Study Aids and Tips

Use the feedback you get after tests!

Your teacher puts a lot of time and effort into the correction of your classtests etc. Instead of throwing them aside and only looking at the mark you’ve got, have a closer look! What are your “favourite mistakes”? Revise the rules, repeat some exercises and concentrate on three major “favourite mistakes” in the next test (reserve some time to check your texts)! If you’re not sure what your three major problem fields are, ask your teacher to help you find out.

Use the material you’ve already got!

Don’t throw everything away at the end of the school year! For example, if you begin collecting all the grammar pages on the green take-out-pages of your Workbook from year 7 on, you’ve got a little “grammar Bible” to turn to!

Find out the best way for you to learn new vocabulary and do it regularly!

Writing down the new words and expressions by hand has been proven to be the first useful step. Some students learn best with a handwritten vocabulary list, others with index cards [Karteikarten] that you can take with you in your trouser pockets or mind maps. We also recommend the “Phase 6” app.

“Use it or lose it!”

is the slogan for language learning. Therefore be as active in class discussions as you can and don’t be afraid to make mistakes! Having your mistakes corrected and being motivated by your improvement, however small it might seem to be at first will help you get better! ( After all, your teachers are paid for this 😉 – we love to keep busy that way! )

Know your book and use its extra material!

In the books for years 7-10, there are some red “DIFF POOL” pages with extra exercises. There is never enough time in class to do all exercises. Why not prepare for a classtest with the left-over ones from those pages? You might also want to do some exercises all over again which you’ve checked the right answers in class for. That way you can test yourself before the real test.

In the book for years 11-12, the “SKILLS FILES” in the back can be used like the “Orientierungswissen” in German class – all the methodical basics in one place, plus language help on the side! How to write a summary, how to talk about a cartoon or skim through a text – if you’re still a bit wobbly with a method, look it up again and follow the advised steps.

Why not watch films or your favourite series in English?

It’s fun to improve your listening skills that way and you might be in for a surprise here and there – for example if your favourite actor speaks with a Scottish accent, which is totally lost in the German translation. Subtitles (German for beginners, English for more advanced students) might help you understand.

Read books in English

just for fun on the side! There are books for different levels in our school library!

Last but not least: Have you thought about some time abroad in an English-speaking country?

Most English teachers at our school can tell you about their own experiences as former exchange students, au pairs or University students. And, of course, there are always some former exchange students who have just recently returned from the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or … [fill in your personal dream destination for this life-changing experience!]. There are lots of possibilities for scholarships [Stipendien], too, e.g. by the German Bundestag (“Parlamentarisches Patenschaftsprogramm”)

Extra materials for your books

 

Years 7-10 (“Green Line“ by Klett Verlag)

  • Check out www.klett.de („Lernhilfen und Zusatzmaterialien für Schüler/innen“)

Years 11-12 (“Context“ by Cornelsen Verlag):

  • Kompetenz- und Prüfungstrainer mit Lösungen, Transkripten, Audio und Video online
    ISBN 978-3-06-031667-0
  • Abi to go GRAMMAR. The grammar you really need
    ISBN 978-3-06-034842-8