AP German
The prerequisites for this class are German III and IV. An immersion experience can be substituted for German IV.
- For students with advanced German skills, this course offers a preparation for the College Board Advanced Placement German exam.
- Based on the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning, the objectives for our AP German course are:
- Communication: Students engage in conversations about topics such as racism. They present and exchange information about occurances in their lives; express their feelings and reactions to themes expressed in some of the texts studied and exchange opinions about stereotypes and prejudices. Students work with written and spoken language by reading a novel and listening to the episodes of a radio play. Students present information after researching selected websites, texts and other sources of information.
- Cultures: Students gain an understanding of different German cultural practices, products and perspectives by studying German history and geography and attitudes towards foreigners.
- Connections: Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines by working with graphs, maps, statistics and history.
- Comparisons: Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language by working with contextual clues, grammatical concepts, and problems of communication.
- Communities: Students use German both within and beyond the school setting by exploring selected German websites. Students use German for personal enrichment and enjoyment by learning how to read German novels and to access and use different sources of information.
Syllabus
- Unit 1 - Reisefieber
Students listen to the episodes of the radio play 'Reisefieber. They expand their vocabulary in the areas of travel, entertainment, literature, geography, and music. They give and support their opinion both orally and in writing. - Unit 2 - DeutschMagazin
Students view different video clips filmed in and around Dresden, Germany. They expand their vocabulary in the areas of politics, integration, and cultural perspectives. They compare German and American culture in the area of integration and stereotypes.
- Unit 3 - Zivilcourage
Students study different texts, film clips, interviews, and podcasts to enrich their vocabulary in the areas of German history and national identity. Students gain insights in the diferences between German and American culture in the area of civil disobedience and terrorism.
- Unit 4 - Besuch der alten Dame
Students read Dürrenmatt's play about the visit of the old lady. They enrich their vocabulary in the areas of relationships, economy, and theater. Students compare German and American culture regarding poverty and unemployment, using graphs, tables, and articles. - Unit 5 - Erziehung und Technology
Students view excerpts of the movie 'Der ganz große Traum' and several episodes of the tele-novela 'Jojo sucht das Glück'. They broaden their vocabulary ifn the areas of education and technology and compare German and American culture in these areas.
- Throughout this course students will become familiar with the different components of the AP German test.
Evaluation
As part of this course, students will write several essays in which they defend their opinion based on different source material. In addition, students take quizzes where they answer questions based on authentic written and audio texts and graphs. They make 2-minute oral presentations, write formal and informal emails, poems, a newspaper article, and interpret graphs.
Primary Course Materials
Reisefieber (2000), CD produced by Sveriges Utbildningsradio AB, Norsk Rikskringkasting, Finlands Svenska Radio, and Roman Schatz GmBH
DeutschMagazin (2001), Video and Workbook by Nana Ochmann, Max Hueber Verlag and Goethe Institut
Film ‘Rosenstraße’ (2003), dir. Margarete von Trotta
Film ‘Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei’ (2004), dir. Hans Weingartner
Film ‘Der Besuch der alten Dame’ (1982), dir. Max Peter Ammann
Film ‘Der ganz große Traum’ (2011), dir. Sebastian Grobler
“Jojo sucht das Glück”, (2011), Telenovela by Deutsche Welle, www.dw-world.de/jojo
Dürrenmatt, Der Besuch der alten Dame (Neufassung 1980)
Brecht, “Die Moritat von Meckie Messer”
Goethe, “Wanderers Nachtlied” (poem)
Rudolf Otto Wiemer, “Zeitsätze” (poem)
Goethe, “Erlkönig” (poem)
Rammstein, “Dalai Lama” (song)
May Ayim, “afro-deutsch I” (poem)
Bertolt Brecht, “Die Lösung” (poem)
Bertolt Brecht, “Wenn die Haifische Menschen wären” (1948, short story)
Auswärtiges Amt, Tatsachen über Deutschland (2010)
Websites:
Deutsche Welle website: http://www.dw-world.de
German Newscast Tagesschau: http://www.tagesschau.de
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com
Spiegel Magazin: www.spiegel.de
Website by Auswärtiges Amt: www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de
Large Collection of Podcasts: www.podcast.de
Large Collection of Audio Files: www.audio-lingua.eu
