Course Description

One of the most fun topics in foreign language courses is customs & traditions. This is where you find out about all the things that bring joy and honor to the people whose language you are learning. 

Becoming familiar with the customs and traditions of the German-speaking people also means you can feel more comfortable when visiting abroad and you'll feel more welcome when people see how you fit in with the customs and celebrations going on around you. 

This course is huge, because there are so many wonderful things about the German way of life! You may want to pick just one culture chapter (Oktoberfest, or Christmas, or Karneval, etc.) and follow the course through to the end, and then come back and do the course again, but pick a new culture topic and a new essay topic, etc. 

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Objective = Develop German Skills in the Context of "Bräuche und Traditionen" (Customs & Traditions). Work your way from top to bottom on this page.

    • Course Description

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    • Customs And Traditions Are Linked To German Legal Holidays- Calendar

    • Your Assignment Schedule = 9 Week Work Plan

    • Quizlet = Homework Every Day (Find Assigned Chapters in Vocab Section Below)
  • 2

    CULTURE: Food In Deutschland

    • Video: Frau Doktor Bogard Präsentiert: Essen In Deutschland

    • German Food Quizlets
  • 3

    CULTURE: German Superstitions

    • Video: 5 German Superstitions You Should Know About

    • Video: German Superstitions and Unusual Cultural Beliefs

    • Video: Things That Bring You BAD Luck in German Culture

    • Video: Things That Bring You GOOD Luck

    • Video: Was sind die Glücksbringer? (auf deutsch)
  • 4

    CULTURE: Germans Have Many Rules For Everything

    • Read: You Must Shake Hands On Hello and Good-Bye

    • Read: Be Quiet- Unless You Are In a Soccer Stadium

    • Read This German Article & Write Down What the 15 Recycling Rules Are in English.
  • 5

    CULTURE: Table Manners and Eating Out

    • Video: Germany versus Amerika: Table Manners

    • Video: Customs in a German Restaurant From an American's Perspective

    • Video: Educate Yourself On Proper Table Manners in the US and in Europe

    • Video: Both Germans and Americans Follow the Same Rules For Making a Great First Impression
  • 6

    CULTURE: The Deep-Seated Aversion to Drafts

    • Read This And Remember It: Germans Hate Feeling Any Wind On Their Body

    • Article: The Great German Phobia
  • 7

    CULTURE: die Einschulung (First Day of School for First Graders)

    • Video: die Schultute: First Graders Throughout Germany Get This Big Present On Their First Day of School
  • 8

    CULTURE: Regional Events- Rhein Wine Festivals, Leipzig Book Fair, Berlin Film Festival, Village Fests (ex. Dampfnudelfest)

    • Read: Dampfnudelfest

    • Foto: Regional Foods Map (right-click to rotate clockwise)
  • 9

    CULTURE: Bavarian Oktoberfest-The World's Largest Folk Festival

    • Video: History of the Oktoberfest

    • Listening Comprehension Quiz: History of the Oktoberfest

    • Video: An American Explains the Oktoberfest

    • Video: Come Take a Tour of the Oktoberfest

    • Video: History of the Biergarten

    • Video: Learn How to Do the Schuhplattler Dance

    • Video: Learn German Oktoberfest Vocabulary
  • 10

    CULTURE: Traditional Oktoberfest Songs

    • Video: The Easiest Oktoberfest Song to Learn

    • Video: Learn to Sing and Dance this German Party Song

    • Video: The Most Famous Oktoberfest Song- Sung By Two Famous Singers From German Schlager History

    • Video: Learn the Lyrics to the REFRAIN of this Oktoberfest Song So You Can Join in the Fun

    • Video Testimonial: An American Tells You How Important It Is To Learn German Party Songs

    • Video: This Bavarian Band is Reviving the Bavarian Dialect

    • List of Links: Learn to Sing this Bavarian Party Song
  • 11

    CULTURE: The Traditional Christmas Celebration in German-speaking Countries

    • How to Wish Germans a Merry Christmas

    • It All Starts With the Advent Wreath

    • Video: What is an Advent Calendar?

    • Video: An Introduction to Christmas (English)

    • Video: Come Meet the Christkind! She Explains Her Role in English.

    • Video: The Christkind Speech That Opens the Christmas Season Each Year

    • Video: The Famous German Gingerbread Cookie + das größte Lebkuchenhaus (30 minutes all in German)

    • Video: Spend a Minute at the Christmas Market in Nürnberg

    • Video: Get an English-speaking Tour of a German Christmas Market!

    • Video: Look at the Real Lights on this German Christmas Tree

    • Video: Christmas Tree Safety (in German)

    • Video: Christmas Tree Humor

    • Video: Learn the German Word "Bescherung" As You Watch It Happen in a German House

    • Assignment: The Most Famous Classical German Christmas Poem

    • Video: Pronunciation Help for the Christmas Poem Assignment

    • Listen to this Poem as a Heavy Metal Song

    • Video: Wer Sind Denn Alle Diese Weihnachtsfiguren? (auf deutsch)

    • Video: Sankt Nikolaus versus der Weihnachtsmann (for advanced students)

    • Video: die Sternsinger am Dreikönigstag

    • Video: Explanation in German of the Three Kings (die Drei Könige )

    • Article: How Do Muslims In Germany Celebrate The Christmas Season?
  • 12

    CULTURE: Saint Nikolaus Day is on December 6th, but the celebrating begins on the evening of the 5th.

    • What is Saint Nikolaus Day?

    • Video: See Sankt Nikolaus and Knecht Ruprecht Walk Through a German Department Store

    • Video: Who is Krampus?

    • Video: Krampus in Osttirol

    • Video: Brave Girl Plays Her Recorder At A Home Visit

    • Video: Krampus Day at School

    • Video: A Home Visit from Sankt Nikolaus and His Servant

    • Video: Watch Some Younger Children Get a Visit
  • 13

    CULTURE: New Year's Eve is Called "Silvester" (= game, punch, food, movie, speech, toasting, finally fireworks)

    • Video: The Most Traditional German New Year's Eve Game

    • Video: Recipe for the Most Famous Holiday Beverage

    • Video: The Most Traditional New Year's Eve Meal (10 minutes in German)

    • The Traditional New Year's Eve Film That Every German Watches

    • Video: New Year's Eve Political Speech

    • Video: Yes, Germans Also Toast To the New Year With Champagne

    • Learn How to Wish Someone a Happy New Year in German

    • Video: Silvester Fireworks at the Brandenburger Tor

    • Video: The World's Most Famous Classical Concert is Broadcast from Wien on New Year's Day
  • 14

    CULTURE: The Fifth Season = Fasching, Karneval

    • Video: What is Lent?

    • Video: The Origins of Karneval Explained in German (1 minute)

    • Video: The 5 Day Street Party Begins with "Weiberfastnacht"

    • Video: Come Visit the Three Major Cities for Fasching and Karneval Celebrations

    • Video: The Most Important Karneval Treat is the "Faschingskrapfen"

    • Video: An American Teenager Living in Germany Explains Fasching

    • Video: The Traditional Karneval and Fasching's Speeches

    • Video: Rosenmontag, "Kamelle Kamelle" and the Greeting of the Day
  • 15

    Culture Project: Written Assignment

    • Culture Summary Sheet- Print & Complete (Due at the End of Work Week 1)
  • 16

    VOCABULARY: Spell and Memorize the Assigned Words

    • Daily Flashcard Assignment (with Leitner Game Instructions)

    • Video: How to Build the Leitner Study System

    • Video: How To Run A Leitner Study Session = First 10 Minutes Of Every German Work Period

    • Instruction Sheet: How to Create and Play The Leitner Flashcard Game

    • Blank Leitner Schedule
  • 17

    TEXT-HANDLING: Develop Your Reading Strategies

    • NOTE: This Activity Requires You To Have Access To An Old IB Text-Handling Exam

    • Part 1 = Read This Project Instruction Sheet
  • 18

    READING: Take this Practice Text-Handling Test (closed book, no resources)

    • Original Text (farbig)

    • Text mit Zeilen

    • Text-Handling Test for "Adventskranz" (30 minute timed test- show it to your teacher when finished)

    • Text-handling Wrap-up Project (can also be done as a warm-up activity, if new to German language studies)
  • 19

    WRITING: Part 1 = Study Your Text Type Features BEFORE the Timed Writing Day

    • Overview of the TTLG German Essay Writing Process

    • The Most Popular Exam Text Types

    • 23 Text Types: Study The Features and Put At Least 5 In Your Writing Assignment and Exam Paper

    • Handout: Knowledge Organizer for "Feste"
  • 20

    WRITING: Part 2 = Timed Writing (you may use a paper dictionary to help with the prompt)

    • Alternative (non-IB formatted) Writing Prompts for "Gebräuche und Traditionen"

  • 21

    WRITING: Part 3 = Improve your First Draft- DOUBLE SPACE IT! Using an Online Dictionary is Fine, but Do Not Use Any Translation Sites Yet.

    • How to Fix Your First Draft- Checklist

    • Add 6 Cohesive Words- Usually Need Inverted Word Order After Each

    • Add a Few Satzanfänge und Konnektoren

    • Add Some Authentic German Phrases

    • You Must Add at Least One German Idiom

    • Video: Photo Gallery Of Some of The Most Popular German Idioms

    • Move Up the Skill Ladder - Add some of these higher level structures
  • 22

    WRITING: Part 4 = Color Code and Label Each Word In Your Improved Draft. Staple New Work On Top of Old. Submit Packet to Teacher For General Feedback

    • Photo: What a Color-Coded Sentence Might Look Like

    • How to Color Code and Label the Parts of Speech

    • Color Coding Grammar Tips
  • 23

    SPEAKING: Individual Oral

    • Oral Exam Instructions and Script = Your Template For The Best Oral Exam Ever

    • Create Your Individual Oral Photo Prompt

    • Handout: Phrases of Disagreement (This Can Stimulate Conversation)

    • Audio: Pronunciation Help
  • 24

    WRITING: Part 5 = Using Teacher Feedback from Color-Coded Copy Write A New Improved Draft- DOUBLE-SPACED. Do Not Use an Online Translation Site Yet.

    • Checklist of Most Common Errors- Use This To Improve Your Writing
  • 25

    GRAMMAR: Compete the Assigned Grammar Textbook Exercises

    • Grammar Textbook Pacing and Topics- Do the Work You Are Assigned

    • Grammar Help With Frau Doktor Bogard's Grammar Videos
  • 26

    WRITING: Part 6 = 1. Do the Inventory of Errors 2. Write Your Errors Report 3. Create the Final Best Version of Your Essay (Now You Can Use an Online Translation Tool) 4. Complete a Cover Sheet. Staple Everything & Submit to Your Teacher

    • Teacher Error Coding Sheets. Shows You Every Possible Grammar Mistake That Can Be Made in German.

    • Print this Inventory of Errors Document- Add a Tally Mark for Each Teacher Error Code

    • How to Create Your Errors Report

    • Excellent Example of an Errors Report- Yours Can Even Be Better :)

    • Label Your Final Paper With Format Features & Grammar Codes Using This Grammar Structure Checklist

    • Rubric For Evaluating Your Final Essay (IB HL)

    • Print and Complete This Writing Project Cover Sheet- Staple to the Top of Your Writing Packet
  • 27

    LISTENING: Complete the Assigned "Schlager" Listening Project (=Separate Course on Your Dashboard)

    • List of Listening Projects- Only Do the 1 Assigned Project
  • 28

    Schedule Your 10 Minute Oral Exam With Your Teacher. Practice with a Partner Using Your Script and Question Sheets Below Until Then.

    • Learn About the IB Oral Exam Happening in March of Your Senior Year

    • Conversation Questions About "Feste" (Festivals)

    • Sample Answers (Set 1) for "Feste" Questions

    • Sample Answers (Set 2) for "Feste" Questions

    • Conversation Questions about "Feiern" (Celebrations)

State Certified German Teacher For 30 Years

Dr. Bogard

The owner and creator of the Time To Learn German website is Eva Bogard, Ph.D. She was born in Manhattan (NYC) to a German mother and a German-American father. She earned her bachelor's degree in foreign languages at snowy SUNY-Oswego and completed her graduate studies in Second Language Education and Instructional Technology at sunny USF-Tampa, where she earned her Master's and Doctorate degrees. She has spent several colorful summers in France enjoying the language and culture in Paris, St. Malo and Tours, but is usually found during her long summer breaks on the beach in Florida, or in the mountains of southwest Germany. Professionally, she is very interested in online hybrid education, especially using instructional technology in both her classroom and online courses to teach foreign languages. Eva is an International Baccalaureate teacher, and a Montessori education enthusiast. She has taught German, French and Spanish, as well as, Information Technology and Business Management over the last 30 years.

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