Cover lesson · MFL · Year 9 · Advanced
DCF: Citizenship → Identity, image and reputation
Name: Class: Date:
What this practises: deciding what to share about yourself online and how a profile shapes the way others see you, while writing in German. Pupils read 3 pen-pal profiles from a German school: one that gives away an address, a phone number, when the writer is home alone and when the house is empty; one that is safe but dull; and one that is safe and interesting. They sort personal information into what is safe to share, then learn how German connectives change word order (the verb goes to the end after weil and straight after deshalb) and use them to write their own safe, interesting profile. The German needed is on the stimulus sheet. The school and the profiles are invented.
Print: this sheet, one per pupil, and the stimulus sheet “Brieffreunde: 3 pen-pal profiles from Lindenau”, one between two. No computers are needed: the profile is written on paper. German dictionaries help but are not essential.
Run: 8 min Step 1, what has Lukas given away? · 7 min Step 2, share or not? · 12 min Step 3, connectives and word order · 15 min Step 4, write your profile · 8 min Step 5, partner check and reflection. Total 50 minutes. Steps 1 and 2 can be done in pairs; Steps 3 and 4 alone.
Collect: this sheet. Steps 3 and 4 are the main evidence for the German.
Quick checks: Lukas gives away his full name, street address, mobile number, school and class, when he is home alone (Mondays 14:00 to 18:00), when the house is empty (1 to 14 August), a username that can find him in a game, and a photo showing his house number and street. In Step 3, after weil the verb must be the last word (..., weil ich Tiere liebe.), and after deshalb the verb must come next (..., deshalb spiele ich Klavier.). Und, aber, oder and denn do not change the word order. The worked example has model answers.
A pen-pal profile is the first thing a stranger learns about you, and once it is online, anyone who can see it can copy it. A good profile makes people want to write back. A careless one tells strangers where to find you. Today you will learn to write a profile that is safe and interesting, in German that links ideas with the right connectives and word order.
Key words:
Read Lukas’s profile with the glossary. Find 6 pieces of information that a stranger could misuse. Quote the German, give the English, and say what a stranger could do with it.
| German quote | English | What a stranger could do with it |
|---|---|---|
Lukas’s photo has no words in it. Why is it still risky?
Write each item in the right column: first name · full name · age · country · home town · street address · school name · hobbies · opinions about school subjects · mobile number · when you are home alone · holiday dates · a pet’s name · a username for a game · a photo of your face
| Safe to share on this profile | Think first, or ask a teacher | Never share |
|---|---|---|
Mia’s profile is safe. Why would a pen pal still be unlikely to write back to her?
(a) In Jonas’s profile, underline the 5 connectives und, weil, aber, denn and deshalb. Circle the verb after weil and after deshalb. Where is each one?
(b) Improve Mia’s profile. Join her short sentences using the connective given. Check the word-order rules on the stimulus sheet.
| Mia’s sentences | Use | Your joined sentence in German |
|---|---|---|
| Ich mag Musik. Ich spiele Klavier. | deshalb | |
| Ich finde Mathe gut. Ich finde Sport langweilig. | aber | |
| Ich habe eine Katze. (I love animals: Ich liebe Tiere.) | weil | |
| Ich sehe gern Filme. (They are exciting: Sie sind spannend.) | denn | |
| Ich sehe gern Filme. (They are exciting: Sie sind spannend.) | weil |
(c) Compare your last 2 sentences. What is different about the word order, and why?
Write your own pen-pal profile in German, 60 to 90 words. Use only information from the “safe” column of Step 2. You must use:
Words used: ______
(a) Swap sheets. Check your partner’s profile. Tick or write a comment:
| Check | Partner’s comment |
|---|---|
| Nothing in it could tell a stranger where or when to find the writer. | |
| The verb is at the end after weil. | |
| The verb comes straight after deshalb. | |
| There is a comma before aber, denn, weil and deshalb. | |
| I would want to write back, because... |
(b) In English: a pen pal in Germany takes a screenshot of your profile in 2 years’ time. What impression of you would you like it to give? Write 2 sentences.