Features

• Annotated Teacher Edition

  Each teacher edition of InterKulturell shows you how to incorporate proficiency-based instruction into your classroom, providing ample tips and suggestions throughout each unit. Our annotated Teacher Edition provides:

  • Instructional notes with details and tips for implementing activities.
  • Online resources such as organizers, audio, video or Weitere Übungen.
  • ACTFL Standards for the “Five Cs” indicating the mode of Communication or the aspect of Cultures, Comparisons, Connections, and Communities to assist with lesson planning.
  • Culture tips to expand students’ cultural knowledge or provide supplementary information.
  • Can-Do Icons for activities that support and share a Can-Do statement with Unterwegs formative performance assessments.
  • Answers or possible answers, where appropriate.
  • Language points out linguistic features, etymology, or other facets of language that may be shared with students.
  • Scaffold, Challenge, and Differentiate, the three types of differentiation notes with suggestions for adding support, providing an extra challenge, or meeting students’ learning preferences.

• AP^®/IB themes

  The InterKulturell series includes AP® and IB themes from the very beginning. Teacher resources in the end matter of the Teacher Edition outline the themes and subthemes, so learners can prepare for this trajectory from the very beginning of the program.

• Resources

  InterKulturell is filled with unit-aligned resources from across the German-speaking world, like podcasts, videos, infographics, articles, stories, poems, and more.

• Lead Author

  Dr. Cynthia Chalupa is an Associate Professor of German and German Language Program Director at West Virginia University. Dr. Chalupa began her career by coordinating the Collaborative Articulation and Assessment Project in Ohio as part of her duties as the Ohio State Foreign Language Center’s Assistant Director. Since becoming a faculty member at WVU, she has taught all levels of language and culture, World Language Teaching Methods, and general education courses. In addition to her work at the university, Dr. Chalupa has served as an AP Reader and co-chair of the AP German Exam Development Committee. She has also co-chaired the National German Exam Committee and served as an item writer for over twelve years. She was an advisory board member for the ACTFL/ETS Praxis II Exam and the ACTFL-DLI Standards Setting Committee and became certified as an OPI tester in German. She served as the Central representative and Secretary on the AATG Board of Directors (term ending in 2022) and currently serves as a representative on the NECTFL Board of Directors. She is the NECTFL representative to ACTFL and serves on that organization’s Executive Committee.

• Backward Design Approach

  The U.S.-based authors of InterKulturell, all educators and leaders in the field, used a backward-design process in developing the overall curriculum and each unit. At the unit level, they first decide on unit objectives, then write the summative assessment based on that, then write the three formative assessments, and then build each unit section based on meeting the goals of these formative and summative assessments.

• Can-Do Statements and Integrated Performance Assessments

  Assignable Can-Do statements in each unit of InterKulturell show learners a direct connection between tasks and the learning target. Learners can upload completed Can-Do assignments to their student portfolios to show growth, and when it is time to evaluate their learning, students can complete performance-based formative and summative assessments.

• Intercultural Communicative Competencies

  InterKulturell nurtures your learners' interculturality by reflecting on the products, practices, and perspectives of German-speaking communities, to develop in students the capacity to make connections between elements of the target culture and their own culture. Teen video bloggers from around the German-speaking world provide unscripted insights into the themes of the units with activities built around the videos.

• World-Readiness Standards' five C's

  InterKulturell fully aligns with ACTFL's World-Readiness Standards and incorporates Can-Do Statements, performance descriptors, and proficiency guidelines.

• Assessments

  Each unit consists of a series of activities and steps that provide teachers and learners with ongoing feedback on learners’ progress. These activities include the following:

  • Formative assessments, which build learners’ content knowledge and skills in the language and provide teacher and learner with evidence of progress toward proficiency through a variety of tasks and check-ins.
  • Summative assessments, which are performance-based, enable learners to demonstrate what they know and can do in the language.

• UPDATED! Learning Site^®

  Our enhanced modular platform, Learning Site^®, serves as a conduit connecting learners to a plethora of language learning resources designed to ignite their ongoing exploration. Featuring a user-friendly interface, both learners and educators can effortlessly navigate the course materials. Within our Learning Site platform, educators and learners will discover a wealth of integrated resources, including video blogs, authentic content, grammar tutorials, supplementary vocabulary exercises, discussion forums, interactive quizzes, and more. Furthermore, students have the opportunity to compile evidence of their progress in an online Portfolio.

  Educators will appreciate the versatility of the Learning Site environment, which seamlessly accommodates embedded content within courses and facilitates the grading process. Core content and supplementary materials are easily accessible, offering educators a comprehensive toolkit for instruction. These learning objects can be conveniently assigned by educators, enabling students to concentrate on specific topics, customization options support differentiation for students' individual needs thereby reinforcing comprehension and speaking skills.