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German - trying to decide what to do next year


SJ.
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My 13yo is in an online German class this year. I am not very happy with the class and would like to switch providers.

 

Here are some things I would like to see in a class:

- meets more than once a week

- has a clear syllabus with dates for tests/quizzes

- assignments are graded in a timely manner (a week or less)

- clear expectations on what to do on days the class does not meet with guidance on *how* to learn a language

- culture integrated throughout the course

- clear guidance on pronunciation (This course gives long vocabulary lists for each chapter and only about 25% is used in class. No pronunciation guidance is given.)

- the textbook has English explanations so it is easy to study the text outside of class

 

Does anyone have experience with an online class that fits this criteria? Or am I being too picky?

 

What has your experience been with online German class? What provider would you recommend?

 

Also, what do you consider a thorough understanding of German 1 that would enable a student to move on to German 2?

I am considering doing a repeat of German 1.

Edited by SJ.
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It meets the bottom 1/2. The syllabus has clear assignments, but the due dates are not set and it is self-paced with no class meeting. THey can call in and ask for tutoring and email with any questions.

Ok, thanks. How does she get enough practice speaking the language? Are there videos to watch or is it a guide with assignments that follow a text? What is the cost of the class?

Edited by SJ.
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Do you have experience with this class?

My DS12 took WTMA German 1 in 2016/17 and is now taking the German 2. It’s a good class for a middle school kid. The problem we faced these two years is more of a schedule issue because I don’t drive and this german class requires use of a microphone which means that I have to plan DS13’s outside classes based on DS12’s german schedule. We can’t do WTMA german at the library or McDonald’s due to the need to speak, while DS13 was able to do his online classes anywhere because he doesn’t need to speak.

 

The german classes are on Monday, Wednesday and Friday 12noon to 1pm Pacific Time for German 2. We are actually waiting for DS12 to finish his class at 1pm so that we can go out for lunch to celebrate Chinese New Year.

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My 2nd grader is learning French through Knowitall.org. Yesterday, my 6th grader was getting the website up and ended up on their main language page and told me they also have German. Assuming they are like the French series, they might be an easy way to gauge how much spoken German you student has mastered this yr.

 

https://www.knowitall.org/series/foreign-language-german (These are elementary grade videos, so I would expect that a high school level 1 course would probably get through most of the vocabulary in a single yr. I didn't have my Dd look at them though. If we have time this weekend, I will ask her to listen to them and see what she understands.)

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