51ºÚÁÏ

When marking German essays, teachers only need to number any grammar errors and students than then refer to the related notes to help them self correct. This sheet contains common errors made by my KS4 students over several years. It has developed their ability to discuss and ‘fix’ errors independently.

Students are given a list of qualities a friend may have which they rate by importance. They use this to discuss with different partners what an ideal friend (or boy/girlfriend) would be like. Excellent for engaging and motivating. Great vocab builder. Also good for practising ambitious sentence structures (esp subordinate clauses).

Students match German idioms relating to food to their literal and actual meanings. Great activity to boost vocabulary and as an extension task when doing the food topic at GCSE. Students could also look at ways of including the idioms when discussing other topic areas.

4 paragraphs covering all aspects of the environment, and a range of group activities to consolidate the language. POSSIBLE ACTIVITIES: Students get 4 paragraphs in German, each in a different colour: a) match up each English sentence with a coloured paragraph. b) students read each paragraph with a partner, taking turns to read 1, 2, or 3 words at a time before their partner takes over. They alternate who reads. Person who reads the last word in the paragraph loses. c) In pairs, students are given 4 small bits of scrap paper which they label gelb / gruen / rosa blau. Teacher reads a few words from one paragraph and students have to grab the correct colour before their partner. d) in groups of 4 (ideally) with one captain - captain is given page 2 and calls out a short phrase in English. The student who gives the EXACT translation in German gets a point. Continue with a time limit. Great activity for engaging and broadening vocabulary. Could be followed by students writing their own paragraphs, which they could then write questions about for others to answer.

Sheet showing the 3 connective types in German with examples of how to use them. Useful for adding variety to students’ writing and speaking, and for encouraging ambition.

Useful shopping phrases to match up. This can then lead on to students devising their own shopping dialogues. They could read / act out their dialogues to others and ask questions about it. Good practice for GCSE role-play.

This sheet gives students suggestions about how to include ambitious sentences in a GCSE essay about jobs. In preparation for the essay, students translate 9 sentences (page 1) that would fit the essay bullet points. They use the grammar notes (page 2) to help them. Answers are on page 3. Once complete students should write their own essay. This task has produced some excellent essays for me in the past, and has helped those who frequently complain that they ‘don’t know what to write’.

Useful phrases for students to promote a tourist attraction, giving key details (price, facilities, location etc). Could be used for a written task, such as a flier to promote an attraction, or for a speaking activity during which students argue about whose attraction is best and why. Proven to engage and expand vocab.

This help sheet, with examples and exercises, looks at how to translate the verb ‘get’. Students often confuse ‘bekommen’ and ‘werden’. This sheet is proven to help students choose the correct verb.

Ambitious opinion and tense structures for GCSE writing and speaking, including different connective types. Ideal for adding variety to students’ work. Proven to help students access the higher grades at GCSE.

4 German role-plays to practise on a theme of holidays and tourism. Students take turns to be the ‘examiner’. Can be repeated until students can do all 4 from memory. Proven to boost performance on role-play tasks in GCSE exams.

A range of phrases and vocabulary to help students talk about musical interests and give opinions about different types of music. There are some ambitious adjectives here. I have used this by playing some different types of music as students move around the room discussing what they here. Encourages interaction and ambition.

Model dialogue in which 2 people arrange to go to the cinema. Students fill in the gaps by finding missing words in the word puzzle. As an extension task, they can complete the film programme information and devise their own conversation based on it.

Suggested phrases for a) summarising information in a stimulus b) giving opinions about a related issue c) giving factual information. Proven to help students structure their thoughts and express them more clearly. Promotes use of ambitious language.

Reading comprehension in which Philipp and Gabi explain about their school. Questions are in English and there is a follow up writing task.

Help sheet explaining how subordinating conjunctions work in German, with examples and a follow up task.

One page reference sheet for determining different cases and adjective endings. It also addresses pronouns and case-specific prepositions. Ideal for 6th formers working independently. Proven to improve accuracy.

Students read about what Elias does for the environment, then adapt his paragraph to make him sound non environmentally-friendly. This is a good task for lower ability students as much of the necessary language is in both German and English on the worksheet.

Some ‘fun’ phrases to help students to react to their partners’ comments during speaking tasks. Encourages experimentation and interaction, and adds an element of authenticity to speaking work. A proven motivator.

Useful phrases for use during listening tasks which students can use to discuss what they have heard. Students make notes in German when listening, then with a partner, use their notes and the help sheet to discuss the content of the audio. This encourages extended use of the target language and promotes interaction.