German Steps is a beginner's course. It's organised into six topics: Meeting People, Getting Around Berlin, Food and Drink, Taking a Holiday, Making Arrangements, Shops and Services.
- Each topic consists of 4 units and a revision unit in the form of a
challenge to check your knowledge of the language. Going through each unit
will take about 20 minutes. You can follow them in sequence or just dip into them.
If you already know some German it might be worth starting with these challenges and using them as a fast-track through the early material. - Each unit consists of a short story, three activities and a set of notes. The story features scenes from the daily life of German teacher Andrea Hoffmann. The story's presented in pictures, sound and text.
- Each story consists of five frames. Each frame is first presented in images and sound to make the experience as close as possible to real life. You also have the option to display the German transcript and the English translation. Just tick the checkboxes on the page. To move to the next frame in the story, press the Next button. At the end there's a summary page where you can read and listen to the full dialogue in one go.
- Along the top of the frames you'll see a set of four links. These call up a pop-up window with information about relevant vocabulary, grammar and culture. These four links along the top remain constant throughout each unit, to help you at any point.
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At the end of each story, there are three other activities:
Guess the words - a game featuring the unit's ten key words and phrases to help you fix them in your memory.
Re-arrange the dialogue - the dialogue in the story is mixed up. Click on the words to put it in order.
Build sentences - a 'hands-on' guide to German grammar, showing how to make the most of the words you've learnt. You then have the option to practice building sentences yourself, with plenty of opportunities to re-try until you get it right.
Speak and write - your turn to practice what you've learnt by participating in a controlled conversation. - Other features of the course include:
Vocabulary list - here you'll find all the Key Words used in German Steps listed in alphabetical order. You can search for words in English to find the German equivalent, or look up German words to understand what they mean. You can access the vocabulary list at all times from the link on the left hand side of the screen.
Syllabus - especially designed for tutors using the course, linking to all the contents and specifying objectives in each unit
Grammar tips - an index of all the grammar and language points
Cultural notes - an index of all the cultural factfiles
Learning log - these pages allow you to keep a record of the German Steps units as you work through them. Print them out, then once you've completed a unit jot down your comments and any words you find useful or difficult. - We also have some suggestions for taking your studies further when you've finished German Steps.
To listen to the sound, you'll need the Flash player, which you can download and install for free from the Macromedia website. More information on Flash and the installation procedure can be found in BBC Webwise. If you can't listen to the sound, there's also a transcript of the slideshow available.
