LANGUAGE SCHOOL
OUR CLASSES
Preschool:
These classes are aimed at children between the ages of three and five who have not yet learned to read. Using games, songs, rhymes, and small scenes, this course builds upon simple speech patterns the children may apply to various settings they find meaningful. The subject areas touched upon include: myself, colors, ‘Who’s who?’, playing, school, family, animals, and more. The teaching principles of ‘Learning With Your Head, Heart, and Hands’ like those of ‘Learning With All Your Senses’ play a particularly important role for this age group.
German as a foreign language for children:
This course builds upon the preschool level classes and is intended for nonnative German speaking children at the elementary school level, ages 5-8 years. The class teaches the German language as well as the basics of reading and writing in a fun way. The subject areas all evolve around the children’s interests. Children of this age group like to talk about themselves, their family, school, friends, and about their games. All these topics find consideration in realistic and age appropriate settings and texts. Simple sentence patterns are being taught, allowing the children to be versatile when applying those to small situations. Movement, play, music, rhymes, rhythms, and a broad spectrum of alternating exercises keep the children motivated and create a relaxed class atmosphere.
German 1st & 1st / 2nd School Year:
Native speakers between the ages of five to seven years of age build the target group of this class. The children acquire German reading and writing skills. In this class we work with the ‘LolliPop Fibel’. Using the well tested analytical – synthetic method, children learn reading and writing in a safe proven way. Its flexible design contains an initial sound index which encourages children to independently explore sound-letter combinations, thus enabling them to do their own writing. The subject and text selection is child-appropriate and reflects the children’s environment. The exciting story throughout the textbook switches between reality and fantasy, the students solve riddles, which keeps them highly motivated throughout the learning process. Various assignments, materials, and learning games entice children to learn according to their individual talents and skills, their individual developmental stages, and at their own paces.
German Classes 2nd – 4th Grade:
These German lessons at the elementary school level build upon the contents of previous school years.
The children are encouraged to use the German language creatively through a variety of changing exercises and social forms, learning methods and games. The following areas, “Verbal use of language”, “Handling texts”, “Written language use” and “Spelling” are considered in these lessons. Within this course, the teacher once again puts great effort into meeting the individual study and developmental stages of each student. Textbooks and differentiated teaching materials from Germany are intergarted in the lessons.
German Classes / 5.-10. School Year/ Preparation ‘German Language Diploma’:
This class also builds upon the contents of the previous school years. We continue to work with reading and language books from Germany. The lessons are being conducted with a holistic approach, i.e. beginning with a given verbally acted out situation, they combine speaking with writing, grammar, as well as language studies. The textbooks use highly motivational literature, enabling students to discover and experience the German language patterns, and inspiring them to draft their own writings. The lessons stimulate the students joy of reading and further develop their reading and writing abilities. Within this course, the teacher once again puts great effort into meeting the individual study and developmental stages of each student.
This course also prepares the students for the “German Sprachdiplom” examination administered by the ZfA (Zentralstelle für das Auslandswesen). Through intense practice, the students will be prepared to pass all areas of the test, including written and spoken communication as well as reading and listening comprehension.
Science and Social Studies – competence through actions:
In the ‚Science and social studies classes’ of the ‚German School of Ft. Lauderdale’, children acquire competence above all through doing. We work with the new science and social studies ‚LolliPop’ subject course books, as well as the textbooks ‘Frida & Co’, from the Oldenbourg publishing house. These are modular courses for this class. In addition to the lesson taught, the course books can be used as reference and idea giver in the learning process, during free work, for projects and experiments and in the acquisition of work techniques. Some of the subjects covered are: - Family/ company - Body/ nourishment - Nature/ technology - Time/ room - Plants/ animal - Music/ art
Art class: ‚Meet the Masters’
This is an educational art class ‘Meet the masters’, for children ages 3 and up. The children are introduced to the life, work and techniques of various famous artists from the 19th and 20th centuries, like Miro, Hundertwasser, Picasso, Klee, Matisse, Warhol, Kandinsky etc. The students are encouraged to apply the various techniques of the artist’s styles, and experience different art media, while creating their own personal art works.
German as a foreign language for adults:
The German-American School of Ft. Lauderdale offers German courses for adults at different levels (A1-C1). We work with current textbooks from Germany that take the following aspects into account:
- Cyclical grammar with action reference
- Learning sequences instead of isolated training of partial skills
- Competence and task orientation
- Authenticity, e.g. in the types of text and occasions
- Explicit speaking and pronunciation training that enables learners to speak quickly and fluently
TEAM
Armande Herold
Armande Herold was born in Eindhoven, The Netherlands and was raised mainly in Germany. She graduated from the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz with a PhD in Biology.
1994 she moved with her husband and 2 daughters to the USA and lived for 20 years in New Jersey. Here she began to teach German at NJ Schools and at LEARN, a private language school.
6 years ago Armande and her husband decided to move to Florida, because of the sunshine and the horses. Meanwhile Armande has taken Childcare classes by the state of Florida and is truly enjoying being back in the classroom and able to prove that languages are fascinating and fun. She also enjoys spending time with the Toddlers, who are so creative.
She has established her life in Florida with riding her horses, enjoying her family and friends, spending time at the beaches and loving the lush nature in the sunshine State.
Aline Leon
Aline Leon is originally from beautiful Altdorf, Switzerland. She has spent over a decade working with children, ranging from infants to 11-year-olds. Aline earned her Child Development Associate (CDA) credential in 2013 and has a special love for toddlers. Their curiosity and growth make every day spent working with them rewarding.
Aline has been married for 37 years and is a proud mother of two grown daughters. When she’s not caring for little ones, she enjoys spending time with her family and embracing the outdoors in beautiful South Florida.
Yasemin Pakyurek
Yasemin Pakyurek was born and raised in Salzgitter-Lebenstedt, located in Germany's Lower Saxony region. After moving to Turkey, she continued her education in German schools in Istanbul and earned a Bachelor’s degree in German Language and Literature from the University of Istanbul. She also completed 33 credits of theoretical and practical courses at the same faculty and received a “Primary Education Classroom Teaching Certificate” in 2000. In 2011, while pregnant with her daughter, Mrs. Pakyurek earned an Associate Degree as a “Laboratory Veterinary Technician” from Anadolu University.
Mrs. Pakyurek has worked with children aged 1-12 at various hotels in Turkey as a Mini-Club Teacher, performed in children’s theaters for schools, and worked as an independent educator. In 2018, she moved with her family to Coral Springs, Florida. She enjoys having tea time with her 13-year-old daughter, taking long walks with her dog, playing darts, singing, and playing her guitar. Mrs. Pakyurek is excited to work in an environment with children and a happy team, and she loves using theater and music in children's language education.