Education and Early Childhood Learning

International and Heritage Languages

German

German language education has a long history in Manitoba. People of various German speaking origins are a significant part of Manitoba’s peoples. German as a language of study or as a foreign language has been offered in Manitoba schools since the 1950s. German-English bilingual programming was introduced in Manitoba shortly after the introduction of Ukrainian-English bilingual programming in the 1979-80 school year. In 1980-81 work on a curriculum for German-English bilingual programming was launched. The “re-introduction” of German-English bilingual programming, as with Ukrainian-English Bilingual programs, marked the first time that German was allowed as a language of instruction in public schools since 1916 when English was made the sole language of instruction in Manitoba’s public schools.

Today River East Transcona School Division offers German-English bilingual programming from Kindergarten to S4 (Grade 12). In addition, this school division and a number of others school divisions and independent schools offer German language courses (language of study programming). Lastly, there are a number of community-based German language schools throughout Manitoba. Further information on these schools is provided in the section titled Schools Offering German Language Education.

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Curriculum Frameworks

Bilingual Programming
Kindergarten to Senior 4 German Language Arts: Manitoba Curriculum Framework of Outcomes was released in spring 2003. This document is the product of a collaborative initiative to develop German bilingual education curricula with Alberta Education and Edmonton Public Schools. The Manitoba curriculum framework was adapted from the draft Alberta German Language Arts Program of Studies document. The Kindergarten to Senior 4 German Language Arts: Manitoba Curriculum Framework of Outcomes contains

• an introduction describing the background, purpose, and development process
• a rationale and vision for German language arts education
• a definition and conceptual framework for German language arts in a bilingual school setting
• an orientation to the document
• a description of the organization of the document
• a description of the central concepts of the six General Learning Outcomes for Kindergarten to Grade 12
• Kindergarten to Grade 12 Specific Learning Outcomes

Der Rahmenlehrplan für Deutsch als Fremdsprache (Kindergarten – Senior 4) von hier an als Rahmenlehrplan (2005)is the German language version of the Kindergarten to Senior 4 German Language Arts: Manitoba Curriculum Framework of Outcomes (2003). This document is available as an on-line resource only.

German Language and Culture (Language of Study or Basic courses)
Grade 7 to Grade 12  German Language and Culture: Manitoba Curriculum Framework of Outcomes (2009) and Grade 9 to Grade 12, German Language and Culture Manitoba Curriculum Framework of Outcomes (2009) have been developed and are available for downloading. Print distribution of these resources is expected at a later date. Both of these documents contain

• an introduction describing the background, purpose, and development process
• a rationale and vision for German Language and Culture education
• a definition and conceptual framework German Language and Culture
• an orientation to the document
• a description of the organization of the document
• a description of the central concepts of the four General Learning Outcomes  
• Specific Learning Outcomes for each grade

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Foundation Documents

Bilingual Programming
Kindergarten to Grade 3 German Language Arts: A Foundation for Implementation and Grades 4 to 6 German Language Arts: A Foundation for Implementation documents were published in 2012. These documents were developed collaboratively with Alberta Education. The Manitoba documents are adaptations to the Alberta German Language Arts Guides to Implementation for Grades K to 3 and 4 to 6.

The Foundation for Implementation documents contain the following sections:

• An Introduction summarizing the development and context for the document development, as well as the benefits of learning German.
• Language Arts Instruction, which provides an overview of some key concepts and issues related to teaching and learning language arts.
• Planning, this provides information and ideas related to planning for bilingual instruction.
• Learning and Instructional Strategies, which provides an overview of the importance of learning and instructional strategies, especially with respect to second language learning.
• Students with Special Education Needs, which provides an overview of the issues and strategies for integrating and differentiating instruction for learners in bilingual programs with special education needs.
• Students Who Are Gifted Students, which provides an overview of the issues and strategies for integrating and differentiating instruction for learners in bilingual programs who are gifted students.
• English as an Additional Language Learners (EAL), which provides an overview of the issues and strategies for integrating and differentiating instruction for learners in bilingual programs who are EAL learners.
• Classroom Assessment, which provides an overview of assessment as, for, and of learning and some useful teacher resources.
• Grade Level Samples, which provides examples of instructional strategies, assessment strategies, and learning resources related to general and specific learning outcomes.
• Appendices, which provides a number of resources, grade level charts of the specific outcomes, key vocabulary, planning charts, graphic organizers, and blackline masters.
• Bibliography

Language of Study Programming
Grade 7 to Grade 12 German Language and Culture: A Foundation for Implementation and Grade 9 to Grade 12 German Language and Culture: A Foundation for Implementationhave been developed collaboratively with Alberta Education and are now available for downloading. These documents provide a number of resources for teachers including three sample units.

Teacher Support Materials
A series a new series of German Social Studies Blackline Masters (BLMs) for Kindergarten to Grades 10 are now available for German-English bilingual programming. These resources were the result of the collaborative efforts of River East School Division (RETSD), Portage and Main Press, and Manitoba Education. The BLMs available have been adapted and translated from the Hands on Social Studies series developed by Portage and Main Press and Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning’s Foundation for Implementation resources for Social Studies. The resources may be downloaded in PDF or WORD file format.

Deutscher Sprachunterricht von Kindergarten bis 12. Klasse Eine Lehrerhilfe von Schablonen und anderen Dokumenten (German Language Arts Kindergarten to Senior 4: A Teacher's Resource of Templates and Blackline Masters) was developed to support the implementation of the German Language Arts curriculum. This teachers' resource was developed in partnership with Alberta Education, with Manitoba as the lead province. This resource may be downloaded in PDF and Microsoft Word versions.

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Partner Groups

Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning recognizes the value of the collaborative initiatives and partnerships that have helped develop and support German Language Education. Following are links to websites of partner organizations and schools offering German Language Education programming.

• Manitoba Teachers of German
• Canadian Association of Teachers of German
• Alberta Education - International Languages
• Saskatchewan Learning
• Manitobans for German Language Education German School

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Schools Offering German Language Education

Links are provided where possible for the schools identified below. Mailing and telephone information for individual schools are available from Schools in Manitoba.

Bilingual Programming

• Donwood School
• Princess Margaret School
• Chief Peguis Middle School
• River East Collegiate

Language of Study Programming

Community-based and Other German Language Programs

• Seven Oaks School Division Heritage Language After-School Program
• Springfield Heights Nursery School, 570 Sharron Bay, Winnipeg, MB, R2G 0H9 (204) 663-7273
• Kinderschule
• MGLE German School

Hutterian Schools—Community-based Programs
Many Hutterite colonies offer German language education as community-based before or after school programs only. Some colonies offer both school-based and community-based programs. The colonies that have indicated they provide before or after school German language education programs are listed below organized by the school divisions in which they fall. For further information on these programs, contact the individual colony administrators.

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