Lesson 5.2 Es regnet!

Steps

1. Warm-up

   Do this together: Look out the window. Is the sun shining? Is it raining? Is it windy? Hot or cold? Today you learn to talk about the weather in German.

2. Teach the new idea

   Read aloud: The story. After the great flood, when Noah and his family came out of the ark, Noah built an altar and thanked God. And God made a promise: While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. Rain and sunshine, snow and wind, cold and heat all come and go just as God planned. When the farmer plants his seeds, God sends the rain; when the wheat is ripe, God sends the sun for the harvest.

   Read aloud: How German sounds. Sonne starts with a z sound: ZON-nuh. Wind and warm start with a v sound: VINT, VARM. Schnee is SHNAY. Es regnet and Es schneit are little sentences: es means it. Es ist kalt: it is cold. Es ist warm: it is warm.

   Read aloud: Say it and move. Make a big circle over your head: Die Sonne scheint! Wiggle your fingers down: Es regnet! Sway like a tree: Es ist windig! Shiver: Es ist kalt! Fan yourself: Es ist warm! Catch snowflakes on your tongue: Es schneit!

3. New words

   Do this: Say each word clearly; your child says it back twice. Point to a picture or the real thing when you can.

   • die Sonne [dee ZON-nuh]: sun
   • der Regen [dehr RAY-gun]: rain
   • der Wind [dehr VINT]: wind
   • der Schnee [dehr SHNAY]: snow
   • kalt [KAHLT]: cold
   • warm [VARM]: warm
4. Show how

   Show: Look outside. It is raining. What do you say?

   Say this: “Raining is regnet.”

   Say this: “It is raining: Es regnet.”

   Answer: Es regnet! (es RAYG-nut)

   Show: It is snowing and you are shivering. Say two things about the weather.

   Say this: “Snowing: es schneit.”

   Say this: “Cold: es ist kalt.”

   Answer: Es schneit. Es ist kalt.

5. Practice together

   Do this: Ask out loud. Let your child try first; help only after a real try.

   Ask: Say sun in German.

   Listen for: Die Sonne.

   Ask: Say It is raining in German.

   Listen for: Es regnet.

   Ask: Say cold in German.

   Listen for: Kalt.

   3 more on the lesson page.

6. Project: Weather chart

   Read aloud: Make a weather chart and record the weather every day in German.

   Steps:

   1. A parent writes the days of the week (Montag, Dienstag…) above the boxes.
   2. Every morning, look outside.
   3. Draw the weather in that day’s box: a sun, rain, wind or snow.
   4. Say the weather in German: Die Sonne scheint! Es regnet!

   Tips for you:

   • Also write kalt or warm in each box.
   • At the end of the week, count the sunny days in German.

   Done when your child can say:

   • My chart shows the weather for a whole week.
   • I can say the weather in German every day.
7. Sketchbook

   Do this: Your child picks one or more; you write the date.

   1. Draw a sun, rain, wind and snow in your picture dictionary. A parent writes die Sonne, der Regen, der Wind and der Schnee.
8. From history

   Read aloud: In Germany it rains often, all through the year, which keeps the forests and fields green. German children wear rain boots, called Gummistiefel (rubber boots), and love to jump in puddles.

9. Watch for
   • Saying Wind with a w. German w says v: VINT.
   • Saying warm like English warm. Say VARM.
10. Game: Weather moves

    A parent calls the weather in German. For Die Sonne scheint, stretch your arms up; for Es regnet, wiggle your fingers down; for Es ist windig, sway; for Es schneit, twirl like a snowflake. Go faster and faster!

11. Narration

    Say this: “Tell me what you learned today.”

    Listen for: Say what the weather is like in German.; Say Es ist kalt and Es ist warm.; Say God’s promise about the seasons.

12. Scripture

    While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

    In the German Bible of Martin Luther (1912 revision), this verse reads: <i lang="de">Solange die Erde steht, soll nicht aufhören Saat und Ernte, Frost und Hitze, Sommer und Winter, Tag und Nacht.</i> God promised Noah that the seasons, the weather and day and night would keep coming as long as the earth remains. Every sunrise and every rain shower shows that God keeps His promises.

Spread over the week

3 sessions of 15–20 minutes. Stop while it is still going well.

1. Session 1. Warm-up, then read and teach the new idea and the new words. Show how.
2. Session 2. Practice together, then start the project. Finish the project, then the sketchbook.
3. Session 3. Narration, the game and the Scripture.