A fun and lively song that explains that German nouns are either masculine, feminine or neuter gender.
The lyrics name different body parts and their correct definite article.
A group of children sing and dance to the song.
This short film introduces or revises the concept of gender of nouns in German, and vocabulary for parts of the body.
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
This could be used alongside games like Simon Says ('Simon Sagt') to practise parts of the body.
You could have a discussion about gender with your pupils, and share strategies for remembering if nouns take the articles 'der', 'die' or 'das'.
As a listening activity, teachers could ask pupils to listen out for the correct definite article 'der', 'die' or 'das'.
They have three cards for 'der', 'die', 'das'.
Every time they hear a masculine/feminine/neuter part of the body in the song, they hold up the correct card.
Teachers can label the faces of a large foam dice with 'der', 'die', 'das'.
Pupils can roll the dice - if it lands on 'der' ask for a masculine part of the body, for example, 'der Arm'.
Support pronunciation by practicing [z] s phoneme in 'Nase'.
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 2nd Level or beginner level in Scotland.
More from Virtually There: Germany
Making new friends in Berlin. video
Charlie’s learning German at school, and practising online with some children in Berlin. They introduce themselves and show him around some of the city’s most famous sites.
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.
