1 - Birds All Year or Just Sometimes ~5 mins
Which birds are here all year, and which only sometimes? Think of a robin in winter and a seagull by the sea in summer. Today we name eight birds in German and say when we might see some of them, using a small set of months and seasons.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Name eight birds in German with der, die or das
- Join a selected bird to a month or season in a short sentence
- Compare how people spot the start of spring here and in German-speaking countries
2 - Eight German Birds ~10 mins
Each card shows a bird. Listen to the German name with der, die or das, then repeat it with the class. After one full listen-and-repeat pass, volunteers can try the German before the card flips. Listen for the ö in Möwe and the soft ch in Rotkehlchen.
3 - Match the Birds ~10 mins
Flip two cards at a time and find each German bird with its English meaning. Whisper the German as you turn each card, article included. This is a memory match, not a race.
4 - Into Your Copy ~3 mins
Copy the two model sentences from the board, then write one more of your own using a spotlight bird and a month or season from the word bank.
Models on the board:
- Das Rotkehlchen kommt im Dezember.
- Die Möwe kommt im Juni.
Spotlight birds: das Rotkehlchen, die Möwe, der Pinguin, der Spatz
Time words: im Dezember, im März, im April, im Juni, im Winter, das ganze Jahr
Keep der, die or das in front of every bird, and capital letters on every German noun.
5 - Spin a Bird ~10 mins
First, chant two bird-plus-month lines with the class. Then spin the wheel. When it lands on a bird, say the German with its article. For the four spotlight birds, add when you might see it: Der/Die/Das ___ kommt im ___.
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