2 - Das Netz

2 - Das Netz

Das Netz A

Learning Objectives

In these activities, you show that you can:

  • give general information using the German “man”
  • identify similarities and differences between two types of questions (with regards to language and culture)
  • interpret short texts and a video and identify relevant information about the use of social media in the US and Germany and how to speak about it in general terms
  • access the real-world career-oriented website xing in German and create your personal profile
  • communicate with others in spoken conversation on topics related to the use of social media, using a variety of practiced or memorized words, phrases, simple sentences, and questions

Scenarios

You are reviewing information and discuss with someone from a German speaking country.

  1. You introduce yourselves to each other by name, clarifying by spelling it, and ask how you are.
  2. You share about your interests, likes/dislikes, and habits related to social media, using high-frequency words.
  3. You ask and answer questions using German.

Tools

Vocabulary

  • das Internet / das Netz
  • die Leute / die Gruppe / man
  • benutzen / nutzen
  • eigentlich / vielleicht /natürlich
  • besonders / wichtig
  • schicken / teilen / bleiben
  • sehen / verstehen
  • so … wie

Grammar and Structures

These grammatical structures can help you in the upcoming tasks.

Structure
Usage
Open-ended questions vs. yes/no questions, i.e.question-word- vs. verb-first-questions
Wie findest du Xing? vs. Hast du ein Xing-Profil?
General statements using “man”
In Deutschland benutzt man mehr WhatsApp.
Comparisons with “so … wie”
Das Netz ist in Deutschland so wichtig wie in den USA.

Cultural Knowledge

Note the following information:

Fact
Effect
Using the “man” form
Making general, broad statements
Comparing social media use in the US and Germany
Demonstrating your ability to differentiate between cultures and identifying similarities
Using high-frequency words
Identifying high-frequency activities and experiences

Tasks

Activity 1: Interpreting Information

  1. Listening/viewing/reading
In preparation for the upcoming conversational part, please listen to and view these videos and take written notes using the questions below:

Nicos Weg: Ein Video mit “man”

Die populärsten Medien (D)

Social Media (US)

  1. Interpreting Information
Please write down notes to the following prompts:
  • The individuals in the video episode of Nicos Weg communicate with general statements using “man” – note the patterns and word order for your own use.
  • What relevant information is shared on the websites about Germans’ and Americans’ use of social media?
  • What general similarities and differences can you identify for Germans’ and Americans’ use of social media, using the German “man”?
These notes will naturally lead you to do the following activities. Use the vocabulary, grammar and structures, and cultural knowledge to talk about yourself and to engage with your partners.

Activity 2: Presenting Information – Professionelles

Present pertinent information about yourself.

Using your notes from the previous activity, please access the Germany-based career-oriented social networking site xing and create your personal profile.

What relevant information do you want to share about yourself in a career-oriented social networking site?

This activity should take you 3-5 minutes to prepare and your presentation should last about 1-2 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:

  • Greet your partner(s) and introduce yourselves
  • Ask questions and answer in a variety of formats with as much detail as possible using high-frequency words
  • Share about your own and others’ habits related to social media (which media do you use, how often do you access them, and for what purpose? How do your own activities compare to general practices in the US and Germany)?
  • Share about your experience creating a personal profile (on Xing, etc.)
  • Show interest and enthusiasm / empathy
  • Say goodbye, depending on whether you’ll see each other again

This activity should take you 3-5 minutes to prepare and your conversation should last about 1-2 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
Use gestures, Pantomime
I don’t understand my partner
Ask for repetition with the phrase “Wie bitte?”

Digging Deeper: Follow-up Activities

  • Look up more high-frequency words to describe your social media activities and experiences.
  • Ask for your partner’s social media contact information (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Xing, WhatsApp, etc.) so that you can keep in touch. [Not sure how I am supposed to ask that in German: “Was ist deine Facebookseitenadresse?” Suggestion: Ask what social media platform(s) your partner is using (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Xing, WhatsApp, etc.), present one or two posts using high frequency vocabulary and structures you have learned so far, and connect so that you can keep in touch.]
  • Research how much use of social media is too much and what to do about it.

Das Netz B

Learning Objectives

In these activities, you show that you can:

  • give information about yourself and your real or ideal family in German
  • identify differences by asking questions with “Welch-… ?” and by answering with “Dies-“, “Jed-…” and “Alle…”
  • interpret infographics about federal aid available to families and students in the U.S. and in Germany
  • compile relevant information for your use
  • present the information in a recording
  • exchange the information above in a conversation with peers
  • communicate by addressing an audience and by interacting with others in spontaneous spoken conversation on both very familiar and everyday topics, using a variety of practiced or memorized words, phrases, simple sentences, and questions

Scenarios

You are meeting someone from a German speaking country in a context that is not clearly informal, e.g. a career fair, a lecture hall, or where there is a significant age or status difference between you and the other person.

  1. You introduce yourselves to each other by name, clarifying by spelling it, and ask how you are.
  2. You determine if you should ‘duzen’ (using the informal ‘du’) or ‘Siezen’ (using formal ‘Sie’); note: in German the person of higher rank or older age will determine.
  3. You share about your origin, where you live, what you do, using high-frequency words.
  4. You exchange phone numbers.
  5. You say goodbye depending on whether you’ll see each other again; note: “Bis später” only works if you really will see each other again. If you use it, the other person will likely say “Ach ja? Wann?”

Tools

Vocabulary

  • die Familie / die Beziehung
  • die Eltern, der Vater, die Mutter, das Kind, der Sohn, die Tochter, der Bruder, die Schwester, das Mädchen, der Junge
  • “Welch-…”
  • “Dies-“, “Jed-…”, “Alle…” and “Viele…”
  • “Alles…”, “Vieles…”
  • das Internet / das Netz
  • die Leute / die Gruppe / man
  • benutzen / nutzen / schicken / teilen / bleiben / sehen / verstehen
  • die Details
  • eigentlich / vielleicht / natürlich / besonders / wichtig / so … wie / interessant / schön / gut / fair
  • die Studiengebühren (plural) - tuition cost
  • die Lebenshaltungskosten (plural) - cost of living
  • das BaFöG - German equivalent of federal support for students with financial needs
  • das Kindergeld - Federal support for families with a child / children
  • sein - to be
  • In Deutschland sind meine Studiengebühren €… - In Germany, the my tuition costs are €…
  • bekommen, erhalten - to receive
  • Ich bekomme BaFöG in Deutschland. - I receive federal student support in Germany.
  • Wir bekommen Kindergeld. - We receive financial support for families with children.

Grammar and Structures

These grammatical structures can help you in the upcoming tasks.

Structure
Usage
Gendered nouns and articles / demonstrative pronouns / question words
Welches System ist fair? – Dieses System? vs. Welche Leute bekommen Geld? – Diese Leute? vs. Welcher Staat zahlt mehr Geld? – Dieser Staat?
Comparisons mit “mehr”, “so… wie”
In den USA zahlt man mehr Studiengebühren (tuition). In Deutschland bekommt man nicht so viel Geld wie in den USA.
Statements and questions
Ich habe eine Frage. Ist das ok? Sagen wir du?

Cultural Knowledge

Note the following information:

Fact
Effect
Studiengebühren und Lebenshaltungskosten / Unterhaltskosten
For students, tuition and Cost of Living expenses are generally much lower in Germany than in the US
Kindergeld
In Germany, families with children may receive financial aid.

Tasks

Activity 1: Interpreting Information – Medien

  1. Listening/viewing/reading
In preparation for the upcoming activities, please review these websites and take written notes using the questions below:

US Federal Financial Aid vs. BaFöG

Cost of Attendance at KSU vs. Cost of Living-Comparisons vs. Cost of Living-Deutschland

Tuition (highest) in the world vs. Tuition (lowest) in the world

Kindergeld

  1. Interpreting Information
Please write down notes to the following prompts:
  • How much federal support can a student with financial needs get in Germany vs. in the US?
  • What relevant information do the websites share about cost of living and tuition?
  • What relevant information does the website Kindergeld share about federal financial support of families with children and young adults?
  • Think about your own family (real or imagined). Please write down who is in your family. Jot down a few details to describe each family member as well, using high-frequency vocabulary you have learned so far.
  • Go back to the information about federal aid you compiled above. How much money would your real or imagined family receive per year?
These notes will naturally lead you to do the following speaking activities. Use the vocabulary, grammar and structures, and cultural knowledge to talk about yourself and to engage with your partners.

Activity 2: Presenting Information

Present pertinent information about yourself.

Using your notes from the previous activity, please record yourself giving pertinent information about your real or imagined identity as a student who is

  • eligible for federal financial aid in the US vs. in Germany
  • studying and having cost of living expenses at a US vs. a German university
  • a member of a family in the US vs. Germany

Please use high-frequency words and provide as much detail as you can.

This activity should take you 3-5 minutes to prepare and your presentation should last about 1-2 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:

  • Greet your partner(s) and introduce yourselves.
  • Share about your real or imagined family using high-frequency words and giving as much detail as possible.
  • Ask about relevant real or imagined experiences with being a student in Germany vs. the US (e.g. federal financial support, tuition, cost of living, work, etc.) using high-frequency words and giving as much detail as possible.
  • Show interest and enthusiasm / empathy.
  • Say goodbye, depending on whether you’ll see each other again; note: “Bis später” only works if you really will see each other again. If you use it, the other person will likely say “Ach ja? Wann?”

This activity should take you 3-5 minutes to prepare and your conversation should last about 1-2 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
Use gestures, Pantomime
I don’t understand my partner
Ask for repetition with the phrase “Wie bitte?”

Digging Deeper: Follow-up Activities

  • Research further on what financial support may be available to you in the US vs. Germany.
  • Look up more high-frequency words to describe your experiences as a student and family member, e.g. what other activities do you do frequently or occasionally, is that interesting/boring/affordable/expensive…

Das Netz C

Learning Objectives

In these activities, you show that you can:

  • interpret short texts and videos and identify relevant information for your use
  • identify, name and present activities and aspects of friendship – in German
  • identify, name, and present similar and different views about the transatlantic relations between the US and Germany – in German
  • describe how these aspects relate to your own real or imagined relationships by using high-frequency words, nicht and kein, and “Dies-“, “Jed-…” and “Alle…”
  • communicate by addressing an audience and by interacting with others in spontaneous spoken conversation on both very familiar and everyday topics, using a variety of practiced or memorized words, phrases, simple sentences, and questions

Scenarios

You are meeting someone from a German speaking country in a context that is not clearly informal, e.g. a school event, a study abroad fair, a post-lecture networking event, or where there is a significant age or status difference between you and the other person.

  1. You introduce yourselves to each other by name, clarifying by spelling it, and ask how you are.
  2. You determine if you should ‘duzen’ (using the informal ‘du’) or ‘Siezen’ (using formal ‘Sie’); note: in German the person of higher rank or older age will determine.
  3. Share about your real or ideal relationships and what you know about US-German relations - in German using high-frequency words and giving as much detail as possible.
  4. Ask about relevant real or imagined experiences with others and what you do together (as individuals or as nations) and what you don’t do together using high-frequency words “nicht” and “kein-“ and giving as much detail as possible.
  5. Show interest and enthusiasm / empathy.
  6. You say goodbye depending on whether you’ll see each other again; note: “Bis später” only works if you really will see each other again. If you use it, the other person will likely say “Ach ja? Wann?”

Tools

Vocabulary

  • die Beziehung
  • der/mein Partner, die/meine Partnerin

    • mein Mann, meine Frau

    mein Freund, meine Freundin

    mein bester Freund, meine beste Freundin

    ein Freund von mir, eine Freundin von mir

    der Bekannte, die Bekannte, die Bekannten (pl.)

  • High-frequency adjectives and adverbs - fast / ok / glücklich / schwer / ein paar / noch / zusammen / ein bisschen / etwas / ganz / gar nicht / gern / interessant / kurz / lang / schlecht / viel

Grammar and Structures

These grammatical structures can help you in this conversation.

Structure
Usage
High-frequency verbs with Nominativ:sein, heißen, bleiben, werden
Ich heiße... Bist du…? Man bleibt… Wir werden… Wir werden Freunde. Die USA und Deutschland bleiben Freunde.
Identifying similarities/differences: using “nicht” and “kein-“ for“not” and “not any”
Er ist nicht nett. Er ist kein Freund von mir. Ich habe keine Zeit. Ich finde die Musik nicht schlecht. Die Amerikaner sind nicht so direkt wie die Deutschen.

Cultural Knowledge

Note the following information:

Fact
Effect
Bekannte / Freunde
In German culture, people distinguish between acquaintances and friends according to how close they are: they tend to have fewer friends and rather strong ties; Americans tend to describe even a fairly casual acquaintance as a friend.
Mein Freund/meine Freundin vs.ein Freund/eine Freundin von mir
The first set identifies your romantic relationship partner vs. the second set’s identifier of “a friend of mine” as just a good friend (see above for more terms).
Wir sind zusammen.Ich bin mit … zusammen.Wir sind nicht mehr zusammen.
Expresses that you are in a committed (romantic) relationship. Expresses that you’re no longer together.

Tasks

Activity 1: Interpreting Information

  1. Listening/viewing/reading

    2. View these videos and view these websites (by just skimming) using the prompts below.

    Videos

Websites
  1. Interpreting Information

    2. While watching the music videos and skimming through the websites above, please take notes for each prompt to create a mindmap. Prompts for the media resources above:

  • What do the music videos communicate visually about friendship and relationships? Jot down as many high-frequency verbs and vocabulary as possible to describe what you see.
  • How do the websites describe German-American relations? Jot down as many high-frequency words as possible.
  • Expand on the activities shown in the video Freunde by adding three activities you do with your friends to your emerging mindmap.
  • In the music video Si es amor: Can you identify in the lyrics some of the structures that use “nicht” and “kein-“ as Larsito and Mandy sing about their relationship? Incorporate them into your emerging mind map.
  • Choose three aspects of friendship you discovered while working with the music videos that also exist in your life, which three aspects do not?
  • After having skimmed through the two websites Pew Study on US-German Relationship and 10 Differenzen USA-Deutschland, what are three ways in which Germans and Americans are similar to each other, and what are three ways in which they differ from one another?
These notes will naturally lead you to do the following speaking activities. Use the vocabulary, grammar and structures, and cultural knowledge to talk about yourself and to engage with your partners.

Activity 2: Presenting Information

Use the mind map you created, the aspects of your life that you would like to share, and to present pertinent information about yourself.

  • Based on your selection of friendship aspects above, please record yourself giving pertinent information about yourself and your real or imagined relationships (e.g. about what you do (not) do together, what you like / dislike about them and / or your (shared) activities, and/or your favorite / ideal experiences), using high-frequency words, nicht and kein, and as much detail as possible.

And:

  • Please record yourself giving pertinent information about the transatlantic German-American relationship (e.g. about three ways in which Germans and Americans are similar to each other, and about three ways in which they differ from one another) using high-frequency words and as much detail as possible.

This activity should take you 3-5 minutes to prepare and your presentation should last about 1-2 minutes.

Activity 3: Exchanging Information

Practice with partner(s) (interpersonal activity).

Taking the previous activities as a guide, engage in a brief conversation with a partner covering the following topics:

  • Greet your partner(s) and introduce yourselves, sharing information on name, origin, what you do, like /dislike etc.
  • Decide if you should ‘duzen’ (using the informal ‘du’) or ‘Siezen’ (using formal ‘Sie’); note: in German the person of higher rank or older age will determine.
  • Show interest and enthusiasm / empathy / sincerity by responding with details and contrasts to discuss the topics of relationships:
    • Share about your own personal real or imagined relationships using high-frequency words and as much detail as possible by asking and answering each other’s questions
    • Share about similarities and differences between Germans and Americans based on what you learned about German-American relations

These activities should take you 3-5 minutes to prepare and your presentation and conversation should last about 2-3 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
Use gestures, Pantomime
I don’t understand my partner
Ask for repetition with the phrase “Wie bitte?”

Digging Deeper: Follow-up Activities

  • Listen to more German music and play a game at the same time, e.g. with Lyrics.Game
  • Look up more phrases to express interest, enthusiasm, and empathy as well as likes / dislikes and simple ways to agree or disagree, and to affirm and negate statements.
  • Look up more words for high-frequency experiences (about what you do as part of pertinent relationships, what you like / dislike about them, and about your favorite / ideal experiences) using high-frequency words and as much detail as possible.
  • Ask your partner(s) about these topics.

Das Netz D

Learning Objectives

In these activities, you show that you can:

  • give information about your likes and dislikes related to networking in German
  • speak about websites and how they present information on the role of networking
  • interpret what short texts and videos communicate about what individuals like / dislike about networking.
  • Ask others about relevant real or imagined experiences with networking using three different types of questions
  • Communicate relevant information about yourself and about your networking strategies using high-frequency words and as much detail as possible
  • communicate by addressing an audience and by interacting with others in spontaneous spoken conversation on both very familiar and everyday topics, using a variety of practiced or memorized words, phrases, simple sentences, and questions

Scenarios

You are meeting someone from a German speaking country in a context that is not clearly informal, e.g. a school event, a study abroad fair, a post-lecture networking event, or where there is a significant age or status difference between you and the other person.

  1. You introduce yourselves to each other by name, clarifying by spelling it, and ask how you are.
  2. You determine if you should ‘duzen’ (using the informal ‘du’) or ‘Siezen’ (using formal ‘Sie’); note: in German the person of higher rank or older age will determine.
  3. Share about your real or ideal networking strategies and what you know about US-German similarities and differences when it comes to networking - in German using high-frequency words and giving as much detail as possible.
  4. Show interest and enthusiasm / empathy.
  5. You say goodbye depending on whether you’ll see each other again; note: “Bis später” only works if you really will see each other again. If you use it, the other person will likely say “Ach ja? Wann?”

Tools

Vocabulary

  • Beziehungen: Vitamin B
  • das Beispiel / zum Beispiel (z.B.)

    • die Person, die Personen

    beruflich / nichts / neu / wahr

    denken / meinen / finden

  • Question words - Wer / was / wann / wie / warum / wo / woher / wie viel / wie viele / welch- ?
  • Question tags - , nicht wahr? / , oder?

Grammar and Structures

These grammatical structures can help you in this conversation.

Structure
Usage
Question words and word order: Open Qs[Question word] + [Verb] + [Subject] + [Rest]
Warum Welche professionelle PLattform benutzen die Deutschen viel Xing?
Verb-first questions: Yes/no Qs[Verb] + [Subject] + [Rest]
Hast du ein Profil auf Xing?
Tag questions:[Subject] + [Verb] + [Rest] + [Tag]
Du hast ein Profil auf Xing, nicht wahr?

Cultural Knowledge

Note the following information:

Fact
Effect
Beziehungen / Vitamin B / Networking
In German culture, people distinguish between Beziehungen haben (having connections or an “in” in the pursuit of career goals) and networking (the intentional development of personal contacts to develop connections that support career goals); Vitamin B is a synonym for the former and considered by some as a derogatory term and ethical issue, similar to nepotism.
Three ways to ask questions
When your goal is conversation, open-ended questions (with question words) are best, because verb-first questions can give you simply yes/no answers and much less on which to build. Tag questions can be perceived as presumptive, confrontational, or rhetorical and thus not as sincerely expressive of your interest in an authentic conversation.

Tasks

Activity 1: Interpreting Information

  1. Listening/viewing/reading
Take a look at these websites:

6 Tipps zu Networking (Once you are at the site, scroll down to the section of 6 Tipps: What can you understand with the words you know and what are you able to guess for the rest?

Social Networking for Jobs (Once you are at the site, scroll down to the infographic and note the following: Where do most US-jobseekers go to network? Is it the same for men and women? What differences and similarities between the two can you describe with the words you know?)

Mit sozialen Medien zum Job (Once you are at the site, scroll down to the bar graph and compare to the infographic on US jobseekers: What differences and similarities between the two images can you describe with the words you know?)

  1. Interpreting Information

    2. Please write down notes to the following prompts:

  • What do you understand the German websites to communicate about networking? Use high-frequency words to identify relevant details.
  • What does the infographic communicate about what individuals are doing in the US? Is it different for men and women? Is it different from what job seekers in Germany might do?
  • What relevant information do you want to share about yourself and about your networking strategies, your views on the importance of building a network, etc.? Use high-frequency words and as much detail as possible.
These notes will naturally lead you to do the following speaking activities. Use the vocabulary, grammar and structures, and cultural knowledge to talk about yourself and to engage with your partners.

Activity 2: Presenting Information

Present pertinent information about yourself.

Using your notes and your selection of relevant information from the previous activity, please prepare a recording of yourself including the following:

  • Summarize pertinent information about the websites reviewed, i.e. three German tips for effective networking activities, and two main differences in regards to networking platforms; use high-frequency words and as much detail as possible
  • Talk about your experience with networking, e.g. what professional platforms you are using and not using, and which tips you think are good or not so good
  • State your interpretation of German-American similarities or differences

These activities should take you 3-5 minutes to prepare and your presentation and conversation should last about 1-2 minutes.

Activity 3: Exchanging Information

Practice with partner(s) (interpersonal activity).

Taking the previous activities as a guide, engage in a brief conversation with a partner covering the following topics:

  • Greet your partner(s) and introduce yourself, sharing information on name, origin, what you do, like /dislike etc.
  • Decide if you should ‘duzen’ (using the informal ‘du’) or ‘Siezen’ (using formal ‘Sie’); note: in German the person of higher rank or older age will determine.
  • Show interest and enthusiasm / empathy / sincerity by responding with details and contrasts to the topic of networking - and your real or imagined experiences with networking as well as German-American similarities when it comes to networking.
  • Use the three types of questions and high-frequency words to exchange as much detail as possible.

These activities should take you 3-5 minutes to prepare and your presentation and conversation should last about 1-2 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
Use gestures, Pantomime
I don’t understand my partner
Ask for repetition with the phrase “Wie bitte?”

Digging Deeper: Follow-up Activities

  • Play some games and expand your vocabulary on occupations:
Goethe.Ü1

Goethe.Ü2

Goethe.Ü3

  • Create short sentences about your family members’ occupations using high-frequency family vocabulary, high-frequency verbs, and coordinating conjunctions. Also include you family member’s interest (athletic, musical, boring…)
  • Look up words to create questions that express interest and elicit detailed information from your partner(s).
  • Look up more words for high-frequency experiences (networking, job searches, work and/or college experiences, leisure time activities) and ask your partner(s)
FacebookInstagramYouTubeTwitter