G2.07 time v16

2.7 Wie spät ist es?

7. Wie spät ist es?

What’s the time?

In this section pupils learn how to say the time in German and to ask what the time is.

They already know the numbers 1-12.

They start with the analogue clock,saying saying the time on the hour, and the words for midday and midnight. They will use this to talk about when things happen.

Children may also be introduced to the 24hour clock, widely used in Germany, and to telling the time between the hours.

NEW WORDS AND PHRASES

wie spät ist es?

What’s the time?

(LITERALLY: How late is it?)

es ist ein Uhr es ist zwei Uhr es ist drei Uhr es ist vier Uhr es ist fünf Uhr es ist sechs Uhr es ist sieben Uhr es ist acht Uhr es ist neun Uhr es ist zehn Uhr es ist elf Uhr es ist zwölf Uhr -

es ist Mittag it’s midday es ist Mitternacht it’s midnight um - at (PREPOSITION)

Film 7: Animated public clock - “Es ist vier Uhr”.

DVD: film 7

Clocks ticking: Traditional German clocks tick, and we see a giant cuckoo clock: Wie spät ist es?

Animated clockface: the hands turn on the clock showing each hour passing:

Wie spät ist es?

Es ist ein Uhr. Es ist sieben Uhr. Es ist zwei Uhr. Es ist acht Uhr. Es ist drei Uhr. Es ist neun Uhr. Es ist vier Uhr. Es ist zehn Uhr. Es ist fünf Uhr. Es ist elf Uhr. Es ist sechs Uhr. Es ist zwölf Uhr.

Es ist Mittag (Midday).

Sky darkens: Es ist Mitternacht (Midnight).

Clocks around Freiburg at various times:

Wie spät ist es?

Es ist zehn Uhr. Es ist acht Uhr. Es ist sieben Uhr. Es ist sechs Uhr. Es ist drei Uhr. Es ist fünf Uhr.

=

it’s one o’clock it’s two o’clock it’s three o’clock it’s four o’clock it’s five o’clock it’s six o’clock it’s seven o’clock it’s eight o’clock it’s nine o’clock it’s ten o’clock it’s eleven o’clock it’s twelve o’clock

um wieviel Uhr haben wir Englisch? (at) what time do we have English? um zwei Uhr gibt es Mittagessen.

1 it’s lunch time at two o’clock.

Flashcards CD 7

PAUSE - next, ‘A Day in the Life...’.

Film 7: Breakfast - “Es ist sieben Uhr”.

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Early Start German Pack 2 A day in the life of Freiburg schoolchildren: We see Emily and Marie eating breakfast: Es ist sieben Uhr. Children arrive at school and have their first lesson: Es ist acht Uhr. Two children arrive late.

Nico: “Wie spät ist es?”

Sophie: “Schon acht Uhr!” (8 o’clock already!)

PE lesson: Es ist neun Uhr. Break time: Es ist zehn Uhr. English lesson: Es ist elf Uhr. Cookery lesson: Es ist zwölf Uhr. Frau Schindler: “Es ist bald ein Uhr...

(It’s nearly 1 o’clock... ) Packt bitte eure Sachen ein.”

(Please pack up your things.)

Children going home: Es ist ein Uhr.

Hanife: “Ich möchte die Bücher ausleihen.”

(I’d like to take out these books.)

Librarian: “Deine Karte bitte.” Es ist vier Uhr. Climbing lesson: Instructor: “Ist gut so?”

Paula: “Ja.” Instructor: “Toll. Gut.”

Film 7: Shopping - “Es ist fünf Uhr”.

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People shopping: Es ist fünf Uhr. Tea-time: Amelie visits her Grandma for supper: “Hallo Oma! Mach auf!”

(Hello Grandma! Open up!)

Es ist sechs Uhr. (Elderly people eat quite early.)

Film 7: “Es ist ein Uhr” - time to go home.

Song: “Wie spät ist es?”

Wie spät ist es? Es ist ein Uhr. Wie spät ist es? Es ist zwei Uhr. Wie spät ist es? Es ist drei Uhr. Mach schnell! Wir müssen los!

(Hurry up! We must go!)

See words and music at end of this chapter.

=

After school Eating lunch at home: Es ist zwei Uhr. Emily: “Um zwei Uhr gibt es Mittagessen.”

(At 2 o’clock it’s lunch time.)

PAUSE - next, listen to the song - and join in!

PAUSE - next, times and school timetables

School timetable: what time things happen at school and after: Um wieviel Uhr haben wir Sport? Um 9 Uhr. 1

Film 7: Homework - “Es ist drei Uhr”.

Doing homework: Es ist drei Uhr. Marie: “Um drei Uhr mache ich meine Hausaufgaben.” (At 3 o’clock I do my homework.)

Hanife in the library.

Librarian: “Hallo.”

Hanife: “Hallo.”

Librarian: “Was möchtest du?”

Film 7: Timetable -“Um wieviel Uhr haben wir Englisch?”.

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2.7 Wie spät ist es?

Um wieviel Uhr haben wir Englisch? Um 10 Uhr. Um 11 Uhr haben wir Mathe.

Um 2 Uhr gibt es Mittagessen.

Um 3 Uhr mache ich meine Hausaufgaben.

M

KEY SOUNDS Listen and enjoy copying these typical sounds: where have you heard them before?

DVD MARKERS

as in... spät,

1. Time - introducing new words 2. ‘A day in the life...’

3. Song - reinforcing new words 4. School timetable 5. Written words Use the skip key on your remote control

heard before in Sport,

Stadt

as in... Mitternacht,

heard before in Lieblingsfach,

nach

wie, wieviel Heard before in Wohnung [an example in English is vase]

Planning your lessons

as in...

Make “clocks” to use in activities; warm-up by reminding pupils of the numbers 1-12.

Show the film, and familiarise pupils with hearing and saying the time on the hour.

When children are confident, try saying “half-past” and maybe other analogue clock times. The digital clock and Continental use of the 24-hour clock is best left to Ch.2.12, which covers the required numbers 40-59.

You can then introduce saying when things happen, with phrases like “At 10 o’clock, we have...” You can use this to present “a day in the life of a pupil”.

You can talk about the history of clocks, especially Black Forest cuckoo clocks.

as in... spät

[an example in English is let] as in...

zwei, zehn, zwölf

[REVISION]

(Listen to the native speakers - try to copy their typically German sounds.)

Flashcards CD 7

You could also use a toy clock: turn the hands slowly round the face saying: “Es ist ein Uhr”, “Es ist zwei Uhr” etc. until you get to “Es ist zwölf Uhr”. Now add, “Es ist Mittag”.

Pupils echo each phrase.

Activities 1. Warm up

You could start the lesson with a game of ‘Number Tennis’ to remind pupils of the numbers 1-12. As you say a number, mime batting it to the class. They say the next number, as they mime batting it back to you. They can also play in pairs; you say when they should change roles.

Sing the ‘Numbers Song’ from Pack 1, Ch.1.5.

Then start again. When you reach “Es ist zwölf Uhr” for the second time, say “Es ist Mitternacht”. Pupils echo each phrase.

4. Respond with understanding

2. Watch film 7, parts 1 to 3

❑ Prior to this lesson, ask each pupil to make a simple clock with moveable hands.

You call out different times; the children move the hands on their clocks to show the time that you say. ❑ Ask individual pupils to come to the front of the class and move the hands of the toy clock to show a time of their choice.

❑ See parts 1-3 of film 7:“Wie spät ist es?”, with new words for telling the time, and a song.

3. Get used to the sounds

❑ Echoing: Show the times “on-the-clock” in order with the Flashcards CD. The pupils echo each phrase after they hear it.

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Early Start German Pack 2 If the children normally sit in groups, the “wave” can take place round each of the class tables. See which table reaches “Es ist Mitternacht” first. ❑ Play “human clock” 1 Ask everyone to stand up and face the same way (and at least an arm’s length between each child). Call out different times. The children use their arms to “act out” the times. ❑ Play “human clock” 2 Ask one child to come to the front of the class.

S/he stands facing in the same direction as the other children.

Ask another pupil to call out a time. Pupil one is the “human clock” and uses his/her arms to “act out” the time.

Repeat this with other pairs of pupils. ❑ When pupils are confident with being able to say the hours, the next step is being able to ask what the time is.

Each pupil has a card with a clock face showing a particular time of day. (Pupils can make their own cards or you can prepare them beforehand as flashcards).

Move around the room asking each child, “Wie spät ist es?” Pupils respond according to the hour shown on their cards.

To make this more amusing, the class puppet could ask the question. ❑ Ask pupils to swap cards so that each child has a new time to say. Everybody moves round the room asking each other the time, “Wie spät ist es?” You can agree a signal beforehand which means that everyone swaps cards again. ❑ Play “guess the time” Invite one pupil to select a card showing a particular time but not to show it to the class.

S/he asks the class “Wie spät ist es?”

The other children have to guess what time is on the clock “(Ist es) zwei Uhr?”, “(Ist es) fünf Uhr?” etc. The pupil with the card replies “ja” or “nein” as appropriate. Whoever is first to guess the correct time, chooses the next card. ❑ Play “human clock” 3 Ask one child to come to the front of the class.

S/he stands facing in the same direction as the other children. S/he “acts out” a time using his/her arms and asks, “Wie spät ist es?”

The rest of the class has to say what time the “human clock” is showing.

The rest of the class has to say what time it is. ❑ Turn the sound down on the film; play again some parts that show clocks on the hour. Pupils call out the times shown on the clocks. ❑ Give each pupil a copy of the activity sheet.

Call out a series of different times. Pupils draw the correct time on the clock faces. If you are going to include “Es ist Mittag” or “Es ist Mitternacht”, you could ask them to draw a sun or a moon by the side of the clock.

❑ Play “clock bingo” Give each pupil a copy of the activity sheet.

Ask them to draw in hands on the clock faces to show the hours of their choice. They can draw a sun to represent midday and a moon to represent midnight. You call out different times in random order. Make a note of which times you have called so that the winner’s sheet can be checked. ❑ Do a “Mexican wave” with the hours. Pupils form a circle with their chairs. Beginning with “Es ist ein Uhr”, each pupil says the next hour one after another in rapid succession. As they speak, pupils stand up and promptly sit down again as soon as they have said the hour. When 12 o’clock is reached, one pupil can say “Es ist zwölf Uhr”, the next “Es ist Mittag” and the last child “Es ist Mitternacht”.

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2.7 Wie spät ist es?

EXTRA WORDS AND PHRASES for telling the time

5. Working in pairs

❑ Pupils can use the activity sheet in pairs.

Each child has a sheet. They take it in turns to call out a time and both draw that time on the clockfaces. Then they compare sheets to see if they have the same times in all the clockfaces.

Half past

Es ist halb zehn It’s half past nine NOTE: German-speakers say, “It’s half to the next hour” but English speakers say, “It’s half past the previous hour” e.g. “It’s half past two” is “Es ist halb drei.”

6. Working in groups

❑ Pupils can play “clock bingo” in groups.

Extension activities: half-past

Quarter past / to

When pupils are confident talking about times on-the-hour, you could use the Flashcards CD or a toy clock to demonstrate how Germans say “half past”:

Es ist viertel nach neun It’s quarter past nine Es ist viertel vor zehn It’s quarter to ten

The pronunciation of these EXTRA WORDS can be heard on the Flashcards CD. Flashcards CD 7

7. Watch film 7, part 4

❑ See part 4 of film 7:“Wie spät ist es?”, which has examples of time-phrases like “We have English at 10 o’clock”. You can use these to talk about your class timetable, and in “dayin-the-life” diary activities.

8. Get used to the sounds

❑ Echoing: Show the phrases on the Flashcards CD. Pupils echo each phrase. n Show “half past nine” on an analogue clock and say:“Es ist halb zehn”. Ask them to echo; repeat with more examples.

Then ask children (in English) if they can spot the pattern: ‘How do German speakers say “half-past”?’ (see “extra words and phrases”). n If they are ready for more, use the Flashcards CD /clock again to show “quarter past-” and “quarter to-” the hour: “Es ist viertel nach neun”, and: “Es ist viertel vor neun”.

Children echo; repeat with more examples. ❑ You could repeat “human clock” 1 to 3 and other games, with round-the-clock times.

You could use the digital clock, if you return to this after Ch. 2.12:“Zahlen 40-500 und der Euro”.

1 Then say each phrase in English, e.g. “We have maths at 11 o’clock” before repeating the German. Ask children (in English) if they can spot how the word-order differs. (see “How German works 1” box).

CROSS-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

❑ Daily routines: Ask pupils “Wie spät ist es?” at various times during the day when it is close enough to the hour for them to answer “Es ist ein Uhr”, “Es ist zwei Uhr” etc.

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Early Start German Pack 2 1

9. Watch the film again

HOW GERMAN WORKS:Time phrases

❑ Show film 7: “Wie spät ist es?” again for reinforcement. In many sequences, there are pauses where pupils can call out the times, echoing the native speakers.

In film 7, you hear another preposition: (...it’s at 10 o’clock) “...das ist um zehn Uhr” To sound natural in German: (1) say the phrase with a preposition first; (2) invert the verb/subject, eg: (We have maths at 10 o’clock) “Um zehn Uhr, haben wir Mathe” (At 10 o’clock, have we maths.)

Introducing the written word

Young beginners are more likely to see the time written in figures or on a clock face, rather than written out in words. We suggest that you concentrate on building those associations, especially if you have pupils in your class who are still struggling to tell the time in English.

If pupils hear the time spoken in German and can instantly associate this with the correct clock face, that is a big achievement.

When pupils are confident saying the time in German, show them the final part of film 7: “Wie spät ist es?”, in which they see key words and phrases written on-screen.

(There’s English at 11 o’clock) “Um elf Uhr, gibt es Englisch” (At 10 o’clock, gives it English.) ❑ Daily class routines - the timetable: Every day, you can talk with children in German about what lessons are on the day’s timetable.

Talking about the day’s sequence of lessons is a good opportunity to use lots of children’s German vocabulary: school subjects, days of the week, and telling the time, e.g.: “Was ist heute?”...child replies.

1 “Ja. Heute ist Dienstag.

Um 2 Uhr, haben wir Mathe oder Sport?”

Most children will be able to answer questions such as, “Um wieviel haben wir Mathe?” with simple answers like “Um 11 Uhr.” You praise and say: “Ja, sehr gut! Um 11 Uhr haben wir Mathe” and encourage children to join in.

1 See box, “How German works 1”. ❑ Timetable games: preparation Take a set of picture-cards from Ch.2.6 (add others as needed for subjects on your timetable) and use either a clock-face with movable hands, or another set of flashcards showing the times (as close as children can manage in German) for the start of each lesson through the day.

■ Random timetable game Display two cards: a time, and a subject.

Ask children to say what the lesson is and when, e.g. “Um 11 Uhr haben wir Mathe.”

■ Guess the timetable game Conceal 10 cards face-down (or covered over on an OHP): 5 subjects and 5 times. Give the class a limited number of goes to guess the timetable for the day.

CROSS-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

❑ Music: “Wie spät ist es?” song. Pupils can sing this catchy song. They can use their fingers to show the hour as they sing it.

Music and words for the song can be found at the end of this chapter. Sing it again; children clap each syllable. Seeing how music and German words fit together will help them make up their own tunes or chants for the hours. ❑ Art and design: Pupils can prepare a frieze showing their own daily routines. They can draw clock faces to show the times of day when the activities take place. ❑ ICT/ Literacy (creative writing): In “talking points 1” we suggest pupils make a “day in the life of ...” photo-diary to send to your German partner school. ❑ PE: Play “Wie spät ist es, Herr Wolf?”

This is a German version of “What’s the time, Mr. Wolf?”. You need a large space for this game - the hall or playground.

Children stand in a line at one end. Pick two confident children; both are “Herr Wolf”. They stand at the other end, facing the class.

The class calls: “Wie spät ist es, Herr Wolf?”

The two distant children reply, “Es ist ein Uhr”.

The class takes one step forwards.

90

2.7 Wie spät ist es?

This is repeated: “Wie spät ist es, Herr Wolf?”

“Es ist zwei Uhr” (2 steps forwards) and so on.

At 12 o’clock, the two children on the far side of the hall call, “Es ist Mittag!” (or “...

Mittagessen!”, see Ch.2.14) and run to catch the others before they can get back to base.

Anyone who is caught joins the chasing team - and the game starts over again.

■ A variation is to allow a spokesperson for the chasing team to call, “Es ist Mittag!” at any time. This means that the children will have to listen to the German, and will not be able to predict when it is time to run away. ❑ Drama: Play “the miming game” Pupils work in pairs. Give each pair a clockface showing a time. Pupils have 5 minutes to prepare a mime to represent that time of day.

They can use speech only if it is in German (e.g. greetings, what day of the week it is) but they cannot, of course, say what time it is!

Each pair performs the mime to the rest of the class. The class has to guess what time is being represented.

Talking point 1

School daily routines ‘Halbtagsschule’

Watching films 6 and 7, pupils see snapshots of a Freiburg child’s day in term-time. They start and finish much earlier than in the UK; this traditional German system is called ‘halfday school’ - ‘Halbtagsschule ’.

The pupils in these films start school at 8am, and go home at 1pm. Lessons last 45 minutes.

During the morning, they have two breaks, one at 10.00 and one at 11.30.

If they feel hungry at break, they can buy snacks from the ‘tuck shop’ van that visits the school playground.

Most children have their lunch at home, so there is no school canteen. In some parts of Germany, schools have lessons on Saturday mornings.

Children don’t have the afternoons completely free - they do have homework to do.

Nowadays, there is pressure to change the half-day system. German schools are not doing

Note: Establish beforehand whether children are to mime what happens in Germany, or in your country.

SONG: “Wie spät ist es?”

D

Wie spät ist es?

D

Wie spät ist es?

A

Es

D

ist

ein Uhr.

G

Es

Wie spät ist es?

A

Es

A

ist

ist

D

drei Uhr. Mach schnell! Wir müs-sen los.

Wie spät ist es? Es ist ein Uhr. Wie spät ist es? Es ist zwei Uhr. Wie spät ist es? Es ist drei Uhr. Mach schnell! Wir müssen los.

Wie spät ist es? Es ist sieben Uhr. Wie spät ist es? Es ist acht Uhr. Wie spät ist es? Es ist neun Uhr. Mach schnell! Wir müssen los.

Wie spät ist es? Es ist vier Uhr. Wie spät ist es? Es ist fünf Uhr. Wie spät ist es? Es ist sechs Uhr. Mach schnell! Wir müssen los.

Wie spät ist es? Es ist zehn Uhr. Wie spät ist es? Es ist elf Uhr. Wie spät ist es? Es ist zwölf Uhr. Mach schnell! Wir müssen los.

Flashcards CD 7 91

zwei Uhr.

Early Start German Pack 2 so well in international league tables, and the German government believes that a move to “all-day school” might help.

This has the support of working parents; it’s difficult to find someone to care for their children in the afternoons. There are now some all-day schools (Ganztagesschule) in Freiburg.

These schools start later with classes until 3.30pm, with optional after-school activities until 5pm.

■ Discuss half-day school with your class.

Would they like to finish at lunchtime every day?

Would they miss having lunch in school?

■ Pupils could prepare a “day in the life of” photo-diary to send to their partner school.

This could be done either as individual “diaries” or by the whole class.

The diaries do not have to be written in German - pupils can draw clock faces to represent the times, and use drawings or photos to explain what they do.

They could label pictures in German, but simple comments in English might also be welcomed by the German school.

■ Discuss with the children what they do at different times, and what would be good things to show in their “diary” pictures. What might German children be interested to see?

winters, when there was no farm work. Farmers and farm-workers turned to wood-carving, specialising in the fine detailed work of the cuckoo clock.

These became popular as souvenirs in the 19th. century, and are still bought by tourists visiting Germany or Switzerland today.

The Hornberger Uhrenspiele, in the Black Forest the world’s widest cuckoo clock.

The film shows Black Forest cuckoo clocks for sale in a shop and a giant cuckoo clock (Kuckucksuhr ) at a clock factory in Hornberg in the Black Forest.

This clock is called the Hornberger Uhrenspiele and is the world’s ‘widest’ cuckoo clock (but not the ‘largest’, according to the ‘Guinness Book of Records’).

It has 21 mechanical moving figures, including a cuckoo, a quail and two deer. Many of the figures show people working at traditional jobs, such as chimney sweep and woodcutter. Other figures are dancing and playing music.

In Pack 1 Ch. 1.7, we saw the famous Glockenspiel clock in München . This uses the same clockwork techniques on a much larger scale and also shows scenes of local people.

■ Cuckoo clocks are “typical” souvenirs that tourists buy to take home from the Black Forest - but how many German people have one? How many cuckoo clocks did you see in the children’s homes in film 2?

■ Are there any typical souvenirs that visitors to your area might buy?

■ Pupils could design their own giant “cuckoo clock”, showing people from their school or town engaged in typical activities. You could make a wall display of the pictures.

Talking point 2 What public clocks were for

The film showed several large clocks in public places. Years ago, watches and clocks were very expensive, and very few people could afford to buy them - so public clocks were very important and useful in people’s lives.

You could talk with pupils about telling the time in their lives: ■ When do they need to know the time?

■ How do they find out what the time is?

■ Do they ever use public clocks like the

ones they have seen in Germany?

■ Do any buildings in your community have public clocks?

CUCKOO CLOCKS

People have been making cuckoo clocks in the Black Forest for several hundred years. It started as a way to make a living in their cold snowy 92

Wie spät ist es? Ich heiße ...........................

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