:
Introduce yourselves and spell your name (possibly the name of your street, city, or place of birth).
Can you give me your age? Your nationality? What about your occupation* (i.e. student)?
What else?
What can you tell someone a little about German Grammar?
Gender, adjectives...?
Wie heißen Sie? Wie heißt du?
Wie schreibt man das?
Woher kommen Sie? Woher kommst du?
Wo wohnen Sie? Wo wohnst du?
Was sind Sie von Beruf?* Was bist du von Beruf?*
Ich heiße...
Das schreibt man ....
Ich komme aus...
Ich wohne in ..... in England/ in Großbritannien/ im Vereinigten Königreich.
Ich bin...*
ich arbeite bei...*
Today, we will begin learning to speak, read and write in German and listen to spoken German.
Wo in Deutschland kennen Sie?
Wo sind Sie schon gefahren?
Wo in Deutschland kennen Sie?
Wo sind Sie schon gefahren?
In the first class, we will introduce ourselves and find our reasons for learning German as we do not all know each other yet.
Das Alphabetlied is a German children's song to learn the alphabet.
Grobi - Sesamstraße - Unser Alphabet ist das...
Die Zahlen von 1. bis 100. (A bit like smurfs on helium!)
Basic counting in German from 1 to 100.
Die Tage der Woche (Lied) - Die Tage der Woche
Die Monate des Jahres
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