Educational Media Reviews Online

Willkommen! is a 10 part series (of 20 minute videos) for beginning level German students. The videos feature a group of six teenagers in Cologne and are arranged by theme, such as family, shopping, food, school or sports. Each video is divided into several short sections, which introduce vocabulary and grammar clusters. The approach is communicative as opposed to systematic.

Since I have only been able to view the first video of the series, my review assumes that it is representative. The introduction Alles uber uns is a fast paced, colorful and entertaining video which will likely appeal to junior high school students. Individual sections of the tape could serve to reinforce grammar points that were previously introduced in class. The video brings a sense of reality to the classroom and shows students the practical usage of the language.

On the downside, the tape might confuse students because the teenagers speak German at the pace of native speakers, include many colloquial expressions, do not always speak directly into the camera and frequently use complicated structures far beyond the beginners level, such as the subjunctive. The explanation of certain vocabulary clusters seems slightly chaotic. Adjectives such as colors, short, long, small and big are introduced during a shopping excursion, where the six teenagers are trying on wigs and fur coats or putting on a fashion show in funky Cologne shops. While the scenes are certainly fun to watch, the teaching value appears limited. There are lengthy sequences depicting a fashion show the girls put on in the store, where no language is used at all. At other moments the focus of what specifically should be learned is unclear: in a conversation on colors the teenagers vary the vocabulary and the word order in each sentence. The brief language review after each section simply repeats some of the key phrases but appears unsystematic and arbitrary in choice. This would clearly confuse and frustrate beginning students.

Still as a supplement the video might function as an engaging tool for American teenagers learning German - if your school has the financial strength to purchase the ten videos for $599 or each for $69.95.