First Step auf Deutsch 106: Going to the Farm lesson plan
One of the girls brings her cat, “Tink,” to visit Frau Falcone, and Frau Falcone asks about the color of the cat’s eyes. The other children have a dog as a pet. The word for cat is “die Katze,” and the word for dog is “der Hund.” They discuss animals and their colors, and they also talk about which animals they prefer.
They all go to the living room where there is a toy farm displayed on the table. They learn the words for farm (der Bauernhof), barn (die Scheune), and farmer (der Bauer). As they pull out different stuffed animals from a basket, they learn the words for these animals: cow (die Kuh), sheep (das Schaf), rooster (der Hahn), pig (der Schwein), rabbit (der Hase), and horse (das Pferd). Where would all of these animals be found? In a house or in a barn? Frau Falcone asks questions, such as, “where is...?” and “who has...?”
The children pantomime the sounds and motions of different animals. As each student finishes, the children try to guess which animal was imitated. The teacher repeats the name of the animal.
When they go back to the room, all of the children are asleep. Frau Falcone wakes them up by holding up the toy rooster and making his sound. (See Culture about the sounds animals make.) They learn that the animals have different sounds in German. Frau Falcone also talks about what we get from different animals. For example, we get wool from sheep (for mittens, socks, and sweaters), and milk from cows.
Grade(s):
- Pre K
- Kindergarten
- 1
- 2
Subject(s):
Recommended Technology:
Other Instructional Materials or Notes:
Vocabulary
| Animals | Die Tiere (feminine/masculine) |
| cat | die Katze/der Kater |
| dog | der Hund |
| horse | das Pferd |
| cow | die Kuh/der Bulle |
| hen | das Huhn |
| rooster | der Hahn |
| pig | das Schwein |
| rabbit | der Hase |
| sheep | des Schaf |
| lamb | das Lamm |
| goat | die Ziege |
| farm | der Bauernhof |
| farmer | der Bauer /die Bauerin |
| barn | die Scheune |
Lesson Progression
Before Viewing the Video Lesson
1. Poll the students about the types of pets that they own. Use the data to create a graph, and display it on the board.
2. Depending on the location of your community, ask your students if they have ever visited a farm. What did they see there? How was it different from their homes?
3. Tell the students that they will learn the words for different pets and farm animals. They will also learn the sounds that these animals make. Do animals make different sounds in different countries, or are the words for these sounds different?
Follow-up Activities
1. Use the First Step auf deutsch Again video lesson to review the emphasized vocabulary and conversations.
2. Review vocabulary words related to animals. Use pictures, toys, and/or stuffed animals to represent the vocabulary words.
3. Review vocabulary words related to the farm. A toy farm, such as the one on the program, could be used. Ask which animals would be found on a farm.
4. In the program, some children pantomime the sounds and motions of animals. As each one finished the pantomime, the other students guessed the type of animal. Let students play this game.
5. After these follow-up activities, let students view the video lesson again, so they can respond and practice with the children on the video.
Supplemental Activities
1. Find Europe on the map. Find out which animals are native to the German-speaking countries. Also, find out what type of animals are popular pets in Europe, and discuss why they are popular or unpopular in the United States.
Remember to use the vocabulary words as much as possible in class during the next week. Always review previous vocabulary words whenever possible. Continue to add to the First Step auf deutsch suitcase folders.
Teacher Notes
Culture
Even though animals make the same sounds around the world, the way people imitate those sounds is different. In English, the sound a dog makes is “bow-wow,” whereas in Germany that sound is “wow-wow,” pronounced “vow vow.” In English, a rooster says “cock-a-doodle-do,” but in German it says “Kikeriki.” In English, a chicken (hen) says “cluck-cluck,” but in German it says “Gluck, Gluck.”
Information for the Teacher
Note the differences in vocabulary for male and female animals. For example, die Katze is a female cat and der Kater is a male cat. It is worth noting that the definite article that precedes the noun may not necessarily be feminine for female animals. For example, das Huhn is a female hen, but the definite article, “das” is neutral. Many German animal names sound similar to their English counterparts. For example, die Kuh (cow), der Bulle (bull), das Schaf (sheep), and das Lamm (lamb) sound very similar.
