Developing Writing Skills in German

by Duensing; Annette

• ISBN13: 9780415397469
• ISBN10: 0415397464
• Edition: Bilingual
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2006-07-27
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Originally developed to accompany the Open University's second-level German course, this material is designed to improve the reading and writing skills of intermediate students of German. Presenting a wide range of authentic written materials, the course aims to develop reading strategies and the ability to write texts of various types (e.g. essay, articles, reviews) while imparting some understanding of important aspects of German society. Each chapter focuses on a different theme and concentrates on particular skills; all conclude with a task appropriate to the skills focus of the section.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	viii
Introduction	1	(3)
Lebensumstande	4	(17)
Dr Klaus-Dieter Rossade
examined various text types
practised taking structured notes
compared information from several texts and made connections between them
expressed your own opinion on different subjects
written summaries
compiled a simple book review
written a letter to the editor
looked at the use of conjunctions
Welt der Arbeit	21	(17)
Annette Duensing
Eva Sinfield
considered the role of work in people's lives
learned about self-employment in Germany
used different approaches for systematically working out the meaning of a text
used spider diagrams and mind maps for gathering ideas and structuring information
identified key information from different sources
written about personal opinions
written a short essay
reviewed the use of werden
used the Konjunktiv with wurd-
learned about more stylistic elements used in texts
Umweltfragen	38	(22)
Mirjam Hauck
learned about an environment conservation initiative in Germany
gathered information about new developments in alternative sources of energy in Germany
revised the formation of compound nouns to work out vocabulary relevant for this Thema
practised formulating long complex sentences using conjunctions
learned about and practised using indirect speech in the present and past
looked at the stylistic differences between formal and informal German
Medien -- von der Zeltung zum Internet	60	(25)
Uwe Baumann
Dr Regine Hampel
extended your knowledge about the role of different medias in Germany
reflected on the influence of newspapers
learned about different text types
analysed the layout and style of a German tabloid paper
written an article in the style of a tabloid newspaper
analysed the structure of journalistic prose
practised systematically getting information from texts
practised structuring an argument
planned the main body of an essay
Literatur und Kritik	85	(19)
Dr Regine Hampel
read and understood a short story
worked out the background to the story
learned more about the author and his biographical details
read and analysed different sorts of introductions
written your own introduction
extended your knowledge of literary texts in general
Kaufen und Verkaufen	104	(23)
Carolyn Batstone
Annette Duensing
reflected on different aspects of consumerism
considered the reasons for and against specific consumer decisions
analysed the structure of an article
analysed a conclusion
practised writing your own conclusion
learned about and used vocabulary and expressions useful for conclusions
set statements against one another with the aid of double conjunctions
learned different ways to refer to the statements of others
Glaube und Gesellschaft	127	(17)
Christine Pleines
Dr Ursula Stickler
worked with various sources and extracted important information from them
written a structured essay or newspaper article
extended your understanding of questions relating to religious beliefs
learned more about living together in a multicultural environment
identified controversial points of view in an article
analysed the logical structure and arguments of an essay
practised connecting sentences and ideas in a logical way
practised building quotes from external sources into your essay
Erlebte Geschichte	144	(19)
Uwe Baumann
extended your knowledge about life in reunified Germany
practised taking notes
practised finding key information in different texts
practised structuring a text with the aid of clause constructions
learned more about stylistic features in newspaper articles
described the contents of diagrams
practised summarising key information in a structured way
learned how to find up-to-date information and check its reliability
analysed an essay on contemporary aspects of German history
Losungen	163