New and updated content fosters understanding and application of german language and culture

UPDATED! Throughout the 7th edition, the number of Kultur sections per chapter has been increased from one two to intensify Treffpunkt’s integration of culture. These sections offer activities that encourage greater reflection on cultural products, practices, and perspectives of the German-speaking world. Topics include:

The use of social media and other technologies among German students;
Recent migration to Germany, featuring an oral history of a new citizen with a migration background; and
Service-learning opportunities for young people in Germany and Europe.

UPDATED! Streamlined, shorter Vorschau sections orient students more quickly to each chapter theme. Many Vorschau sections are based on texts from daily life (e.g., tweets, a recipe for a favorite Swiss breakfast, or a menu from a popular student restaurant).
UPDATED! The pronunciation section Zur Aussprache now appears early in each chapter, as suggested by our readers.
NEW! Picture-based activities in Wörter im Kontext vocabulary practice sections entice students to explore the meaning of new vocabulary and phrases via objects and material from everyday life.
NEW! Alles zusammen chapter-ending sections provide thematically connected, hands-on tasks that show students what they can do with the language. Students are prompted to read a text or watch an authentic video, discuss it with a partner or group, and present their new “take” on the topic, orally or in writing. These activities help students synthesize and appreciate the progress they are making as they learn to communicate in German.
NEW! Easy-to-find student notes alert students to interesting aspects of German (Ach so!), point out easy-to-confuse elements (Achtung!) and offer helpful learning tips (Lerntipp!).
NEW! Integrated Performance Assessments (IPAs) and Can-Do Statements help instructors guide and assess learner progress. IPA tasks use authentic sources and focus on real-life contexts that students will find both engaging and meaningful. After each IPA task, students will complete a self-assessment based on the Can-Do Statements designed to help them track their own progress towards specific levels of proficiency. These tools are available to adopters via MyLab German or as an add-on via our Instructor's Resource Center.

Hallmark features enabled varied active-learning opportunities

Speaking and writing activities guide students from contextualized, form-focused exercises to more open-ended activities in which they express individual preferences and viewpoints. Speaking and writing tasks synthesize material, add depth to chapter content, and provide opportunities to communicate in real-life contexts.
Listening practice is provided via Video-Treff. Brief video segments put students face-to-face with real speakers from the target culture, adding both visual and cultural interest to listening comprehension activities.
Reading practice encourages students to negotiate meaning in German in realia (charts/graphs, ads, etc.) and informational texts, as well as short literary excerpts, poems, and fairy tales. These varied genres are suited to multiple learning styles and interests and expose students to a broad range of models in German.
Vocabulary development is crucial to this communication-focused program. Treffpunkt Deutsch provides two vocabulary lists in each chapter, organized according to parts of speech. Within these sections, words are grouped semantically. The lists are followed by exercises (Wörter im Kontext) that reinforce the new lexical items and support growing communication abilities even at the very beginning level.
Engagement with culture is a cornerstone of Treffpunkt Deutsch. The program highlights significant events and accomplishments as well as the daily life of those living in the German-speaking countries today. Two in-depth Kultur sections per chapter provide insights into the ways our cultures are similar yet different, and examine differences between German, Austrian, and Swiss cultures.
Pronunciation practice is linked with vocabulary learning in the Zur Aussprache section near the beginning of each chapter. The fun activities help students develop strong pronunciation skills that enhance their ability to communicate effectively. Direct comparisons to English help students build on what they know.

A consistent structure throughout each chapter guides students

Vorschau opening sections chapter opens with engaging realia (such as a poster or an ad) to introduce vocabulary and structures connected to the chapter theme in natural, idiomatic German. Follow-up activities check comprehension and encourage immediate use of new vocabulary and forms.
Kultur 1 and 2 sections present a cultural reading or authentic text on the chapter theme with an activity where students engage with the topic. The transition to German for Kultur sections starts in the second Kultur section of Chapter 3. By Chapter 9, all Kultur sections are presented entirely in German.
Wortschatz 1 and 2 vocabulary lists include useful, high-frequency words related to the chapter theme. The lists are followed by Wörter im Kontext exercises that encourage students to use the new words in a variety of contexts. Wortschatz 2 concludes with the Wörter unter der Lupe section, which takes a closer look at words by discussing cognates, words that change their meaning in different contexts, word families, compound words, suffixes that signal gender, and idiomatic expressions.
Zur Aussprache provides engaging audio-based pronunciation activities.
Kommunikation und Formen 1 and 2 offer clear, concise explanations of basic grammar and structures essential to communication. Exercises for pairs and group work, often based on photos or drawings, move from guided, contextualized practice to open-ended, personalized activities.
Video-Treff presents dynamic, on-the-scene interviews with young Germans. The video provides visual context to support comprehension of unscripted language, offering a direct window into German-speaking cultures at a level manageable for introductory students.
Brief Sprachnotizen notes call students’ attention to idiomatic features of colloquial German as well as helpful grammar points.
Closing Alles zusammen sections prompt students to integrate their language skills to interpret a text or video, investigate some aspect of the text’s topic on their own, and create and present a response to the topic, orally or in writing.

Also available with MyLab German
MyLab™ is the teaching and learning platform that empowers you to reach every student. By combining trusted author content with digital tools and a flexible platform, MyLab personalizes the learning experience and improves results for each student.

Optional English Grammar Readiness Checks test students' understanding of grammar topics in English and provide personalized remediation via animated tutorials.
Point of Need Student Feedback including Feedback Bubbles give students instant hints on how to approach an activity and/or why a given answer is incorrect. When students try again, the "Need help?" feature links to specific sections in the eText and additional related resources to help students improve their performance.
Synchronous Audio and Video Recording Tools enable instructors to easily facilitate oral practice outside the classroom. These tools let learners engage in online video and audio chats with other students in the class and record their conversations. The recordings are sent to the grade book where instructors can review, leave feedback, and assign a grade.

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Treffpunkt Deutsch, 7th edition

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