Germany was divided into two countries at the end of World War II. Families and friends were separated for many years. In 1990 Germany was reunified and is now the Federal Republic of Germany. The spirit and customs of the people of Germany have never been lost. German families are very "traditional." The family enjoys nature in all its forms. They spend hours on walks through the woods or forests. German children sing songs about the animals and the seasons, and learn poems about the land. Soccer is the national sport.There are many industries throughout the country. Most Germans live and work in towns and cities. The countryside offers farmlands, forests, and fishing villages, while the cities provide jobs, cultural activities, and apartment living.
Preserving their natural resources and world peace are major concerns for the German people, even for very young children.
Basic Needs
Most people in Germany live in apartments because they choose to live in the city. Land is very hard to purchase in Germany, because it is government owned. Germany is a small country and there is not a lot of land. Because the average German family has fewer than three children, apartments and houses are made for small families with small rooms and small furnishings. There are very small yards if any at all. German people love to garden, so most houses and apartments are decorated with window boxes.
German houses are scattered throughout the countryside. There are many farms with houses. People in the city who do not have a place to garden often rent a little place from someone in the country just to plant a small garden.
Art, Music, and Games
German composers wrote a lot of the classical music we enjoy today. Five of these musicians are Johannes Brahms, Johann Sebastian Bach, George Friederic Handel, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Richard Wagner. Folk songs and dances are another recognized form of German music and are used during celebrations.
A famous artist of Germany is Albrecht Durer, a painter and printmaker. He was best known for creating wood cuts and engravings. His woodcuts showed great detail. Hans Holbein the Younger painted portraits of the famous people of his time. Both Durer and Holbein were contemporaries in the sixteenth century.
Basic Needs
Art, Music, and Games
Celebrations and Heroes
Using cardinal directions is necessary to help locate places on a globe. (geography, thinking skills, vocabulary development, and spelling)
The students will learn where Germany is and its location relative to other places they have studied. This activity also reinforces their understanding of cardinal directions.
The students will take an imaginary bus trip around Germany and locate the cities, towns, or regions where certain fairy tales took place.
The Fisherman and His Wife -from the region of Holstein, along the Baltic Sea.
The Bremen-Town Musicians-from Bremen, of course.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs-from Alfeld, on the river (south of Hannover).
Sleeping Beauty -did it really happen in Sababurg Castle in the Reinhard Forest (northeast of Kassel)?
Hansel and Gretel-from the area of Marburg on the river Lahn, where Jacob and Wilhelm attended the university.
Little Red Riding Hood -from the river Schwalm area near Alsfeld.
Rapunzel -from Steinau on the river Kinzig, where Jacob and Wilhelm lived from l791 to 1796.
Rumplestiltskin--from Bad Konig or Heppenheim (northeast of Heidelberg).
Source: Fairy Tale Festival Map published by the German Tourist Office.
The students will make a German flag bulletin board or centerpiece and use it to display work or articles they make or bring in. (art, cooperative learning, social studies, math, and motor skills)
The German flag has three equally sized horizontal stripes. The top stripe is black, the middle is red, and the bottom is gold.
The students can work in three groups, one group following the other to make the large flag. Each group has a color and will add either the construction paper or paint needed for their stripe to complete the flag. Help the students divide the bulletin board or designated area into thirds.
The students will learn about the types of landforms in Germany. (geography, spelling, vocabulary, science, and art)
Students will learn to use a thermometer to measure record, and graph the temperature for one week. (vocabulary, spelling, math, and science)
The students will collect and display German pictures showing seasonal differences. (science, vocabulary, thinking skills, geography, and language development)
Tell the students that the climate or weather in Germany is moderate or mild, because it gets the winds off the ocean, which keep the temperatures warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Average daily temperatures range from 21 to 34 degrees F in the winter, and 61 to 70 degrees F in the summer. Different regions have different temperatures. It rains often in Germany, which is good for the farmers. Germany has the same four seasons that we have in the United States.
Ask a volunteer to name the seasons we have in the United States. In a cooperative learning setting, have the students look through travel brochures and magazines of Germany to find pictures of the four different seasons in Germany. Each group shares their pictures with the class and explains how they can tell what season the picture shows. Encourage the students to tell how that season might be the same as or different than the same season in the United States. Label each picture and place them on the German flag bulletin board.
In this activity students will learn about the effects of acid rain. (science, language, and vocabulary)
Germany has a high level of industrial waste, which has polluted numerous rivers and killed many trees, especially in the Black Forest. Acid rain and other pollutants have caused great concern among some of the German people. These people have organized a new political party called the Green Alternative. Most of the German people enjoy nature and are very concerned for the future of their country if acid rain and pollution are not controlled.
In this activity, students will improve their listening, retelling, vocabulary, and thinking skills. They will also learn about a family that has a problem. Before the activity, it is suggested that you review the characteristics of the family (people who love and care for one another) and recall the needs of all people (love, shelter, clothes, and food).
Tell the children that they are going to be hearing several stories that were told to children in Germany long before there were storybooks. Two brothers whose last name was Grimm located the storytellers and wrote down their stories. Then they had them printed in one large book. Explain that fairy tales are not true stories, but rather are lessons that give form to the desires and fears of many people. They point out a H3 faith in justice and usually end up with evil being punished and goodness being rewarded. Tell the children that they can have fun reading and listening to these stories and that they can learn about people and animals and how they lived. Tell the children that the story they are about to hear is about a family who has a problem. As they listen to the story, ask them to think of ways they would handle the problem that this family has.
The students will make a bulletin board chart of things the German family enjoys. (motor skills, thinking skills, language development, and categorizing skills)
Bring in magazines and travel brochures of Germany. Have children cut out pictures of Germany and German families doing things together. Use the pictures to make a chart entitled The German Family Enjoys. Help student select categories such as jobs, families, sports, nature, cites, celebrations, and other. Have the students tell what his/her picture is about and determine the category it belongs under. Then the student will attach his picture to the chart.The German Family Enjoys
Job --- Families --- Sports --- Nature --- Cities --- Celebrations --- Other
The students will decorate hiking sticks, take a hike and make a big book. (art, math, language arts, and science)
German families love to hike. Have students make a walking stick out of a sturdy stick, branch, or dowel. The student may decorate his/her walking stick with markers or colored tape. Have students measure a piece of cloth 12 inches long and 12 inches wide. Cut out the cloth for a neckerchief. Take a hike around the school campus, or plan a walking field trip to a near-by park or wooded area. While on the hike have the students point out as many colors as they can find. Point out several features of nature that you see to help the students be aware of their surroundings.Make A Big Book. (art, reading, language arts, handwriting, and creative writing)
After a hike, have the students draw a picture of the one thing from nature that they saw and enjoyed the most. Each student will write a sentence or two explaining his picture. Write this sentence starter on the board for those who find it difficult to get started. "While on a hike I .............." (Stress capitalization and punctuation.)
In this mini-lesson the students will learn about cars that come from Germany and their logos. (sorting and classifying, and visual discrimination)
Germany is famous for its car industry. It provides work for many German families. Cars are exported to other countries all over the world including the United States. German cars: Volkswagen, Mercedes, Audi, BMW, and Karmon Gia. American cars: Chevrolet, Ford, Chrysler.
Ask the children if they can name any cars that come from Germany. List them on the board. If they cannot come up with any, ask them if they have heard of the Volkswagen, the BMW, the Mercedes and others. Ask them if they are familiar with the signs for those cars. We call these signs logos. Show some logos of German car emblems secured from automobile dealerships. Ask the students if they can name them. Have students sort them into like stacks. Ask the students if they can name automobiles that come from America. Hold up signs or logos from these automobile dealers. Ask the students to name them.
In this mini-lesson students will be introduced to German number words. (Math, language, spelling, and vocabulary.)
Orally introduce the German number words from one to ten. Write the German number words on a chart. Say the German word orally. Have the students repeat the word. Write the English numeral word beside the German word. Introduce a center activity game that matches the German numeral words with the correct number of pretzels. (Use hair spray or clear varnish to preserve the pretzels. Keep a supply of pretzels handy so that the students may have some upon completion of this activity. This discourages students from eating the varnished ones.
Review basic needs and wants using Rapunzel. (vocabulary development, reading, and thinking skills)
Explain to the children that the people of Germany have needs very similar to the needs of people everywhere. Ask for volunteers to tell us what needs all people have. Write these words on the board: food, shelter, clothing, love and care. Ask a volunteer to name something that you might call wants. Write them on the board. Introduce Rapunzel. Tell the children that they are going to hear a story that tells about needs and wants. Ask them to listen to the story carefully and try to decide if the wife in the story had a need or a want. Read the story. Ask the children the following questions:
- Did the wife have a need or a want?
- What did she think she needed?
- What do you think would have happened if she had not gotten the rampion? (Have several children answer this.)
- Why do you think the wife wanted the rampion so badly? (Because she knew it was forbidden.)
In this activity students will build different types of German shelters. (art, thinking skills, and math)Structure I - A Fairy Tale Shelter
If your class is larger, add another three-story building and join them on the sides so that you see only the fronts of the inner buildings.
This activity entails serving a German evening meal (for lunch). (health, vocabulary, math, social skills, and language arts)
Tell the children that the main staple (most important) food in Germany is bread. There are more than 220 different kinds of bread in Germany. Breakfast in Germany is eaten early in the morning and is usually something between a roll; perhaps jam and butter, cheese or maybe meat. German people eat another breakfast in the middle of the morning; another little sandwich. Children in school bring them from home. There are no cafeterias in the school. Usually the main meal of the day is served at mid-day so German children are dismissed at 12:30 or 1:00 p.m. each day. The evening meal is light. Usually something on bread, or meat eaten with cheese and salad. German sandwiches are eaten with a knife and fork. The bread is only on the bottom. Tell the children that in Europe the fork is kept in the left hand and the knife in the right hand.
Have the students clean their desks or tables with a sponge. The students may wash the fruit and place it in a bowl. Each student sets his place with the fork and napkin on the left and the knife on the right. Have the children serve themselves making an opened-faced sandwich. Everyone waits to eat until the last child is served. Stress good table manners. The napkin goes in the lap. Chew with your mouth closed. No talking with food in your mouth. Say please and thank you. German children are very polite and use good manners.This works best if several can sit at one table. Push four desks together to make a grouping. Remind the children to cut their sandwiches with their knives and forks and to keep the forks in their left hands.
The students learn about the origin of the hamburger. (health, safety, vocabulary, and math)
First point out the location of Hamburg on a large map of Germany. Explain to the students that when the first small cooked meat patties from Hamburg, Germany, were first introduced to America, they were called Hamburg steaks. Later they were called "hamburgers."
Have students wash their hands. Place a piece of wax paper on each student's desk. Scoop enough ground beef for one small burger on the wax paper. Tell the students to form a ball with the beef and then mash them out so they are round and are about as thick as their pencils. Have them sprinkle their patties with a little salt and pepper. Each child then brings the patty to the electric skillet to fry. Keep the heat on the skillet on medium. After 3 or 4 minutes, let the student turn the patty over and cook the other side. Then have the student remove it from the skillet and place it on top of a slice of bread or bun. When all students have prepared their patties, eat and enjoy!
The students compare pictures of German clothing today with German traditional costumes in story books. (language development, thinking skills, and vocabulary development)
Tell the students to look at the pictures of the German families you have around the room. Ask them if they are wearing clothes we wear or are their clothes different. Explain that most Germans today wear clothes that are very much like the clothes we wear in our country. Germans also wear different clothing for different kinds of weather. Tell them that near the mountains in southern Germany, some Germans still wear their traditional clothes. The men wear short leather pants called Lederhosen. Have the students say the word Lederhosen. Write it on the chart tablet. These pants were often held up with suspenders rather than belts. The men also wear alpine hats. German women wear Dirndls. This is a full-skirted dress with a fitted bodice, which often laces in the front. Lacy blouses are worn under the Dirndls. Have the class repeat the word dirndls as you write the word on the vocabulary chart.
Have the class look at different pictures of characters in the Grimm's fairy tale stories. Each student is to find a picture of one character either a female or male who is wearing the traditional dress. Have the students take turns showing the pictures of their characters and describing their costumes.
Read The Wolf and the Seven Kids to emphasize love and care as a basic need. (social studies, safety, and thinking skills) Make a pop-up book entitled Where the Little Kids Hid using cooperative learning. (language, arts, writing, art, reading, sequential order, and following directions)
The students will learn about German composers. (writing, music appreciation, vocabulary development, listening skills, and punctuation)
The students will set up an art museum. (vocabulary, motor skill, cooperative learning, math, and following directions)
The students will experiment with printmaking by making their own prints with pre-cut sponges. (art, vocabulary, following directions, motor skills, and language)
Using prints and posters, introduce the class to the work of Albrecht Durer. Tell them that he was a German artist who lived very long ago. Explain that he cut designs out of wood and printed them on paper. As they can see, his designs are very detailed. Tell the class that making the cutting is very tedious and time consuming. Many hours are spent cutting just the right lines to make the print. The printing is the easy part. Set up a center with several sponge cutouts and other printing stamps. Have the children take turns creating their own print. Display them in the art museum .
The students will draw portraits of famous people as did Hans Holbein the Yonker. (Art, vocabulary, language, following directions, motor skill, and history.)
Have the students look at some of the portraits painted by Holbein. Tell the class that Holbein was a German painter who painted famous people more than three hundred years ago. Write the word famous on the vocabulary chart. Tell the class that famous people are very good or important for some reason. Ask the students if they know of some famous people in America, like the President. Ask who might be considered famous in their town. How about in their school?
Take the class to the library to find out who has painted the President's portrait. How does the artist's work compare with Holbein's? What are the similarities? What are the differences?
Children can play German games during recreational time. (motor skills and social skills)
To play this game, the children stand in a row with their hands behind their backs. One child is "It." "It" stands several feet away from the other children with his or her back to the others. One of the children in the row holds a small ball in his or her hand. The children chant "ONE, TWO, THREE, WHO HAS THE BALL?" "It" walks towards the child that he or she thinks has the ball. If "It" is correct, then he or she is "It" again. If "It" is incorrect, the child with the ball runs to a base. "It" must tag the child before he or she reaches the base to remain "It." If the child with the ball reaches the base before being tagged, then he or she becomes "It." The objective is to remain "It."
The children sit in a circle and clap their hands on their knees. One child or the teacher acts as the leader and says "ALL BIRDS LIFT HANDS." The children lift their hands and then continue clapping. The leader then says "ALL MOSQUITOES LIFT HANDS." The children lift their hands and then continue clapping. The leader may then say "ALL TABLESPOONS LIFT HANDS." The children should continue clapping, without lifting their hands after their leaders phrase. Each time the leader's phrase includes an animal or object that flies (kites, bees, butterflies, helicopters, and so on), the children lift their hands then resume clapping. If the phrase does not include an animal or object that flies (dogs, pencils, children, and so on), the children should keep clapping and not lift their hands. Other categories (farm animals, colors, nouns, verbs, number pairs that equal ten, and words beginning with various letters of the alphabet) may be used with this game to reinforce concepts being learned by the students.
Source: Germany: Our Global World, published by Milliken.
Explain that children in Germany play many games with their friends at school recess. German children also go to sports clubs to play after school and on weekends. There they swim, play soccer, handball, table tennis, and other games. They also enjoy hiking and riding bicycles. In the winter many like to ski.
Make a mask that might be worn if you were attending Karneval. (art, comparison and contrast)
Fasching or Karneval: This German holiday is celebrated six weeks before Easter, and is similar to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. It is also a festival to welcome spring and celebrates the end of winter. During this holiday, children dress up in costumes and have parades and parties at school similar to the way children in the United States celebrate at Halloween. Wooden masks are worn by people in the Black Forest. They dress in costumes and frighten winter spirits away with loud noises.
Tell the class that in Germany school children celebrate Karneval. Write the word on the vocabulary chart as the children pronounce it. Explain that it is a holiday that welcomes spring and celebrates the end of winter. Tell them that in the Black Forest, German people dress in costumes. They wear wooden masks and frighten the winter spirits away by making loud noises. Ask the class what holiday we celebrate that is similar to this one. Ask them how it is different. Tell the class that they are going to create a mask that they feel might frighten winter spirits away. Help the children make a mask.
Make a paper lantern in honor of St. Martin's Day and parade to the playground. (art, motor skills, cultural differences, history, vocabulary, and traditions)
Students will learn about German Scientists who left Germany during World War II and will "invent" a vehicle for space travel. (art, creative thinking, writing)
Tell the class that many German scientists left Germany to escape the Nazis during the war. Some of them came to the United States. Albert Einstein was one of those scientists. He won the Nobel prize. Wernher Von Braun was another. Von Braun was a German rocket engineer. He helped the United States develop our space program.