Class Schedule
Classes take place between Monday and Friday:

Lessons are normally from 9:00 to 12:15 Monday to Friday. 13:45 Afternoon session begins (Intensive program only).

The school provides all teaching materials, but you must bring paper, pens, and a bilingual dictionary

Bring 2 photos for your student ID - important for price reductions on entrance tickets and public transport. We advise you to get your ticket for public transport on your first Monday, at the Zoologischer Garten subway station.

Course Levels, Tests and Exams
Our courses follow the Common European Framework issued by the European Commission for language learning: with 6 levels from A 1 till C2. To include total beginners we added one more level: A 0:

A0: complete beginner
A1: elementary I
A2: elementary II
B1: intermediate I
B2: intermediate II
C1: advanced I
C2: advanced II

A small exam every Friday helps students to check their progress.

Our school can prepare and registers students for all officially recognized exams such as ZD, ZMP, DSH, ZOP, KDS, GDS. If a student wants to do an exam while in Berlin, he or she should schedule their course according to exam dates available, please contact us for dates. The exams all have a fee, to be paid with registration.

ZD – Zertifikat Deutsch:
Level: elementary III; documents basic knowledge of German for employers. Starting with 0 knowledge of German it usually takes 5 to 6 months with 20 lessons weekly to be able to pass this exam. (Less time if you take a more intensive course with 30 lessons weekly). Registration deadline 4 weeks prior to exam. Cost approx 80 Euro.

ZMP Zentrale Mittelstufenprüfung:
Level: intermediate II; proof of sound general German knowledge; accepted by some universities as minimum entry level for foreign students. Registration deadlines 2 weeks prior to exam. Cost approx 140 Euro

DSH Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang:

Level: advanced, proof of proficiency for entering German universities. Exam happens 2 times per year at the university you plan to attend - please check directly with the university to check the exact dates and register 3 months in advance. You can register either with a school certificate stating that you finished level C 1 or by having done the ZMP.

ZOP Zentrale Oberstufenprüfung:
Level: advanced; proof of qualified command of German language, accepted as substitute for DSH at some universities. Registration deadlines 2 weeks prior to exam. Cost approx 180 Euro

KDS Kleines Deutsches Sprachdiplom :
Level: advanced plus further knowledge of German culture; recognised language entrance exam for German universities. Registration deadlines 2 months prior to exam. Cost approx 220 Euro

GDS Grosses Deutsches Sprachdiplom :
Level: highest possible fluency close to that of native speakers; accepted in some countries as qualification for teachers of German as a foreign language

Note::
If you plan to study at a German University
You will need two things:

1. Knowledge of German, documented by certificates such as DSH, ZOP, KDS or GDS. We´ll be glad to help you pass the exam you need! You can register for a DSH exam, either by having done a ZMP before or by getting a school certificate stating you finished German language courses on level C 1.

2. You also need a secondary school diploma recognized as equivalent to the German "Abitur" - to find out if your diploma is accepted by German universities check out the the link admissions on www.daad.de and have a look at this site about careers made in Germany. Generally it is a lot easier to be admitted by a German university, if you already did one year of university study in your home country. Because this year is accepted by German universities as proof of sufficient academic compentence, so that they admit you if you fulfill language requirements as well.

Methodology
All our teachers are native speakers between 26 and 45, have an academic background with degrees in German language and/or literature and additionally teacher training.

We teach in tandem, with 2 teachers resonsible for every class, and alternating at every break. That way students get to hear more than one voice and speaking style.
- communicative approach with teachers animating students to speak as much as possible
- teachers continuously correct students and encourage them to repeat and do better
- German is the only language spoken in class, from the first day on

Materials (included in the course price):
- Text books: Passwort Deutsch (levels A0, A1, A2), Tangram (levels B1, B2), EM (levels C1, C2) - we constantly monitor new publications and may employ additional text books that seem appropriate
- Hand-outs like newspaper articles, literature etc.
- Multimedia-teaching with CDs, OHP, video and video camera
- For self study students can lend books and audio tapes from the library

Contents of Courses
Below please find information on the topics covered per level. (Note: having finished level B1, students are fit to pass ZD Zertifikat Deutsch).

Level A1 Content:
A1 Angaben zur eigenen bzw. zu fremden Personen, Aktivitäten und Hobbys, Landeskunde (geographische Lage Deutschlands und der Bundesländer, Sehenswürdigkeiten, Dialekte), Geschäfte/Einkaufen und öffentliche Einrichtungen (Post, Bank), lltagserlebnisse/Tagesablauf/Uhrzeiten, Verkehrsmittel und Verbindungen (U-Bahn), Essen und Trinken (Speisen, Getränke, Restaurants)

Grammar:
Verbkonjugation im Präsens, Personalpronomen, Possessivartikel, bestimmter und unbestimmter Artikel, Verben mit Vokalwechsel, Aussagesatz, Fragesatz, Imperativ-Satz, trennbare Verben, Modalverben, Akkusativ, Präpositionen, Präteritum (haben,sein), Perfekt.

Level A2 Content:
Arbeit und Freizeit, Berlin und andere deutsche Städte (Lage, Größe, Sehenswürdigkeiten, Orientierung), Kleidung, Stadt- und Landleben Möbel und Einrichtungsgegenstände, Orientierung in Gebäuden, Mengenangaben und Maßangaben, Verschiedenen Kulturen.

Grammar:
Perfekt: trennbare, untrennbare Verben, Wechselpräpositionen, Verben mit Dativ, Komparativ, Superlativ, Präpositionen mit Dativ, Modalverben im Präteritum, Nebensätze: dass, weil, wenn, obwohl, Adjektivdeklination

Level B1 Content:
Häuser und Wohnungen, Wohnungssuche/Wohnungsanzeigen, Wohnstile, Berühmte Persönlichkeiten (Biografien und Lebensläufe), Berliner Mauer (Mauerfall), Reisen und Hotels (Tourismus), Wetter (Prognosen, Sprüche, Wetterfühligkeit), Beziehungen (Partnersuche, ontaktanzeigen, Freundschaft und Beziehung), Feste und Einladungen, Unheimliches/Fantastisches (Aberglaube, Hellseher, Wahrsager, Krankheiten (Medizin, Heilmittel, Alternative Heilmethoden)

Grammar:
Präteritum, Plusquamperfekt, temporate Nebensätze: als, wenn, nachdem, Finalsätze ,Konjunkiv II (würde + Infinitiv), Personalpronomen im Akkusativ, Orts- und Richtungsangaben, reflexive Verben, Reflexivpronomen im Dativ und Akkusativ, Relativpronomen im Dativ und Akkusativ Futur I, Passiv, Verben mit festen Präpositionen

Level B2 Content:
Wünsche und Träume, Heimat/Leben im Ausland, Berufe („internationale“ Arbeitswelt, Nebenjob, „Doppeljobber“, Bewerbungen, Stellensuche)Konflikte und Lösungen (Partnerschaft, Beruf, Dienstleistung, Kundenservice), Beschwerden, Gemeinsinn statt Egoismus (z.B. Umweltschutz(Medienwelten (Fernsehen, Lesen, Zeitungen, Zeitschriften, Computer, Internet), Familie, Feste, Schule, Film, Musik, Sport, Mode

Grammar:
Konjunktiv (Originalform), Nebensätze: so dass, so...dass, da, statt, temporale Nebensätze: seit, bis, während, bevor, Hauptsätze: deshalb, also, denn, Genitiv nach Nomen und Präpositionen, Pronominaladverbien/Fragepronomen, Adjektive im Genitiv, n-Deklination, zu + Infinitiv Zustandspassiv, Passiv im Präteritum, Perfekt, Plusquamperfekt und Futur I, Partizip Präsens, Partizip Perfekt .

Level C1 Content:
Menschen, Werbeanzeigen, K. Tucholsky (Biografie, eigenhändige Vita, Gedichte, Texte“), Städte (Wien, München, Reiseführer, Städteführer, K. Tucholsky: „Berlin, Berlin“), Sprache (Fremdsprachen, Spracherwerb, Türkisch+Deutsch=Tütsch), Liebe (Signale der Liebe, Verhaltensforscher über das Phänomen Liebe, Psychotest etc.), Zukunft (Ausschnitt aus dem Roman „Briefe in die chinesische Vergangenheit“ von H. Rosendorfer, Reportage: Erinnerungen an die Zukunft), Medien (Computer-Sucht etc.), Auto ( der Käfer und seine Geschichte, Autoteile, Abschied vom Auto etc.)

Grammar:
Adjektive, Syntax, Negation, Verben mit festen Präpositionen, Nominalisierung, Konnektoren, Präpositionen, Konjunkiv II, Indirekte Rede Passiv.

Level C2 Content:
Radio-, Zeitungsmeldungen, Meinungen, Kritik, Gesellschaft (Männer/Frauen, Patriarchat, Karriere), Ratgeber (Mitwohnzentrale, Geldgeschäfte, Beratungsgespräch), Literatur (Brecht: „Die unwürdige Greisin“, Dreigroschenoper), Kriminalität (Strafmündigkeit etc.), Psychologie (Freud, Kreativität, Werbung), Theater (Brecht: Berliner Ensemble, Schauspielerportrait), Wissenschaft und Forschung (Aspirin, Ethikkommission, Genforschung, Dürrenmatt: „die Physiker“), Reden (Konferenz, Rede halten, Vortrag), Malerei (Klimt)

Grammar:
Formen der indirekten Rede, Sätze mit Präpositionalergänzung und Kasusergänzung, Modalpartikeln, Adjektive mit Vor- und Nachsilben zusammengesetzte Adjektive, Nomen-Verb-Verbindungen, Nomen-Verb-Verbindungen versus einfaches Verb, Modalverben, temporale, lokale Präpositionen, Partizipien

Activities & Excursions
Free film or seminar on German culture every Thursday afternoon
Every Thursday afternoon after all courses have finished, they show a German film or gives a seminar on Berlin. A staff representative will give an introduction to the film and answer all questions you may have after having seen it. Films and seminars alternate, and topics of the seminars include: history of Berlin, German pop music, the former GDR, German film history, German literature, politics in Germany. After the seminar there is still a lot of time to have all of your questions answered.

Free drink and get-together with school staff every Monday night
Every Monday at 19:30 staff and students meet in a bar close to the school: New students have a chance to meet "old" ones, staff will introduce the students to one another. Stammtisch - regulars' table - is what you call regular informal meetings in German, a very popular form of socializing in Germany. From 19.30 till 20.30 there will be a free drink for everybody, but even if you arrive late and miss the happy hour, it will not be too expensive for you.

In-house bicycle rental
Join the locals and discover Berlin by bike: Bar hopping by bike, going to school by bike, biking along the line marking the former wall of Berlin - you will actually SEE all of these famous places, instead of spending your time in the subway's underground. Bikes can rented for a day, weekend or for a whole month. There are special bicycle lanes so that riding your bike in Berlin is quite safe, and usually the weather is still ok until the beginning of December. In summer we offer guided bicycle tours once a week.

Café open daily
Our café is open daily from Monday to Friday all year round, serving snacks like German cheese cake, sandwiches, soups, quiches or salads. In the summer the sun terrace is a perfect place for barbecues or just socializing after classes.

Cooking German dishes with staff
Twice a month, usually on a Friday night, you can join us and prepare a German dish with us: A member of staff will get all the ingredients needed and then you cook - and of course - eat together in the GLS cafeteria. You will see, there is more to German food than just Bier and Sauerkraut...

After-class activities and excursions
We offer at least 3 activities per week, and in summer time 5 per week. We take you on trips to other German cities like Hamburg, Dresden or Leipzig. Please note that students are responsible for entrance fees and transport (there are often reductions possible with a student card).

Berlin wall and checkpoint charlie museum
160 kilometers of mainly fossil remains mark the end of the 28 year division of East and West. Parts of the wall have been preserved near the Hauptbahnof and the Reichstag. The East Side Gallery is the largest open air gallery in the world where the longest remaining section has been painted in bright, optimistic colors. A museum using film and photographs to illustrate the history of the Berlin Wall. Upstairs there are exhibitions with a focus on various human rights issues.

Brandenburg gate
Commissioned by Friedrich Wilhelm II to represent peace, the gate was ironically embedded in the Berlin Wall and firmly locked for the duration of Communist rule. The gate now symbolizes reunification and stands majestically in the center of Berlin physically joining the two sides of the city.

Pergamon museum and museum island
One of the most significant museums of ancient history in the world holding the acquisitions of nineteenth century German archaeologists including the spectacular Pergamon Altar of Zeus(180 BC). Museum Island, this is the location of some Berlin's best museums; the Pergamon Museum, Altes Museum, the Nationalgalerie and the Bodemuseum. The Berliner Dom, church of the Hohenzollern family and built in1894, stands next to the Altes Museum and houses the remains of 90 family members in its vault.

New national gallery
Cityscapes by Otto Dix and George Grosz highlight this comprehensive collection of German paintings.

Schloss charlottenburg
Sumptuously restored palace commissioned by the future Queen Sophie Charlotte in 1695 with Karl Friedrich Schinkel providing the final touches in the early nineteenth century. Beautiful gardens open from dawn to dusk and a collection of romantic paintings inside provide the perfect combination for a days relaxation.

Victory column
Moved from the front of the Reichstag to the center of the Tiergarten in 1938, the Siegessaule, or Victory Column celebrates the military successes of Prussia. 285 steps to the top guarantees one of the best views of Berlin.

Zoological garden
Notable modern zoo where animals are housed in enclosures simulating their natural habitat. Set in the peaceful wooded Tirgarten, beside the peaceful LandwehrKanal.

Jüdisches museum berlin/jewish museum berlin
An extensive collection of artefacts documenting the tragic history of the German Jewish community. Various artworks including sculpture, painting and design offer an artistic impression of the Jewish cause.

Booking this vacation is easy and we accept most major credit cards. We require a deposit of $300 and a completed booking form. After checking availability we normally confirm a booking within 24 hours.
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