Alphabet frieze (Alfabet-Fries)
Overview
Purpose
To recognise and pronounce letters of the alphabet, and be able to teach at least one word to others.
Learning outcomes
To identify:
- letters of the alphabet
- combinations of letters, accents and punctuation
- sounds associated with the letters.
Skills used
- Listening
- Speaking
- Reading
Type
Individual, pair, group, or class activity
Related units in Ja! kit
- Introduction
Instructions
In this activity, the class makes an alphabet frieze for display in the classroom. The finished product not only acts as a constant reminder of the alphabet but also provides students with visual examples of a variety of vocabulary.
Materials
- A5-sized paper (half A4) – this an ideal size for the letters in the frieze.
- Magazines containing suitable picture (for students who can't draw).
- Letter template, which shows how the letter pages could be formatted. To download the template, select from the following Word or PDF formats:
Steps
- Allocate at least one word from the alphabet list to each student.
- Instruct students to draw a picture that depicts their word. If drawing is difficult for some students, provide them with magazines from which to cut out pictures.
- Instruct students to write the word in German below the picture.
- Working in pairs or small groups, students teach their word to others, using their picture as a prop.
- When they are confident, students teach their word to the whole class.
Tips
- Ask students to make their pictures fill all the space in the page, so that the image is easily recognisable from a distance.
- Refer to list of cognates, or direct students to a dictionary to find them.
Variations
- Before putting the alphabet frieze on display, students enjoy seeing their work used as flashcards – fold the word behind the picture so only the picture is displayed, then ask the students what the word for the object is in German. Cover the word and see which group or individual can correctly pronounce the word, then ask students to spell the word/s using the German alphabet.
- To practice correct pronunciation, students could create an alphabet rap.
- For a guide to German pronunciation of the alphabet with audio clips, see 'A Guide to German Pronunciation' by the German Department of the University of Exeter.
- As the students are introduced to new vocabulary, the words and pictures on the frieze could be changed.
Further learning
- Lead class in other fun activities, such as charades or hangman (Galgenmännchen), to reinforce the vocabulary on the alphabet cards.
- Students could create their own alphabet chart on a poster with a grid of 26 squares.
- Do spelling games with students. For example:
- students spell their own names auf Deutsch (in German)
- teacher spells words to the class to write down or speak back. German words could be taken from the cognates list for this activity.
Language to use
Language to use when using the class set of alphabet drawings as flashcards:
- Was ist das?
What is it? - Wie sagt man das auf Deutsch?
How does one say this word in German? - Wie schreibt man das auf Deutsch?
How does one write it in German?