Backe, backe Kuchen

I love baking, and I've blogged about baking with my students.

Last fall, I decided I was ready for a new adventure and started working as a pastry chef for a local Bloomington coffee shop.

Other than getting up early in the morning, it's completely different from teaching.  

I usually work with one other baker, and we prep doughs and bake from 6:30 AM - 2:00 PM.  My current favorite things to bake are brownies (the frosting is fantastic!), gingersnaps, and sugar cookies, but we also make scones, muffins, rice crispy bars, quick breads, and mini quiche.  It's a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, and so far I really enjoy it!

People have asked me if I miss teaching, and I do miss the teaching part.  But I no longer spend my days trying to keep teenagers off TikTok, and I can go to the bathroom whenever I need to.  Overall, it's just much less stressful.  

People also ask if I'll go back to teaching.  Maybe.  I've written that I believe public schools are a mirror: they reflect the state of our communities back to us.  Our country right now has a lot of division and anger.  That's how it feels in schools, too.  So, for the moment, I'll keep baking.  

 

Possessive Pronouns with Easy German

Sometimes everything just comes together!  I've blogged about my love of Easy German videos and also how useful EDPuzzle can be for teachers.  

Put them together, add a good worksheet to go along with the video, and you've got a great lesson to teach possessive pronouns (my, your, his, her, etc) in German 1 or to review them in German 2 or 3.  Enjoy!

Here are the links:

Original Super Easy German Possessive Pronouns Video

My EDPuzzle Video Version

Possessive Pronouns Worksheet

Berliner Mauer Kreuzworträtsel

 

I seem to be on a crossword puzzle roll lately.  I created a Berlin Wall crossword puzzle for my good friend to use with her German 2 students.  It's German to German but uses relatively simple language, so it should be accessible to strong German 2 students or German 3 students who have studied a bit about the Wall.

Click on the link if you'd like a copy: Berliner Mauer Kreuzworträtsel

Kreuzworträtsel / Crossword Puzzles

I liked to use crossword puzzles in my classes as a way to sneak in some vocabulary drill in a way that was slightly more enjoyable to students.  It also has the perk of being self-correcting, so no need to spend a lot of time grading/going over it.  Win-win!

The tool I have always used is the Criss-Cross Puzzlemaker from Discovery Education.  It's not fancy, but it gets the job done.

I take the puzzle that is generated by Puzzlemaker and paste it into a PowerPoint template so that I can save it and use a format that is similar to other paper assignments.  This certainly isn't necessary, but I think it's a nice touch.

I recently made a puzzle to be used as a review for the beginning of the year for incoming German 2 students.  It reviews typical German 1 vocabulary, such as school, numbers, colors, family, and food.  I made two versions.  One is easier and has the clues as the English definitions.  Students fill in the German word.  The other version is more difficult.  The clues are in (very simple) German, and the answers are German as well.  I feel like this is attainable for strong German 2 students and might even be challenging to German 3 students who are working on using the target language only.  Both versions are included in the same file, which is available here: Willkommen Deutsch 2 Kreuzworträtsel.  Here is the list of words for a key and for easy modification to tailor the puzzle to your own students without needing the retype the whole list: Willkommen Deutsch 2 Kreuzworträtsel word list.

Advice for Multilevel Classes

I was recently corresponding with a new German teacher in South Carolina (schöne Grüße, Frau Becker!), and she asked for advice about planning for a class with both German 2 and 3 students in it.  Multilevel classes are pretty common in upper level world languages, so I thought I'd put my reflections here in case they can help anyone else.

The combination of two levels is tough for teachers. Administrators don't seem to understand how much more work it is for the teacher and how the students are shortchanged. They just look at numbers. As I was told, just be grateful we're letting you do this level at all.  At my school it was a 3/4 split. (And one year I did a 4/5 split, though we only had German 5 that one year!)

When facing a multilevel class, first of all, be kind to yourself. This isn't easy and you won't be able to give the students the same learning experience as if they were separate classes. You are one person and can only do what you can do. 

The upper level students (I'll call them German 4 here for clarity since that was my experience) should be seniors and, at least theoretically, more mature, so focus on the German 3 students, and give the German 4 students more independent work. 

You may be able to have your German 4 students play the role of conversation partner or assistant teacher. Give them a note card with a speaking question that they ask of the German 3 students one on one or in small groups. 

This isn't what you'd do if you had separate sections, but it is using the language and does benefit them. If parents complain, explain that it isn't under your control and ask them to take their concerns to administration. Overall, focus your energy on German 3, where you likely have more students, and do what you can about German 4, but don't expect yourself to be two people.

Summer 2023 Update

 Here's what I've been up to lately:

• Two elbow surgeries, one case of COVID, and one sinus surgery in 2022.

• A trip to Germany in the summer of 2022 to visit our son at the end of his exchange year in Schwebheim, Bavaria.  This was our first major trip since 2019 - it was wonderful to travel again!

• A return to teaching during the 2022-23 school year as a part-time middle school math support teacher at St Charles Catholic School.  I worked every other day from 10:30-2:30, and the school is a 15 minute walk from our house.  It was a wonderful way to return to the classroom, and being there helped restore my love of teaching.

I still love (and miss!) German teaching and creating lessons for German, so I'll definitely keep my blog up for others to use.  I might even post lessons or ideas if I see something I just can't resist sharing.

Easy German Reise nach Dresden - Yule Blog

 

Easy German Reise nach Dresden Trip to Dresden

A tool I find really useful is Edpuzzle.  I've blogged about it before, and I really like it for cutting and adding questions to online videos.

This video is the first 3 minutes of a new Easy German video filmed in Dresden.  The whole video is pretty good but probably a bit long for students' attention spans.  There is also the word "Scheiße" and some consumption of alcoholic beverages (by adults) later in the video, so it may not be something you want to show in your classes, depending on your school's policies and the maturity of your students.

However, the first three minutes show some beautiful sights in Dresden and provide great opportunities to use weather, clothing, and travel vocabulary, which are all German 2 topics in the district where I most recently taught. 

I made a one page worksheet to go along with my video.  Click on this link if you'd like a copy.