Zeit für Deutsch

Zeit für Deutsch is a German session performed by all members of the class in the target language. All of the topics are introduced by a song or a chant and then activities relating to the topic follow. The songs and chants are memorised by the children and are relevant to the learning and revision they are about to do. These ensure smooth transitions and a high degree of pace and enthusiasm. Zeit für Deutsch consolidates key vocabulary into German sentence structures in a function way. Most of all, it inspires a love of the German language , encouraging the children to think in German without relying on their mother tongue.  

In most cases, I would run a Zeit für Deutsch session for the last 15-30 minutes of a 1-hour German lesson. Another approach would be to have 2 lessons and then run a full Zeit für Deutsch session in the lesson after that. As you go through the topics, the amount of Zeit für Deutsch activities will increase, meaning that you will pick and choose which topics and activities you perform. This ensures a different Zeit für Deutsch session every time. As each topic is added (every 2 lessons), I will add the new activities relating to the new topic into the Zeit für Deutsch session and indicate this with a new letter. For example the first session will be called 'Zeit für Deutsch A'. The first session incorporates the first 4 topics learnt - introduction, colours, body and clothes. The next 2 lessons are 'numbers' so these activities will be added into 'Zeit für Deutsch B'.      

Zeit für Deutsch is a 'ready made lesson'. The children know the structure and will participate enthusiastically. We all know that the school day and timetables do not run as they should every week. As well as providing a revision lesson once in a while, it is an ideal session if you have been in a meeting or school trip and are coming back to the classroom. If you are teaching several classes and for whatever reason the sequence has become disrupted, you can use Zeit für Deutsch with one class to enable the others to catch up.