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Parent guide · Grade 2 German · Unit 1

Lesson 1.2 Ä, Ö, Ü und ß

Written for the parent. The Read aloud parts are written to your child; read them as they are. Do this parts are for you. Answers for you are marked Listen for.

At a glance

Time
3 sessions of 15–20 minutes
Goal
Say the five vowels the German way. Say the three Umlaute, ä, ö and ü. Read and write the letter ß.
You need
  • Paper
  • Crayons or markers
  • A sketchbook or plain paper, and crayons
  • A King James Bible
Print
Worksheet A · the lesson page (it also has a short video (2:11))

Steps

  1. Do this together: Say the English vowels: a, e, i, o, u. German has the same five, but it says them differently, and it has three extra vowels with two little dots on top! Today you meet them.

  2. Read aloud: The story. At the end of the Bible, Jesus says: I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. When Martin Luther put the Bible into German, he wrote: Ich bin das A und das O, I am the A and the O. Even today, when Germans want to say that something is the most important thing of all, they say: Das ist das A und O! Jesus is the first and the last and the most important of all.

    Read aloud: How German sounds. German vowels are pure and clear: a is ah, e is ay, i is ee, o is oh, u is oo. The Umlaute change the sound: ä sounds like the e in bed; for ö, say ay and round your lips; for ü, say ee and round your lips. The ß sounds like a sharp s, as in groß (GROHS) and Fuß (FOOS). If you cannot type the dots, Germans write ae, oe and ue instead, and ss for ß.

    Read aloud: Say it and move. Open your mouth wide: ah! Smile: ee! Make a round O with your lips: oh! Now smile and push your lips into a whistle at the same time: ü! Stretch up tall: groß!

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

    • der Vokal [dehr voh-KAHL]: vowel
    • der Umlaut [dehr OOM-lowt]: umlaut
    • das Mädchen [dahs MAYT-khun]: girl
    • schön [SHÖN]: beautiful; nice
    • groß [GROHS]: big; tall
    • klein [KLINE]: small; little

  4. Show: How do you make the ü sound?

    Say this: “Say ee.”

    Say this: “Keep saying ee and round your lips like a whistle.”

    Answer: Ü: ee with round lips.

    Show: What does ß sound like in groß?

    Say this: “ß is a sharp s.”

    Answer: Like s: GROHS.

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

    Ask: Say the five German vowels.

    Listen for: Ah, ay, ee, oh, oo.

    Ask: What are the dots on ä, ö, ü called?

    Listen for: An Umlaut.

    Ask: What does groß mean?

    Listen for: Big; tall.

    3 more on the lesson page.

  6. Read aloud: Make funny faces with two dots for eyes to remember the Umlaute.

    Steps:

    1. Write a big a, o and u on the paper.
    2. Add two dots on top of each: ä, ö, ü.
    3. Turn each letter into a face: the two dots are the eyes!
    4. Draw the mouth shape for each sound: round for ö and ü.
    5. Say each sound as you point to its face.

    Tips for you:

    • Write a word with each Umlaut under its face: Mädchen, schön, grün.
    • Draw a big ß and turn it into a tall snake.

    Done when your child can say:

    • My faces show ä, ö and ü.
    • I can say each sound.

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

    1. In your German notebook, write ä, ö, ü and ß big and clear. Beside each, write one word: Mädchen (girl), schön (beautiful), grün (green), groß (big).

  8. Read aloud: The two dots of the Umlaut began as a tiny e written above the vowel by scribes long ago. Over time the little e shrank into two dots.

    • Leaving the dots off. Mutter (mother) and Mütter (mothers) are different words!
    • Writing ß as B. It is a sharp s, not a b.

  10. A parent says a German word slowly: Hund, schön, Mädchen, grün. Freeze with your mouth in the shape of the vowel you hear, and say the vowel.

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

    Listen for: Say the five vowels the German way.; Say the three Umlaute, ä, ö and ü.; Read and write the letter ß.

  12. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

    Revelation 22:13 (KJV)

    In the German Bible of Martin Luther (1912 revision), this verse reads: <i lang="de">Ich bin das A und das O</i> Jesus is the first letter and the last letter, the beginning and the end. Everything begins and ends with Him.

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.