U3A German Language Groups Newsletter, April, 2015 Der Berater auf Achse! Der Sprachstudientag Meine Frau und ich haben ein Wohnmobil, und reisen ofters durch das Vereinigte Königreich, sowie nach verschiedenen Plätzen in Deutschland. Dieses Jahr haben wir gedacht, während wir unterwegs auf Tour sind, könnten wir ja gleichzeitig die Deutschgruppen der U3A besuchen! Der Studienkreis am 26. Februar wurde von Heather Westrup und Dorothy Newman gestaltet und ich habe an diesem Studientag teilgenommen! Der Tag war für Gruppenleiter bestimmt, und es gab einige Leiter von deutschsprächigen Gruppen da – u.a. Dick Chapman (Walk ‘n’ Talk German), Jenny Lee (Chess Valley, Pauline (Andover)Sandra (St. Albans) und Helmut (S. Hertfordshire). Es war eine supere Gelegenheit, sie zu treffen. Vom Anfang an waren die Teilnehmer in zwei Gruppen geteilt, um die Kernpunkte in der Prachdidaktik für ältere Studenten zu besprechen. Eine Gruppe der Teilnehmern besprach Anfängergruppen; die Andere übernahm lerngeübte Gruppen. Wir haben die Strukturen der Lerngruppen besprochen : wie oft?; wie lange?, Hausaufgaben?, Grammatik? Auch besprochen wurde das Thema wie man sich mit ganz verschiedenen Sprachfähigkeiten und Lernbegabungen abfindet. Zuerst haben wir Wortschatzverbesserung behandelt. Eingeschlossene Vorschläge waren : • Wortkarten, um Sätze zu bauen • Satzbau von einem Anfang, z.B. “Ich gehe im Urlaub, und ich packe…..” • Speicherspielen, z.B. Kim’s Game • Bücher und Computertabletten • Abweichungen/Synonymen/Antonymen • Scharaden und Call my Bluff • Wortbingo • Kreuzworträtseln (in Paaren) • Matrizen von Wörter mit Zugehörigkeit, wie Only Connect • usw. Andere besprochene Themen waren : • Texte o Zweck? o Bücher? o Gegenwartskunden? o Zu übersetzen oder zusammenzufassen? o Diktat? • Aussprachetraining • Sprechen! o Nerven und Selbstvertrauen o Fragen im voraus vorbereitete o wochentliche Themen o wahllose Themen darauf 1 minute ohne Vorbereitung o auswendig gelernte Gedichte o Anschaungsmaterial wie fast identische Bilder • ungewohnte Aktivitäten : walk ‘n’ talk! • Schreibfähigkeit • Grammatik Nachdem wir alles in Plenum zusammengefassen hatten, fuhren wir etwas ermüdet aber bereichert nach Hause! Daraus folgte, dass wir uns im April in Somerset wieder fanden. Am 13ten April besuchte ich Castle Cary, wo die sogenannte Camelot U3A sich befindet. Hier gibt es eine Anfängergruppe : David, Maureen, Jane (Gruppenleiterin), Valerie, Madron Jane hatte ein Thema vorebereitet, ein Artikel aus dem Sunday Telegraph, das davon handelte, warum man Deutschland besuchen sollte,. Die Gruppe hielt eine Unterhaltung über Wein, Brot, Bier (und Feste!), Messen und Museen. Im Laufe der Unterhaltung besprach Jane Grammatik – das Perfekt, verschiedene Verben, und die Redewendung “um….zu”. Ihre geschickte Einstellung zur Sprache beeindruckte mich sehr! Nach Castle Cary, fuhren wir nach Priddy, und parkten auf dem Mendip Heights Campingplatz. Von wo aus ich am 17. April die Chew Valley U3A besuchte. Jim, Alan, Dietrich (Gruppenleiter) und Vita, einige Mitglieder der Gruppe fehlten leider, sind Teilnehmer einer Gruppe mit hohem Niveau! Bei diesem Treffen gab es eine lange Unterhaltung zwischen mir und den Anderen, insbesonderem Vita, einer Österreicherin. Normalerweise, nach ihrer Unterhaltung, lesen sie aus dem Buch – “Deutschland, Eine Reise”, von Wolfgang Büscher. Dieses interessante Buch wurde 2005 veröffentlicht und ist 4.5 Sterne bei Amazon dotiert! Ich kann das Buch für B1 und höher empfehlen. Im Lauf der nächsten Monaten werde ich oft unterwegs sein. Ich bin gern bereit euren Gruppen einen Besuch abzustatten, ihr müßt mir nur ausreichent Bescheid geben! There follows short pieces from groups who have contacted me since the last newsletter– I’d like to hear from you all, so e-mail me at [email protected] or call me on 01903 856397. 30/04/2015 Page 1 of 5 U3A German Language Groups Newsletter, April, 2015 Ashbourne, Derbyshire Leader : Rhona Hunt Brent (& Dollis Hill) Leader : Cathy Mercer Bury Leader : Michael Green 15 members, divided into two groups one for beginners and one for more advanced speakers., each meeting once every two weeks. The beginners group focuses mainly on situational/survival topics with a certain amount of grammar work thrown in whilst the more advanced group covers a whole different range of language activities Eine kleine aber sehr freundliche Deutschgruppe: im gesamt 7 Personen. Treffen uns in der Stube einer Mitgliederin und können alle gut deutsch, entweder von deutschredenen Eltern oder vom Studium her. Am Anfang, haben sogar Artikel aus Zeitungen gelesen und auf englisch aber eigentlich am liebsten bleiben wir schön gemütlich und unterhalten uns auf deutsch beim trinken Tee. Manchmal auch ins Theater, z.B. Emil und die Detektive, und ein paar Mal im Jahr essen wir irgendwo in einem guten Restaurant. Group of 9 registered members meeting every week for two hours. One a native German speaker. First hour: general conversation around the table & sometimes a presentation by a member on a topic of interest. Then current book, recently modern German novels. Recently finished 'Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum' by Böll, and now 'Als ich ein kleiner Junge war' by Erich Kästner. Then Homo Faber by Max Frisch. Occasional German language videos, most recently the 1970's film of the Katharina Blum book. Focus on conversation and reading; presuming members know German structure Ashton in Makerfield Leader: Bill Osborn Group of 8 running for just under 2 years.. Most members learnt German before but 2 are beginners. Emphasis on oral communication and students are encouraged to talk about their everyday activities. Also talk about holidays, rest of group encouraged to ask any questions arising. Grammar is only for word order and tenses. just in passing. Also use Deutsch interaktiv to help listening skills. Websites of German towns to build up vocabulary. Bridgwater Leader : Beryl Smith We are a struggling German Conversation Group meeting once a month; from near-beginner to native speaker. Come prepared to say/read something on a given subject (e.g. Und wenn die Schotten 'Ja' sagen...?) and discuss. Also a grammar focus and we usually have a game and exercises connected with this. Sometimes read a story, listen to a tape, etc. Meet once a month, now in 4th year 10 of us very interesting group, all at different levels of competence. What the group enjoys most is talking to each other in German: role-play, discussing photographs, interviewing each other using “studied” material. Materials used: Willkommen ! useful as a basic coursebook especially for 'dipping into'. German Once A Week by Eichinger, Grinvalds and Barton, very oldfaashioned (amazingly popular with the group....we are now ready for Book 2). Used as a reader and sometimes for grammar. Also Tolles Theater by Mc Gurn. Small humorous playlets of role-playing situations are extremely popular with the group. Starting to use Cafe in Berlin by Andre Klein to encourage conversation. Beverley Member : Hilary Kirk Buckingham and District Leader : Roy Walker Basildon and Billericay Leader : Val Williams Group of 12 meeting twice a month Tutor lived in Germany for many years. Very mixed ability group from beginners to competent speakers. We do a variety of speaking, listening and general exercises during one hour session. Do homework so looking at German between lessons, usually listening to and translating simple detective stories and writing a few sentences. Discuss translation at next meeting. 30/04/2015 3 German groups, one of which (Deutsche Diskussionsgruppe) I coordinate. Fluency of this group of 8 enables all meetings (once a fortnight for two hours) exclusively in German. Topics vary: My Favourite Pastime, The Youth of Yesteryear as compared to the Youth of Today, Town Twinnings and School Exchanges, A Valued Possession. Each meeting starts with short quiz from a Harrenberg desk calendar. Sometimes we go to cinema screenings or watch a German DVD. We have had trips to Germany, the last in May 2014 to Hanover. Camelot U3A Leader : Jane Wilde Rural South Somerset around small market town of Castle Cary. Don’t mention grammar! Solution : concentrate on verbs (ich and Sie only) to start talking about what they do and when/ how often. Then we used 'war' to talk about holidays (eg letztes Jahr war ich in Deutschland. Das Wetter war..... Ich war in Koln und ...etc.) Then into the perfect tense (with haben) and talked about Christmas; from there talked about past holidays, last week, etc. with the absolute minimum of verbs. Managed without cases and genders using plural nouns or 'im Garten', 'am Rhein'. Avoided perfect with 'sein' by things like 'ich habe eine Busreise nach Weymouth gemacht.' Read poems by Arno Holz and by Heine, lots of small pieces out of Bild, and an Easy Reader version of Der Gasmann by Spoerl – challenging!. Also used zdf 100Sekunden Nachrichten, mostly for the headlines and weather. Chester Co-ordinator : Bob Yates 10 members, ranging, from B1 to C2 with a native German speaker, an exteacher ofGerman & people brought up in Germany or worked there at some time. Meet weekly, use Presse und Sprache – see www.sprachzeitungen.de for reading, discussion and translation topics also audio downloads for 'Hörtraining'. Page 2 of 5 U3A German Language Groups Newsletter, April, 2015 Coventry Spires Leader : Carol de Rose About 3 years old; now 6 members.. Two who have lived in Germany: another lived in Switzerland for 18 years. 2 are pretty competent. Other group members learnt some German at evening classes. Monthly sessions : conversation, occasional grammar and vocab building, using Willkommen, and a text. Using 'Cafe in Berlin' a fairly simple reader, Dilemma is how to keep less competent people engaged . Dacorum Leader : Yan Christensen "German Improvers". 8 in the group The standard is mixed no beginners. Use "Easy Reader" series of simplified books - read aloud and translate. Also some grammar exercises when a particular subject causes problems. Also sometimes read texts from the internet not prepared in advance, to give the group a challenge and the idea that guessing is legitimate! Droitwich Leader : Val Hawley German Improvers' group; started as Beginners' Group in Sept 2012. Meet weekly and using the Living German book which we have found to be a very good resource. East Cowton Leader : Traudel Walker Bi-monthlygroup 10 years old; break August/Sept. Mixed ability, beginners to graduate level. Beginners attend first hour and often stay on and enjoy following 1.5 hour's intermediate class. Conversation, grammar from "Living German",watch films and have parties, esp.Christmas. Recently all wrote short essays about famous people in Germany and famous places, researched on the internet. Fleet Leader : Elaine Steers Well established intermediate group (7people), reasonably good understanding of German, if not necessarily good command of grammar. Over the last 5 or 6 years, discussing current affairs, local happenings, German history, geography and holidays etc. Also download stuff of interest from German internet sites and German 30/04/2015 speaking newspapers, but often difficult and obscure vocabulary, difficult to recall in conversation. Goring Gap Leader : Ann Bridgens German Conversation Group, meets every third Monday, 12 members, generally between 4 & 9 attend.. Standard varies tremendously from limited German to some lived and worked in Germany. Also have help of two German ladies occasionally. Usually chat for half the time, then read and translate a passage from a German newspaper or magazine. Halstead Leader : Jane Giffould Wanting better command of the German language, investigated my local and ended up as group leader! Small group of people from O Level many years ago to absolute beginners. Following advice of one member (evening classes German), using Wilkommen German, Beginner's. Enjoying using course book, activity book and CD. But looking for more variety!. All want to converse in German, so looking beyond course books. Internet? Interactive?. My German is merely what I have picked up when travelling. Last year I went on a flight safety course in Germany, all in German. The most difficult part was the evening meals when I could not join in the conversations or understand the jokes! Haslemere Leader : Dorothea group of 12 at various stages, all enjoy the varied approach which Dorothea (German by birth, teaches German professionally) brings to help us learn....spoken German, German through magazine articles, grammar exercises etc. Hastings & Rother Leader : June Stacey group won't entertain 'grammar' or homework. We do have a German national and I try to get German phrases rather than translated German! We do try to speak German the whole session - at least we can usually understand each other but often not the G. National! We do have access to a few copies of Deutsch Perfect for reading. Lewes Leader : Richard Hudson seven members, none with German first language nor experience of teaching German. Mixture of strengths: some grammar, some vocabulary, some pronunciation, but all find spontaneous conversation difficult. Main activity reading then translating articles from , e.g. spiegel.de or zeit.de, or short passages from books, unprepared, do not like homework!. Other activities include puzzles or exercises from various books or websites, and sometimes Scrabble, with a correct German set of tiles - helps to exercise our vocabularies and knowledge of inflections. Lowestoft Leader : Melville Canham Group of 6, start with general conversation on topics of current interest, helped by our native German speaker. Break, then more structured session using variety of materials. Recently had great fun with an ancient (1967, repeated 1977) BBC course "Der arme Millionaer”.. Currently using magazine "Deutsch Perfekt" - excellent for keeping abreast language changes and also of developments in German society. Haphazard methodology, but a very "social" group and enjoy our sessions a great deal! Lyme Leader : Audrey Standhaft 7 in group, average 4-5 people. All done at least O level, 2 have worked in Germany so fluency good but not grammar. Topic every bi-monthly meeting and play games/make crosswords on theme, get piece from te internet, or pieces from German newspapers or use CD from German BBC course or BBC free TV course. Here’s a photo of Christmas meetingGluhwein, Stollen und Lebkuchen. Page 3 of 5 U3A German Language Groups Newsletter, April, 2015 Melton Mowbray Leader: Diane Cherryman Formed July 2014, meet twice a month, since then. Founder members had limited German and included beginners. Joined by 5 members of another group from outside the U3A,, mostly former "O" level students – very helpful especially in correcting pronunciation. Currently 11 members. Working from 2 textbooks and feel we are making good progress. We prepare a chapter before the meeting and then go through it together. Also prepare a few sentences in German to share with the group. Waiting list, so expect 2nd group needed soon. Milford Leader : Gertrud Sollars German conversation, 11 people, running for the second year. Emphasis on speaking and fluency, less on grammar Levels quite mixed - I am native German speaker, have a few lived or travelled extensively in Germany or Switzerland near fluent - others who taught themselves and bumble along. Have set topic for preparation at the previous meeting. This year, members wanted to use a text, but difficulty is finding authentic material that is not too difficult. Newry (N.I.) Leader : Jeanette Mc Connell group of 15, average weekly 10 . Some with sons or daughters married in Germany, others interested in all things German. Try to concentrate on communication but do some grammatical explanation. Topic-based lessons including games and songs. Watched and discussed several subtitled German films, dabbled in Goethe poems and Böll's "Irisches Tagebuch". Invite any native Germans willing to come and talk! Would be great to have a class trip to Germany but currently only a pipedream. Alles Gute! Oadby & Wigston Leader : Eileen Holly Treffen uns alle zwei Wochen. Die Gruppe besteht aus etwa zehn Mitgliedern. Einige können ganz gut sprechen, weil sie im deutschsprachigen Raum gelebt oder gearbeitet haben. Andere sind nicht sehr fließend aber machen gern mit. Hauptsache ist kommunizieren, und nicht immer korrigieren! 30/04/2015 Da wir uns seit zwei Wochen nicht gesehen haben, ist uns allen in der Zwischenzeit manches passiert – darunter Urlaub, Familien fest, Theater/Kino, Probleme! Wir erzählen uns, was wir erfahren haben und stellen uns gegenseitig Fragen. Manchmal geht das weiter mit anderen Themen (darunter anderen Erfahrungen, anderen Meinungen) oder mit neuen Vokabeln und Tatsachen. Wenn wir Zeit haben, hören wir gern Tonbänder oder CDs, oder lesen deutsche Texte aus Zeitungungen, Zeitschriften oder Büchern. Oxton, Prenton & District Contact : Gill McCloy Ganz am Anfang waren wir nur zu viert aber jetzt gibt es acht in unserer Gruppe. Wir haben viel Spaß; nehmen uns selbst nicht zu ernst. Wir sind auf verschiedenen Lernniveau und versuchen uns gegenseitig zu helfen. Immer erzählen wir was wir vor kurzem getan haben. Manchmal lesen wir kürze Texte aus Büchern vor und übersetzen sie. Andere Male machen wir Übungen oder Wortspiele oder hören deutsche Audios. Wir haben über verschiedene Themen diskutiert und auch viel mehr gelernt. Ab und zu unterhalten wir uns in Zweiergruppen. Somit hat jeder größere Möglichkeiten zu reden Unsere Leiterin spricht sehr gut Deutsch und sorgt dafür, dass wir hauptsächlich Deutsch sprechen und immer Hausaufgaben bekommen, und das ist ganz richtig, denn Übung macht den Meister. Paddock Wood Leader : Ron Trevillion Group about 10, 2 years old. I lead group although not formally qualified in language teaching - GCE O level long time ago, but reasonably proficient as worked and lived in Germany a year. Try to converse in German as much as possible although ability range quite large. Read stories and poems; act out short role plays. Internet a good source of material. Also used menus, recipes, puzzles and newspaper cuttings. Regularly use textbook and CDs called Willkommen and some use Willkommen app for tablet & smartphone (free). Also Duolingo app (also free). A few went to the Cologne Christmas market last year. Rotherham Co-ordinator : Marjorie Walkham Group of ten, abilities varied but no beginners. Chat in German telling of places of interest visited, family events and national news. Leader brings grammatical exercises or something to translate. Original starters of group would describe selves as "slow learners" but learned enough German to take holidays in Germany staying Schwaebisch Hall. When there, also stayed in other small towns. Our last visit was to "Bad Wimfden" not on tourist trail. Few locals spoke English , really had to speak German and managed simple conversations with some of locals. A very rewarding experience. Other members of group have relatives in Germany and also find German improved after a visit. My sister -in-law helps with letters and newspaper cuttings and often suggests games we might try, sending appropriate whatever. Stokesley & Saltburn Leader : Alan Sidgwick Intermediate groups, meet twice a month generally. Sessions for both groups are similar: start by some group members answering the question: Was hast du neulich gemacht? Then discuss photographs projected on screen - places in Germany etc. or hobbies, families, pets or holidays anywhere are submitted & introduced by members of the group. Worksheets based on articles in German, Austrian or Swiss newspapers or brochures & always a vocabulary test but only on useful words. Currently using Living German (7th Edition ) & reading aloud practice from this or newspaper articles. We also discuss German history & gGeography as well as current situations in German speaking countries. Sutton Coldfield Leader : Beryl Jefferson 18 on the register, perhaps too big, considering options. Mainly self-help group, no teacher, but fortunate more recently to have assistance of a German lady; this is excellent. Wide-ranging ability, but not beginners. Usually come prepared with sentence or two on a chosen topic, & answer questions. Like to include a bit of grammar revision and finally, if time, we have a book of short Page 4 of 5 U3A German Language Groups Newsletter, April, 2015 stories from the Easy Readers range offered by European Schoolbooks Ltd. Tavistock Leader : Renate Edmonds 8-9 members meet twice a month. Man focus is on ‘speaking’; leader wants all ‘to have a go’. To strengthen vocabulary, also translate pieces from and into German – ‘Homework !’ mostly, then discussed in depth at next meeting. Sometimes dip into ‘Practice in German Grammar’ by Jones & Lawlor and ably assisted by a retired German teacher member. Above all we are trying to ‘Have fun with German’! Thurrock Leader : Ann Sadgrove 7 people, post-beginners. meet fortnightly for two hours in the local social club. 2 would like to be able to converse with their German families: 2 have German friends giving a smattering of the language (sometimes dialect only!), other 3 just interested in German.. 1 of last 3 very keen on German classical music. Using 'Willkommen' by Paul Coggle & Heiner Schenke, use for listening, reading and speaking exercises. Leader introduces other resources, catering to tastes where possible, e.g. have sung 'die Forelle', 'die Lorelei', sea shanties, carnival songs and carols (group shy to start with, but, with music from iPad, have really enjoyed themselves); Read German poetry e.g. 'Erlkoenig' by Goethe; had quizzes about Germany. Currently using 'Tolles Theater' playlets by J E McGurn for fun and topic revision. We've had several visits to Germany, this September to Bernkastel, Trier and Koblenz. West Wiltshire Leader : Jean King 10members meet for 2 hours twice a month; level of competence from A2/B1 toC2. No native speaker, so I as ex German teacher lead and members make suggestions ,bring leaflets, newspapers, DVD's etc. Written work at home, especially those who enjoy writing the language & want to keep contact with German- speaking friends; this preparation for report topic, word game or grammar exercise. Oral report of activities, holidays, outings; with questions, often starting point. 30/04/2015 Sometimes member presents topic of special interest with questions. Materials from courses such as" Auftakt - Get Ahead in German" & Deutsch Plus - also provided work on grammar and structures. Current events material from German news "Tagesschau " or newspapers. Poems, short stories, even excerpts from German version of Harry Potter; "Auftakt" provided a play. Watched programmes about Germany or Austria, films from German friends and BBC4 e.g. " Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter", "Effi Briest"m "das weiße Band", " die Blechtrommel", "das Leben der Anderen". Scrabble, with German set, simple crosswords, word games and quizzes. Worcester U3A, 4 groups Leaders : Lena Ryan/George Milton/Angela George’s group is Beginners; going on to Lena’s group - objective : help people to improve to be able to talk to their own children's half German families & grandchildren, to enjoy holidays in German speaking countries & to be able to get help there when needed. Next group taught by Angela who was a teacher of German. Finally a Conversation Group which meets in the home of people who worked & taught English in Germany. These meetings are great fun & conversations cover many subjects. original menus, timetables, advertisements and so on from past visits to Germany and Austria. I conduct group meetings in German as far as possible as emphasis very much on speaking and understanding rather than writing although sometimes something written at home in. Have now decided would benefit from a course and on my next visit to Germany in April I will order copies of Pluspunkt Deutsch for more systematic learning in future in a new venue with better facilities where we can listen to CDs. Also trying to seek out native German speakers in the area who might be prepared to come and talk with us occasionally. From me : Including all these pieces and cutting them down to not make this newsletter too long is hard work! This is the last newsletter which will contain so many pieces from other groups – in future, I will only use pieces specifically written for the purpose. Please do send me a piece if your group wishes, but keep it pithy – remember the poor editor! Wrexham Leader : Elizabeth Pettitt Group started in March 2014, just 3, now has 8, 2 from Flintshire U3A. Was to have been led by someone else, but when he emigrated, I volunteered as I seemed to have most prior knowledge from A level German at school and worked in Vienna briefly. Competence of the other members between A1 and A2. Meet twice a month for two hours in a local hostelry and up to now I have been preparing worksheets on various practical topics such as eating out, shopping, travel, booking accommodation, etc., supplemented with Page 5 of 5
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