Aimee Kelly

SLM 521

Spring 2004

Sounds of Germany

Third Graders in Frederick County study a German Heritage unit. The point of this unit is to discover the strong German heritage our area has because of the number of German immigrants who immigrated to our area during the 1700’s. Children are exposed to many aspects of German culture to better understand these immigrants and to see how they influenced our culture.

German Christmas Carols - Check out this link to hear German versions of Christmas songs. Make sure you listen to “Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!”, otherwise known as “Silent Night”. This song was written in German. It is a great contribution to our culture. It really shows us how integral Germany was in the development to our culture.

http://www.songsforteaching.com/SDLSingenWeihnachten.html

German Days of the Week - This is a link for a German song to teach the days of the week. Children can listen and hear the German words and try to pick out the days of the week. This allows the children to feel a connection with the German people.

http://www.songsforteaching.com/SDLGSamstag.html

German National Anthem – This link contains a link to play the instrumental version of the German National Anthem. What a great way to recognize there is patriotism for every country, not just ours!

http://www.bluelizard.org/expat.htm

German Drinking Song - Beer and ale are very common drinks in Germany. Scroll down to the Oktoberfest section of this page. This is a drinking song that Germans may sing to accompany their beer or ale, especially at Oktoberfest. Children can listen to the instrumental version of the song and read some of the lyrics to better understand another aspect of German culture.

http://www.wargame.ch/wc/nwc/newsletter/20th_edition/Newsletter20/Songbook.html

German Alphabet Song – This is a link for a song to teach the German alphabet. It is a mimicking song to make this version of the alphabet easier to learn. Children can feel more connected to the German people through this activity.

http://www.songsforteaching.com/SDLGDasAlphabet.html

German National Bird – This is a site that contains links for the calls of many birds. Included is the White Stork or Ciconia ciconia, the national bird of Germany. This is yet another way to learn about the distinct German culture.

http://www.virtual-bird.com/birdsounds.htm

German Numbers – This is a link to a song in German for teaching counting. The numbers 1- 10 are included in the sound file. The lyrics for 1-30 are shown. http://www.songsforteaching.com/SDLGZahlen.html

German Welcome - Click on this link and go to the German option. Listen to a welcome including “good day” and “my name is” in German. Children can practice this piece of German language to understand how the Germans who immigrated to the United States would have communicated.

http://www.as.ua.edu/rlc/hello/

German Polka Music – Go to this site to listen to two short instrumental versions of German Polka music. You will need to scroll down and click on the link to “Listen to Larry Nemelka play his favorite German Polka music”. This will further expose children to the German culture.

http://www.nemelkafamily.com/heritage.htm

Beethoven – Ludwig von Beethoven is one of the most famous composers in the world’s history. He was also from Germany. This site will allow you to listen to different sections of Beethoven’s classic Symphony Number 3. This illustrates another German contribution to our society.

http://www6.thdo.bbc.co.uk/radio3/classical/listen/proms_beethoven3.shtml