Festivals and traditions: using plural verbs reflexively
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can use verbs reflexively to describe people's self-directed actions in the context of traditional festivals.
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- Idioms are expressions that often don’t have a literal meaning and may not translate directly into another language.
- Several German idioms include ‘Wurst’ because sausage is a culturally important German food, popular at many festivals.
- Stress is part of intonation and syllable stress refers to the syllable in a word that is spoken more strongly.
- Plural reflexive pronouns 'uns', 'euch' and 'sich' make verbs reflexive when subject and object are the same.
- In sentences where subject and object are different, 'uns' (us) and 'euch' (you all) are object pronouns.
Keywords
Idiom - phrase whose meaning isn’t always literal and doesn’t always translate word for word
Stress - pronouncing one syllable more heavily than other syllables in a word
Reflexive pronoun - used to indicate doing something to yourself, words like ‘myself’ and ‘yourself’
Common misconception
The meaning of all German phrases should be taken literally.
Just like English, German contains idioms, phrases that mean something other than their literal meaning, e.g., ‘da haben wir den Salat’ - 'we have the salad there', which should be understood as 'now we have a problem'.
Teacher tip
Teachers may wish to explore the cultural aspects of the lesson by showing students video clips of Oktoberfest celebrations, e.g., the serving of Wurst, traditional costumes and 'Blasmusik' - brass or woodwind band music, and also the Kölner Karneval.
Equipment
A mini whiteboard and pen, together with pen and paper for making notes, would be useful, if available.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the subject to the correct object pronoun.
mich
dich
uns
euch
sich
Q2.Match the German and the English.
bed
chair
ghost
performance
dream
leaf/ sheet
Q3.Match each verb to its meaning.
to put on
to feel, feeling
to name, naming
to hold, stop
to wash, washing
to grasp, grasping
Q4.How do you say '14:35' in German using the 24-hour clock?
Q5.Put the words below in the correct order to form an open question in German.
Q6.Translate into English: 'dann wasche ich mich'.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Complete the following sentence using the correct reflexive pronoun: 'Wir waschen .'
Q2.Match each idiom to its meaning.
Now we have a problem.
Everything comes to an end.
I don't care.
Q3.What is the best definition of a German idiom?
Q4.Put these words in the correct order to say: 'We are improving ourselves.'
Q5.Translate into English: 'dann wascht ihr euch'.
Q6.Why do many German idioms include the word 'Wurst'?
To help you plan your 9 German lesson on: Festivals and traditions: using plural verbs reflexively, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 German lesson on: Festivals and traditions: using plural verbs reflexively, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 German lessons from the Ordinary routines and special events: reflexive verbs unit, dive into the full secondary German curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.