Adult Classes

The Immanuel German Language School offers four adult language classes.

Course Objectives

Beginning German I

Basic conversational, grammatical and reading skills will be developed. Included is an overview of German cultural topics. Special emphasis is placed on speaking and listening comprehension skills. Students will actively participate in a variety of developmentally directed oral/aural exercises geared toward basic conversational competence. Correct pronunciation is stressed.

Beginning German II

This course is a continuation of Beginning German Level I. Students continue to develop basic conversational, grammatical and reading skills, as well as an understanding of German cultural topics. Emphasis continues to be placed on speaking and listening comprehension skills. Students will actively participate in a variety of developmentally directed oral/aural exercises geared toward basic conversational competence. Correct pronunciation is stressed.

Intermediate German

This course is an extension of Beginning German Level II. Students continue to develop conversational and reading skills as well as an increased understanding of German cultural topics. Emphasis continues to be placed on speaking and listening comprehension, and correct pronunciation and increased control of German grammar are stressed. Supplementing the textbook are various authentic materials dealing with a variety of culturally relevant topics.

Conversational German Course

This course is designed to improve students’ oral proficiency in German by reading a variety of texts and watching videos.  Emphasis is also placed on the cultures of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Many students return year after year, proving that Deutsch lernen macht Spaß, learning German is fun!

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Beginning German I, II & Intermediate German

Beginning German I, II, and Intermediate German comprise a three-year beginning language program for adult learners who have no previous knowledge of the German language. The courses are designed to introduce students to language skills such as listening and reading comprehension as well as speaking and writing with the ultimate goal of preparing students to become conversationally proficient. Students will build language competency by producing and by linking learned material. Students will be able to converse on familiar topics and write simple sentences on the topics presented in the course. Written exercises are designed to reinforce the oral exercises. In addition, the course will increase awareness of cultural and social differences and characteristics between the US and Germany.

Learning Goals: After successfully completing the program, students will be able to demonstrate competence in the following language skills:

  • Giving and responding to basic polite requests in everyday situations;
  • Introducing themselves and colleagues in social settings;
  • Reading a menu and ordering meals and drinks;
  • Utilizing numbers for simple mathematical functions;
  • Asking and telling the time of the day and the times of various events;
  • Expressing dates: days of the week, months and years, holidays;
  • Reading and interpreting a plane, train, or subway schedule;
  • Making travel and banking arrangements;
  • Giving directions;
  • Conversing about cultural differences in regard to everyday life and living accommodations;
  • Talking about events in the past;

Grammar: Through practice of the above tasks, students will be introduced to the following elements of grammar and structure:

  • The German alphabet and pronunciation
  • Question words: was, wer, wie, wo, woher, wohin
  • Gender of nouns
  • Cases: Cases: Nominative, Genitive, Dative, Accusative
  • Prepositions (Accusative, Dative, Two-way Prepositions)
  • Sentence Structure
  • Negation and placement of “nicht”
  • Imperative
  • Present Perfect; Separable-prefix verbs
  • Modal verbs
  • Flavoring particles
  • Der- and ein words
  • Passive voice
  • Subjunctive mood
  • Relative clauses
  • Indirect speech

Advanced Conversation

Students read from a wide variety of literary sources including, but not limited to, current events from newspapers and the Internet, literary texts, poetry, songs, letters, short stories and plays. The readings are used to inspire the students to engage in conversation. The class is held almost entirely in German. Every student is encouraged to participate orally and each member of the class gets multiple opportunities to speak every week. Grammar is taught on an as-need basis. Using humor and laughter, we maintain a relaxed and non-threatening atmosphere where students feel comfortable to participate orally without feeling self-conscious.