German 1A is the first semester of a two-semester course. In German 1A, students will begin their language-learning journey by gaining the skills needed to talk about themselves and their immediate environment. Students will learn to introduce themselves, share some basic personal information, talk about their family and friends, discuss what they like to do for fun, and describe their daily routine at home and school. The class takes a proficiency-based approach, which is informed by current language acquisition research and the ACTFL performance descriptors for novice language learners. A heavy focus is put on German-speaking cultures around the world, with grammar being learned implicitly through input and meaning-based activities. Throughout the 4 Modules, each containing 3 units, students’ language learning is guided by Can Do statements which focus on specific language abilities, such as "I can greet others and introduce myself."
Prerequisites: None
Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to...
- Introduce and give basic information about themselves
- Describe basic information about their family, friends, and acquaintances
- Explain basic information about their hobbies, habits, and activities
- Identify activities related to their daily life at home and school
- Compare products, practices, and perspectives of German-speaking cultures with those of their own
Course Outline:
Module 1: Ich bin’s
Module 2: Meine Familie und Freunde
Module 3: Meine Freizeit
Module 4: Zu Hause und in der Schule
Resources Included: Online lesson instruction and activities, opportunities to engage with a certified, online instructor and classmates, when appropriate, and online assessments to measure student performance of course objectives and readiness for subsequent academic pursuits.
Additional Costs: None
Scoring System: Michigan Virtual does not assign letter grades, grant credit for courses, nor issue transcripts or diplomas. A final score reported as a percentage of total points earned will be sent to students upon completion of a course. Your school mentor is also able to access this score within the Student Learning Portal. Schools may use this score for conversion to their own letter grading system.
Time Commitment: Semester sessions are 18-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1 or more hours per day in the course to be successful. Summer sessions are 10 weeks long: Students must be able to spend a minimum of 2 or more hours per day, or about 90 hours during the summer, for the student to be successful in any course. Trimester sessions are 12-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1.5 or more hours per day in the course to be successful.
Technology Requirements: Students will need a computer device with headphones, a microphone, webcam, up-to-date Chrome Web Browser, and access to YouTube. NOTE: Students must possess a working microphone and webcam on their device in order to record and submit audio and video files using either the embedded recording tools within the Brightspace learning management system or another means of recording and submitting audio and video files for world language performance assessments.
Please review the Michigan Virtual Technology Requirements: https://michiganvirtual.org/about/support/knowledge-base/technical-requirements/
Instructor Support System: For technical issues within your course, contact the Customer Care Center by email at [email protected] or by phone at (888) 889-2840.
Instructor Contact Expectations: Students can use email or the private message system within the Student Learning Portal to access highly qualified teachers when they need instructor assistance. Students will also receive feedback on their work inside the learning management system. The Instructor Info area of their course may describe additional communication options.
Academic Support Available: In addition to access to a highly qualified, Michigan certified teacher, students have access to academic videos and outside resources verified by Michigan Virtual. For technical issues within the course, students can contact the Michigan Virtual Customer Care by email at [email protected] or by phone at (888) 889-2840.
Required Assessment: Online assessments consist of formative and summative assessments represented by computer-graded multiple choice, instructor-graded writing assignments including hands-on projects, model building and other forms of authentic assessments.
Technical Skills Needed: Basic technology skills necessary to locate and share information and files as well as interact with others in a Learning Management System (LMS), include the ability to:
- Download, edit, save, convert, and upload files
- Download and install software
- Use a messaging service similar to email
- Communicate with others in online discussion or message boards, following basic rules of netiquette
- Open attachments shared in messages
- Create, save, and submit files in commonly used word processing program formats and as a PDF
- Edit file share settings in cloud-based applications, such as Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides
- Save a file as a .pdf
- Copy and paste and format text using your mouse, keyboard, or an html editor’s toolbar menu
- Insert images or links into a file or html editor
- Search for information within a document using Ctrl+F or Command+F keyboard shortcuts
- Work in multiple browser windows and tabs simultaneously
- Activate a microphone or webcam on your device, and record and upload or link audio and/or video files
- Use presentation and graphics programs
- Follow an online pacing guide or calendar of due dates
- Use spell-check, citation editors, and tools commonly provided in word processing tool menus
- Create and maintain usernames and passwords
Additional Information: Upon entering the course, students will self-enroll in a group representing their respective school levels -- Middle School OR High School. Peer-to-peer interaction within discussion forums is limited to members of the group in which the student self-enrolls. Parents/guardians and/or school mentors are advised to verify or assist with a student’s group self-enrollment at the start of the term. NOTE: The syllabus may show either “School Level = Middle School” or “School Level = High School”, however all other course information contained in this syllabus is identical for both levels.
Students will require a computer device with a webcam, speakers and a microphone. Students are required to contact their instructor to schedule one or more live speaking assessments during the course.