Concept

Portfolio Deutsch - making students advocates of their own learning

Portfolio Deutsch is the brand-new textbook series which actively involves students in their own learning.  The can-do-descriptors at the end of each chapter and in the portfolio give students a feeling of accomplishment and aid them in being able to articulate their abilities. 

German is made easy with English directions and explanations and put immediately into practice with a wealth of activities and exercises.  Grammar is embedded in context and students learn to connect structures with meaning.
Listening comprehension and pronunciation exercises as well as grammar exercises are presented both as distinct practice and as integrated activities making them authentic and stimulating.
The vocabulary trainer CD-ROM practices the vocabulary almost effortlessly as it recycles the words according to schedule to commit the vocabulary to long-term memory.

Topics

The topics focus on self-expression starting with introductions, speaking about myself, my family, my friends and my immediate environment and branching out to sports, the internet, fashions etc. Texts and dialogs become increasingly more sophisticated and complex and entice students to venture out into the world of German on their own.

Structure

Textbook Level 1

• 16 clearly structured chapters
• structured exercises embedded in context in the "Classroom" and "My Portfolio" sections
• overview of the material at the end of each chapter: Students have a clear reference for review at any given point of their study.
• clearly explained grammar sections in English
• extensive listeinign comprehension material
• 4 test training modules with test taking strategies for the four skills
• authentic cultural material for the D-A-CH countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)

Workbook A1

• stimulating exercises which can be easily handled by students in class or for homework
• additional exercises for in-depth practice of structures and vocabulary development
• explicitly stated goals for each chapter

Vocabulary Trainer

• CD-ROM program for effective study of vocabulary items
• organization of words and phrases by chapter
• memorization of material is organized according to brain research
• students check progress via the automated personal chart
• vocabulary can be downloaded on a cell phone or an mp3 player