GRADE 8 German Time – Stundenplan- LISTENING AND SPEAKING – Interactive Speaking, Listening for Information Notes

Time – Stundenplan: LISTENING AND SPEAKING (German)

Subtopic: Interactive Speaking, Listening for Information
Subject: German — Target age: 13 (Kenya)

Specific learning outcomes

• a) Identify specific information (times, subjects, start/end) from listening texts.
• b) Express themselves using acquired German time and timetable structures.
• c) Value the role of vocabulary (Zahlen, Fächer, Zeitwörter) in communication.
• d) Address categories of interactive speaking and listening for information (ask, confirm, clarify).

Key grammar: Telling time & timetable phrases (focus)

Below are the main German grammatical structures used to give and ask for time on a Stundenplan (timetable).

1. Basic clock times

• Es ist ... Uhr. — fixed hour. Example: Es ist acht Uhr. (It is 8:00.)
• halb + Stunde — half an hour before the next hour. Example: Es ist halb neun. (It is 8:30.)
• Viertel nach / Viertel vor — 15 past / 15 to. Example: Viertel nach sieben (7:15), Viertel vor zwölf (11:45).
• Use um for a specific time: Der Unterricht beginnt um acht Uhr.

2. Time ranges and duration

• von ... bis ... — from ... until ... Example: Die Stunde ist von 9:00 bis 9:45.
• dauern — to last. Example: Die Stunde dauert 45 Minuten.
• beginnen / enden — beginnen (to begin), enden (to end): Der Unterricht beginnt um halb neun.

3. Asking questions (interactive speaking)

• Wann ...? — When? Example: Wann beginnt Mathe?
• Um wie viel Uhr ...? — At what time? Example: Um wie viel Uhr ist Deutsch?
• Wie lange ...? — How long? Example: Wie lange dauert die Stunde?
• Repetition / clarification: Wie bitte?, Können Sie das wiederholen?, Was bedeutet ...?

Important vocabulary (Kurzliste)

Zahlen, Zeitwörter, Fächer — useful words for listening and speaking about timetables:

Categories of interactive speaking & listening for information

1. Asking for information: direct questions about times and durations (Wann? Um wie viel Uhr?).
2. Confirming / checking: repeat or confirm time (Ist das um acht Uhr?).
3. Clarifying: ask for repetition or meaning (Wie bitte? Was bedeutet „halb“?).
4. Responding precisely: give exact times and ranges using correct grammar (Es ist um 9 Uhr / von 9 bis 10 Uhr).

Short models and mini-dialogues (use in class)

Dialogue 1 — asking about a lesson:

A: Wann beginnt Mathe?
B: Mathe beginnt um acht Uhr. / Mathe ist um acht Uhr.

Dialogue 2 — timetable details:

A: Wie lange dauert die Stunde?
B: Die Stunde dauert 45 Minuten. Sie ist von 8:00 bis 8:45.

Listening for information: simple strategies (age 13)

• Listen for numbers and time words first (Uhr, halb, Viertel, von, bis).
• Mark keywords in the audio: Fächer (Mathe), Beginnt/Endet/Dauert.
• Expect "um" before a clock time and "von ... bis ..." for ranges.
• Ask classmates: repeat the time and write it down — use the German phrase: Wie spät ist es?

Classroom activities & suggested learning experiences (Kenyan context)

Each activity focuses on grammar and interactive speaking/listening.

Activity A — Listen and tick (teacher reads)

Teacher reads twice: "Der Unterricht: Mathe um acht Uhr, Englisch um halb neun, Pause um zehn Uhr, Kiswahili von 10:15 bis 11:00."

1. Students tick which subject is at 8:00, which at 8:30, and the range for Kiswahili.
2. Answers (after listening): Mathe — 8:00; Englisch — 8:30 (halb neun); Kiswahili — von 10:15 bis 11:00.

Activity B — Pair role-play: ask and answer

One student is "Schüler A" with a timetable; the other "Schüler B" asks questions.

Model phrases: Wann ist Chemie? — Chemie ist um zwölf Uhr. Encourage use of um / von ... bis ... / halb / Viertel.

Activity C — Short listening worksheet (graded)

Teacher or audio plays a short timetable paragraph. Students write times in German (use words, not numerals): e.g., "Es ist halb zehn" rather than 9:30.

Sample listening sentence: "Der Unterricht beginnt um halb neun. Die Pause ist um zwölf Uhr. Geschichte ist von 13:00 bis 13:45."

Expected answers: halb neun; um zwölf Uhr; von 13:00 bis 13:45 / (dreizehn bis dreizehn Uhr fünfundvierzig) — accept numeric forms for older students but encourage spoken forms.

Focused grammar practice (written + spoken)

• Convert numerals to spoken German times: 7:15 — Viertel nach sieben (or regional: Viertel acht in some areas — explain to students regional variants).
• Use um before a single time, von ... bis ... for ranges.
• Practice question word order: Wann beginnt der Unterricht? (Question first, verb second)

Assessment ideas (quick checks)

• Listening cloze: teacher reads timetable; students fill blanks with correct German time phrases.
• Oral: each student asks and answers three timetable questions using full German sentences.
• Peer-check: students confirm times with each other using clarification phrases (Wie bitte? Kannst du das wiederholen?).

Short cheat-sheet (use in class)

Um wie viel Uhr? — Um acht Uhr.
Wann? — Um halb neun.
Von wann bis wann? — Von 9:00 bis 9:45.
Wie lange? — Eine Stunde / 45 Minuten.
Bitte wiederholen: "Wie bitte?" / "Können Sie das wiederholen?"

Simple visual clocks (examples)

Teacher tips

• Always model full German sentences first (not just numbers).
• Encourage use of clarification phrases — this trains interactive listening and speaking skills.
• Use real Kenyan school timetables (with familiar subjects) to make listening meaningful.

Notes: Focus here is on German grammatical forms used to express time and timetable information. Keep listening passages short, repeat them twice, and encourage students to speak complete sentences when answering.