AP German Language and Culture
Syllabus 2013-2014
Course Overview
This course is comprised of six thematic units organized around essential questions
and authentic materials. In addition to the objectives stated in the unit plans that
follow, vocabulary and grammar development continue throughout the year. For each
thematic unit, I have selected various grammar points (“structural foundations”) for
review and practice. In addition to grammar exercises from various sources, students
practice the targeted structures through contextualized activities related to each unit’s
theme. Throughout the year we will conduct summative assessments to check
comprehension and interpretation of text, audio, and visual sources, as well as
vocabulary and structural points. Most of the grading of speaking and writing is
holistically evaluated using rubrics. The course is conducted almost exclusively in
German, and students are encouraged to use German exclusively in class. [CR1]
CR1: The teacher
uses the German
language almost
exclusively in class
and encourages
students to do
likewise.
Primary Course Materials
Children’s Stories and Fairytales
Preß, Kristin. Coppenraths kunterbuntes Geschichtenbuch zum Vor- und Selberlesen
Film
Bella Martha (Mostly Martha)
Das Wunder von Bern [CR2a]
Der Grosse Diktator (The Great Dictator)
Die Chroniken von Narnia (The Chronicles of Narnia)
Die Hexe und der Zauberer (The Sword in the Stone)
Die Shrek Trilogie (The Shrek Trilogy)
Ein Schweinchen Namens Babe (Babe)
Good bye Lenin! [CR2a]
Lola rennt [CR2a]
Nirgendwo in Afrika
Schultze Gets the Blues
Schweinchen Babe in der großen Stadt (Babe: Pig in the City)
The Harmonists
Tote tragen keine Karos (Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid)
Verwünscht (Enchanted)
Was Mädchen wollen (What a Girl Wants)
Grammar
Dippmann, Gerda, and Johanna Watzinger-Tharp. A Practical Review of German
Grammar.
Dreyer, Hilke, Schmitt, Richard. Lehr- und Übungsbuch der deutschen Grammatik
Horsfall, Philip, Crossland, David. German Tests for Reading, Writing, and Speaking
Werner, Grazyna. Langenscheidt Grammatiktraining Deutsch.
CR2c: Instructional
materials include a
variety of authentic
literary texts.
CR2a:
Instructional
materials include a
variety of authentic
audio and video
recordings.
Novels
Kästner, Erich. Die verschwundene Miniatur. Lexington, MA: D. C. Heath & Company,
1962. [CR2c]
Kästner, Erich. Das doppelte Lottchen (Hamburg: Dressler, 2006). [CR2c]
Kästner, Erich. Pünktchen und Anton (Hamburg: Dressler, 2002). [CR2c]
Online Periodicals [CR2a]
Bundesregierung Deutschlands: www.bundesregierung.de
Deutsche Welle: www.dw-world.de
FOCUS Online: www.focus.de
Frankfurter Allgemeine: www.faz.net
Spiegel Online: www.spiegel.de
Süddeutsche Zeitung: www.sueddeutsche.de
Plays [CR2c]
Boeninger, H. R., D. Pietschmann. Ich lausche dem Leben
Dürrenmatt, Friedrich. Der Besuch der alten Dame
Dürrenmatt, Friedrich. Drei Hörspiele
Poetry [CR2c]
Deutsche Volkslieder
Poetry of Goethe
Brecht, Bertolt. Leben des Galilei.
Short Story Anthologies
Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. Advanced Reader: Lies mit mir! 3.
Mueller, Dennis. Kurze Krimis. New York: CBS College Publishing, 1981.
Teichert, Herman, and Lovette Teichert. Allerlei zum Lesen. Lexington, MA: D. C.
Heath, 1992.
Television [CR2a]
Wissen macht Ah! WDR WebTV: www.wrd.de [CR2a]
Spiegel TV Magazin: www.spiegel.de/sptv/magazin [CR2a]
Course Planner
Einheit 1: Familie und Gesellschaft (5 Wochen)
Week 1: Amerikanische und deutsche Familien
It is important that students start with a fairly familiar topic to get reacquainted
with the language after a long summer break. We do this by interviewing each other
about our immediate and extended families. Each set of partners then reports their
answers, and we discuss different types of families that we learned about from each
other. We then watch German television shows about German families, and discuss if
their family life is being portrayed realistically. To answer that, students then read
current information on family life in Germany. Working in groups, students prepare
panel discussions on different types of families. [CR6e], [CR4a], [CR3a]
Week 2: Komm Mit! 3 (Kapitel 4: “Verhältnis mit anderen”)
Before reading the novel Das doppelte Lottchen, students study a chapter from
the Komm Mit! 3 textbook regarding relationships with others. This chapter not only
discusses families and friendships, but also how to give advice, how to hypothesize
using the subjunctive, how to specify by using relative clauses, and how to use the future
tense. They are provided with helpful vocabulary and grammar rules that will help them
read and discuss the upcoming novel. [CR4b] & [CR6e]
Weeks 3-5 Das doppelte Lottchen
Students then read Das doppelte Lottchen, a book by Erich Kästner that has been
adapted into film many times, including the 1998 film The Parent Trap. This book is
about two twins separated at birth who are reunited as teens, and the family dynamics
that surround this. To conclude this section of the unit, students write a newspaper
feature article on the reuniting of the two families in Das doppelte Lottchen. They also
get to assume the role of a family psychologist in the mode of Dr. Phil and give advice
to the families featured in Das doppelte Lottchen. [CR4b] & [CR6e]
CR4b: The course
provides
opportunities for
students to
demonstrate their
ability in
Interpretive
Communication to
understand and
synthesize
information from a
variety of authentic
written and print
resources.
CR6e: The course
explicitly addresses
the Families and
Communities
theme.
Essential Questions:
1. What constitutes a family?
2. How do individuals contribute to the well being of communities?
3. How do the roles that families and communities assume differ in societies around
the world?
Learning Targets:
1. Students will be able to talk about the family and relationships within the family.
2. Students will be able to talk about cause and effect.
3. Students will be able to predict outcome-based events.
Structural Foundations:
1. Relative clauses and pronouns
2. Subjunctive
3. Future tense review
Resources:
1. Kästner, Erich. Das doppelte Lottchen (Hamburg: Dressler, 2006).
2. Komm Mit! 3 textbook (Chapter 4: Verhältnis mit anderen)
3. German youth magazines online: [CR2b]
Spiesser: www.spiesser.de
yaez: www.yaez.de
CR2a:
Instructional
materials include a
variety of authentic
audio and video
recordings.
CR2b:
Instructional
materials include a
variety of authentic
non-literary texts
such as newspaper
and magazine
articles.
4. German TV shows that focus on the family: [CR2a]
Lindenstrasse: www.lindenstrasse.de
5. Current German information on the family: [CR2b]
www.bpb.de/wissen/32UOZK,0,0,Familie_und_Kinder.html
Online news sources: www.focus.de, www.zeit.de, www.spiegel.de
CR4a: The course
provides
opportunities for
students to
demonstrate their
ability in spoken
Interpersonal
Communication in
a variety of
situations in the
Intermediate to
Pre-Advanced
range.
CR3a: The course
provides
opportunities for
students to
demonstrate their
proficiency in
spoken
Interpersonal
Communication in
a variety of
situations in the
Intermediate to
Pre-Advanced
range.
Einheit 2: Schönheit und Asthetik (6 Wochen)
Week 1: Deutsche Kunst
To begin this unit, I introduce a list of great German artists and some of their
most famous works. The advantage is twofold: students are learning about German,
Swiss and Austrian masters spanning the centuries and are also getting valuable practice
for writing and speaking portions of the AP Exam.
Without labeling the paintings or the artists, I place copies of the paintings along
the chalkboard to form a gallery wall. The students' task is to put the paintings in order
from the earliest work to most contemporary, as best they can. We then discuss their
answers and match the paintings to the correct artists, movement and time period.
Each student selects one of the paintings and creates a presentation, including
why they chose it, a brief biography of the painter, and a “back story” for the painting.
The “back story” can be something the students create, what they imagine to be the
circumstances of the painting, based on clues given by the artist. They present the
painting to the rest of the class. [CR6f] & [CR7]
Weeks 2-5: Die verschwundene Miniatur
We then move on to Erich Kästner's novel about a tiny painting, Die
verschwundene Miniatur. It is approximately 100 pages in length. Each day we read a
portion of the text in class, students chart the events and characters introduced in each
chapter, and we have a discussion. By making a chart, the students can follow the action
of the story more easily and also use it to make predictions, answer questions or discuss
themes. I check students' charts regularly to measure their comprehension and address
any misunderstandings of the text. There will be a test at the end of this section. [CR6f]
CR6f: This course
explicitly addresses
the Beauty and
Aesthetics theme.
CR7: The course
provides
opportunities for
students to
demonstrate an
understanding of
the products,
practices and
perspectives of the
target cultures.
Week 6: Deutsche Musik
This section is primarily based on the music of two a capella groups, generations
apart, whose music engages in political commentary. While students will enjoy listening
to the music and comparing the two groups, they will become aware of the importance
of music in describing and documenting society, its problems, and its triumphs. [CR6f]
& [CR7]
Essential Questions:
1. How does art reflect society, its problems, and its concerns?
2. Why is art an effective tool in reaching people?
3. How are perceptions of beauty and creativity established?
Learning Targets:
1. Students will be able to talk about art and its importance in the past and present.
2. Students will be able to talk about how art has influenced them.
3. Students will be able to predict the role of art in the future.
Structural Foundations:
1. Comparison of adjectives and adverbs
2. Modal auxiliaries
3. Da- and wo- compounds
Resources:
1. Well-known works of Hans Holbein der Jüngere, Albrecht Dürer, Caspar David
Friedrich, Gustav Klimt, Anna Dorothea Therbusch, Anna Waser, Maria Sibylla
CR2a:
Instructional
materials include a
variety of authentic
audio and video
recordings.
CR2c: Instructional
materials include a
variety of authentic
literary texts.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Merian, Marianne Stokes, Tomma Abts, Max Ernst, Friedensreich
Hundertwasser, and the “Blue Rider” artists: Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc,
and August Macke.
Kästner, Erich. Die verschwundene Miniatur [CR2c]
Film: Comedian Harmonists. Dir. Joseph Vilsmaier, 1997.
The Wise Guys: [CR2a]
Music CDs: Ganz weit vorne (2001), Klartext (2003), Radio (2006)
www.wiseguys.de (backgrounds, biographies, photos, music, videos)
www.stepintogerman.org (music videos, biographies, teaching suggestions)
German music charts:
www.mix1.de, www.mtv.de/charts/germany
Einheit 3: Persönliche und Öffentliche Identität
(6 Wochen)
Week 1: Selbstverständnis und Reusenheben
This unit is introduced by having students make a list of all the things that
determine one’s character, identity, and personality. We then focus on one’s actions and
how they determine character by interviewing each other about the best and worst things
we have done, what the consequences were, its impact on our character from that point
forward, and what the action said about our character. Students then write a formal letter
of apology to a teacher for something they have regretted doing in class. We then read
the short story “Reusenheben” by Wolfdietrich Schnurre, which is a short story about a
boy who encounters a man, and they must keep a grim secret about a body they disposed
of together. This story addresses one’s actions and what they say about different aspects
of one’s character. [CR6d]
Weeks 2-3: Pünktchen und Anton
We then read another story by Erich Kästner called Pünktchen und Anton – a
story about a poor boy and a wealthy girl who share a friendship and eventually, an
adventure in catching a criminal. These young people are not what they seem to society
or their families. After reading this story, students then watch video clips from the
corresponding movie and discuss how true the film’s portrayal of the characters is to the
book. Students will also describe screen shots from the film to practice the structural
foundations listed below. [CR6d]
Week 4: Stereotypen und Nationale Identität
As an introduction to this section, students will create posters about German
stereotypes. This serves to acknowledge the perception that Americans have of
Germans, and to show how far off stereotypes are from reality. After presenting our
posters, we will then read the truth about Germans from various articles on German
websites. We will then spend the remainder of the week reading about and discussing
German national identity. Students will be presented with pictures depicting different
post-WWII events, and their task is to place them in chronological order and be able to
discuss why they placed them in such order. We will then focus on the reunification of
Germany, the cultural comparison between East and West Germany, and what the
differences mean to Germans today. We will listen to the song “Berliner Liedchen” and
discuss Biermann’s critique of both the East and the West. We will also look at and
discuss the political cartoon “Die neue Mauer”. This is a wonderful segue into the next
section. [CR6d]
Weeks 5-6: Distanzierung und Integrierung
This section of the unit focuses on the material in Chapter 4 of the Komm Mit! 3
textbook and the themes surrounding the film The Kebab Connection. Students will read
interviews of both German students and foreign students living in Germany to gain an
understanding of the problems that face them in regards to alienation and integration.
They will also view the film “The Kebab Connection”, which is a comedy about a
Turkish man who operates a kebab stand and gets his German girlfriend pregnant.
Students will then research a minority living in Germany, the German perspective on
them, their perspective on integration, and what hinders them from fully integrating into
German society. Students will create presentations to show their findings to the class,
and we will hold a discussion after. [CR6d] & [CR5a]
CR6d: This course
explicitly addresses
the Personal and
Public Identities
theme.
CR5a: The course
provides
opportunities for
students to
demonstrate their
proficiency in
spoken
Presentational
Communication in
the Intermediate to
Pre-Advanced
range.
Essential Questions:
1. How are aspects of identity expressed in various situations?
2. How do language and culture influence identity?
3. How does one’s identity develop over time?
Learning Targets:
1. Students will be able to talk about things that affect their personalities.
2. Students will be able to talk about how the community judges an individual or
group of individuals.
3. Students will be able to discuss how we can improve intolerance among people
in a multicultural society.
Structural Foundations:
1. Adjectives and adjective endings
2. Comparison of adjectives and adverbs
3. Pronouns
Resources:
1. Komm Mit! 3 textbook (Chapter 4: Verhältnis mit anderen)
2. Schnurre, Wolfdietrich. Reusenheben. [CR2c]
3. Kästner, Erich. Pünktchen und Anton (Hamburg: Dressler, 2002). [CR2c]
4. Film: Pünktchen und Anton. Dir. Thomas Engel, 1953.
5. Film: The Kebab Connection. Dir. Anno Saul, 2004.
6. Song: “Berliner Liedchen” by Wolf Biermann.
7. Breaking German stereotypes:
www.focus.de
www.spiegel.de
www.sueddeutsche.de
Einheit 4: Globalisierung (6 Wochen)
Weeks 1-2: Politische Herausforderungen
After learning about multicultural issues within Germany, we switch our focus to
a more worldwide scale and learn about other globalization challenges that Germany
faces. Specifically, we focus on Germany’s political, economic, and environmental
issues. However, because these issues are constantly changing with time, the materials
for this unit comprise of current event articles, videos, and audio found on various
German news websites. We will spend the first two weeks studying current political
issues, but first, we review the German political system. To do this, students will choose
and present a topic relating to the German political system, such as a major political
party or the voting process (I will give a predetermined list they may choose from).
[CR6a]
CR6a: This course
explicitly addresses
the Global
Challenges theme.
Weeks 3-4: Wirtschaftliche Herausforderungen
This section of the unit uses current events articles as a way to teach students
about current financial issues in Germany. To further the theme of globalization,
students will also look at Germany’s financial issues on a global scale, including how
they affect the financial issues of the European Union, and how they affect the world
economy. Students will then write their own current events article comparing the
financial issues of Germany and the United States, and writing about the effects that
both systems have on each other. [CR6a]
Weeks 5-6: Umweltschutz
We will then switch our focus to studying environmental issues in Germany,
innovative solutions that they have developed, and the effects of Germany’s actions on
the rest of the world. After reading current articles about environmental issues, students
will then summarize what they learned by writing every issue and solution they can
think of on separate Post It notes and placing them in the correct category on the board.
We will then create graphic organizers that tie in these categories and subcategories with
the Germans’ general perspective on the environment.
Students will then complete a summative assessment at the end of this unit.
Working in groups, students discuss the societal changes they have experienced in their
lifetime... If a patient fell into a coma in 2000, what would have been different when
she/he awoke 10 years later? Based on the ideas generated in their groups, students write
a letter in German to the “patient” that describes these changes from a personal
perspective. These letters are presented to the class and discussed. [CR3a] & [CR6a]
Essential Questions:
1. What environmental, political, and financial issues pose challenges to societies
throughout the world?
2. What are the origins of those issues?
3. What are possible solutions to those challenges?
Learning Targets:
1. Students will be able to discuss Germany’s political issues and their impact on
the world.
2. Students will be able to discuss the effects of a country’s financial situation on
the global economy.
3. Students will be able to discuss how the German reaction to environmental issues
has an impact on the rest of the world.
CR3a: The course
provides
opportunities for
students to
demonstrate their
proficiency in
spoken
Interpersonal
Communication in
a variety of
situations in the
Intermediate to
Pre-Advanced
range.
Structural Foundations:
1. Simple past tense
2. Past perfect tense
3. Imperatives
Resources:
1. German news and current event websites:
Tagesschau: www.tagesschau.de
Bundesregierung Deutschlands: www.bundesregierung.de
Deutsche Welle: www.dw-world.de
FOCUS Online: www.focus.de
Frankfurter Allgemeine: www.faz.net
Spiegel Online: www.spiegel.de
Süddeutsche Zeitung: www.sueddeutsche.de
Einheit 5: Naturwissenschaft und Technologie
(5 Wochen)
Weeks 1-2: Erfinder und Erfindungen
To begin this unit, we look at various German-speaking inventors, scientists, and
innovators, and their inventions and discoveries. Students will first write what they
consider to be the most significant scientific/technological achievements, particularly in
recent years. They will then engage in interactive writing in which they respond to each
other’s written statements, and we will have a discussion as a class about what the most
important scientific/technological advancements are.
We will also look at German inventors and inventions from the past by having
students match Germans with a picture of their invention or discovery on the board.
They should also put them in chronological order, and we will have a discussion about
why they chose that order. Students will then listen to news reports on the Internet about
scientific advances in Germany, and with that they will try to predict the direction of
scientific advances in the future.
Students will then choose a German invention, discovery, or innovation, and
create a presentation on it for the class, being sure to include all the advantages,
disadvantages, and consequences of the discovery. [CR6b]
Week 3-5: Computer als neues Medium und Soziale Folgen
One of the greatest shifts in the way people communicate, work, and learn is the
shift toward the use of computers and other smart technologies. However, in addition to
the many advantages this presents, there are also many disadvantages. Students will
create a graphic organizer outlining the consequences, both good and bad, of various
types of modern technologies, such as computers, cell phones and smart phones, and the
Internet. We will also read German articles pertaining to the development of computers,
particularly any new or current developments, and those made by Germans. Based on
these articles and the graphic organizers, students will write an editorial about the
advantages and disadvantages of smart technologies.
As we work on the social impacts section of this unit, students will be required to
make daily diary entries about what kinds of technology they used that day, for how
long and to what extent, and how it impacted anything social. This diary will be
collected at the end of the unit. Students will also give a presentation that sums up their
findings from keeping a diary.
In addition to the diary, students will explore social impacts of technology by
predicting not only what kinds of technology may soon emerge, but also the social
impacts that will undoubtedly accompany them. To do this, students will brainstorm as a
class and discuss what advancements and inventions are the most likely for the future.
Then, each student will choose a likely advancement or invention, and will write a letter
of warning (or encouragement!) from the future explaining the social impacts of said
advancement or invention.
Essential Questions:
1. What are the consequences of technological and scientific progress? [CR6b]
2. How do developments in science and technology affect our lives?
3. What factors have driven innovation and discovery in the fields of science and
technology?
CR6b: This course
explicitly addresses
the Science and
Technology theme.
CR2b:
Instructional
materials include a
variety of authentic
non-literary texts
such as newspaper
and magazine
articles.
Learning Targets:
1. Students will be able to discuss both the advantages and disadvantages of
technological and scientific advancement.
2. Students will be able to use the future tense and the subjunctive to predict future
technological and scientific advancements and their consequences.
3. Students will be able to discuss the factors that drive innovation and discovery in
the fields of science and technology.
Structural Foundations:
1. Future tense
2. Conditional/subjunctive tense
3. Comparatives
Resources:
1. German news and current event websites:
Tagesschau: www.tagesschau.de
Bundesregierung Deutschlands: www.bundesregierung.de
Deutsche Welle: www.dw-world.de
FOCUS Online: www.focus.de
Frankfurter Allgemeine: www.faz.net
Spiegel Online: www.spiegel.de
Süddeutsche Zeitung: www.sueddeutsche.de
2. “Deutsche Stars – 50 Innovationen, die jeder kennen sollte.” Initiative „Partner für Innovation.“ Einheit 6: Alltag (6 Wochen)
Weeks 1-3: Gebräuche und Werte
Social customs and values are often a point of curiosity when learning about
another country because they say so much about the people and their attitude toward
things. However, before students learn about social customs and values in Germany,
they must first define what these are in our culture. Students will brainstorm American
social customs and values on one side of a Venn diagram, then at the end of the section,
they will fill the other side of the same diagram with German customs and values. Then,
they will draw cultural comparisons between the two. Until then, students will have the
opportunity to do research on this topic, and they will also read Wolf Wondratschek’s
“Mittagspause.” This short story about societal behavior expands our discussion about
free time and current social customs. At the end of this section, students will have the
opportunity to put their German social customs into action by acting out different types
of scenarios: dinner with extended family, a date, and a business meeting over lunch.
[CR6c], [CR2c], [CR8], [CR3a]
Weeks 4-6: Unterhaltung, Reisen, und Freizeit
Students begin this section by responding to the question “What do you enjoy
doing most in your free time?” They will do this by individually brainstorming on paper,
then discussing their hobbies with the class. However, they may not say the name of
their hobby, but only a description, and the other students must guess the hobby they
hear. Students will then do a cultural comparison of their hobbies and German
teenagers’ hobbies by looking at a chart. We will then have a discussion about the
differences and similarities in hobbies, and what they mean. [CR8]
Another chart they will look at shows vacation and holiday travel statistics in
Germany, so that they may analyze another popular hobby German’s love: travel. To
further our knowledge about travel and tourism in Germany, we read “Berlin, die
Hauptstadt Deutschlands.” Our focus is on Berlin as a tourist destination. After
highlighting some famous sights with video clips and descriptions, each student
researches a sight and reports on it in a short presentation.
We will also read some authentic German poetry by Brecht (“Vergnügungen”)
and Jandl (“die Zeit vergeht”) and discuss the authors’ different writing styles. These
poems are about passing time and enjoying free time. [CR6c]
Essential Questions:
1. How do social customs and values describe a society and its people?
2. What factors cause Germans to love travel as a free time activity?
3. How do our free time activities define us as a culture?
Learning Targets:
1. Students will be able to discuss why Germans tend to travel much more than
people of other nations.
2. Students will be able to follow proper German social etiquette and understand
why certain values prevail in German culture.
3. Students will be able to discuss what the Germans’ use of free time says about
German culture and its people.
CR6c: This course
explicitly addresses
the Contemporary
Life theme.
CR2c: Instructional
materials include a
variety of authentic
literary texts.
CR3a: The course
provides
opportunities for
students to
demonstrate their
proficiency in
spoken
Interpersonal
Communication in
a variety of
situations in the
Intermediate to
Pre-Advanced
range.
CR8: The course
provides
opportunities for
students to make
comparisons
between and within
languages and
cultures.
Structural Foundations:
1. Pronouns
2. Possessive Adjectives
3. Da- and wo-compounds
Resources:
1. www.tagesspiegel.de “Kontrapunkt: Deutsche Sitten, deutsche Bräuche.”
2. Wondratschek, Wolf. “Mittagspause.”
3. Komm Mit! 3 Textbook.
4. “Berlin, die Hauptstadt Deutschlands.”
5. Brecht, Bertolt. “Vergnügungen .”
6. Jandl, Ernst. “die Zeit vergeht.”
Second Semester, Fourth Quarter
Weeks 35-36
During the last two weeks before the AP Exam, we focus on grammar practice and
exercises. By this point, the students and I can identify which areas still need extra
practice. They will complete an entire AP Released Exam during this time as a final
practice before taking the AP Exam.
Week 36
The AP German Language Exam 2011. Following the exam, I like to throw a potluck
party in class. Everyone signs up to bring some kind of German food (sausages, potato
salad, spaetzle, cakes, etc.) or a type of beverage, such as Spezi (cola and orange soda)
or Apfelschorle (apple juice and club soda). Prior to the event, students will be sent
home with a permission slip, a description of the event, and what foods not to bring due
to allergies.
Weeks 36-38
Once the stress of taking the AP exam is behind us, a film festival is a wonderful way
for students to unwind, while continuing to develop their language skills. I have a
selection of authentic German films as well as popular American films in German, many
of which the students know. We view one film each week; one is a German film and the
other an American film in German. I allow students to vote on what we view each
week, because they will be writing a report and giving an oral presentation about each
film. Since many foreign films have stronger mature content, I require that each
student's parents sign a consent form, giving them permission to view the films. I also
edit out any unnecessary explicit content as best I can.