Teaching “Arbeiten trotz Rente” (DW)

Here are additional materials and activities I have created for teaching Deutsche Welle Top-Thema module “Arbeiten trotz Rente“.  The original Deutsche Welle materials can be accessed from the theme webpage, or the text and exercises (pdf) and audio (mp3) can be downloaded for offline use.

In the post Teaching with Deutsche Welle’s Top-Thema and Video Thema, I outline how I use these Deutsche Welle modules in an intermediate- to advanced-level courses with varied goals. Visit that page to see how my students begin to work with the materials Deutsche Welle provides. Here I am presenting and explaining the extension activities that I use after we have exhausted all of the excellent materials Deutsche Welle provides to accompany the text. Downloads of all exercises described below are linked at the bottom of the page.

Synonyms

Students match words from the text with German synonyms they may be more familar with.

Definitions

Students work with other vocabulary from the text, referencing the article as necessary for context, to find the German synonym or definition that fits best. This is intended to be a speaking activity rather than a writing activity. Pairs of students should work together to come up with a satisfactory explanation or definition for each word or phrase. The context can be immensely helpful. Students should refer back to the text to establish meaning, if necessary.

Discussion

Students sit together and work in pairs. The material progresses from content questions to more open ended discussion questions.

All three activities for “Arbeiten trotz Rente” are available as a single download in pdf-format: Arbeiten trotz Rente – Weitere Übungen

And the original Deutsche Welle Top-Thema page in HTML, with audio and comprehension exercises, is here: “Arbeiten trotz Rente“.