Vorsprung A Communicative Introduction to German Language and Culture

Vorsprung is an innovative and lively first-year program that uses a five-skills approach, emphasizing the acquisition of communicative as well as cultural competence without sacrificing attention to formal accuracy. Utilizing "focus on form" activities in an engaging, personalized fashion, Vorsprung helps students develop realistic abilities in speaking, listening, and reading German. The program presents a systematic, clear introduction to the essentials of German grammar and practices high-frequency structures and vocabulary in interactive activities. In addition, it provides students with the cultural knowledge that is relevant to their own lives and then asks them to compare their cultures to the habits and behaviors of the German-speaking peoples of Europe. In order to prepare students for successful communication in today\'s rapidly changing world, Vorsprung exposes them to a wealth of spoken and written authentic textual materials. To support this focus on spoken and written German, Vorsprung offers an array of in-class activities that foster accuracy and provide ample opportunities for students to practice German in authentic contexts. Streamlined grammar sequence enhances the balance in each chapter and enables instructors to more easily organize a semester-or quarter-long syllabus. Cross-cultural awareness activities (Kulturkreuzung) include thought-provoking questions following each cultural note that encourage students to reflect on the differences between the target culture and their own; raise awareness, sensitivity and appreciation of this diversity; and enable students to articulate the differences in German. Introduction of Austria as a chapter theme exposes students to another German-speaking country and helps them appreciate the Austrian cultural heritage. Added chapter material profiles three real-life American students who use their knowledge of German to study in Germany, providing motivation for students who might be uncertain about whether or not to continue their study of the language. Authentic readings represent more contemporary texts or recent editions of original texts, all chosen for their appeal to college students. Topics include updated rules and regulations for bicycling in Germany; a 21st-century online blog discussion of the meaning of friendship; and experiences of two foreign students at a German university. Integration of grammar with function enables students to see and learn how grammar is used to communicate and provides more focused instruction on the truly meaningful and worthwhile aspects of German grammar. Linear presentation of grammar and vocabulary provides the instructor and the student with a clear sense of progression through the material and a solid understanding of how vocabulary and structure are linked for communication.

Kapitel Eins: Fangen Sie bitte an Anlauftext I: Annas Albtraum Strukturen und Vokabeln I. Understanding commands and requests. The imperative. A. Formation of the formal imperative. Wissenswerte Vokabeln: Aktivitaten im Klassenzimmer. B. The word bitte Anlauftext II: Annas Traum. Brennpunkt Kultur: Greetings and farewells Strukturen und Vokabeln II. Describing yourself and others. A. The verb sein; subject pronouns. B. The pronoun you. Brennpunkt Kultur: Titles of address III. Asking for someone\'s name. The verb heiben. Wissenswerte Vokabeln: das Alphabet. Wissenswerte Vokabeln: die Zahlen. Wissenswerte Vokabeln: Aussehen IV. Asking for information and clarification. Question formation: A. Information questions B. Yes/no questions V. Identifying People and Classroom Objects. A. Noun gender and number. Wissenswerte Vokabeln: das Klassenzimmer, der Horsaal. B. The nominative case: definite articles der, das, die. Wissenswerte Vokabeln: die Farben. C. The nominative case: indefinite articles and kein. Sprache im Alltag: Abbreviated forms of ein. Wissenswerte Vokabeln: Lander und Nationalitaten. Brennpunkt Kultur: Where German is spoken. D. The nominative case. E. Pronoun substitution Kapitel Zwei: Familie und Freunde Anlauftext: Anna Adler stellt sich vor. Wissenswerte Vokabeln: Annas Familie. Strukturen und Vokabeln Wissenswerte Vokabeln: die Familie und die Verwandten Brennpunkt Kultur: German immigration to North America I. Indicating possession or ownership. The verb haben. Sprache im Alltag: Abbreviated ich-forms of verbs. Sprache im Alltag: Expressions with the verb haben. Wissenswerte Vokabeln: Studienfacher II. Expressing what you like and don\'t like. The expression gern haben. Brennpunkt Kultur: Types of universities in Germany III. Describing actions. Present tense of regular verbs. A. Conjugation of regular verbs in the present tense. B. Present-tense equivalents in English and German IV. Talking about what you like and don\'t like to do. Verbs + the adverb gern. A. Present tense of verbs with gern. B. Position of gern and nicht gern V. Talking about what you have and don\'t have. The accusative case. A. Definite and indefinite articles. B. Masculine N-nouns. Absprungtext: Anna schreibt ein E-Mail. Wissenswerte Vokabeln: die Monate Strukturen und Vokabeln VI. Creating variety and shifting emphasis. Position of subject and verb. Wissenswerte Vokabeln: die Wochentage. Wissenswerte Vokabeln: Zeitausdrucke. Wissenswerte Vokabeln: die Uhrzeit VII. Describing daily activities. Regular present-tense verbs: verbs with separable prefixes and two-verb constructions. Wissenswerte Vokabeln: Onkel Hannes\' Alltag VIII. Expressing negation. Position of nicht Zieltext: Annas E-mail Kapitel Drei: Was gibt es in Heidelberg und Mannheim zu tun? Anlauftext: Was halten wir von Anna? Was halt sie von uns? Sprache im Alltag: Assumptions with bestimmt, sicher, wahrscheinlich, and wohl. Brennpunkt Kultur: Mealtimes in German-speaking countries Strukturen und Vokabeln I. Describing activities. Present tense of stem-changing verbs. The verb wissen. Sprache im Alltag: es gibt, was gibt es ... ?, and was gibt\'s? II. Expressing relationships or ownership. Nominative of possessive adjectives III. Expressing additional and contrastive information and justifications. Coordinating conjunctions IV. Stating personal preferences. The particle lieber V. Expressing what you would like to do. The modal verb mochte. Wissenswerte Vokabeln: Lebensmittel. Brennpunkt Kultur: The metric system. Sprache im Alltag: Specifying amounts. Spra