1 - One-sentence Forecast ~5 mins
Give today's forecast in English in one sentence. Include the weather and a temperature if you can.
You already know numbers from earlier. Today you join weather and temperature into one short German forecast, the way a board in München might show it.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Give a short German forecast that includes a temperature
- Compare what weather forecasts talk about in different places
Take three or four spoken forecasts in English, no more. The point is that a real forecast is a full sentence, not a single word. Do not translate yet; the word-table in the next step supplies the German. Praise a clear temperature mention: "Eighteen degrees and rain — that already sounds like a real forecast." The board work runs to about 47 minutes; the last quarter of an hour is the Activity Book page at their desks.
2 - Eight Weather Words ~10 mins
Here are today's eight weather words. Tap each one, listen, then say it back together.
Two forecast frames you will use (only these):
- Heute ist es sonnig und achtzehn Grad (HOY-teh ist es ZON-ikh oont ACHT-tsayn graht) — Today it is sunny and eighteen degrees.
- Heute gibt es Regen und fünf Grad (HOY-teh gibt es RAY-gen oont fuenf graht) — Today there is rain and five degrees.
Grad (graht) means degrees. Slot into Frame B after gibt es: Sonne, Regen, Schnee, Wind, Sturm, Nebel. Use sonnig only after ist es in Frame A. die Wolke is for matching and the map only today (not for the forecast sentence).
| Concept | Why it matters for learners | Example in target language (with English gloss) |
|---|---|---|
| German nouns keep a capital letter — Sonne, Regen, Wind always start with a capital in German | Writing sonne looks unfinished to a German reader; the capital is part of spelling the word correctly | die Sonne (the sun), der Regen (the rain) |
| Forecast frame + Grad — join weather to a number with Grad (degrees) | A bare weather word is a label; weather + Grad is a real forecast you can say aloud | Heute gibt es Schnee und null Grad (Today there is snow and zero degrees) |
Tap each word; the class repeats twice, once together and once by table. Point out that German nouns keep their capital letter: die Sonne (dee ZON-eh), der Regen (dair RAY-gen), der Schnee (dair shnay), der Wind (dair vint), die Wolke (dee VOL-keh), der Sturm (dair shtoorm), der Nebel (dair NAY-bel). For the adjective, model sonnig (ZON-ikh) only inside Frame A: Heute ist es sonnig und … Grad.
Sound support: Sonne is soft ZON-eh (not "sunny"). Sturm is a short stamp: shtoorm. Nebel is NAY-bel. Celebrate a crisp Sturm — "That sounded like weather on the Alps."
Grad: teach it now as part of the frame, not as a ninth flashcard. Say Grad (graht) chorally three times. Numbers are prior knowledge; if a table freezes, supply the number yourself and let them finish the weather half. Model fünf as fuenf (round your lips as if to say "oo", then say "ee" — not like English "fun").
die Wolke — recognition only: Keep die Wolke on the word-table, matching game and map for listening and labelling. Do not drop it into Frame B today and do not introduce the plural Wolken. That keeps one form only on screen and avoids a singular/plural split. Productive Frame B slots today: Sonne, Regen, Schnee, Wind, Sturm, Nebel.
Whole-class oral drill (do this before leaving the slide): Keep both frames on screen. Cue five forecasts; class answers chorally each time. Spotlight these five for speaking and writing today: sonnig, Regen, Schnee, Wind, Sturm. Examples you can read out with audio-style clarity:
1. sonnig + 18 → Heute ist es sonnig und achtzehn Grad
2. Regen + 5 → Heute gibt es Regen und fünf Grad (fuenf graht)
3. Schnee + 0 → Heute gibt es Schnee und null Grad
4. Wind + 12 → Heute gibt es Wind und zwölf Grad
5. Sturm + 8 → Heute gibt es Sturm und acht Grad
Optional city hook once: In München gibt es heute Regen und zehn Grad. Optional sixth cue if energy allows: Nebel + 4 → Heute gibt es Nebel und vier Grad. Do not invent forms such as windig, heiß, kalt, or Wolken — they are not in today's productive list.
3 - Weather Pairs ~10 mins
Flip two cards at a time and find each German weather word with its English meaning. Say the full German (with its article if it is a noun) quietly as you turn each card.
Whole class on the IWB with volunteers taking turns — stay at the board; this is not a desk-pair device game. If a pair is missed twice, stop and say the German together before moving on. Insist on the article for the nouns: Sonne alone is not enough; die Sonne is the answer. sonnig has no article. For die Wolke, accept article + singular only — never prompt Wolken.
Support: invite a second pupil to help the volunteer say article + noun, rather than sending anyone off to work alone. After two or three successful pairs, throw in one quick oral cue using a spotlight word (e.g. hold up five fingers and say "Regen") so the class answers together: Heute gibt es Regen und fünf Grad (fuenf graht). Keep the energy warm: "Full phrase — that is forecast German."
4 - Into Your Copy ~3 mins
Open your copy. On the board stays this gapped model:
Heute ist es ______ und ______ Grad
or
Heute gibt es ______ und ______ Grad
Word bank (only these): sonnig · Sonne · Regen · Schnee · Wind · Sturm · Nebel
Write one full forecast sentence, including a temperature number and Grad. Use Frame A only with sonnig; use Frame B with the other bank words.
Pause the board games. Before anyone writes, choral-repeat two complete examples still on screen:
1. Heute ist es sonnig und achtzehn Grad (HOY-teh ist es ZON-ikh oont ACHT-tsayn graht)
2. Heute gibt es Regen und fünf Grad (HOY-teh gibt es RAY-gen oont fuenf graht)
Leave the gapped model and the word bank visible while they write. The bank deliberately omits die Wolke / Wolken so nobody has to invent a plural. Everyone writes one full sentence. Check that each sentence has weather + a number + Grad; a bare list of nouns will not do. If a pupil is stuck, point at the bank and supply a number. Do not collect these. Warm line when you see a complete line: "If your sentence has weather + Grad, that is a real forecast — brilliant." Hear one or two sentences read aloud before you move on.
5 - Label the Weather Map ~10 mins
Look at the weather map (think of a simple board for München) and click the correct German label for each symbol. Use today's words exactly as they appear on the word-table.
A different route at the same eight words. Invite one volunteer per marker. After each correct label, the whole class responds as below — you supply a simple number each time. Only use the taught frames; never prompt untaught adjectives.
- die Sonne / sonnig → class: Heute ist es sonnig und zwanzig Grad or Heute gibt es Sonne und zwanzig Grad
- der Regen → Heute gibt es Regen und zehn Grad
- der Schnee → Heute gibt es Schnee und null Grad
- der Wind → Heute gibt es Wind und zwölf Grad
- die Wolke → class chorally repeats die Wolke (dee VOL-keh) only. No full forecast frame here — cloud stays recognition-only so you never need the plural Wolken.
- der Sturm → Heute gibt es Sturm und acht Grad
- der Nebel → Heute gibt es Nebel und vier Grad
Do not prompt windig, bewölkt, heiß, kalt, or Wolken. Optional 30-second false-forecast beat: say Heute ist es sonnig und zwei Grad while pointing at a snow symbol; class calls the repair with Schnee. Keep it playful and whole-class.
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