World Languages - German
German classes at James River are both interesting and educational. While students often work hard learning grammar and perfecting their reading skills, they also enjoy making fun cultural projects. Occasionally, they watch German films and comment on them in class.
German Club
German Club is a great way to learn about German culture first-hand. Plenty of exciting events are planned for this year. In addition to public service activities such as Christmas Mother, the club also has several fun social events planned. Baking German cakes, holding outdoor picnics, and going on hiking trips are just a few examples. Last year, the club visited the German Art Musuem on a field trip to New York City. It was great fun.
German 1 Z 9-12
The four linguistic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, as well as culture and grammatical concepts are practiced in real life situaions. The goal is for students to communicate in the language at the survival level in such basic language functions as ordering food; making purchases; getting around in foreign cities; and talking about self, family, and leisure activities. Many opportunities for oral and written communications are expanded through the use and application of technology. Upon completion of the BEGINNING STAGE, students are able to effectively handle basic task-oriented and social situations. They can ask and answer questions, initiate and respond to simple statements, and maintain a conversation in a restricted manner. Their vocabulary is adequate to express elementary needs. The speaker can generally be understood by a sympathetic audience. As much as possible, the class is conducted in German.
German 2 H Z 9-12
The four linguistic skills, culture, and grammatical concepts continue to be emphasized and practiced in additional real-life situations. The goal is for students to communicate with increasing proficiency by discussing weather, lodging, daily routines, health and fitness, and regions of Germany and the German world. Students will learn to describe past, present, and future events. Many opportunities for oral and written communication are expanded through the use and application of technology. Upon completion of the BEGINNING STAGE, students are able to effectively handle basic task-oriented and social situations. They can ask and answer questions, initiate and respond to simple statements, and maintain a conversation in a restricted manner. Their vocabulary is adequate to express elementary needs. The speaker can generally be understood by a sympathetic audience. As much as possible, the class is conducted in German.
German 3 H Z 10-12
Linguistic skills continue to be polished and strengthened, while cultural and grammatical concepts are deepened enabling students not only to survive in German-speaking societies, but also deal with complications. The goal is for students to develop their creative comprehension and communication skills in questioning, narrating, discussing, and describing possibilities in functional activities. Such activities include organizing a travel itinerary for exploration of German-speaking countries, comparing educational options and career plans, and discussing feelings and moods. Many opportunities for oral and written communication are expanded through the use of technology. Upon completion of the DEVELOPING STAGE, students are able to handle effectively basic task-orientated and social situations. They can ask and answer questions, initiate, and respond to simple statements, and maintain a conversation in a restricted manner. Their vocabulary is adequate to express elementary needs. The speaker can generally be understood by a sympathetic audience. These classes are conducted in German.
German 4 H Z 11-12
Linguistic skills continue to be polished and strengthened, enabling the student to communicate with increasing precision and accuracy. The goal is for students to develop their understanding of German in contemporary, literary, historical, and cultural contexts. Many opportunities for oral and written communication are expanded through the use of technology. Upon completion of the DEVELOPING STAGE, students are able to handle effectively basic task-orientated and social situations. They can ask and answer questions, initiate, and respond to simple statements, and maintain a conversation in a restricted manner. Their vocabulary is adequate to express elementary needs. The speaker can generally be understood by a sympathetic audience. These classes are conducted in German.
German 5 AP H Z 12
A comprehensive and in-depth study is presented at this advanced level. In addition, the students increase their understanding of German in contemporary, literary, historical, and cultural contexts. Many opportunities for oral and written communication are expanded through the use and application of technology. Upon completion of the EXPANDING STAGE, students are able to speak the language with enough accuracy to participate effectively in formal and informal conversations on a wide variety of topics. They can support opinions and hypothesize but may not be able to discuss in depth highly abstract topics. They are partially familiar with regional or other differences and command a wide variety of interactive strategies. They may make sporadic errors when using highly complex structures, but the errors will not interfere in comunicating with a native speaker. These classes are conducted entirely in German.