My time at school
Meine Schulzeit
- Learn about the country's education system.
- Talk about your time at school and childhood memories.
This lesson explores German school life and memories from childhood, teaching key vocabulary like Grundschule (primary school), lernen (to learn), and sich erinnern (to remember) with practical examples and verb conjugations.
Vocabulary (14) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Übung 1: Conversation exercise
Anleitung:
- Describe the education path of Eva. (Describe the education path of Eva.)
- Describe where you studied at high school. (Describe where you studied at high school.)
- Talk about what you studied at school. (Talk about what you studied at school.)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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In den ersten Jahren war Eva in der Grundschule. For the first years Eva was in primary school. |
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Dann war sie in der Sekundarschule. Sie war immer eine fleißige Schülerin mit guten Noten. Then she was in secondary school. She always was a hard-working student with good grades. |
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Sie beendete die Schule, als sie 18 Jahre alt war. She finished high school when she was 18 years old. |
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Ich bin zur Universität gegangen und habe Jura studiert. I went to university and studied law. |
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Ich habe die Schule mit 18 Jahren abgeschlossen. I finished high school when I was 18 years old. |
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Jetzt arbeite ich in einer Schule und unterrichte. Now I work in a school and teach. |
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Exercise 2: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 3: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Ich __________ mich gut an meine Grundschule.
(I __________ remember my elementary school well.)2. In der Schule __________ ich viele neue Dinge.
(At school, I __________ learn many new things.)3. Letzte Woche __________ ich einen schwierigen Test geschrieben.
(Last week, I __________ wrote a difficult test.)4. Ich __________ viel für das Abitur gelernt.
(I __________ studied a lot for the high school diploma.)Exercise 4: My School Time
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Sich erinnern - to remember
Präsens
- ich erinnere mich
- du erinnerst dich
- er/sie/es erinnert sich
- wir erinnern uns
- ihr erinnert euch
- sie/Sie erinnern sich
Lernen - to learn
Präteritum
- ich lernte
- du lerntest
- er/sie/es lernte
- wir lernten
- ihr lerntet
- sie/Sie lernten
Lernen - to learn
Perfekt
- ich habe gelernt
- du hast gelernt
- er/sie/es hat gelernt
- wir haben gelernt
- ihr habt gelernt
- sie/Sie haben gelernt
Erklären - to explain
Präsens
- ich erkläre
- du erklärst
- er/sie/es erklärt
- wir erklären
- ihr erklärt
- sie/Sie erklären
Sein - to be
Präteritum
- ich war
- du warst
- er/sie/es war
- wir waren
- ihr wart
- sie/Sie waren
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Overview of the Lesson "My time at school"
This lesson explores common themes around school life, focusing on conversations about the German school system, personal memories of school, and comparing childhood and school experiences. Designed for A2 German learners, it introduces useful vocabulary and expressions related to education, daily routines, and personal reflections, helping learners to describe and discuss their schooling in German.
Key Topics Covered
- The German school system: Discussion of the structure such as Grundschule (primary school), Hauptschule, Realschule, and Gymnasium.
- School experiences and memories: Talking about favorite teachers, funny incidents, and what students like about school.
- Comparing past and present schooling: Differences in school environments and personal childhood reflections.
Important Vocabulary and Expressions
- Grundschule – primary school
- Schulform – type of school
- Hausaufgaben – homework
- Pausen – breaks
- erinnern (sich) – to remember
- lernen – to learn
- erklären – to explain
- Prüfungen – exams
Grammar Highlight: Verb Conjugations with Examples
The lesson includes useful practice on verb conjugations in present (Präsens), simple past (Präteritum), and perfect (Perfekt) tenses. Important verbs such as "sich erinnern" (to remember), "lernen" (to learn), "sein" (to be), and "erklären" (to explain) are presented in full tables and example sentences.
Example sentences from the lesson include:
- Ich erinnere mich gut an meine Grundschule. (I remember my primary school well.)
- In der Schule lerne ich viele neue Dinge. (At school, I learn many new things.)
- Letzte Woche habe ich einen schwierigen Test geschrieben. (Last week, I wrote a difficult test.)
- Ich habe viel für das Abitur gelernt. (I have studied a lot for the Abitur.)
Differences between English and German School Terminology
In English, "primary school" covers early education broadly, but the German system distinguishes clearly between Grundschule (usually 4 years) and multiple secondary tracks like Hauptschule, Realschule, and Gymnasium. This offers tailored education paths based on students' interests and abilities, which is different from the generally more unified English system.
Some useful phrases to express school experiences include:
- Ich erinnere mich an... (I remember...)
- Mein Stundenplan war voll. (My schedule was full.)
- Wir hatten viele Hausaufgaben. (We had a lot of homework.)
- Ich habe viele Freunde gefunden. (I made many friends.)
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