1. Themenprojekt

Thema:

For your first Themenprojekt, you will have many choices: You will choose between two topics, difficulty levels, modality, and format. See Wahlbretter (choice boards) below for assignment requirements and rubrics. Whatever you choose, please use the modeled language from our OER Deutsch im Alltag to complete this project, instead of writing out your thoughts in English and then translating them.**

There are three difficulty levels: I Grundaufgabe, II Erweiterungsaufgabe, and III Herausforderungsaufgabe. Level II is the standard level for GERM 2040 students.

You are required to complete at least one Themenprojekt at Level III. If you want to challenge yourself more, you may complete any/all Themenprojekte at Level III. You are welcome to challenge (or partially challenge) yourself every time without penalty! If you need a break, you may complete one Themenprojekt at Level I.

**Special note about model-based learning. It is very important that you use the models found in the individual lessons instead of writing your own text completely. Here are the reasons why:

1.  If you write your own text, the chances that you will think about what you want to say in English first are very high. If you start with English, then you are much more likely to need much more complicated structures that what you currently can do in German. This means that you will most likely either translate your English ideas word for word – which means you would not be speaking German in the end, but English with German words – or you will be tempted to use a translation engine like Google translate or AI. Using these tools in this way does not contribute to your language learning.
2. If you use the model, then you are sticking to the German you know and/or the German you are learning. The model presents you with correct structures (grammar) and spelling of most of the words (and you can look in our book for the spelling of the words you will add). This means that your assignment is already at least 75% correct, if you copy the text correctly.
3. You still make your text unique by adding your own vocabulary – from the vocabulary you have learned. Please resist the temptation to look anything/everything up! You should return to the relevant lessons to find the words and phrases you need. -> If you are having a hard time recalling those words and phrases from this Thema, that is a sign you should spend more time in the OER Deutsch im Alltag and/or learning vocabulary. Remember: You do not need to commit every word in this Thema to memory. Instead, focus on the words that are the most meaningful and relevant to you.