About Our Curriculum
The German Language School of the North Bay offers an affordable and convenient opportunity to receive creative instruction methods that will help you and your family launch or advance your German language and cultural skills.
We provide classes optimized to establish and build upon an enthusiasm for the German language and the diverse cultures of German-speaking countries; if you are in need of skills and drills outside of the college classroom, we offer dynamic learning resources to help in the enhancement of your current language skills.
Over the course of a semester you will obtain the tools and have opportunities to speak, read, and write German with confidence. You will not only receive quality academic instruction, but the opportunity to use it in memorable and fun communication activities that are applicable to the real world.
Kindergarten & Pre-K
Our Pre-K class accepts children starting as young as 3-years-old at both campuses (children must be potty-trained) and our Kindergarten accepts children as young as 4-years-old. In these classes, the students use picture books as well as handouts and worksheets of a variety of circle games, finger rhymes, poems, art projects, and audio tapes, and flash cards. We teach students to answer questions with words and phrases, know the German alphabet in song, match words with pictures, comprehend simple story books and stories, count, and more.
Children & Teens
Our children and teen classes are divided into levels with efforts to insure that the age difference is no more than three years within each classroom. Rather than corresponding to public school grade levels, our classes are grouped by language proficiency as well as age. This allows more flexibility in assigning students into a level that will challenge them at their own pace while promoting confidence and self-esteem within our engaging and sound scholastic environment.
Classes for Adults
Whether you’re considering personal, academic, or professional goals, we offer outstanding adult classes designed for the beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. Students may select any of our high-quality classes that best suits their proficiency with the language. Not sure where you will best fit? Our instructors will assist you in choosing the best class environment for your needs. To promote language fluency, our dynamic curriculum will address: vocabulary building, listening and reading comprehension, composition abilities, speech fluency, and language use training. With motivation, desire, and creative activities, we will help each and every student improve in the knowledge, love and application of the German language.
Exam Prep Class
Our children and teen students from Youth Grade 4 through Youth Grade 8+ have the opportunity to take various German tests. We assess our students during the year and offer various tests for each level of student. Students taking the A2 test, the DSD tests or the AP exam will be able to attend an exam preparation class for part of the school day (see Children and Teen classes).
Our Teaching Methods
We use modern teaching materials and techniques proven to be effective in introducing conversational and grammatical components in a way that captures and keeps the student’s interest. German is spoken in the classroom as much as possible, and authentic learning resources are provided to promote continued learning outside of the classroom. Regular classroom instruction is supplemented by other learning activities such as German movies, lectures, music, and more. Students are also introduced to the German cultural heritage as well as to train their ears for various German accents and patterns of speech. Additionally, we maintain a continuously updated library of German books and other media for children and adults which are available for students to check out.
Questions?
To help you easily and quickly get answers, we have compiled the most frequently asked questions for you. You are also welcome to contact us, we are happy to help.
Class Days and Times
Our classes meet Saturday mornings (excluding holidays) from 9:30am until noon at both campuses. Please see our calendar for the Saturdays school is in session or download our complete calendar (PDF). For questions, feel free to contact us.
