https://padlet.com/gs_mtz_and/6lfzz30fbyfn Independent Study Record (ISR) en-us 2019-10-24 17:09:10 UTC 2023-07-22 18:06:22 UTC hello@padlet.com gs_mtz_and https://padlet.com/gs_mtz_and/6lfzz30fbyfn/wish/402167311 I like to practice in german.net  reading exercises (A1-level). In that online webpage they have several short paragraphs to practice reading comprehension as you have to answer a few questions after reading. I like to identified the different verbs and nouns in each text as we sometimes do it in class. If I do not know the meaning of one I search for the meaning but normally I get the idea of the word by the context.

This type of practice allows me to learn the correct structure of the sentences an to spot the different parts of it: the subject (noun or pronouns), the predicate  (the verb plus all the sentence), articles and linking words (conjunction words) such as: aber, und and oder.

The activity of reading a small text also allows you to learn the correct spelling of the words.]]> 2019-10-24 17:09:10 UTC https://padlet.com/gs_mtz_and/6lfzz30fbyfn/wish/402167311 gs_mtz_and https://padlet.com/gs_mtz_and/6lfzz30fbyfn/wish/402167312 I started to watch a TV show  named Holiday Secrets on Netflix. I decided to try to follow the first episode in German language with German subtitles. I had tried before to watch other TV series in German but it was too difficult to understand, either because they speak too quickly or because the grammar and vocabulary was too elaborate. I consider that this exercise has been the most difficult and challenging! And even though my level of German does not allow me to understand the specific details of the whole plot, I got really excited that I could understand certain scenes including when they introduce themselves (which is quite often) or when they are talking about having food. Even sometimes I just identified sentences or just words like verbs we have seen in class such as essen, trinken, können, gehen and wohne; or nouns such as Wochen, Eltern, Freunde, Jahren and Wasser.

They use several easy phrases such as: "Das ist meine Mutter" and other expressions that I 
did not know before, including: "Das ist nicht lustig" (That is not funny), "Wist du wach?" (Are you awake) or "Was ist los?" (What is happening). They use several times sentences with keine, which is still a bit confussing in when to use keine and when to use nicht. In addition, I notice the use of separable verbs, e.g anrufen (to call someone)  in a sentence use with the model verb müssen, so in the sentence anrufen was at the end and not separated: "Wir müssen Hans anrufen" (We have to call Hans). If you use it as a trennbare verben, it would be: "Wir rufen Hans an" (We call Hans).

In my opinion, when you are starting to learn a new language, it is very important not only to study and practice grammar rules and vocabulary in a conventional way, but also to take it to a more applied scale such as watching movies, listening to music in that language or if you have the chance to talk with someone else who is a native speaker. These activities allow you to immerse a little more depth in the expression of language and to connect the theory with the action.]]> 2019-10-24 17:09:10 UTC https://padlet.com/gs_mtz_and/6lfzz30fbyfn/wish/402167312 gs_mtz_and https://padlet.com/gs_mtz_and/6lfzz30fbyfn/wish/402167314 Guten Appetit! I designed cardboards to memorize the food nouns we saw in class and their articles depending on their gender (der - masculine, das -neutral and die - feminine).

Quizlet is a highly practical platform to memorize vocabulary and establish relationships of ideas. It can also be used to practice the pronunciation of each word and as you have the visual stimulus of the words in the cardboards, it is easy to remember to use capital letter at the beginning of a noun, but not in the articles.

Perhaps this exercise seems quite simple but as mentioned in class, the best way of knowing the gender of german nouns is just by memorizing them together with their article.  To consider them as an inseparable structure. So, Quizlet provides the space for deigning your own memory exercises to practice by repetition in a simple way.

Moreover, I watched a YouTube video about tips for using the German articles and simple general logic (which do not apply to all cases). To use die (feminine) usually with words ending in -heit, -keit, -ung or -schaft; e.g die Botschaft (the embassy), die Krankheit and die Feststellung (the observation). To use der with words ending in -ling or -ismus; e.g. der Liebling (the favorite) and der Sozialismus (the socialism). She mentions that only 20% of German nouns are neutral! And to use das, in the case of diminutive nouns ending in -chen or -lein; e.g. das Würstchen ( the sausage) and das Büchlein (the booklet). However, it is always better to learn the articles and nouns together, rather than follow this tips as a rule.
Source: https://youtu.be/fYZP95y2mgM


]]> 2019-10-24 17:09:10 UTC https://padlet.com/gs_mtz_and/6lfzz30fbyfn/wish/402167314 gs_mtz_and https://padlet.com/gs_mtz_and/6lfzz30fbyfn/wish/402167316 I decided to practice when to use sein (to be) or haben (to have). At first it was a bit confusing to distinguish in which situations use one or the other, even though they are complete different verbs. 

First, I decided to watch a YouTube video (https://youtu.be/SjJHBZYKY6k)to reinforce the theory of the specific conjugation of the two verbs and see some examples: 
Sie hat zwei Kinder (She has two kids) or Maria ist leider Krank (Unfortunately Maria is sick). The verb haben is directly related with possesion while sein is used with adjectives, for identification such as nationality or profession, for days and time. At the end of the video, some easy examples are provided.

Then, I decided to look for more complicated exercise and I found a really useful in the following link. Due to the fact that the vocabulary and structure of the sentence in this exercise from german.net is more complex, I practice several times on different days until I mastered the use of sein and haben and their correct conjugation. ]]> 2019-10-24 17:09:10 UTC https://padlet.com/gs_mtz_and/6lfzz30fbyfn/wish/402167316 gs_mtz_and https://padlet.com/gs_mtz_and/6lfzz30fbyfn/wish/402167318 This video explains in a very simple way when to use the accusative form and gives specific examples to reinforce the theory.

The masculine articles are the only ones affected by the accusative form, e.g. der changes to den, eine changes to einen, keine changes to keinen; while the femenine, neutral and plural articles are not affected. She also gives an example of using a masculine article in a nominative form: "Der pullover ist schön".

In addition watching the video provides the opportunity to practice pronunciation and new vocabulary, e.g nehmen: to take, Übung: exercise, Brille: glasses,
Schwester: sister

After remembering the theory watching this youtube video it was easier to answer the exercise in the following link:
https://www.schubert-verlag.de/aufgaben/uebungen_a1/a1_k03_im_cafe.htm

]]> 2019-10-24 17:09:10 UTC https://padlet.com/gs_mtz_and/6lfzz30fbyfn/wish/402167318 gs_mtz_and https://padlet.com/gs_mtz_and/6lfzz30fbyfn/wish/402167322 Duolingo is an additional tool that allows you to familiarize yourself with basic german vocabulary, enhancing the learning experience. 

This app allows you to generate a routine of 5, 10, 15, 20 or even 30 minutes per day. Therefore you can do it anywhere and at anytime you want. Sometimes during my biomedical experiments in the laboratory, I have incubation periods of 15 to 30 minutes, that I was able to use effectively to review vocabulary using Duolingo. Especially at the beginning of the course to learn the numbers from 1 to 20.

The exercises include writing, multiple choice, listening, speaking and are very simple and repetitive. I like that when you learn new vocabulary in Duolingo, you can learn the nouns along with their article, for example: das Hemd, der Rock, die Hose.
 
Also, I like that Duolingo has a section with notes in each subject so you can go and read them in case you forget something. 
Overall, I believe it is the best tool to start learning German.


]]> 2019-10-24 17:09:10 UTC https://padlet.com/gs_mtz_and/6lfzz30fbyfn/wish/402167322 gs_mtz_and https://padlet.com/gs_mtz_and/6lfzz30fbyfn/wish/422820584 In order to remember the model verbs we learn in class, I watch a video of the series "Learn German with Anja" in YouTube. Anja´s videos were recommended to me by another classmate in the lab class. I really like her videos because she explains the theory in the most simple way!

She mentions all the model verbs we saw in class with examples
1. können - can
2. müssen - must/have to
3. wollen - want to
4. mögen - to like
5. möchten - would like to
And another two model verbs that we have not study in the class yet:
6. sollen - should
7. dürfen - be allowed to

As mentioned in class, she emphasizes that when you use a model verb the second verb goes to the end of the sentence, e.g. Ich soll Deutsch lernen (I should learn German).

Also, she makes the link between the first person (Ich) and the third person (er, es, sie) using the same form of the model verb, e.g. Ich darf nicht rauchen (I am not allowed to smoke) or Sie darf nicht rauchen (She is not allowed to smoke).

]]> 2019-12-11 16:38:05 UTC https://padlet.com/gs_mtz_and/6lfzz30fbyfn/wish/422820584 gs_mtz_and https://padlet.com/gs_mtz_and/6lfzz30fbyfn/wish/423602475 Another interesting way of learning German is by listening to audiobooks. In vorleser.net, you can download or stream free German audio-books and e-books to practice and get a better understanding of the correct pronunciation of the words. I think it is a great idea to begin by listening and following the text at the same time, as well as practicing just by listening without the text after you read it.

In particular, in this website they have stories from the Grimm´s brothers and I listen to one called "Die weiße Schlange" which means "The white snake". From this experience I mainly strengthened my vocabulary since there were many words that I did not know, such as  "Wünschte" (wish),  "Genuß" (enjoyment), "König" (king) and "Verwunderung" (amazement). However, I feel that I should continue to practicing more audiobooks because listening the German pronunciation is my my greatest weakness.

]]> 2019-12-12 23:41:01 UTC https://padlet.com/gs_mtz_and/6lfzz30fbyfn/wish/423602475