Children German facts and ideas

• German is the most widely spoken first language in the European Union with an estimated 95 million speakers.
• As well as being spoken in Germany and much of Europe, German is also the official language of Pomerode, a city in Brazil! It is known as “the most German city in Brazil”!
• German uses the same alphabet as English, with an additional letter ß which sounds similar to “ss”.
• Neuschwanstein Castle (built by Mad King Ludwig of Bavaria) was the inspiration for Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle.
• Germany as an independent nation only came into existence in 1871. Before then it had been a loose confederation of large and small states.
• The longest non-technical word in the German language is 23 letters long. It is Unkameradschaftlichkeit referring to the state of not being a companion!
• Germany is widely acknowledged as the birthplace of the Garden Gnome!
• Our Royal family is German! Before George V changed the family name to “Windsor” they were known as“Saxe-Coburg and Gotha”.

You may want to find a tutor for your child because they are excelling at or struggling with learning German. What should you be thinking about to help you choose the right German tutor for your child?

• Does your child want to learn German ‘just for fun’ or do they need a booster just before exams? Can the teacher accommodate either of these?
• Do you need to provide stationery or equipment? Do these need to be purchased before the lessons start?
• Are there any text books that you need to order/pay for in advance?

There are three examination boards accredited by Ofqual. These are:

AQA –One of the leading providers of GCSEs and A Levels. Used by most secondary schools and colleges in the UK.

Edexcel – Considered the UK’s largest awarding organisation, they offer both academic and vocational qualifications and testing to schools and colleges.

OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations) – Over 13,000 centres choose OCR for their A Levels and GCSEs.

Children and Young Adults

GCSE – Generally involves most aspects of the language such as writing, reading, listening and speaking. Vocabulary is often centered on the kind of conversations your child might have on holiday in Germany.

AS (Advanced Subsidiary) Level and A (Advanced) Level qualifications will still focus on the skills learnt at GCSE yet to a higher level. It will also encourage deeper knowledge of the German culture and promote fluent German speaking, rather than speaking German as a visitor.

Adults

German can be taken into several areas at degree level such as German, European History, German  Literature and more. Please click here to see the subjects available to you, where the degree can be studied and what qualification you will need to be accepted.

Qualifications of teachers/tutors

There is no minimum qualification required to tutor German at home in the UK at present, however we would recommend you ask to see copies of qualifications held.

• Focus
• Concentration
• Memory
• Patience
• Cultural Awareness

There are lifelong academic benefits to knowing two languages and transitional benefits gained during the learning of a new language. Studies show that at every level, bilinguals perform better in intellectual tests. Children who study a second language do better at logical reasoning, mathematics and English verbal tests. They get better exam results and adults who are competent in more than one language do best in both verbal and nonverbal intelligence tests.

Knowledge of German will also help your child’s English vocabulary (many English words are derived from German) and increase his ability in subjects such as History and Literature.

John Le Carre (born October 19, 1931) author of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, studied foreign languages at the University of Bern in Switzerland. After this he joined the Intelligence Corps of the British Army garrisoned in Austria, working as a German language interrogator of people who crossed the Iron Curtain to the West. He was awarded the Ghoete Medal for services to German Literature in 2011.

Actress Sandra Bullock (born July 26, 1964) is fluent in German. Her mother was a German opera singer. As a child, Bullock frequently accompanied her mother on European opera tours and learnt the language while staying with her relatives in Germany.

American actor, singer, producer, and businessman David Hasselhoff (born July 17, 1952) speaks German and has enjoyed some success with his singing career in German- speaking Europe. He had one number-one hit in the German pop charts in 1989 ("Looking for Freedom"). His father was of half German and half English and Irish descent.

Why Learn German?