Chapter 2: Die Kindheit
Table of Contents
Die Kindheit A
Learning Objectives
In these activities, you show that you can:
communicate using high-frequency vocabulary and structures such as clauses and conjunctions.
interpret short texts and videos and identify relevant information about childhood memories.
communicate with others in scripted presentations and unscripted conversations on topics related to childhood memories.
Tools
Vocabulary
| Topic | Words and Phrases |
|---|---|
| Childhood | die Freude, die Schwierigkeit, die Situation, die Sprache bitten (um), schauen -jährig, eben, tatsächlich |
| Conjunctions | bevor, dass, indem, nachdem, obwohl, weil, wenn/auch wenn/wenn auch |
Grammar and Structures
| Structure | Usage |
|---|---|
| Independent clauses | The “DO USA” conjunctions (denn, oder, und, sondern, aber) do not change word order: conjunction, subject, verb, everything else. |
| Subordinate / dependent clauses | The rest of the conjunctions which join parts of a sentence kick the verb to the end: conjunction, subject, everything else, verb(s). |
Cultural Knowledge
| Fact | Effect |
|---|---|
| Germany has a long tradition of toy production. Here are three examples: | The Deutsches Spielzeugmuseum in Nürnberg has the oldest collection in Germany. |
| The largest model train in the world is at Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg. It’s full of hidden humor as you can see in this video in English or German. | |
| Playmobil is the Lego of Germany and a fixture of many childhoods. |
Tasks
Activity 1: Interpreting Information
Listening/viewing/reading
Our childhood is full of different kinds of memories: firsts, friends, toys, hobbies, and more. In preparation for the upcoming activities, please review one of texts or videos and take written notes using the questions below. The texts focus on experiences and traditions. The videos focus on childhood objects from the 1990s and 2000s.
Text (short): „Über meine Kindheit und das, was ich nicht vergessen will“
Text (long): „Zurück in meine Kindheit: Rituale und Erinnerungen, die unvergessen sind“
Video: 90's Kids reagieren auf Gegenstände ihrer Kindheit
Video: Meine Kindheit - 2000er Kids Trends, Gadgets, Technik
Interpreting Information
After reading or watching the above, gather notes to the following prompts:
Identify two objects or two experiences from one or more of the links above. Then summarize it in your own words with a focus on the basics (perhaps 1 sentence per question): who, what, when, where, why, how.
Note any new words you’ve learned or don’t recognize but would like to understand, especially repeated words. Use the gear icon to reduce the playback speed and/or the cc icon to add auto-generated captions (which have errors).
Activity 2: Presenting Information
Using your notes from the previous activity, please record yourself presenting to your classmates one memory (experience or object) from your childhood. Include at least one relevant photo in your presentation. Focus on the basics (perhaps 1 sentence per question): Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
Please use high-frequency words and provide as much detail as you can.
This activity should take you 10 minutes to prepare and your presentation should last about 2 minutes.
Activity 3: Exchanging Information
Practice with partner(s) (interpersonal activity).
Taking the previous activity as a guide, engage in a brief conversation with a partner covering the following topics:
Your favorite childhood memories, toys, and pop culture (music, movies, etc.).
What you could (not) do? (use the simple past of modal verbs: Was musstest du machen? Was mochtest du? Was durftest du nicht? Was wolltest du werden?)
Use lots of conjunctions in your answers (see table above) and be sure to kick your verb to the end as necessary. These activities should take you 10 minutes to prepare and your presentation and conversation should last about 5 minutes.
Take-Aways
Self-Reflection
Ask yourself what went well, where you or your partner(s) struggled to communicate, and how you could improve next time. To help you keep speaking in German, try these strategies:
| Problem | Strategies |
|---|---|
| I don’t know a word | Look it up, use its opposite with “nicht” or “kein-“ use gestures, Pantomime |
| I don’t understand my partner | Repeat the word you don’t understand and inflect at the end to indicate it’s a question. Ask for repetition with the phrase “Wie bitte?” |
Digging Deeper: Follow-up Activities
For retro German childhood objects from the 60s through the 90s, check out the website Erinnerst du dich?
For a challenging listening comprehension, watch the video: “Umfrage: Was ist eure früheste Kindheitserinnerung?” (Laut Gedacht) Captions and variable playback speed are available.
Die Kindheit B
Learning Objectives
In these activities, you show that you can:
communicate using high-frequency vocabulary and structures such as conjunctions and clauses.
interpret short texts and videos and identify relevant information about childrens’ TV programs.
communicate with others in scripted presentations and unscripted conversations on topics related to childrens’ TV programs.
Tools
Vocabulary
| Topic | Words and Phrases |
|---|---|
| Childhood | die Freude, die Schwierigkeit, die Situation, die Sprache bitten (um), schauen -jährig, eben, tatsächlich |
| Conjunctions | bevor, dass, indem, nachdem, obwohl, weil, wenn/auch wenn/wenn auch |
| Misc. | der Gedanke, die Meinung, ansehen, beobachten, blicken, entwickeln, lassen, lösen, schaffen, unterstützen, vermitteln anders, bzw., lieb, ob, schwierig, wesentlich, wiederum |
Grammar and Structures
| Structure | Usage |
|---|---|
| Independent clauses | The “DO USA” conjunctions (denn, oder, und, sondern, aber) do not change word order: conjunction, subject, verb, everything else. |
| Subordinate / dependent clauses | The rest of the conjunctions which join parts of a sentence kick the verb to the end: conjunction, subject, everything else, verb(s). wenn/als/wann/ob |
Cultural Knowledge
| Fact | Effect |
|---|---|
| Germany has its own version of Sesame Street (with different characters), but not all German kids’ shows come from other countries. Here are two German originals that everyone knows. You will encounter cultural references to both in all sorts of unexpected places. | Sandmännchen (Wikipedia) (East and West German versions) |
| Die Sendung mit der Maus (Wikipedia) |
Tasks
Activity 1: Interpreting Information
Listening/viewing/reading
TV shows, movies, songs, and other media content are also a part of most childhoods. In preparation for the upcoming activities, please review a five-minute video or video excerpt from one of these two uniquely German children’s TV programs:
Unser Sandmännchen (Website + videos)
Unser Sandmännchen (YouTube playlist)
Interpreting Information
After reading or watching the above, gather notes to the following prompts:
Prepare a short summary of the clip in your own words with a focus on the basics (perhaps 1 sentence per question): who, what, when, where, why, how.
Activity 2: Presenting Information
Using your notes from the previous activity, please record yourself presenting to your classmates about your favorite childhood TV show or movie. Focus on the basics (perhaps 1 sentence per question): Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
Please use high-frequency words and provide as much detail as you can.
This activity should take you 10 minutes to prepare and your presentation should last about 2 minutes.
Activity 3: Exchanging Information
Practice with partner(s) (interpersonal activity).
Taking the previous activity as a guide, engage in a brief conversation with a partner covering the following topics:
Your favorite childhood memories, toys, and pop culture (music, movies, etc.).
What you could (not) do? (use the simple past of modal verbs: Was musstest du machen? Was mochtest du? Was durftest du nicht? Was wolltest du werden?)
Use many conjunctions in your answers (see table above) and be sure to kick your verb to the end as necessary. These activities should take you 10 minutes to prepare and your presentation and conversation should last about 5 minutes.
Take-Aways
Self-Reflection
Ask yourself what went well, where you or your partner(s) struggled to communicate, and how you could improve next time. To help you keep speaking in German, try these strategies:
| Problem | Strategies |
|---|---|
| I don’t know a word | Look it up, use its opposite with “nicht” or “kein-“ use gestures, Pantomime |
| I don’t understand my partner | Repeat the word you don’t understand and inflect at the end to indicate it’s a question. Ask for repetition with the phrase “Wie bitte?” |
Digging Deeper: Follow-up Activities
For Germany also has its own version of “Sesame Street” called Sesamstraße, complete with original characters such as Pferd and Wolle. For more of the history from dubbing to original content, see the Muppet Fandom Wiki.
Die Kindheit C
Learning Objectives
In these activities, you show that you can:
communicate using high-frequency vocabulary and structures such as clauses and expression opinions.
interpret short texts and videos and identify relevant information about favorite childhood friends and objects.
communicate with others in scripted presentations and unscripted conversations on topics related to favorite childhood friends and objects.
Tools
Vocabulary
| Topic | Words and Phrases |
|---|---|
| School | der/die Jugendliche(n), die Klasse, der Lehrer/die Lehrerin, die Menge, die Schule, die Schüler/die Schülerin, der/die Direktor(in), die Stimme, die Schwierigkeit, die Situation die Freude, sich freuen über/auf |
| Misc. | schauen, einzeln, leise, menschlich, nochmal, soweit, sowieso, -jährig, eben, tatsächlich |
| Conjunctions | bevor, dass, indem, nachdem, obwohl, weil, wenn/auch wenn/wenn auch |
Grammar and Structures
| Structure | Usage |
|---|---|
| Expressing opinions | Ich bin der Meinung, dass…, denn/weil… Ich finde, dass…, aber… Man soll…, denn/weil… Ich weiß nicht, ob…, denn/weil… Obwohl ich…, denke ich, dass… Wenn ich Lehrer/Mutter/Vater wäre, würde ich… Wenn ich Kinder hätte, würde ich… |
| Independent clauses | The “DO USA” conjunctions (denn, oder, und, sondern, aber) do not change word order: conjunction, subject, verb, everything else. |
| Subordinate / dependent clauses | The rest of the conjunctions which join parts of a sentence kick the verb to the end: conjunction, subject, everything else, verb(s). |
Cultural Knowledge
| Fact | Effect |
|---|---|
| Germany is known for its three-tiered K-12 education system. In the fifth grade, students are separated into three groups, each with a different type of school depending on their anticipated careers. Only certain types of careers require a university education. Most others participate in the “Dual Education System” that blends classroom learning with practical work training and experience in the later teen years. | From an American perspective, this separation can seem both problematic (i.e., unequal) and beneficial (i.e., more student options). The Wikipedia article on dual education discusses some of the advantages and disadvantages. |
Tasks
Activity 1: Interpreting Information
Listening/viewing/reading
School is one of the most common sources of childhood memories. In preparation for the upcoming activities, please review one of texts or videos and take written notes using the questions below. The chat and video focus on school experiences. The “Top-16” text focuses on childhood objects from school in 2000s.
Chat: „Schönste Erinnerung an die Schulzeit“ (gutefrage.net)
Text: Die Top 16 Erinnerungen an unsere Schulzeit in den 2000ern! (Wisst ihr noch)
Video: „Umfrage der Woche: Erinnerungen an die Schulzeit“ (ATV Aichfeld)
Interpreting Information
After reading or watching the above, gather notes to the following prompts:
Identify two objects or two experiences from one or more of the links above. Then summarize it in your own words with a focus on the basics (perhaps 1 sentence per question): who, what, when, where, why, how.
Note any new words you’ve learned or don’t recognize but would like to understand, especially repeated words. Use the gear icon to reduce the playback speed and/or the cc icon to add auto-generated captions (which have errors).
Activity 2: Presenting Information
Using your notes from the previous activity, please record yourself presenting to your classmates one positive memory from your school years (K-12), for instance, your favorite school, year, teacher, class, or school-related object. Include at least one relevant photo in your presentation. Focus on the basics (perhaps 1 sentence per question): Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
Please use high-frequency words and provide as much detail as you can.
This activity should take you 10 minutes to prepare and your presentation should last about 2 minutes.
Activity 3: Exchanging Information
Practice with partner(s) (interpersonal activity).
Taking the previous activity as a guide, engage in a brief conversation with a partner covering the following topics:
Now that you’ve thought about what school was like for you, let’s talk about the school related challenges children have faced during the COVID-19 experience.
Express your opinion about: Whether you think children should be in classroom or virtual learning during the pandemic? What are the pros/cons? What would you do if you were a parent or teacher in that situation?
Reflect on how the K-12 school experience differs during the pandemic from your own. What is lost? What is gained?
Use lots of structures and conjunctions in your answers (see table above) and be sure to kick your verb to the end as necessary. These activities should take you 10 minutes to prepare and your presentation and conversation should last about 5 minutes.
Take-Aways
Self-Reflection
Ask yourself what went well, where you or your partner(s) struggled to communicate, and how you could improve next time. To help you keep speaking in German, try these strategies:
| Problem | Strategies |
|---|---|
| I don’t know a word | Look it up, use its opposite with “nicht” or “kein-“ use gestures, Pantomime |
| I don’t understand my partner | Repeat the word you don’t understand and inflect at the end to indicate it’s a question. Ask for repetition with the phrase “Wie bitte?” |
Digging Deeper: Follow-up Activities
Because fewer careers require a university education in Germany, a smaller percentage of young adults attend universities. Meanwhile, the robust dual-education system for most other careers is funded in large part by the private businesses that benefit from having well-trained employees. Consequently, Germany has been able to make university tuition free for EU citizens. Explore more of the facts and issues at Inside Higher Ed and The Conversation.
Die Kindheit D
Learning Objectives
In these activities, you show that you can:
communicate using high-frequency vocabulary and structures such as expressing hypotheticals and polite preferences.
interpret short texts and videos and identify relevant information about parenting and gender roles in the family and society.
communicate with others in scripted presentations and unscripted conversations on topics related to parenting and gender roles in the family and society.
Tools
Vocabulary
| Topic | Words and Phrases |
|---|---|
| Gender and society | der Anteil, der Einfluss, die Entscheidung, der Haushalt, der Moment, die Unterstützung, die Veränderung, die Wahl, die Wirklichkeit, der Wunsch annehmen, erfahren, erlauben, verlangen gesellschaftlich, relativ, vorhanden, wenigstens, zurzeit |
| Misc. | einzeln, leise, menschlich, nochmal, soweit, sowieso, eben, tatsächlich |
| Conjunctions | bevor, dass, indem, nachdem, obwohl, weil, wenn/auch wenn/wenn auch, ob, etc. |
Grammar and Structures
| Structure | Usage |
|---|---|
| Expressing opinions | Ich bin der Meinung, dass…, denn/weil… Ich finde, dass…, aber… Man soll…, denn/weil… Ich weiß nicht, ob…, denn/weil… Obwohl ich…, denke ich, dass… |
| Expressing hypotheticals (würden + infinitive) | Wenn ich Lehrer/Mutter/Vater wäre, würde ich…(verb) Wenn ich Kinder hätte, würde ich…(verb) Würdest du… (verb)? |
Expressing preferences (würden + gern + infinitive) | Ich würde gern Kinder haben und Vollzeit arbeiten. Ich würde gern mit den Kindern zu Hause bleiben. |
| Independent clauses | The “DO USA” conjunctions (denn, oder, und, sondern, aber) do not change word order: conjunction, subject, verb, everything else. |
| Subordinate / dependent clauses | The rest of the conjunctions which join parts of a sentence kick the verb to the end: conjunction, subject, everything else, verb(s). |
Cultural Knowledge
| Fact | Effect |
|---|---|
| The German language reinforces traditional notions in many ways, including in the word it uses for parents, die Eltern, which is always plural. By contrast, one can use father and mother in singular or plural. | Now that divorces and single parents have become very common, German-speakers have used their language’s flexibility to create a singular for parent, der Elternteil, which literally means the “parents part” and is always masculine regardless of the gender of the parent (because Teil is always masculine in German). The word denotes an incompleteness that is not expressed in the English language. But languages continue to evolve so perhaps there will be a different term in the future. |
Tasks
Activity 1: Interpreting Information
Listening/viewing/reading
The roles and expectations of parents change with every generation and vary across cultures. To create more equality for women and mothers, Germany provides both mothers and fathers a robust paid leave program (Elterngeld). It also has established a quota for women in top-tier business positions (Frauenquote), in part because taking time off to be a mother often hinders women’s ability to advance in their careers regardless of their abilities. In preparation for the upcoming activities, please learn about one of these two policies using a video below and take written notes using the questions below. Both videos offer subtitles (cc icon) and slower playback speeds (gear icon) for easier listening:
Interpreting Information
After reading or watching the above, gather notes to the following prompts:
Summarize the basics: who, what, when, where, why, how.
Note any new words you’ve learned or don’t recognize but would like to understand, especially repeated words. Use the gear icon to reduce the playback speed and/or the cc icon to add auto-generated captions (which have errors).
Activity 2: Presenting Information
Being a parent is no easy task. Despite good intentions, it’s easy to repeat the habits and mistakes of one’s parents. Using your notes from the previous activity, please record yourself presenting what your ideal parent does and does not do at various stages of a child’s life: baby/toddler (0-4), child (5-11), teenager (12-18). Include at least one relevant photo in your presentation. Use the hypothetical structures in the table above.
Please use high-frequency words and provide as much detail as you can.
This activity should take you 10 minutes to prepare and your presentation should last about 2 minutes.
Activity 3: Exchanging Information
Practice with partner(s) (interpersonal activity).
Taking the previous activity as a guide, engage in a brief conversation with a partner covering the following topics:
Both issues in Activity 1 have been hotly debated in Germany. In a friendly conversation with your classmate(s), discuss the pros and cons of Eltergeld (paid parental leave) and the Frauenquote (woman’s quota). You do not have to express your own personal opinions. The goal is to analyze the issues together from multiple sides rather than to argue. Your instructor may choose to assign you a side to take to make sure that like-minded team members are considering all of the implications.
Use many of the structures and conjunctions in your answers (see table above) and be sure to kick your verb to the end as necessary. These activities should take you 10 minutes to prepare and your presentation and conversation should last about 5 minutes.
Take-Aways
Self-Reflection
Ask yourself what went well, where you or your partner(s) struggled to communicate, and how you could improve next time. To help you keep speaking in German, try these strategies:
| Problem | Strategies |
|---|---|
| I don’t know a word | Look it up, use its opposite with “nicht” or “kein-“ use gestures, Pantomime |
| I don’t understand my partner | Repeat the word you don’t understand and inflect at the end to indicate it’s a question. Ask for repetition with the phrase “Wie bitte?” |
Digging Deeper: Follow-up Activities
Germany has been both at the forefront of and a laggard in extending LGBTQ+ rights and gender equality. Here are some resources to learn more:
Article 3 of the German Constitution (“Basic Law”) recognizes not only gender equality, but charges the government to eliminate disadvantages that exist.
Women are still disadvantaged in pay, promotions, and leadership, despite some prominent women in the German federal government, which has unveiled a comprehensive strategy for addressing gender equity.
LGBTQ+ individuals have a long and difficult history in Germany. Since 2000, however, many rights have been extended, including same-sex civil unions (2001), same-sex marriage (2017), and recognition of transgender individuals on official documents like birth certificates.
Student and Teacher materials about LGBTQ+ history and issues can be found on the Goethe Institute website.