Lesson 1.2 Ich heiße… du oder Sie?

Steps

1. Warm-up

   Do this together: How do you talk differently to your best friend and to the pastor? English uses the same word, you, for both. German has two different words. Let’s find out when to use each.

2. Teach the new idea

   Read aloud: Two kinds of you. German has two words for you. Say du to your family, your friends, other children, your pets, and to God in prayer. Say Sie to grown-ups you do not know well: a teacher, a shopkeeper, a neighbor, a doctor. Sie is always written with a capital S. A grown-up may invite you to say du; then you may. Using Sie is a way to show respect.

   Read aloud: Introducing yourself. To a child: Hallo! Ich heiße Paul. Wie heißt du? To a grown-up: Guten Tag! Ich heiße Paul. Wie heißen Sie? To say where you live: Ich wohne in Texas. To say you are happy to meet someone: Freut mich! (Pleased to meet you!)

   Read aloud: How German sounds. In heiße and heißen, the ei says eye and the ß says s. Wohne starts with a v sound and the h is silent: VOH-nuh. Sie is said ZEE. The magic words are the same for everyone: bitte (please), danke (thank you), Entschuldigung (excuse me, ent-SHOOL-dee-goong).

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.

   • ich heiße [ikh HY-suh]: my name is
   • ich wohne [ikh VOH-nuh]: I live
   • du [DOO]: you (friend, family)
   • Sie [ZEE]: you (polite)
   • Freut mich [FROYT mikh]: pleased to meet you
   • Entschuldigung [ent-SHOOL-dee-goong]: excuse me
   • Wie heißt du? [vee HYST doo]: What is your name? (to a friend)
   • bitte [BIT-tuh]: please
   • danke [DAHN-kuh]: thank you
   • Wie heißen Sie? [vee HY-sun zee]: What is your name? (polite)
4. Show how

   Show: Introduce yourself to a new boy at church and ask his name.

   Say this: “He is a child: use du.”

   Say this: “Ich heiße…, then Wie heißt du?”

   Answer: Hallo! Ich heiße … Wie heißt du?

   Show: Ask a new neighbor, a grown-up, her name.

   Say this: “She is a grown-up you don’t know: use Sie.”

   Say this: “The verb changes: heißen Sie.”

   Answer: Guten Tag! Wie heißen Sie?

5. Practice together

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

   Ask: How do you say My name is Anna?

   Listen for: Ich heiße Anna.

   Ask: How do you say I live in Ohio?

   Listen for: Ich wohne in Ohio.

   Ask: Which word for you is always written with a capital letter?

   Listen for: Sie.

   3 more on the lesson page.

6. Project: du or Sie sorting cards

   Read aloud: Make cards with pictures of people and sort them into a du pile and a Sie pile.

   Steps:

   1. Draw or glue a person on each card: Mom, a baby, the mail carrier, a doctor, a friend, a dog, a teacher, Grandpa, a policeman, a stranger in a shop.
   2. Write who it is under each picture.
   3. Sort each card into the du envelope or the Sie envelope.
   4. For each card, say the right question: Wie heißt du? or Wie heißen Sie?

   Tips for you:

   • Add God to the du pile and talk about why we say du to Him in prayer.
   • Let a parent check your sorting.

   Done when your child can say:

   • I sorted at least ten cards.
   • I can explain why I chose du or Sie.
7. Sketchbook

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

   1. In your German notebook, write an introduction to a child (Hallo! Ich heiße… Wie heißt du?) and one to a grown-up (Guten Tag! Ich heiße… Wie heißen Sie?). Write Ich wohne in… with your town.
8. From history

   Read aloud: Germans may stay on Sie with a neighbor for years. When two grown-ups agree to switch to du, it is a sign of friendship, and sometimes they celebrate it with a toast.

9. Watch for
   • Saying Wie heißt du? to a grown-up. Use Wie heißen Sie?
   • Writing sie for polite you. It needs a capital S: Sie.
10. Game: Who am I?

    A parent pretends to be different people: a baby, a teacher, a friend, a shopkeeper. Greet each one and ask the name with du or Sie. Score a point for each right choice.

11. Narration

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

    Listen for: Introduce yourself and ask someone’s name.; Say where you live.; Choose du or Sie correctly.

12. Scripture

    And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

    In the Luther Bible (1912): <i lang="de">Seid aber untereinander freundlich, herzlich</i> Paul tells us to be kind and tenderhearted to one another. Good manners, like using Sie for grown-ups and saying bitte and danke, are a small way to show kindness.

Spread over the week

3 sessions of 20–30 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.