Germany
Objective: Students will discuss major features of German culture
and will be able to decipher similarities and differences between
German and United States school systems.
What do you know about Germany?
● What language do the majority of German citizens speak?
● How many states are there in Germany?
● What is the capital of Germany?
● What are the first things you think of when you hear “Germany”?
Fun Facts
● Grown to become a large and stable economy that contributes to global
development and peace.
● Industrious, orderly, punctual
○ Expression: “There must be order”.
● Population: 83 million
● National Anthem: Nationalhymne
● Official Language: German
● Capital: Berlin
Germany in 2 Minutes:
Germany School Levels
● Early Childhood
Education.
● Primary Education.
● Secondary Education.
● Tertiary Education.
● Continuing Education.
Hauptschule (Grades 5-9)
- German for “head school”.
- Prepares students for vocational
school or apprenticeship in
trades.
- Teaches basic general education.
Rütli-Hauptschule, Berlin
Realschule (Grades 5-10)
- Secondary school with an
emphasis on the practical.
- More exclusive education.
- Leads to a vocational
school or university
entrance qualification.
Alsdorf, Germany
Gymnasium (Grades 5-12)
- Most advanced of the three
schools
- Very similar to prep schools in
United States
- Types of study:
- Humanistisches Gymnasium
(Humanities Oriented)
- Neusprachliches
Gymnasium (Modern
Language Based)
- Mathematisch-Naturwisse
Kolleg St. Blasien in Baden-Wurttemberg Germany
Grading System
● Primary and secondary education levels,
children receive grades based on a 6-point
grading scale. This ranges from 1
(excellent) to 6 (insufficient).
● In upper secondary education, the grades
are converted to points where 15 is the best
and 0 is the worst.
Similarities and Differences
What is similar about Germany and the US?
What is different?
VS.
Unique German Holidays
● German Unity Day - “Tag der Deutschen
Einheit”
○ 3 October - celebrates the day in 1945 when the
Federal Republic of Germany and the German
Democratic Republic were unified after the effects of
World War II and the division between East and
West Germany
● Oktoberfest
○ Held in Munich
○ 2 weeks of beer, food, and parades
○ Originally celebrated in 1810 to honor the marriage
of the prince of Bavaria (German State)
Culture
● Direct and punctual
● Major Religion: Christianity
● Public Transportation is extremely popular
● Member of the European Union
● One of the leading “book nations”
Exit Ticket
On a piece of paper, write which holiday (German Unity Day or Oktoberfest) you
would like to visit Germany to celebrate and why.
Learning Styles
Auditory: Students listened to the video description of German culture and listened to the
country’s national anthem.
Visual: Images were on most of the slides and a graphic venn diagram was used in class.
Verbal: Students repeated the German word for “German United Day.”
Independent: Students in the beginning had to brainstorm on their own facts they knew about
Germany.
Social: Students were paired into groups to compare and contrast the United States and
Germany education systems.
Creative: Students were given the exit ticket of sharing their favorite holiday and why.
Resources
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Oktoberfest
https://www.expatrio.com/living-germany/german-culture
https://www.studying-in-germany.org/interesting-facts-about-germany/
https://www.howtogermany.com/pages/germanschools.html
https://www.studying-in-germany.org/german-education-system/
