Make your students’ first day of German 1 memorable—and set a supportive tone for the rest of the school year. The German 1 Essentials Back-to-School Bundle kickstarts your school year with classroom-ready resources that get students communicating, collaborating, and building confidence from day one. With engaging activities, supportive classroom visuals, and a Teacher’s Inspiration Guide to bring them all together, you’ll have everything you need to start the school year strong and keep the momentum going all year long. 

Plus, check out this free first-day activity using the included Illustrated Map of Germany to introduce your students to the language and each other.

Objectives: 

• Discover some of students’ activity-related likes and dislikes using mögen

• Introduce students to the layout of Germany

Resource Needed: Illustrated Map of Germany

Key Vocabulary and Constructions:

• Das ist _____.

• Magst du ______?

Lesson Overview

1. Depending on your class size, have students gather near the map poster or project a picture of the poster. Invite students to spend a minute silently looking at the layout of Germany and the various items pictured on the map.

2. Point to the person playing soccer and say, Das ist Fußball. Ask students what they think das ist means, then confirm or clarify by writing the statement on the board with a translation.

3. With Das ist Fußball established as a fact,  use the circling technique to build conversation and familiarity around this statement. Work in words like oder and nicht with cognates such as Basketball.

4. When it feels like your students are ready to move on, introduce the question, Magst du Fußball? Ask a specific student, write the translation on the board, and confirm the answers by pointing at the words and saying it out loud for the class.

5. Then ask the same student about basketball and (if you want) other sports, always clarifying the meaning when necessary and asking the class quick comprehension questions in English along the way. Continue by asking several students whether they like soccer or various other sports.

The German 1 Essentials bundle includes seven engagement-boosting resources for first-year German classes:

• Illustrated Map of Germany

• 97 TPRS Story Scripts Book

• Colors Skinny Poster

• Weather Vocabulary Poster

• Connecting Words Signs

• Numbers Poster

• Question Words Signs

Start your year with lower prep, higher engagement, and students who can’t wait for German class.