Deutschlernen in der Grundschule - weiter

Before you read my answer below to the 10 comments thus far on this topic (Blogspot informed me that my answer was too long to fit in the box provided), I'll let you read about another German immersion school in Tennessee. Surprise! It seems to be working! (Who is really surprised? Kids are smart and of course you CAN LEARN LANGUAGES-- if we just give you the chance!)

Sun, Nov.21’10 School system tweaking German language program By: Kelli Gauthier Chattanooga Times Free Press

Hamilton County Schools has a month or so to find a new way to teach German to children of Volkswagen employees who eventually plan to return home.

Until this point, German students in several public schools have been pulled out of class for at least an hour a day to be given German language instruction. The program, designed to keep students from being behind academically when they move back to Germany, was part of the deal negotiated by Volkswagen and city and county officials.

But the state Department of Education has told Hamilton County school officials that they need to change the way the students are taught German. The department said it expects a new system to be implemented by January.

"We knew this would be a short-term fix," added Karla Riddle, magnet school director.

Tennessee Department of Education officials went along with the program initially so the school system could honor the agreement with Volkswagen, but they now have given the district options for a new approach.

"You run into a lot of issues ... because you're not providing those services to other students," said Dept of Ed spokeswoman Amanda Anderson.


German Immersion

Local school administrators said they want the hastily created German enrichment classes to shape future foreign language instruction in Hamilton County Schools.

For instance, at Brown Academy, where about 50 German students are enrolled, the district is piloting a two-way immersion program in which students in pre-K through 1st grade hear a lesson in English, then a similar lesson in German.

German teacher Tammy Collins originally was pretty skeptical, but she now calls the program "a wonderful success." Whether she's teaching math or English, the students usually understand her instruction and usually answer back in German, she said.

She said the American students even raise their hands to answer in German more often then their German counterparts.

"It works just like the research says it does," she said. "It's incredible. I think it's sort of a miraculous thing."

Alex Busbe, an American first-grader at Brown, said his German lessons are tough, but he's glad for them.

"German is hard because you have a lot of things on your mind that you're thinking of," the 7-year-old said. "It's really useful to visit other countries and understand what they're saying because you've been studying it."

Brown parent Marty Lowe said his kindergarten son, Mason, teaches him and his wife German vocabulary.

"He'll say, 'Daddy, do you know what 'cup' is in German?' Lowe said. "He's very engaged. Why not give them the opportunity at this age? ... The more they're given, the more they soak up and use."

The idea at Brown is to grow the program each year until every grade at the elementary school operates a two-way immersion program, Principal Lea Ann Burk said.

"We're trying to get the biggest bang for our buck," she said. "We wanted to make sure our American students got the benefit of being with the Germans, too, not just the Germans being with the Americans."

State legislators have introduced at least two bills that would require the Tennessee Board of Education to develop a statewide curriculum to teach foreign language all the way through elementary school, Riddle said.

The program is "always going to be tweaked," she said. "We need for our students to develop language skills in order for them to be competitive."


Und jetzt: Hier ist meine Antwort zu den 10 Kommentierungen zum Artikel vom 14. November "GERMAN SCHOOL WORTH SACRIFICE". Wie gesagt, war die Antwort zu lang. Deshalb wohnt diese Antwort jetzt auf diesem neuen "Blatt."

1. Sicher kann man mit 80 Jahren Sprachen lernen, nur nicht so schnell, als wie bei 8 Jahren. Ich stimme mit Mwilkins zu (zustimmen = to agree with): Wenn nur auch WIR vor dem Alter von 8 mit Sprachen lernen ANFANGEN KÖNNTEN, dann würden wir nicht nur besser Englisch lernen, sondern auch einfach besser LERNEN, zum Beispiel Mathe, die Wissenschaften (the sciences), andere Sprachen, und MEHR!

2. Du schreibst, Zach, über die langen vollen Schultagen, die wir schon haben. Gibt es jetzt genug Zeit für Mathe in der Schule? Ja?

--> Stimmt ihr alle auch zu?

Aber stellt ihr euch nur vor (just imagine), wie es euch in der Schule mit Mathe gehen würde, sollte ihr erst mit Mathe in der 8.-9. Klassen angefangen haben, wie es jetzt mit Fremdsprachen läuft. --> Was für Mathe könnt ihr dann in den 4 bleibenden Jahren der Oberschule lernen?

3. Sonja, Tatiana, und der Schneemann: Wenn die Eltern hier euch zustimmten, und dieses dem Schoolboard klar machten, dann würden AUCH WIR mit Fremdsprachen früher anfangen. Wir müssen wissen, was wir in der Schulen haben wollen.

Wie wäre es mit solch einem Plan?
--> Im Kindergarten: Das tägliche Wetterbericht auf Deutsch zu besprechen!
--> 1. Klasse: Sport auf Deutsch!
--> 2. Klasse: Musik auf Deutsch!
--> 3. Klasse: Geographie auf Deutsch!
--> 4. Klasse: Gesundheit (Health) auf Deutsch!
--> 5. Klasse: Mathe auf Deutsch!
--> 6. Klasse: Lesen / Schreiben auf Deutsch!; auch Englische und Deutsche Grammatik zu besprechen und vergleichen (to compare)!

u.s.w.

4. Grace, Du bist ein glückliches Mädchen, viele Sprachen als Kind gelernt zu haben. Was lernt man über Dr. Gustav Nachtigal (der Deutsche “entdecker” Togos; 1884?) in Togo? Ich habe gelesen, dass Dr. Nachtigal (auf Englisch: Nightengale) heute ziemlich beliebt bleibt, denn er hatte eine echte Interesse in die Leute und auch die Pflanzen in Afrika. Stimmt das?

Am meisten HANDELTEN (traded) die Deutsch HANSE (Hanseatic League) mit den anderen Ländern, anstatt ihnen zu erobern (conquer). Sie kolonisierten sehr spät und wenig.

Es bleibt auch fest (it’s been determined), dass Deutschland nichts (oder fast nichts -- ?) mit der Menschenhandel (oder Sklavenhandel = slave trade) in Afrika zu tun hatten. Sklaven konnte man in Deutschland auch nicht besitzen (to own).