German Demystified is a textbook resource our family uses.
Seriously, doesn’t that have a nice ring to it? Our family decided to study German together, and I get to be in charge, well, not really. Hooray for German, though! It counts for homeschool, but it’s also for our eventual time in Europe. Jenny and I will spend at least a year travelling in Europe after the kids are in college. We are both hoping that at least half of that will be in Germany and surrounding countries.
Add that to the fact that the Girl was getting sick of doing Spanish alone on Rosetta Stone, and voila. We’re going to apply some synergy to our routine. We’ll knock out three years of foreign language with both kids, while learning German as a family. This has a lot of benefits.
- Gradual immersion
- Synchronized vocabularies
- Games and activities
- Less frustration
- A familial sense of togetherness
Basically, none of us have to feel alone in the task at hand. Working on it together means we are doing something as a family. Nobody is left learning on their own, and nobody is singled out. We just do it. Jenny and I designed they syllabus together, but I get to read out loud because I’m not an introvert, and don’t mind when people watch me. I also get to hit the play button because my computer has the good speakers. This makes me feel very important, but I also realize it’s just a button.
For today, I will tyrannize the internet as a self-made expert on the German language, so long as nobody calls me on credentials, experience, or, you know, knowledge. Oh, wait. This is the internet. Who gives a rat’s tail about credentials and experience? It’s Jenny’s job to be a teacher. I’m an expert because I have a keyboard, don’t you know? Whee!
In case you’re interested in how we are studying German, here’s a breakdown:
- Daily: Duolingo
- Monday: 1 Pimsleur German Lesson
- Tuesday: 1-5 sections of German Demystified
- Wednesday: Games, Music, Activities, Culture, and Immersion
- Thursday: Repeat Monday’s Pimsleur German Lesson
zooe
zooe
Rory