FTCE German K-12 cheat sheet

German has four cases: Nominativ (subject), Akkusativ (direct object), Dativ (indirect object), Genitiv (possession); case is assigned by verb, preposition, or syntactic role, not by word order.

Three genders: der (masculine), die (feminine), das (neuter). Gender is lexical and must be memorized with the noun; plural article is always die in all cases except Dativ plural (-n on noun).

Two adjective declension patterns: weak (after definite article: -e/-en), mixed (after ein/kein/possessives), strong (no article: carries the case ending itself).

Verb position rule: finite verb is second element in main clauses (V2), last in subordinate clauses introduced by dass, weil, ob, wenn; infinitive/past participle goes to clause end.

German tenses: Präsens (present + future), Präteritum (literary/narrative past), Perfekt (spoken past: haben/sein + Partizip II), Plusquamperfekt, Futur I/II.

Separable prefixes (auf-, an-, aus-, mit-) detach in main clauses and stay attached in infinitives and past participles (aufstehen → ich stehe auf → aufgestanden).

Phonology contrasts: ü [y] vs u [u], ö [ø] vs o [o], ch has two values - ich-Laut [ç] after front vowels, ach-Laut [x] after back vowels; final devoicing (Rad → [raːt]).

Umlaut and ablaut are distinct: umlaut is a fronting vowel change (a→ä, o→ö, u→ü) marking plurals/comparatives; ablaut is a vowel gradation in strong verb stems (singen–sang–gesungen).

Subjunctive II (Konjunktiv II) forms: hätte, wäre, würde + infinitive; used for politeness, unreal conditions, and reported speech (Konjunktiv I for neutral reported speech).

The 16 German Bundesländer hold cultural-educational authority (Kulturhoheit der Länder); education policy is state-level, so curricula and Abitur requirements differ by Land.

DACH concept covers Deutschland, Austria, and Switzerland (plus Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, South Tyrol); each has distinct standard variety, e.g., Swiss German uses no ß and uses ss.

Austrian and Swiss vocabulary differs from Germany: Erdapfel (AT) / Härdöpfel (CH) for Kartoffel; Jänner (AT) for Januar; Velo (CH) for Fahrrad.

Key German holidays: Tag der Deutschen Einheit (3 October), Karneval/Fasching (Rheinland, pre-Lenten), Oktoberfest (Munich, late September–early October), Weihnachtsmarkt (Advent).

Formality registers: du vs Sie; Sie is standard with strangers and in professional contexts; du is used with family, friends, students, and increasingly in workplaces.

German school system tracks: Grundschule (primary), then Hauptschule, Realschule, Gymnasium; Abitur grants university access; dual system (Ausbildung) is a major vocational path.

Cultural products and figures commonly tested: Goethe, Schiller, Brecht, Kafka, Thomas Mann; composers Bach, Beethoven, Brahms; Bauhaus movement.

Punctuality, directness in communication, and strong separation of formal/informal address are commonly cited cultural norms; regional identity (Bavaria, Saxony, etc.) remains salient.

Germany's federal political structure: Bundestag (lower house), Bundesrat (states' chamber), Bundespräsident (ceremonial head of state), Bundeskanzler (head of government).

Krashen's five hypotheses: acquisition-learning distinction, natural order, monitor, input (i+1), and affective filter; comprehensible input is the central driver of acquisition.

Second-language stages of German: silent/receptive phase, early production, speech emergence, intermediate fluency, advanced fluency; error types shift from transfer errors to developmental errors.

Interlanguage (Selinker): learner's evolving rule system; errors are systematic evidence of rule construction, not random failure.

Contrastive analysis predicts interference from L1 (e.g., English speakers omit case endings, misplace verb in subordinate clauses); error analysis examines actual learner output.

Communicative competence (Canale & Swain): grammatical, sociolinguistic, discourse, and strategic competence; instruction should target all four.

Total Physical Response (Asher) links commands to movement (Aufstehen! Setz dich!) and suits early receptive phases; TPR Storytelling extends it into narrative input.

Input processing and noticing (Long's interaction hypothesis; Schmidt's noticing hypothesis) imply tasks should push learners to attend to form within meaning-focused activity.

Proficiency frameworks: ACTFL Novice/Intermediate/Advanced/Superior and CEFR A1–C2; CEFR B1 is often the threshold for independent use and A2 for basic transactional ability.

L1 transfer and developmental sequences interact: English learners of German acquire accusative before dative and subject-verb agreement before case marking in production.

Backward design (Wiggins & McTighe): identify desired results, determine acceptable evidence, then plan learning experiences; objectives drive assessment, not the reverse.

ACTFL modes of communication: Interpretive (listening/reading), Interpersonal (two-way speaking/writing), Presentational (one-way speaking/writing); tasks should span all three modes.

Formative vs summative assessment: formative is ongoing and feedback-oriented (exit tickets, thumbs, quizzes); summative measures achievement at a unit or course end.

Rubrics for speaking/writing should separate criteria: comprehensibility, vocabulary, grammar/accuracy, fluency, and cultural appropriateness; analytic rubrics score each separately.

Authentic assessment examples: ordering at a restaurant, reading a German train timetable, writing an email to a host family, interpreting a short news clip.

Proficiency-based scoring: use ACTFL or CEFR descriptors; a Novice High speaker uses memorized phrases and formulaic language, while Intermediate uses sentence-level, recombined language.

Sheltered instruction and scaffolding: visuals, graphic organizers, sentence starters, pre-teaching vocabulary, and modeling reduce cognitive load while preserving target-language use.

Target-language use (90%+ recommended by ACTFL) should be supported by comprehensible input strategies: paraphrasing, gestures, visuals, and checking comprehension.

Differentiation for mixed proficiency: tiered tasks, flexible grouping, choice boards, and extension tasks; assessment should measure growth against proficiency descriptors rather than norm-referenced ranking.