Notes for Students

Dear student:

Welcome to our e-textbook Willkommen: Deutsch für alle. This e-textbook will accompany you through two semesters of learning German. It is designed to be cost-free, user-friendly, and flexible to be used on a variety of digital devices (computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone).

You will learn about the German language and the culture of the German-speaking countries. The topics that we will cover first focus on you personally, then branch out to larger topics (family and friends, leisure time, weather, university studies, making plans, shopping, living arrangements, travelling, food, holidays and celebrations). In second semester, we even read a short novel! Starting with the second semester, each unit also features a UNESCO world heritage site which provides further cultural information on the topic of the unit. These topics will allow you to gain functional proficiency in the German language in case you want to travel there. We use both native speakers and language learners (who at some point started learning German just like yourself).

Here are some important things you need to know:

• Structure:

Willkommen: Deutsch für alle follows a blended-learning format, which is a combination of in-class lessons (face-to-face with your instructor) and online, self-paced individual lessons. The online lessons are more than just homework. It is crucial that you complete the online lessons on your own in between the in-class lessons because they are not only designed to let you practice and review what you have learned in the previous class, but they also help you learn something new that you need to prepare for your next class.

A typical week could look like this:

• Student Handouts:

You will practice listening, speaking, reading and writing in a variety of activities in class. Some of these activities require you to take notes or have additional materials which we provide as a PDF. Please print out the Student Handouts (Einheit 1-5/ Einheit 6-10) before classes start so that you have everything handy for your in-class instruction.

• Online lessons:

Each online lesson is clearly laid out in a vertical manner, you scroll from the top of the page to the bottom. You have to complete these lessons at your own pace at home in between the in-class lessons. The lessons feature listening, viewing, and reading activities as well as easy-to-understand grammatical explanations and practice exercises. You have unlimited attempts to practice with these exercises, just refresh the webpage. If you don’t complete the online lessons before you come to class, you will not be prepared to participate in the next in-class lesson.

At the end of most online lessons there is a link to a quiz “Was wissen Sie jetzt?” where you can show what you have learned. These quizzes are housed on a different platform and are only accessible to students at the University of Alberta who are registered in our classes. Some quizzes will also take place in class (Das Quiz ist in der nächsten Unterrichtsstunde).

Some online lessons feature a section called “Extra Practice (optional)”. Throughout the semester we will share extra material from various websites. One example is the video series Nicos Weg.  Nicos Weg is a video series developed by Deutsche Welle. Feel free to use other parts of the series if you want to practice more. You can watch the videos and also do the accompanying exercises, it’s all free and easily accessible. 

Finally, some online lessons also feature a section called “Deutsch üben“. In this section you will have an opportunity to practice your German using ChatGPT (or any other AI text generators). You do not need to buy any subscriptions. The prompts have been written for you to copy and paste or even read aloud to practice orally when/where possible. It is important to note, that while we want you to use AI to practice your German skills, you are not able to use AI when handing in any type of assignments. 

• Wortschatz:

Most of the new vocabulary will be taught in class, but sometimes you will also learn new vocabulary in an online lesson. In order to practice the new vocabulary, we recommend that you study the new vocabulary after each sub-topic in each unit, using the Quizlet vocabulary sets that we provide. You need to sign up for a free Quizlet account to access these sets and all their study options. Our username in Quizlet is germanuofa. There is also a list of the new vocabulary as a PDF at the end of each unit. We recommend that you print it out at the beginning of each unit. If you mother tongue is not English, you may want to consider translating into your mother tongue. There is also lots of space to also add other words that you look up in throughout the unit. 

• Tasks:

Each unit features a task which provides you with the opportunity to use your language skills in a meaningful context and show what you have learned in the unit. These tasks are intended to replace more traditional assessments like unit exams and prepare you for real-life language use so that you can function in a German-speaking context. 

• Zum Spaß:

Each unit ends with a section “Zum Spaß” (for fun) with links to additional activities, German music, and funny videos which will enhance your understanding of German culture. There are also extra activities if you want more practice on certain concepts from the unit. 

• Back Matter:

Under “contents” on the left hand side of the book and below all the units,  we put a reference section that lists all the concepts that you learn. This is an easy way for you to find a specific item (it is either linked back to the unit where it was covered or is has the PPT linked right there). The back matter contains: 

• Grammatik (all grammar sections)
• Vergessen Sie nicht! (all the little “don’t forget” sections)
• *Achtung* (all the “attention” sections are posted again for a quick reference)
• Wortschatz Präsentationen (all the vocabulary presentations)
• Kultur (all the cultural topics)
• Redemittel (all the “useful phrases” sections)
• Hörtexte ( a PDF with the audio scripts)
• Helpful Resources – a list of online dictionaries, verb conjugation websites, pronunciation websites, grammar explanations, etc

We hope you will enjoy learning the German language and about the culture in the German-speaking countries with Willkommen: Deutsch für alle!