German L7: Example 2
Example 2: Famous person: Who am I?
Seine Sportart macht er schon lange nicht mehr, aber noch heute kennt ihn fast jeder. Er ist in der Nähe von Graz in Österreich geboren. Mit 15 Jahren hat er mit dem Krafttraining angefangen, weil er ein groβer Bodybuilder werden und nach Amerika gehen wollte. Mit 20 Jahren war er Mr Universum. Er hat 12 Weltmeistertitel gewonnen und in vielen Hollywoodfilmen gespielt. Dann wurde er Politiker und Gouverneur in Kalifornien. Er hat vier Kinder und drei Hunde. Eine seiner groβen Filmrollen war der Terminator.
[Arnold Schwarzenegger]
Seine Karriere hat in Kerpen (Nordrhein-Westfalen) begonnnen. Zwischen 1991 und 2004 hat er sieben Weltmeistertitel gewonnen und deshalb 2002 den Titel Weltsportler des Jahres und 2004 Weltsportler des Jahrhunderts bekommen. Er ist sozial sehr engagiert und unterstützt Projekte für Kinder in der ganzen Welt. Seit 2002 ist er auch Sonderbotschafter der UNESCO. Er hat 91 Rennen gewonnen. Nach einer längeren Pause saβ er 2010 wieder hinter dem Steuerrad und ist bis jetzt eine Saison für Mercedes gefahren. Er gilt noch heute als der beste Formel-1-Fahrer aller Zeiten.
[Michael Schumacher]
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Context and text type
Students research a well-known German-speaking personality and write a short text describing the person and outlining their career. Others try to guess the personality.
Text type
Expository. Productive.
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Examples showing how the students are:
Communicating information, ideas and opinions through increasingly extended and varied texts
The writer has researched their chosen personality, extracting information from authentic texts in German in order to produce a description of that personality in language that can be understood by their peers.
The writer uses a mix of simple structures, 'Er hat vier Kinder und drei Hunde', and sentences of greater complexity:
- Mit 15 Jahren hat er mit dem Krafttraining angefangen, weil er ein groβer Bodybuilder werden und nach Amerika gehen wollte.
The focus of the text is on information:
- Seine Karriere hat in Kerpen (Nordrhein-Westfalen) begonnnen.
Should this text be delivered orally, then spoken features such as pronunciation, intonation, rhythm patterns, delivery speed, audibility, and stress patterns have a bearing on the overall effectiveness of the communication and must also be taken into consideration.
Beginning to explore the views of others
The writer learns about the well-known person and how others perceive them through their own research as they prepare their texts.
The descriptions offer factual information, arranged in such a way that the facts become clues which challenge others to detect and name the personality at any point.
Beginning to develop and share personal perspectives
The writer uses their own 'voice' to produce texts from information they have researched.
They craft text and sequence their information to provide a challenge for others.
Beginning to justify own ideas and opinions
The writer shapes the text by choosing which information to present, and in which order. The statement 'Seine Sportart macht er schon lange nicht mehr, aber noch heute kennt ihn fast jeder' is justified through the information that follows.
Beginning to support or challenge the ideas and opinions of others
The writer extracts and summarises information presented by others. Since the texts are limited to a collection of known facts, the information supports the ideas of others.
The deliberate crafting and sequencing of the information challenges others to engage with the text and work out who is being described:
- Seine Karriere hat in Kerpen (Nordrhein-Westfalen) begonnnen.
Beginning to engage in sustained interactions and produce extended texts
The writer extends the text by producing a succession of facts about the personality they are describing.
The problem-solving nature of the texts invites others to engage with the information in ways that sustain their interaction with the text:
- Er ist in der Nähe von Graz in Österreich geboren.
Interpreting ways in which the target language is organised in different texts and for different purposes
Creating a problem-solving text requires thought about the structuring and sequencing of the information to be presented so that it presents a challenge to the listener or reader.
The text in this activity is limited to factual material, so the tone is neutral.
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Opportunities for developing intercultural communicative competence
Students research current celebrities from German-speaking backgrounds. Explore why these people are famous. What have they achieved that makes them so special? Make connections and comparisons with well-known New Zealanders – do they display the same kinds of attributes?
Investigate similarities and differences between New Zealand and German-speaking societies in terms of who they honour as celebrities. What do these similarities and differences reveal about the values of the two societies?
Last updated January 16, 2013
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