Curriculum

The German Saturday School of Knoxville seeks to provide opportunity to heritage learners and non-native students of German (including beginners with no prior knowledge of German) to develop their individual skill levels. We offer classes for children (age 4 and older), teenagers and adults.

The primary goal of GSSK is to create a friendly and enjoyable environment where students can develop their individual skill levels and broaden their interests in the German speaking countries and cultures. Our approach to language instruction follows the standards set by the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG) and the American Council of Teaching Foreign Languages (ACTFL) - blending language, culture and traditions into our program at each age level. At the same time, we strive to meet the specific needs of heritage learners. We are preparing students for the German Language Diploma (DSD I and II) offered by the German Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK – Kultusministerkonferenz). The German Language Diploma (DSD I and II) is the only school-based program of the Federal Republic of Germany for German as a foreign language abroad.

In our German classes, learners are taught the same way they learned their first language: with many opportunities for listening at the beginning, then saying words and short phrases, then gradually increasing the quality and quantity of German in speaking and listening. Reading and writing activities are incorporated as appropriate for students’ age and developmental level. Music, movement, games, drama, and art constitute integral parts of the overall learning experience at the German Saturday School of Knoxville.