Conquering the world with languages –
learning German at GIST!
At GIST, our students join us from Germany and from around the world. As a partner in the network of over 135 German Schools Abroad, it is our clear promise to quality that all of our students learn the German language at GIST with confidence and enjoyment. We introduced the three-step German language program which reliably introduces the student to the German language (Level 1: DeutschFASTTRACK), constantly expands and develops language development (Level 2: DeutschPLUS) and addresses further language challenges (Level 3: DeutschPRO).
We address the following questions for you:
Yes! A child can enrol in pre-kindergarten through grade 4 with no prior knowledge of German. Children with all levels of German language ability, from (absolute) beginners to native speakers, are welcomed, supported, and challenged.
After an assessment by our German language coordinator, your child will be assigned to one of the three programs. As a parent, it is not necessary to speak German, as all exercises take place during school hours. The students receive their German support lessons when the class has its regular German lessons.
Yes! Non-German speaking students attend the GermanFASTTRACK program to accelerate the language acquisition. During classroom instructions the teacher or another student translates important information into English for the students. We also have many materials for differentiation.
Students who already have an average to good knowledge of German will be assigned to GermanPLUS classes.
Students are immersed in a multilingual environment where they encounter English, French and German signs throughout the school building. As a school, we also regularly participate in international competitions of German Schools Abroad or in science projects designed to promote the German language. In addition, we hold a speech competition once a year, for which students spend four weeks learning about speech and argumentation.
We have a library with German books at different levels and on different topics. In our lessons we differentiate and offer individual learning materials for all students.
At the beginning of each school year, an intensive observation of the students in each class takes place by the German language coordinator. Afterwards, the division of the German groups is decided together with the homeroom teacher.
As a rule, children are upgraded to the next higher level if their German skills exceed the level of the assigned German group. Twice a year, the language level of the individual students is discussed in a German meeting together with the homeroom teacher and the German teacher.
GermanFASTTRACK
As of the 2021/22 school year, all students attending GIST in grades kindergarten to grade 4, and with no knowledge of German will participate in our new GermanFASTTRACK program. The program is aimed at children who have had none or minimal contact with the German language. In the GermanFASTTRACK program, the children participate in an intensive German language program for up to two hours each day. The goal is to have the children participate in regular German classes as quickly as possible.
GermanPLUS
All students who already have an average to good knowledge of German and who also speak German regularly in their environment are invited to attend GermanPLUS lessons. In the GermanPLUS lessons, the focus is on active language use, expanding vocabulary, refining grammatical knowledge and deepening the current content of the lessons in class. The GermanPLUS lessons take place in a small group, two to three times a week.
GermanPRO
For all students who are already well advanced within their German learning and who would like to work on further challenges, the GermanPRO lessons are suitable. In these classes, students learn to intensively prepare presentations, extract information from various media, practice selected questions for competency tests, and also experiment with special language and word phenomena.