KS2 MFL: 'Talking About Myself' in German with Mwaksy Mudenda

Super Movers > MFL

Blue Peter presenter Mwaksy Mudenda introduces some simple German phrases in this Super Movers song.

Teacher Notes

After viewing, singing and dancing along, your class could try some of these activities to further explore their learning:

Meeting and greeting:

• Ask the children to introduce themselves to their partner using Ich heiße followed by their name. If children are reluctant to speak, you could use puppets or a giant toy microphone for encouragement.
• Practise the question Wie heißt du? with the whole class. It often helps to do an action while saying the question to help to it – you could draw a big question mark in the air while saying it (for example).
• Ask the children to move round the class, asking each otherwise Wie heißt du? and replying Ich heiße and their name. They could shake hands with each person they speak to. You could also encourage them to say Hallo and Auf Wiedersehen at the beginning and end of their “meeting”, if they have watched the greetings video. This could also be done to music - move around the room to the music and when the music stops pupils have to greet as many people as possible.
• Find out what people in do when they meet each other - there is more of a tendency to shake hands traditionally.
• Give each child a card with a different name on it (perhaps some famous German speakers). Have two of each card. They then have to walk around the room asking ‘Wie heißt du?’ until they find the other person with the same name.

Giving your opinion

• Practise Ich mag and Ich mag… nicht with the children. Doing an action while saying the phrases will help children to them. You could hold your thumbs up for Ich mag and put them down for Ich mag… nicht.
• To practise listening, say the phrases Ich mag and Ich mag… nicht and ask the children to do the correct action. To increase the challenge, you could add other words or phrases which don’t require an action and so children have to sit still.
• To practise speaking, do the actions and then children have to say the correct phrase. Again you could increase the challenge by adding some actions that are neither Ich mag or Ich mag… nicht and so for which the children will have to stay quiet.
• Ask the children if they can the English meanings of the nouns which Mwaksy sang in the song. Practise the nouns with the children, miming each object to help them to .
• Put your thumbs up, and then mime eating chocolate. Ask the children if they can say the whole sentence – an opinion and a noun. They should say Ich mag Schokolade. Practise in the same way with Ich mag… nicht and the other nouns. The children could practise in pairs or mime a sentence for their classmates to work out.
• Ask the class to use their bilingual dictionary to find some other useful nouns in German. You could use the names of sports, animals or food to make actions easier. They can use your phonics package or a reliable text-to-speech app or site to help them to work out the pronunciation. They can then formulate some sentences with their new nouns, including miming them!

Where are you from?

• In the song, Mwaksy says Ich komme aus England – “I come from England”. How many other countries can the children name in a time limit of three minutes? They could use atlases or a globe to check their answers.
• Using atlases or other information sources, children could find out which countries are German-speaking, and which continents they are in.
• They could also research and find out more information about the German-speaking countries, such as their capital cities, the size of their populations, their flags, and any important geographical features they have.
• If it’s appropriate to your class, they could also find out about the different countries that the children come from, where they are on the map and which language they speak.
• Ask the children to use their bilingual dictionaries to find the names in German of some more countries. They can use your phonics package or a reliable text-to-speech app or site to help them to work out the pronunciation.
• Ask the children to practise the question Woher kommst du? They could write a big question mark in the air to help them to it.
• Ask the question and ask for volunteers to tell you where they are from, using Ich komme aus and one of the new country names that they have found.

All together

Put on some music (examples that are fun for KS2 include 'Rolf Zuckowski' or 'Deine Freunde') and let the children walk around the room. When the music stops, they need to choose a question to ask the person nearest to them. A more controlled situation is two equal sized circles of children, one inside the other, facing each other. When the music starts, each circle moves in the opposite direction, when it stops, they will be facing a partner to talk to.

When they are confident with all the sentences about themselves, the children could draw a picture of themselves and write the sentences about themselves in German underneath.

Language introduced

Curriculum Notes

The Super Movers song Talking About Myself and these activity notes address the following learning objectives from the curriculum guidance of the four UK nations.

England
From the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum programme of study for Foreign Languages:

• listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by ing in and responding
• explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words
• appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language
• engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions […]
• speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures
• develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are reading aloud or using familiar words and phrases
• present ideas and information orally to a range of audiences*
• broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material, including through using a dictionary
• write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clearly
• describe people, places, things and actions orally and in writing
• understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied, including (where relevant): […] conjugation of high-frequency verbs, key features and patterns of the language (question forms, making a verb negative);[…] and how these differ from or are similar to English

Northern Ireland
It is not statutory for primary schools to teach a language other than English or Irish (in Irish-medium schools).

Scotland
Modern Languages - CfE Experiences and Outcomes, Second level:

• I explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and show understanding and enjoyment by listening, ing in and responding. (MLAN 2-01a)
• I can listen to and respond to familiar voices in short, predictable conversations using straightforward language and non-verbal techniques (MLAN 2-02a)
• I can take part effectively in prepared conversations by sharing information about myself…or interests of my choice, using familiar vocabulary and basic language structures. (MLAN 2-03b)
• I can participate in familiar collaborative activities (MLAN 2-05b)

Wales
From the Curriculum for Wales (2022)

• Progression step 2:
  • I have heard international languages being used.
  • I have experienced opportunities to use international languages.
• Progression step 3:
  • I can communicate using familiar phrases and sentences.
  • I am beginning to reflect on my language use in order to improve the quality of my communication.
  • I am beginning to interact with others, sharing information, feelings and opinions.
  • I can construct my own sentences using the vocabulary and patterns I have learnt.
  • I can recognise high-frequency words and phrases and understand the general meaning in what I hear, read and see.
  • I can listen and read empathetically, recognising the differing opinions of others.
  • I can listen and read to build a bank of words and sentences and use these to improve my own communication.
  • I can listen and read to gain an understanding of how grammar and punctuation affect meaning.