Jump straight to any chapter: Kapitel 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Kapitel 1 Wir stellen uns vor

Lindenstraße [Activity GCSE.1.1]
This website should be interesting to students because it was inspired by a British phenomenon - Coronation Street. If your school has satellite television and can receive German television, it may be worthwhile to record an episode of Lindenstraße on video so that the class could be shown an excerpt.

Frage 1 Question 1 revises the vocabulary necessary for manoeuvring within the Lindenstraße website. Students who have not dealt with the topic of entertainment and television previously may need some help.

Frage 2 This is an interactive worksheet which can be printed out or filled in on screen. A central character of the show is used as a model for describing people.
Weaker students may want to print out the text from the Internet to work on the vocabulary off screen. This can be done by selecting the text with the mouse button depressed. Then the 'print' command on the main menu has to be activated. Students have to click on: 'print selection'.
More advanced students may wish to select other characters from the show and present them to each other or even write their own role plays.

Click here to see the answers to the Lindenstraße Activity.

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Hobbyreiter [Activity GCSE.1.2]
This website will appeal more to the horse-loving students.

Frage 1 This is a multiple-choice exercise. Students may need to use a dictionary for some of the expressions.

Frage 2 This is a more demanding multiple choice exercise. Students need to read the text and extract specific information. It may be useful to revise the colours.

Click here to see the answers to the Hobbyreiter Activity.

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Kapitel 2 Komm mit!

Tix-Online [Activity GCSE.2.1]
This online box office features a wide range of entertainment offers.

Frage 1 This is a multiple choice exercise in which students need to select the correct word from a list. The vocabulary for entertainment is revised.

Frage 2 This is an interactive worksheet which can be printed out. Students have some choice in selecting an event and answers may vary depending on the event chosen. 1-7 are suitable for all levels. Weaker students may require help with the role-play.

Click here to see the answers to the Tix-online Activity.

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Phantasialand [Activity GCSE.2.2]
This exciting leisure park should be a very attractive option for students to explore and could be a useful starting point for a wider discussion of leisure activities which interest the students and facilities available in their area. The park is a popular destination for school trips.

The website should be suitable for the entire family and students could therefore be allowed to explore the various areas of the park.

Since there are some videos and a lot of pictures, download times may be longer on older computers.

Frage 1 This is a multiple choice activity suited to all levels. Key vocabulary used in most texts on leisure facilities is revised.

Frage 2 This comprehension exercise encourages critical reading. It should be accessible to most students.

As an extension activity students could be asked to explore the park and to describe their favourite ride or area.

Click here to see the answers to the Phantasialand Activity.

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Kapitel 3 Tagtägliches

Mitwohnzentrale [Activity GCSE.3.1]
This website offers students a realistic opportunity to practise the vocabulary of renting accommodation. Since there are a lot of photos of both outside and inside the flats and houses for rent and sale, students can get an authentic picture of housing conditions in Germany.

Frage 1 This multiple choice exercise should be accessible to most students, but less able students may need to revise some of the vocabulary beforehand.

Frage 2 This is an interactive worksheet. Students are encouraged to continue the ‚Hörspiel' from the Student's Book and thereby get involved in the story.
Students have to fill in a form and search for suitable accommodation. There are no set answers since students may select different houses or flats.
Since this activity encourages students to work more independently and to take their own decisions, it may be advisable to set a time limit of about 30 minutes.

Extension activities:
Students could be encouraged to prepare a display of the accommodation they chose. They could illustrate it using photos from the Internet site.
They could also develop a role-play based on the information gleaned from this website.

Click here to see the answers to the Mitwohnzentrale Activity.

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Wilhelm-von-Oranien-Schule [Activity GCSE.3.2]
This is a unique opportunity for students to explore a genuine German school.

Frage 1 For this exercise, students have to read the short text and extract specific answers. They have to type in the answers.
Students may need to be reminded to watch out for the correct spelling, since the computer will not accept answers as correct unless properly spelt.
Answers revise the vocabulary of languages and school subjects.

Frage 2 This question familiarises students with the German equivalent to sixth form (Oberstufe). The multiple choice exercise revises school subjects.

Click here to see the answers to the Wilhelm-von-Oranien-Schule Activity.

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Kapitel 4 In der Stadt

Die Bahn [Activity GCSE.4.1]
This is the authentic website of the German railway. In a realistic environment students can apply the vocabulary of travel and transport with a particular focus on buying tickets.

Frage 1 This multiple choice exercise is suitable for all levels.

Frage 2 This is an interactive worksheet. Students need to extract specific information from the website. The exercise should be suitable for all levels, though the length of answers may change. Solutions cannot be provided here as the answers will change over time.

The role-play is suitable for more able students and will provide a revision of the unit's vocabulary in a realistic environment.

Click here to see the answers to the Die Bahn Activity.

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Reisebank [Activity GCSE.4.2]
This currency exchange website also offers information on foreign currency and countries. Download times for the pictures of the various bank notes may vary.
Since the Euro was not yet in circulation at the time of publication we have avoided all EU currencies in the exercises.

Frage 1 This exercise asks students to explore the list of currencies provided by the Reisebank. Students could be encouraged to guess the answers before looking them up. The exercise requires close reading skills and concentration rather than extensive mastery of German, so it should give students who are less advanced in their German a good result.
Students may need to be reminded that they have to take care when typing in their answers. Misspellings would not be recognised as correct answers by the computer.
As an extension activity, students could look at the bank notes and read the information texts about the countries.

Frage 2 This exercise is also suitable for all levels. Students can practise using the currency converter as a preparation for the ensuing role-play. It should provide students with very useful real life skills as well as offer an opportunity to practise German.

Click here to see the answers to the Reisebank Activity.

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Kapitel 5 Ferien

WetterOnline [Activity GCSE.5.1]
This is a commercial site. Students may have to be told to ignore the smaller ads flashing up at the top and bottom of the screen.
The site revises the vocabulary of talking about the weather in a realistic environment.

Frage 1 Here, students can revise countries and their knowledge of Geography. This activity is suited to all levels of ability.

Frage 2 This is an interactive worksheet. Students are invited to get involved into the 'Hörspiel' situations.
This activity is suitable for group work. Answers may vary. The activity can be extended into an oral activity.

Frage 3 This is an interactive worksheet. Students are invited to get involved into the 'Hörspiel' situations.
This activity is suitable for group work. Answers may vary. The activity can be extended into an oral activity.

Click here to see the answers to the WetterOnline Activity.

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Berlin [Activity GCSE.5.2]
This exciting website from the Berlin tourist board can be exploited in many ways. We chose to restrict ourselves to the area of accommodation, but teachers will find a multitude of other potentially interesting topics covered here.

Frage 1 This is a simple drop and drag exercise practising computer skills as well as reading comprehension of a short text. Weaker students may require assistance or preparation.

Frage 2 This question encourages critical reading. Weaker students may require assistance with the vocabulary.

Frage 3 This is an interactive worksheet. Students need to look for specific information. More able students could be asked to develop this into an exam style role-play.

Click here to see the answers to the Berlin Activity.

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Kapitel 6 Privatleben

Was zu essen - was zu trinken [Activity GCSE.6.1]
This website offers a fun way of looking at food and drink.
At the time of publication, there was an advertising banner at the bottom of the page leading to a flirt page. If this cannot be deactivated, students should be discouraged from clicking on it.

Frage 1 This is a multiple choice activity which may involve a certain amount of guessing. It will help students to become familiar with this website.

Frage 2 This interactive worksheet encourages students to explore the lists of food and drink on the website. It is suitable for all levels and can be used as a group activity.

This activity raises awareness of healthy and unhealthy food in a fun way. Students could be asked to guess the answers before actually looking them up.

The site also familiarises students with the names of food and drink that they would encounter and be likely to want to eat or drink when in Germany.

Click here to see the answers to the Was zu essen - was zu trinken Activity.

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TV Today [Activity GCSE.6.2]
This online TV-magazine has a number of banner advertisements embedded into it as most commercial sites. Students should be encouraged from clicking on these, because they change over time and it cannot be guaranteed that they will be always suitable for children. Moreover, they will lead to other screens and less computer-literate students may find it difficult to return to the original page.

Frage 1 This activity practises useful phrases from the field of entertainment. Since the answers are available as anagrams and a help function is installed, it should be suitable for all levels and for small group work.

Frage 2 This interactive worksheet practises the vocabulary of entertainment. Students need to search for specific information and use a number of computer skills to achieve this goal. Since there is an element of free choice, the time should be limited to no more then 30 minutes. The role-play is suitable for more able students but will be accessible to weaker students if they are given help.

Click here to see the answers to the TV Today Activity.

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Kapitel 7 Rund um's Geld

Ferienjobs 4 you [Activity GCSE.7.1]
This website is specifically designed for young people looking for jobs, which should add to its appeal.

Frage 1 This question encourages critical reading. Weaker students may wish to print out the text and consult a dictionary.

Frage 2 This is an interactive worksheet. Students have to extract specific information from the website using a number of computer skills. This activity is less suitable for weaker students. The ensuing writing activity corresponds to an exam style exercise.

Click here to see the answers to the Ferienjobs 4 you Activity.

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Quelle [Activity GCSE.7.2]
This website of a German mail order house will appeal because of its many photos.

Please make sure students do not choose the option 'LiebeLust' on the first drop-down menu as this will eventually lead to a display of unsuitable material for this age group.

Frage 1 This drag and drop exercise is suitable for all levels of ability, though some students may wish to consult dictionaries. It revises household objects and objects of everyday use as well as categories for shopping.

Frage 2 This is an interactive worksheet. It practises describing clothes. Students need to work freely and independently to assemble a complete set of clothes for themselves. It is possible to use this as a group activity. Students could be encouraged to clip photos from the Internet and use them in their answers.
It is advisable to set a clear time limit for this activity, as students have to make decisions.

Click here to see the answers to the Quelle Activity.

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Kapitel 8 Was wird aus mir?

Kids Hotline [Activity GCSE.8.1]
This website gives advice to teenagers with genuine problems. You may find some of the topic areas discussed less suitable for your class and wish to discourage students from clicking on these forums. Although the contents are not intended to be offensive, questions of a sexual nature or relating to crime and violence are discussed in some letters as they were of genuine concern to the authors of those letters.

Frage 1 Here students need to type in the correct answers. A help button is available, revealing the beginning of the answers.

Frage 2 This interactive worksheet focuses on school problems. Students' answers may vary depending on the letter they choose to examine.
Alternatively, the teacher may want to pre-select a suitable letter and direct students towards it or even print it out for the students and work offline.

Click here to see the answers to the Kids Hotline Activity.

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Neue Ausbildungsberufe [Activity GCSE.8.2]
This website offers lots of information to young people about jobs and the work place. By its nature, some of the vocabulary is quite complex and weaker students may need assistance.

Frage 1 This multiple choice exercise should be suitable for all. Students need to identify simple topic areas.

Frage 2 This is a drop and drag exercise where students have to reconstruct a CV using the one on the website as a template.

Frage 3 This activity asks students to write their own CV in German using the CV on the website as a model.

Click here to see the answers to the Neue Ausbildungsberufe Activity.

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Kapitel 9 Unsere Umwelt

Greenpeace [Activity GCSE.9.1]
This is a fun website for children and teenagers.

Frage 1 This activity practises reading comprehension and critical reading.

Frage 2 This is an interactive worksheet. Students' answers may vary depending on the letter they choose to examine.
Alternatively, the teacher may want to pre-select a suitable letter and direct students towards it or even print it out for the students and work offline.

Click here to see the answers to the Greenpeace Activity.

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Rauchfrei [Activity GCSE.9.2]
This excellent website provides a wealth of well-presented information on smoking. The teacher may find may other texts on this site, which he or she might want to explore in class.

Frage 1 This reading comprehension activity is more suited to more able students although a help function is provided. Students need to type their answers into the gaps. Correct spelling is essential.

Frage 2 For this examination style activity, students need to identify the author of the statement and understand paraphrase. The phrases revised here are related to the topic of smoking.

Frage 3 This fun multiple choice activity is suitable for all levels.

As an extension activity students could be asked if they know any smokers and would like to hazard a guess as to the 'Type' of smoker this person is.

Click here to see the answers to the Rauchfrei Activity.

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