Charlie’s learning German at school, and links up online with children in Berlin to practise.
He meets Lena, Jens, Annika and Moritz, who all play in a band together.
They show Charlie some of the main sights of the city, including Checkpoint Charlie.
Charlie realises it’s where the city of Berlin was once divided into East and West, and is now a tourist hotspot.
The girls take a photo with two soldiers there.
This short film focuses on basic greetings and 'getting to know you' expressions, along with making simple questions.
It is from the BBC series, Virtually There: Germany.
In this series of short fun films, a British boy practices German by talking to a group of children in Berlin via a tablet. Virtually There: Germany revises basic German vocabulary in a series of real-life settings, and using memorable songs.
Teacher Notes
You could ask your pupils to use German greetings at the start and end of every class.
Have a discussion about the names of Charlie’s German friends, do pupils have friends with these names or names that are similar?
Let them role play greetings and introductions, playing the parts of different people (maybe they would like to be characters from a story, or famous celebrities – help them with the correct place names of where their characters live in Germany).
Support pronunciation by highlighting the [v] w phoneme and [i:] ie phoneme in 'wie', 'wiedersehen'.
Also practise the [ai] ei phoneme in 'heiße'.
You could make a classroom display by asking pupils to draw a portrait of themselves - they can then add a speech bubble with 'Ich heiße…'.
Your pupils could learn the names of the famous sights of Berlin such as the Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag and Checkpoint Charlie, and identify them on a tourist map of the city.
This short film could also be used for curriculum links to geography, asking students to identify Germany on a map of Europe.
Which countries does it share a border with?
How many other capital cities of Europe do pupils know?
It also provides curriculum links to history and World War Two.
What do pupils know and understand about the Berlin Wall?
Curriculum Notes
This short film could be used for teaching German at KS2 or at a beginner level in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 1st and 2nd Level or beginner level in Scotland.
More from Virtually There: Germany
Der die das song. video
A fun song that explains the three genders of nouns in German whilst revising parts of the body.
A birthday surprise in Berlin. video
Charlie’s German friends plan a birthday surprise for Lena, making her a cake with 12 candles and singing her a birthday song.
A German food adventure. video
Charlie talks to his friend who is buying a snack at a sausage stall in Berlin, and to his other German friends who are making unusual kebabs with everything they can find in the fridge.
Adventure playground in Berlin. video
Charlie’s German friend Jens says he’s bored. Lena and Annika suggest different games in German for them all to play.
A song to learn the days of the week in German. video
A lighthearted and catchy song in English and German to practise the days of the week.
Getting directions in Berlin. video
Charlie’s German friends get lost on the way to their concert. They are given directions, and Charlie helps them get there just in time.
Painting and colours in German. video
Charlie links up online with his friends in Berlin who are painting a portrait of one of their friends in the style of Franz Marc, the expressionist. Things don’t go to plan!
Shopping at the flea market. video
Charlie’s German friend Lena can’t decide what to wear for a party. She takes him to a local flea market where they haggle with a stallholder to buy a colourful wig.
A song about playing games. video
A lively song for learning German in which children sing about Karneval and playing games.
