Learning a new language is certainly one of life’s most rewarding experiences. Over time, your new skills will become like a set of tools that will set you apart on your career path and make travel more enjoyable. But beyond these superficial and immediate benefits, increasing your competence in a foreign language will change you. You will learn to connect with new people and places — from the past and present — in deeper, more meaningful ways. You will become not merely a passive recipient of new knowledge, but you will also become able to actively engage with
worlds that were previously closed to you.
Impuls Deutsch takes a unique, progressive approach to the teaching and learning of German. It is written from the stance that the best way to learn a language is to use it actively. This means that you will work with your classmates to complete meaningful, content-based tasks, designed to promote communication and critical thinking. In order to maximize the amount of time spent on active language practice, Impuls Deutsch introduces new grammar and vocabulary prior to class, freeing up valuable class time for you to work effectively with your instructor and classmates in class.
Accepting responsibility for your own learning is integral to your future success in learning German. You should not expect to attend a “lecture” where you will be “taught” how to speak German. You must study the material before class, and come to class prepared. This book provides you with a variety of exercises along the way, among them also drills and memorization. However, the primary goal of this book is to help you evaluate, synthesize, and apply material at a higher cognitive level, designed to make learning German engaging.
Being prepared for class will give you a sense of accomplishment and confidence, allowing you to experiment, take risks, and play with the language you are learning. This agency is key for engaging with your classmates and instructor as you figure out what works and what doesn’t. You will be able to make the most of opportunities to do something with the information presented, to interact with it, and use it to complete tasks and solve problems.
This chart explains how to use the components of Impuls Deutsch:
Phase |
When? |
What? |
Why? |
1 |
Before class |
LERNEN |
studying, learning, preparing |
2 |
During class |
MACHEN |
doing, making, performing |
3 |
After class |
ZEIGEN |
showing, demonstraing, reinforcing, reflecting |
Your instructor will assign specific exercises from LERNEN that will prepare you for MACHEN. Following that, you will complete the unit in ZEIGEN. For the next class, the phases start over again.
To help you stay on track between components, the numbering of exercises in LERNEN and ZEIGEN always corresponds to a specific activity in the Course Book MACHEN. For example:
LERNEN MACHEN ZEIGEN
2a, 2b, 2c 2 2d, 2e, 2f, 2g
Before starting with LERNEN, look over the vocabulary list for your unit (downloadable at the end of each chapter, called "Wortschatz"), which is also available to you via the vocabulary training platform Quizlet.
LERNEN provides the tools to build a solid foundation for the active work you will be doing in the course book, including work with grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary. You will need to learn and practice these structures regularly to make progress on your comprehensive language skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing). Your instructor will assign activities in ZEIGEN that will allow you to revisit and/or reflect on the material you covered in class.
We wish you all the best on your journey learning German. It is exciting to have you on board as an Impuls student, entering our community of learners who share in the fun and accomplishment of speaking German. Always remember that making mistakes is essential to (and a normal feature of) language learning — it’s a part of risk-taking that will reward you throughout your life!
The Impuls Deutsch Team