Name __________________

First-year German • Individual Project (Kontext 01)
“Die Sprache finde ich überall! – This Language Is All Around Me!”

Description	Discover your new language right where you are, in several ways; learn some words that can help you describe and use what you have found.	
Level	Context 01/02 plus special-topic enrichment	
Time needed	4 hours over 14 days. Some of this is pursuing topics you like, NOT work!!	
Due	For “on-time” score of 6: within one week from the activation of the assignment; for “on-time” score of 4: within two weeks from the activation of the assignment.	
Objectives
	1)	learn how projects work in the course;
	2)	learn that your new language can be found right where you are now – to encounter and use it you don’t have to wait until you are “over there;”
	3)	explore some nearby resources that can help you learn the language, find out about the culture, and even have fun doing that;
	4)	learn some words and expressions, in your new language, that you can use to describe and exploit the resources you have found;
	5)	check whether you can write and say correctly the basic letters and letter-combinations of your new language;
	6)	let you start using the language for mature purposes even when your command of it is still elementary.
Resources
	1)	At least some of this project can be done on the internet, and you should learn to use internet resources in and for your new language. But since you’re exploring resources that should be right around you, at least some of the project must involve hands-on, face-to-face encounters. A telephone book and local map, or internet equivalents, will probably be useful.
	2)	Language involves human communication. Think about how you can learn from people around you who have connections to the language: your instructor, other students, people out in the community, possibly your family and relatives, if you are of German background or someone knows the language.
Procedure
	1)	Of the following topics, choose any THREE to explore. There is some overlap among topics, so choose ones that are distinct from each other. Aim for variety rather than too much in one area.

Essen und Trinken / food & drink	Kultur / “highbrow” culture	Unterhaltung / popular culture	Film / film	
Sport / sports	Reisen / travel	Politik / politics	Wirtschaft / Business	
Hobbys / hobbies	Familiengeschichte / family history, genealogy	Einkaufen / shopping	Bücher u. Zeitschriften / books & magazines	

	2)	For EACH of your three topics, make – IN ENGLISH (except for specific names) – a list of TWO nearby resources where you can find that topic connected somehow to the German language and German-speaking countries. Nearby = You can get there and back by ground transportation within a few hours. The resources do not have to be limited to German only. Thus a restaurant might serve other dishes than German ones, and a store might sell items from countries other than Germany, Austria or Switzerland. But the German content and language should be richly represented in your resources. The content and organization of your lists must be such that some other person who is unfamiliar with your topics can easily locate and use, on site and in person, what you have found. Include such things as names of companies or stores, addresses, telephone numbers, websites addresses, etc. For each resource also provide a short phrase that describes it, even if the name of the resource already does that (example: Rheinlander German restaurant: German food and drink in both formal and informal settings).

		Example: The Austrian Hut; 1234 Schiller Street; 503 123-4567; www.austrianhut.com. Sells hiking and skiing equipment; arranges overnight hikes.

	3)	Now, using the spaces on the next page, process your lists so that you can say, in German, COMPLETE SENTENCES that provide the basic information about your resources. You’ll also be creating collections of special vocabulary for your three topics, so that you could communicate more effectively about your topics by adding those words to the basic language you are acquiring in the early units of the course.

Name __________________

		Picture yourself naming your resource, identifying it by kind, and then giving the basic contact information about it, such as address, telephone number, days / hours open. Below are words that answer the question “Was ist das?” for the kinds of resources you are collecting. Further below are phrases that will allow you to introduce your contact information. 

ein Restaurant	ein Geschäft (business, shop)	eine Firma (company)	eine Website	ein Klub (club-group)
ein Lokal (club-bar)	
ein Museum (museum)	eine Gruppe (group)	eine Bibliothek (library)	ein Buch (book)	ein Konzertsaal (concert hall)	

Das ist ein Restauarant / eine Gruppe.		Der Name ist… / Das Restaurant heißt… / Die Gruppe heißt…
Die Adresse / Die Internetadresse / Die Telefonnummer ist…	Die Öffnungszeiten (open day & times) sind…

Now for each resource write, in German, what you would say to tell someone about it. For each resource, begin by answering the question, “Was ist das, und wie heißt das?” Then include your other information. Write COMPLETE SENTENCES, not fragment answers.

Topic #1 Resource #1:						Topic #1 Resource #2:

Topic #2 Resource #1:						Topic #2 Resource #2:

Topic #3 Resource #1:						Topic #3 Resource #2:

Now look at the materials associated with your resources – ads, menus, product labels, programs, etc. – anything that describes what THINGS the resources offer, especially if it’s in German. For EACH of your three TOPICS, make a specialized vocabulary list in GERMAN of FIVE terms (words or phrases). English examples for some of the topics: travel – “airline tickets,” “package tours;” “movie”; “DVD player,” “popcorn.” It's OK to use a dictionary, but be careful! Even apparently simple words can have several equivalents, or may not convert directly between languages. For example, when you “pay” for something in a store, that’s “zahlen.” What you get from your employer as “pay” for your work is “Gehalt.” A “package” that comes in the mail is a “Paket,” but a “package tour” doesn’t use the word “Paket.” So it’s better to get your words from the language that your resources use.

List your FIVE terms for each TOPIC here:

Topic #1

Topic #2

Topic #3