Resources
German FLOW: Foreign Languages Offering Well-Being
A pilot project led by German Studies professors Heidi Denzel and Nick Ostrau combines language learning with wellness practice. Newly awarded an experiential learning grant from from the Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning (DCAL), the initiative encompasses collaborations with Caitlin Barthelmes, director of the Student Wellness Center, and Laura Beth White, assistant director for well-being. (More about this project.)
Faculty of Arts and Sciences Newsletter
"Foreign Language Offering Wellness in our German Curriculum"
In evaluations of the collaboration, students agreed that the integration of mindfulness and well-being practices helped mentally prepare them for class, focus better, be present, and enhanced their learning of German. (German Studies Department Implements Wellness Curriculum Into Introductory Classes by Ben Fagell | 1/13/23)
The Dartmouth
Academic Success and Wellness
Learning a language is a work in progress that requires steady practice and continuous interactions with instructors and peers. There are times, however, when learners will experience interruptions of their language study, for example, if:
- a student takes German 2 in the spring term and wishes to practice German independently over the summer to prepare for German 3 in the fall
- a student takes German 1 in the fall term but cannot enroll in German 2 until spring.
- a student must miss classes for excusable on-campus activities, such as sports competitions
- a student faces academic or personal challenges, including injuries and mental health concerns
Keine Panik: We are here to help. Below are resources that will help you bridge a potential language gap to keep you on track toward your learning goals:
- Our German Studies Fulbright TA and Free University exchange student hold regular tutoring hours during the term and are available for conversation practice and grammar review.
- We work closely with the Peer Tutoring Program to make student language tutors accessible throughout the term.
- Consider joining our Max Kade Housing LLC to meet like-minded peers and converse in German with our Fulbright TA.
- Our Berlin summer or Fall Of Campus Program LSA(+) is an excellent way to practice language skills in an immersive and culturally rich environment. Students return to campus with greater confidence and are highly successful in intermediate and advanced classes. For the LSA and LSA+, you need to complete German 2 or 3 on-campus respectively.
- Once you have completed German 3, sign up to become a German drill instructor. Helping others benefits your own learning
Studies show that external stressors create a barrier to language learning. If you experience emotional or physical challenges contact on-campus campus resources that are here to help including the Dartmouth College Health Services for medical and counseling appointments and education on sleep health and nutrition, the Academic Skills Center for establishing study routines, and the Student Accessibilty Services for learning adjustments.
Over the summer, winterim, or any term without a German class try any or a combination of the following:
- Review the Auf Geht's book work from our German 1,2 and 3 sequence
- Complete our DartDrill Grammar practice exercises
- Preview the intermediate level grammar book Handbuch zur deutschen Grammatik
- Sign up for U.S. based summer school immersion program or a Goethe Institute online language course
- Talk to a friend or family member who speaks German.
- Practice vocabulary with a training app like Tobo.
- Set the language of your favorite Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu TV series and movies to German with English or German subtitles.
- Read the news in German. Here's a website in simplified German.
DartDrill
DartDrill is a program that allows students to practice grammatical forms and receive feedback on their efforts. It is the most recent in a series of increasingly sophisticated versions of a computer program begun by Emeritus Professor Bruce Duncan at Dartmouth College in 1969.
German Chatterbox 1.0
German Chatterbox 1.0 is a program that allows language learners to practice German vocabulary, grammatical form and cultural awareness by communicating with 10 life-like virtual chat partners about a range of personal and professional interests. Each chat partner features read-out-loud vocabulary lists, microphone input and downloadable worksheets that can be assigned in class or at home. The online application is under development by the German Department's Language Director Nick Ostrau.
Grammar Review
Grammatik is a systematic survey of German grammar by Emeritus Professor Bruce Duncan.
TV and Video Resources
The Dartmouth campus DarTV carries two German stations: Deutsche Welle and, for more popular fare, Pro7Sat1world.
In the iTunes Music Store, a search on “ZDF” produces everything from audio and video “Nachrichten” to “Der Krimi Podcast” to children’s “Podcast der Logo.” They are about 30 minutes each and are updated every day.
Two other valuable sites for downloadable and streaming media: tagesschau.de and dradio.de.
Annotext
Annotext is a web-based application that was developed at Dartmouth College to assist students in understanding linguistically difficult literary texts.
Library Resources
The German Studies Web for the Association of College and Research Libraries provides access to selected scholarly resources in German Studies and to a wide variety of links of interest to students of German, including a convenient listing of German-language news sources on the web.
The Dartmouth College Library has a library catalog and selected databases for German Studies as well as traditional reference books in the Baker/Berry reference room.