G2.02 house v27 by Early Start Languages

2.2 Mein Haus

2. Mein Haus My house

DVD: film 2

How can your home be made more environmentally friendly? In this section pupils learn to talk about what sort of building they live in, and the rooms it has. They will look at materials in 2 contexts: (1) designing 'low-energy houses' with features that help people save energy. (2) materials in household waste; how to recycle them and reduce waste. Pupils will see German families living in experimental Freiburg estates that try out ideas for a “greener” future - and can discuss what we can do ourselves.

The camera pans across Freiburg, from the city centre to the residential areas with the mountains of the Black Forest behind: "Das ist Freiburg, eine Ökostadt" ('eco-town'). Many people live in blocks of flats: die Wohnungen (pl).

NEW WORDS AND PHRASES

Ich wohne in... I live in...

(einer Wohnung) (a flat) 1 (einem Haus) (a house) das Haus - house die Wohnung (~en) - flat (~s) das Reihenhaus - terraced house Rooms Das ist... (unser Badezimmer) That is... (our bathroom) das Zimmer - room das Badezimmer - bathroom

Film 2: Blocks of flats in Freiburg: "die Wohnungen".

Amelie on the intercom outside her granny's block of flats: "Hallo, Oma. Mach auf!" (Hello, Granny. Open up!) The door opens: die Wohnung (singular). We see traditional houses being built (with thick walls for insulation in cold winters), and new "green" low-energy houses: das Haus. Question and answer: Children are asked about their homes. Leon, wohnst du in einem Haus oder in einer Wohnung? 1 Leon: "In einer Wohnung." Und Depika, wohnst du in einem Haus oder in einer Wohnung? Depika: "Ich wohne in einer Wohnung."

[see other examples in ‘More new words’]

- cellar - garden - kitchen - stairs - sauna

der Keller der Garten die Küche die Treppe die Sauna

Children take us on a tour of their home: In the experimental "green" housing community of Rieselfeld, Emily stands outside her terraced house: "Ich wohne in einem Haus. Es ist ein Reihenhaus." Emily runs into her house: das Reihenhaus. Das ist energiesparend (energy-saving). She starts with the kitchen: "Das ist die Küche. Komm mit." (Come with me.) Emily is in the living room: "Und das ist das Wohnzimmer."

Saving energy Das ist... (energiesparend) That is... ...energy-saving (umweltfreundlich) ...environmentally-friendly die Solarsiedlung - solar village das Solarhaus - solarhouse die Solarzellen (pl) - solar panels Flashcards CD 2 27

Early Start German Pack 2 How "low-energy" houses are built: We look over the “solar village”in the Vauban district of Freiburg. There are solar panels on all the roofs: die Solarsiedlung. Das ist umweltfreundlich (the solar village.It's environmentally friendly)

Film 2: Emily in Rieselfeld - "Das ist ein Reihenhaus".

Emily runs up the stairs: die Treppe. Emily is in her bedroom with her sister, Marie: "Und das ist meine Schwester, Marie." Marie: "Hallo!" Emily: "Hier ist unser Schlafzimmer." Marie comes into the playroom and study:"Das ist das Spielzimmer und unser Arbeitszimmer." Marie shows us the bathroom: "Und das ist das Badezimmer." Emily shows the sauna which is in the cellar: "Im Keller haben wir* eine Sauna." * Marie is in the garden: "Und das ist der Garten."

Film 2: Solar houses in Vauban -"Die Solarsiedlung".

Ephraim: “Ich wohne in einem Solarhaus." (I live in a solar house.) Ephraim: “Das sind die Solarzellen." (Those are the solar panels). Ephraim: "Das Haus ist aus Holz." (The house is made of wood*). Ephraim: "Hier ist mein Schlafzimmer." (Here’s my bedroom). "Die Decke ist aus Holz." (The ceiling is made of wood*). "...und der Boden ist auch aus Holz." (...and the floor is also made of wood*). * see 'Science' Das ist energiesparend.* Ephraim: "Das ist für die Lüftung." (That is for ventilation). Das ist energiesparend.* Ephraim: "Wir haben keinen Keller aber wir haben einen Schuppen." (We don’t have a cellar, but we do have a shed) Das ist energiesparend und umweltfreundlich.*

Film 2: Emily and Marie -"Das ist unser Schlafzimmer".

PAUSE - part 4, 'Sorting waste materials for recycling'.

PAUSE - part 3, how to design a low-energy house.

MORE NEW WORDS More about houses das Wohnzimmer - living room das Schlafzimmer* - bedroom das Spielzimmer - playroom das Arbeitszimmer - study das Esszimmer - dining room *German children often say "mein Zimmer" instead of "mein Schlafzimmer."

Film 2: Recycling -"Das ist für Plastik...".

Flashcards CD 2

2.2 Mein Haus Recycling in Freiburg: Ephraim: "Wir recyceln viel." (We recycle a lot). Shows different bins in kitchen: "Das ist für Plastik. Das ist für Papier. Das ist für Biomüll. Und das ist für Restmüll." (That is for plastic. That is for paper. That is for organic waste. That is for the rest.) A Freiburg street on the day when the rubbish is collected; each house has a set of different coloured wheelybins. A resident comes out with sacks of plastic which he places with the wheelybins: Recyceln.

MORE NEW WORDS der Schuppen - shed der Boden - floor die Decke - ceiling die Lüftung - ventilation Materials (Das Haus) ...ist aus Holz The house... ...is made of wood Das ist für... ...(Plastik) That is for... ...plastic (das) Holz - wood (das) Metall -metal (das) Papier - paper (das) Glas - glass (das) Plastik - plastic (die) Textilien (pl) - textiles (der) Biomüll - organic waste (biodegradeable)

(der) Restmüll - other waste (der) Staub und Asche - dust and ash recyceln - recycle Flashcards CD 2

NOTE: do be sensitive when talking about pupils' own homes to avoid anything that may cause unnecessary embarassment.

Film 2: Recycling -"...und das ist für Glas".

Bin 1: Das ist für Papier. Bin 2: Das ist für Biomüll. Plastic sacks: Das ist für Plastik und Metall. Bin 3: Das ist für Restmüll. Resident drops a bottle into the bottle bank: ...und das ist für Glas. Recyceln ist umweltfreundlich.* * see 'Science'

Activities 1. Warm up

Before watching film 2, remind children that they can say where they live, by asking, “Wo wohnst du?” (from Pack 1, Ch1.7) and eliciting replies such as, “Ich wohne in... (Liverpool)”. You could prompt them by first having the same conversation with the class puppet.

Planning your lessons

This section divides naturally into 3 or 4 parts, each with a small list of new German words, and each with cultural and crosscurricular links to talk about (in English): (1) and (2) describe the building you live in and name its rooms; (3) designing a 'low-energy house'; (4) sorting waste materials for recycling. In parts (1) and (2) compare housing seen in Germany with houses where you live; in parts (3) and (4), link with your work on science and the environment. The well-known folk-tale, "The Three Little Pigs", whilst not German in origin, links nicely with the language and themes of this section.

2. Watch the film, part 1

❑ Watch film 2: “Mein Haus” for the first time. Initially, you may want to stop after part 1, which introduces houses and flats in Freiburg. (see DVD Markers).

DVD MARKERS

1. Houses and flats in Freiburg 2. Rooms in my house 3. Solar houses in Vauban 4. Recycling 5. Written words Use the skip key on your remote control 29

Early Start German Pack 2 KEY SOUNDS

3. Get used to the sounds

Listen to the sounds of...

❑ Echoing: Show the coloured pictures of houses and flats on the Flashcards CD on the whiteboard - you can switch off the text while pupils get used to the sounds. Pupils echo the words. Alternatively, use the photocopiable flashcards or the OHP.

as in... Haus,

Sauna heard before in Frau ; [an example in English is now] as in..Wohnung,

Wohnzimmer heard before in weiß ; [an example in English is vase] Solarsiedlung heard before in sieben, Sonntag [an example in English is zip] as in...

Zimmer, Holz, heard before in zwei as in...

Name each building as you show the picture, e.g. "das/ein Haus", "die Wohnungen", "die/eine Wohnung", "das/ein Reihenhaus". The pupils echo the words. It is a good idea to switch between "the" and "a" so that the children get used to both.

as in... Küche,

Biomüll, Restmüll, für heard before in fünf, grün [sounds a bit like lure in English]

(Listen to the native speakers - try to copy their typically German sounds. )

4. Respond with understanding

Flashcards CD 2

❑ Play “Where do I live?” Make several copies of activity sheet 1, cut out the pictures of the houses and flats, and give one to each child. As you say, for example, "Ich wohne in einem Reihenhaus", the pupils with the picture of the terraced house hold it up. ❑ Play “Where do you live? 1” Give each pupil one of the house or flats pictures. Using the model heard in the question and answer section of the film, you ask, "Wo wohnst du? In einem Haus oder in einer Wohnung?" Pupils answer according to the picture they hold. If a child says "Ich wohne in einem Haus", you could also ask, "Wohnst du in einem Reihenhaus?"

The pupil replies either "Ja" or "Nein" depending on the picture s/he has. ❑ Play “Where do you live?2” Pupils sit in a circle. Give each child one of the house or flats pictures. You begin by saying, "Ich wohne in einer Wohnung. Wo wohnst du?" The child sitting next to you answers, "Ich wohne in (einem Haus)", then asks the next child in the circle, "Wo wohnst du?" and so on.

Inter-cultural understanding

Having practised some of the new language, this is a good time to talk with pupils about the German homes they have seen in the first part of film 2. See this chapter's “talking point 1.”

Grammar endings and young beginners: What if a child says "Ich wohne in ein Haus" rather than "einem Haus"? We suggest: 1. praise for using the right word for "house"; 2. gently reinforce the correct ending: "Sehr gut! Ich wohne in einem Haus". 1 See "How German works 1"

5. Watch the film, part 2

❑ Watch the next part of film 2: “Mein Haus”, in which children show us rooms in their modern low-energy home on Freiburg's new Rieselfeld estate. 30

2.2 Mein Haus 1

HOW GERMAN WORKS: using prepositions like 'in', 'aus' and 'für'.

You may have noticed: In film 2, we hear phrases with prepositions: Ich wohne in einem Haus I live in a house - Ich wohne in einem Haus Ich wohne in einer Wohnung That is made of wood - Das ist aus Holz Because after prepositions like 'in'... That is for organic waste -Das ist für Biomüll M | F | N In the context of this chapter, young beginners ein | eine | ein can use and adapt these phrases without you ... change to these DATIVE endings: teaching much grammar. in einem | in einer | in einem They may notice different endings after 'in' - see Note the order of 'wir haben' below and 'im' not 'in' right. You may want to say that, in this chapter's Im Keller, haben wir eine Sauna. phrases, after 'in', the noun, its articles ('the' or 'Im' is short for 'in dem'. After 'in', 'the' 'a/an') and adjectives go into the DATIVE case. der | die | das In later study, children will see which German also changes to these DATIVE endings: prepositions are followed by the DATIVE, and in dem* | in der | in dem* (* and 'in dem' is shortened to 'im') which by the ACCUSATIVE. ❑ Play “what's my house like?” 1 Make several copies of activity sheet 3 and cut out the pictures of the different rooms, etc. Give one picture to each child. As you hold up the picture of the flats, you say, e.g., "Ich wohne in einer Wohnung. In meiner Wohnung gibt es*..." and call out a room, e.g. “ein Badezimmer”+; pupils with a bathroom picture hold it up. Vary the pace as you call out the rooms; repeat one several times to try and catch them out! Ask them to swap pictures every so often.

6. Get used to the sounds

❑ Echoing: Show the coloured pictures of rooms, etc. from the Flashcards CD on the whiteboard - you can switch off the text while pupils get used to the sounds.

NOTE: remember to use the accusative for the name of the room after “gibt es”, ie “einen | eine | ein”; e.g.: “einen Keller” | “eine Sauna” | “ein Badezimmer”.

The pupils echo the words. Alternatively, you could switch off the sound and say the word for that room yourself, e.g. "die Küche", "das Schlafzimmer"... Pay particular attention to the "Key Sounds".

* REMINDER: Word order

To sound natural, say the phrase with a preposition first, and invert 'es gibt', e.g.: 'In meinem Haus, gibt es eine Küche'. ❑ Play “build the house” 1 Give each child a copy of activity sheet 2 showing the cross-section of the house. Ask them to cut out the pictures of the rooms and shuffle them. As you call out the name of a room, pupils re-construct the house.

7. Respond with understanding

❑ Play “true or false” Using the Flashcards CD with sound and text switched off, display different rooms on the whiteboard; say the name of each room as you show it, eg “Das ist der Keller”. If you say the correct name, pupils echo the words; if it is a “mistake”, pupils should remain silent.

8. Working in pairs

❑ Play “build the house” 2 Each pair has a set of the pictures which make up the cross-section of the house. They take turns to name a room, and place the appropriate picture to "build" the house. 31

Early Start German Pack 2 ❑ Play “snap” Pupils can use multiple sets of the picture-cards to play “snap”. They name each card in German as they turn it over. ❑ Play “two of a kind” Pupils work in pairs with a minimum of two sets of shuffled picture cards arranged at random and face down on a flat surface. (They could also include pictures from Ch.2.1). Player 1 turns over a picture and says the name of the room or place that is revealed. S/he then turns over another picture.

Now find things made of plastic; say, "Das ist aus Plastik". Continue with other materials, e.g. "Das ist aus Metall". Pupils echo.

11. Watch the film, part 4

❑ Show part 4 of film 2: “Mein Haus” which looks at sorting waste items; the rubbish is not all mixed up and so is easier to recycle.

12. Get used to the sounds

❑ Echoing: Show picture examples of types of 'materials' from the Flashcards CD.

9. Watch the film, part 3

❑ Show film 2: “Mein Haus” again. This time pupils watch earlier sections for reinforcement, then see part 3 which visits a low-energy "solar" house in the Vauban solar village.

10. Get used to the sounds

❑ Echoing: Show pictures on the whiteboard from the Flashcards CD of the solar house, the solar village and the solar panels. (Or use the photocopiable flashcards or the OHP.) Say each word: "das Solarhaus", "die Solarsiedlung", "die Solarzellen". Pupils echo the words. Draw the children's attention to the similarities with English words beginning "solar..." e.g. "solar panels"; "solar power"; "solar system". Listen to the German pronunciation. Can they hear how the emphasis is on the second syllable of the word "Solar"? Can they hear the way the "S" is pronounced? (See "key sounds"). Ask pupils to clap "Solar" several times. ❑ Echoing: Show the printed picture representing "wood" and say, "das Holz". Pupils echo the word. Now show the picture which represents "das Solarhaus"; say, "Das Solarhaus ist aus Holz". Pupils echo the sentence. Point to the ceiling on one of the rooms on the picture and say, "Die Decke ist aus Holz". Pupils echo. Point to the floor of one of the rooms and say, "Der Boden ist aus Holz". Pupils echo. This will be useful for discussing which materials reduce heat-loss. ❑ Echoing: Look around the room. When you spot something made of wood, touch it and say, "Das ist aus Holz". Pupils echo. Do this with as many wooden things as you can.

Pupils echo the words, e.g. show the yoghurt pot and say, "Das ist aus Plastik"; - show the newspaper, "Das ist aus Papier"; - show the bottle, "Das ist aus Glas"; - show the banana skin, "Das ist Biomüll"; - show the nappy in a bag, "Das ist Restmüll". Each time, pupils echo the words.

13. Respond with understanding

❑ Play "sort waste" Show the same set of pictures of'materials' from the Flashcards CD, with text and sound off. Now you ask, eg, "Ist das Plastik oder Papier?" Pupils reply, "Das ist Plastik" etc.

Click '?' to hear a list of bins this item could go in

The Flashcards CD shows an item, asks "Was ist das?" and lists some types of material. Ask the class to tell you which bin this item should go in (the jar should go in "Glas"). ❑ Play “The sorting game 1” Give each pupil one or more of the "waste" pictures from "activity sheets 4". Have a series 32

2.2 Mein Haus ❑ Play “What's it made of?” Either using real objects, or the pictures on the Flashcards CD or paper flashcards from the "activity sheets", ask, "Ist das aus Holz?" Pupils answer "Ja" or "Nein" as appropriate.

of containers at the front of the room labelled witha type of waste, to be your "recycling bins". Point to each "bin" and say, "Das ist für Plastik"; "Das ist für Papier"etc. Now call out one type of waste, e.g. "Glas". Pupils with a picture of something made of glass hold it up. Invite each child to "recycle" (i.e. put their picture in the appropriate "bin"). As they do so, they say, "Das ist für Glas" or "Das ist Glas". They don't need to know the German word for each item, just the type e.g. "Glas". NOTE: Add more "bins"? The class could discuss what other groups of waste could usefully be collected separately. How could items such as textiles, old furniture and broken household appliances be re-used? You can decide to add more "bins" when playing these games, and for the 'sort waste' activity on the Flashcards CD. ❑ Play “The sorting game 2” You can also play "the sorting game" in groups. Give each group a selection of pictures of "waste" items. As you call out, for example, "Biomüll", each group selects any pictures which fit into that category. You continue to call out the various forms of waste, until all the pictures are sorted into categories. A representative from each group brings a first set of pictures to the "recycling bins". S/he deposits them and says, for example, "Das ist Biomüll" as they drop in. Continue until all the pictures have been deposited.

Now ask further questions, e.g. "Ist das aus Papier?", "Ist das aus Plastik oder Glas?" You could include some silly suggestions, to make this activity more of a game, e.g. point to the classroom ceiling and say, "Ist die Decke aus Papier?" ❑ Play “The sorting game 4” Place a collection of the "waste" pictures beside your five "recycling bins". Invite individual pupils to select a picture.

❑ Play “The sorting game 3” Place a collection of the "waste" pictures beside the "recycling bins". Ask different children to pick up a picture. You ask, "Was ist das?" If they picked a banana skin, either the whole class or the individual replies, "Das ist Biomüll". S/he "recycles" the picture, putting it in the "Biomüll" container. If some pupils struggle to remember the new words, or have difficulty identifying the appropriate category of waste, you can help by saying e.g., "Ist das Biomüll oder Restmüll?" n When all the picture-cards are sorted into the different bins, the class could discuss (in your own language) how each item could be re-used - see “Talking points 3 and 4” and “Cross-curricular activities”.

Ask the class, to identify what the object is made from, i.e. "Was ist das?" They reply, e.g. "Das ist aus Plastik" or"Das ist Plastik" and "recycle" the object into the correct "bin".

14. Working in pairs

❑ Play “The sorting game” in pairs Each pair has a collection of "waste" pictures. They take turns to select a picture and say what recycling category it belongs to, e.g. "Das ist Biomüll", "Das ist Plastik". When they have "sorted" their pictures, ask different pairs to bring their collections to the "recycling bins" and deposit them in the appropriate "bin". 33

Early Start German Pack 2 ❑ Play “word-picture match” 2 Give some pupils word cards and others the pictures of rooms and materials. You call out a word; pupils run to find their partner. ❑ Pupils can play word/picture "snap".

15. Look again at the sounds

❑ Play “Listen to the sounds” There are lots of interesting sounds to work with in this section. As before, agree a physical gesture for each sound. Call out a range of familiar words which contain these key sounds. It is a good idea to limit the number of key sounds to three or four each time you play.

EXTENSION Activity STORY: 'The Three Little Pigs'

❑ Story-telling: This familiar folk tale is all about materials: which pig can build a house that the wolf can't blow down? Ein Haus aus Stroh? ...aus Holz? ...aus Backsteinen? See www.earlystart.co.uk to find the story in German (and other resources) online.

16. Recognising the written word

When pupils are used to listening to and saying the new vocabulary, you may like to show them the final sequence of film 2: “Mein Haus”, in which each of the key words is repeated with text superimposed on the pictures.

CROSS-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

❑ Science: “Keeping warm” You can include language elements in science topics as you design a low-energy house (see “Talking point 2, saving energy at home”). When children look at the science of keeping warm things warm (and cold things cold), they can use German in describing materials (e.g."Das ist aus Holz", "Das ist Metall") and measuring temperature and/or elapsed time. Experiments: place ice-cubes in containers or wrapping of different materials (named in German). Use a stopwatch to see which melts quickest (call out elapsed minutes in German. Or place hot water (not boiling) in different containers. Which loses heat quickest? As children discover which materials are good insulators/ poor conductors of heat, they can use this to choose the best materials to build your low-energy house: Draw a table with 3 columns for materials, 'Ja' and "Nein', entitled: "Energiesparend? 'Ja' oder 'Nein'". Tick the'Ja' or 'Nein' column depending on your experimental results.

❑ The Flashcards CD presents a picture definition that you can show with or without corresponding text and/or hearing the native German voice at the same time. You can use these features to build children's skills at reading aloud with authentic pronunciation when they see written words. ❑ You can label your "recycling bins" with the written words for each type of material. ❑ You can talk with pupils about how many long German words are made up of a series of shorter words, e.g. - "umweltfreundlich" (environmentally friendly) - "energiesparend" (energy saving). In English these would be written as separate words. Highlight the different components of these long words so that the children can see how they are made up (see "Music").

❑ History: how has life changed since 1948? Children could look at how the contents of our dustbins have changed, and what this tells us about home life, popular culture and technology - see “Talking Point 4”. In simple terms, you could discuss how the trend of these changes might continue into the future, and whether this is sustainable? This could include comparisons with Germany.

❑ Play “word-picture match” 1 Make word cards to match the picture cards on the activity sheets. Place a jumbled selection of pictures and the words face up on a table. Ask pupils to match words to picture.

❑ Geography: Improving the environment The class could make a multimedia presentation about recycling arrangements in your area, to 34

2.2 Mein Haus swap with a German partner school. Use a digital camera, and label photos in simple German, e.g. "Das ist für Papier".

You could ask half the class to clap "e-ner-giespa-rend" and the other half, "um-welt-freundlich". Repeat this several times, varying the pace. This is a good way to help the children remember the long words. ❑ Music Sing the title song "Meine Ökostadt"- words and music are below, and also on the Flashcards CD. In the karaoke version, lyrics are displayed in time with the music.

❑ Art & design: Packaging When children are investigating packaging, give several groups the same object. Ask them to compete to design packaging to transport it safely in the shops, whilst using minimum materials, and as much as possible to be reusable /recyclable. Use simple German to name the type of material used, and to measure the quantity, e.g. by weight, and to compare results. ❑ Classroom routines Make recycling part of your everyday routine. Have several bins available in your classroom for different types of waste. Label these in German. When pupils are clearing up after activities, ask them to use the correct bin and wherever possible, to identify the material of items they are recycling. ❑ Music Ask pupils to clap the syllables of the long words as they say them.

See the Introduction for notes on the different images shown in the film during the song.

Recording and assessment

Children can record their achievments to date with "can-do" statements (after Ch.2.18).

SONG: “Meine Ökostadt” - title song C

Em Am Dm

Ich woh-ne___ in Frei-burg. Das

Mei - ne

Ök - o - stadt.

woh - ne___

Frei - burg.

ist

So - lar - haus,

und ich_____ re - cy - cle viel. Ich

Um-welt-freund-lich sein.

Ja,

das ist mein Ziel!

Mein Haus ist ein Solarhaus, und ich recycle viel. Ich wohne in Freiburg. Umweltfreundlich sein - Ja! Das ist mein Ziel.

Ich wohne in Freiburg. Das ist eine schöne Stadt. Ich wohne in Freiburg, Meine Ökostadt.

Flashcards CD 2 35

Em Am

eine schöne Stadt. Ich woh-ne__ in Frei-burg,

Mein Haus ist ein

Em Am

Early Start German Pack 2 The average German household who live there are Thomas Müller (40); his wife Sabine (the most common German woman’s name); and their one son, Alexander . They live in a rented flat, with 90 sq.m of space. For their living room, they chose a big squashy three-piece suite in warm, light, natural colours and a glass coffee table. They sit facing a modern-style light wood wall unit with a big TV and DVD player or video, and sockets for cable TV and telephone. They like leafy houseplants in the living room. They cover the floor with a soft fitted carpet, because it's comfortable to walk on, and "there’s no point in spending a lot in rented accommodation". This family tends to wear their street shoes inside – even in the bedroom. Researchers found that carpeted floors are much less common in German-speaking Switzerland and Austria. Traditionally most homes there had tiled, laminate or wooden floors - and that's a recent trend in Britain too. In Germany, they tend to have fitted carpets in one room rather than throughout, as in Britain. Sabine Müller has chosen to paint the woodchip paper on the walls soft pastel shades instead of white; she adds final touches, like vases and cushions. Thomas and Alexander might add a model car or a bit of football memorabilia. ■ Talk about the German children's homes seen in Film 2, compared with your own. ■ Compare floors: what are the good and bad points about fitted carpets rather than hard-surfaced floors? ■ Are the homes familiar in your community typical of all those in the UK? Does the class think the Queen lives in a house like their's? ■ Do the class think the homes in the film are typical of Germany?

Talking point 1

EVERYDAY LIFE IN GERMANY Flats or houses?

In Germany, more people live in flats than do in the UK. In large cities these can be high-rise blocks, but in smaller towns there are more two- or three- storey apartment buildings. While 60% of British people live in their own house or flat, (64% in the United States), in Germany it's only 39%.

Rent or buy?

Most people in Germany rent, which is often a cheaper option and makes it easier to move. Their rented flats (die Mietwohnung ) usually come unfurnished; you have to supply your own lights, tables, chairs, cooker etc. People in flats take turns to tidy up the shared lobby and stairs; few blocks of flats have caretakers. If there's a garden, the landlord may give each flat a plot called a 'Schrebergarten ' to grow flowers, trees and vegetables. Some German families buy a plot of land (das Grundstück ) and have their own detached house (das Einfamilienhaus ) built on it. Semi-detached houses (das Doppelhaus ; das Zweifamilienhaus ) are less common in German-speaking countries than in Britain but there has recently been an increase in the number of terraced houses (das Reihenhaus).

The "typical" German house?

Researchers from Hamburg advertising agency Jung von Matt collected all the statistics to construct the “typical” German living room.

❑ ICT: If you are linked with a German school, you could exchange pictures representing your homes, or typical houses and flats to be found in your area. These could be pupils' drawings or photographs.

The advertising agency's "statistically-typical" German living room of a ficticious "average family", the Müllers.

2.2 Mein Haus Energy use in Germany

Talking point 2

They found that 30% of Germany's energy use is in homes, 75% of that in heating; and another 28% is used by cars and vehicles, ‘traffic’.

EVERYDAY LIFE IN GERMANY Saving energy at home

Why did Freiburg go "green"? In 1975 the German government started building a nuclear power station at Wyhl near Freiburg. It was part of a plan to meet growing demand for electricity; coal was dirty, and oil had suddenly become expensive. But people were very worried about the risk of nuclear accident and radiation, so there were huge protests. Any problem at Wyhl could affect heavily populated parts of three countries, Germany, France and Switzerland. The risk of earthquakes and volcanic activity in this area added to local worries. The project was cancelled, leavingFreiburgwith a big hole in its energy plans. The city decided to plan for an alternative future in which: n Freiburg used less energy; n what energy it used came from clean, renewable "green" sources. But what did Freiburg use energy for?

Pie graph: What energy is used for in Germany: 'Gewerbe' is business (shops and offices); 'Elektrogeräte + Beleuchtung' is electrical appliances and lighting.

In this chapter, we look at Freiburg's efforts to make homes that use much less energy, and are good to live in. In Chapter 2.3, you will find out about how they tackled traffic.

Vauban and Rieselfeld

Freiburg is a rapidly-growing city because it is such a nice sunny place to live, near the Black Forest. In the 1990s, it was short of housing. The chance came to build in two new areas: n Vauban was a French army base closed in 1992. It dated back to the Allied Occupation of Germany after WW2, when Freiburg was in the French Zone. They named their base after Marshal Vauban, a French engineer who built fortifications for King Louis XIV. n Rieselfeld had been the city's sewage farm for 100 years, but waste water treatment had moved to a bigger site near the River Rhine. The city's Mundenhof animal park (see Ch.2.1 and 2.17) is on another part of the site.

The poster (left) says “NO, we have said” in local dialect. “No atomic power station (‘Atomkraftwerk’ ) in Wyhl or anywhere!” Protestors dressed as skeletons led 30,000 people to occupy the building site at Wyhl. The project was cancelled after 9 months of protests.

Vauban: most of the old French barracks were demolished, but 'Building 37' was made into a community centre.

Early Start German Pack 2 How do you build a low energy house?

The city decided to use these two big sites to build low-cost, environmentally friendly housing for families.

Vauban: the solar-houses face south; their solar panels and triple-glazed windows catch the sun.

Solar power

The Vauban houses have two sorts of solar panels on the roofs: n solar thermal collectors connected to the cold water pipes deliver hot water. In summer, it meets 100% of people's needs n solar power panels (PV=photo-voltaic) generate electricity that is sold through a "feed-in" meter into the grid. Badenova, the city-owned power company, pays a generous rate. For cold and cloudy days, Vauban has a heating grid powered by wood chips from the nearby Black Forest - a renewable energy source.

In the Solarsiedlung in Vauban, they tried 7 ideas to achieve a "zero energy" use design: 1.The solar-houses face south, so the sun heats up the rooms ('passive solar heating'); 2. The windows are triple-glazed to insulate the home from cold outside (the glass also has 'low-e' coating, to stop heat loss). 3. They are built in terraces (das Reihenhaus), so each keeps its neighbour warm; 4. The walls and roof are "super-insulated"; 13cm thick and made of wood - itself a good insulator- then stuffed with lightweight insulation; 5. The houses are sealed against chilly draughts, built carefully with no gaps; windows can only open a small crack. So the heat inside - from sunlight, people's bodies, the lights, cooking and electrical appliances has little chance to escape. 7. They have a ventilation system (die LĂźftung), to keep such a sealed house fresh and so residents don't lose heat by opening windows. Instead, it sucks in colder outside air, but first heats it up in a heat-exchanger using the warm air going out. Families who live in these houses only need to switch on their heating on the coldest days.

Sheds instead of cellars

Most German families like to have a cellar to store all their "things" and keep the house tidy, especially if it's a small flat. Unlike in the UK, many modern houses are still built with cellars. The homes on the Vauban estate have sheds instead, because a cellar loses the heat of the house into the ground. The ground floor is well-insulated, and the storage space out in the shed is one less space to heat.

Community voice

Local people helped to plan both estates, and they were designed to foster a strong sense of community. As well as schools, the estates have shops, sports centres, churches, and communal courtyards, play areas and gardens. Not all homes in Germany are as environmentally friendly as these, but all new homes are now being built to a low-energy standard, and they are converting existing houses. 38

2.2 Mein Haus Household collections in Freiburg

Households sort their rubbish into glass, plastic, paper-and-card, organic (bio-degradable) waste and all-the-rest. They then take it to a nearby colour-coded bin for kerbside collection.

Talking point 3

EVERYDAY LIFE IN GERMANY Recycling

Recycling: the "take-back" law

Germany was the first country in Europe to pass a "take back" law (in 1991); manufacturers and shops must take back all their packaging as well as life-expired used products, rather than leave consumers to put them out with their general rubbish. Many glass and plastic drinks containers must also be sold with a refundable deposit, which encourages children to collect them. 80% of those collected must be re-used or recycled.

Film 2: Kerbside collection in a street of apartment blocks.

Some towns prefer to collect mixed waste then sort it (by machine or by hand) for recycling at a central depot. What happens to Freiburg's waste? Collecting the waste is only the first part of the story. In the UK, milk-bottles are an example of re-use, the best sort of recycling: empties are collected by the milkman, washed and re-used to deliver milk over and over again.

Supermarket recycling machine for plastic bottles; it refunds your â&#x201A;Ź0,25 deposit ('das Pfand') automatically.

Manufacturers mark their packaging with the green dot symbol ("Der grĂźne Punkt" ). They pay the local council rubbish collectors to pick up "green dot" packaging as part of the kerbside collection but in a separate container - so it pays them to keep packaging to a minimum.

Piles of waste paper at Freiburg's collection centre.

Over 80% of Freiburg's waste is recycled. Most is sold to industry as raw material, e.g. paper is pulped to make more paper for newspapers and offices; glass is crushed and sold to glassworks to be melted into more glass; cans and metal are sold to metal smelters; food and garden waste is composted for local gardeners. Waste that can't be recycled The rest is burnt in incinerators to generate electricity, also hot water for nearby homes. n Find out how materials are collected and sorted for recycling in your community, including bigger items. Swap information with a German school. n The class could try to find out what happens to this waste: how is it re-used?

In addition, people can bring their "green dot" rubbish to drop-off points (often at large supermarkets) or recycling stations, where bigger items like old TVs as well as packaging can be dropped off into containers. 39

Early Start German Pack 2 There are more people; they're better-off, and throw away old items rather than mend them. How does Germany compare? These figures show the waste collected in the whole of Germany and (for comparison) in the UK, and also what percentage is recovered* i.e. recycled or re-used. 'Re-use' includes materials incinerated to produce energy.

Talking point 4

EVERYDAY LIFE IN GERMANY What's in your dustbin? Comparisons

Changes through history

See the bar chart, 'History of British waste'; it shows how much what's in our dustbins has changed over a century. It gives a 'snapshot' at four dates. It shows percentages; the quantities are much bigger now than in Victorian days. In 1892, the biggest item was dust and ashes - people used coal fires for heating and cooking. Other items were surprisingly small because people recycled a lot: n wood and paper were used to light fires; n old textiles were collected by 'rag-and-bone men' to make paper; n poorer people bought many things secondhand and repaired things that were broken. Since then, plastics were invented and have become widely used; there is more paper packaging and newspapers are bigger.

x 1,000 tonnes

Germany % recovered* UK % recovered*

Glass

Plastic

Paper

Metal

Wood

Total

3,130

2,071

6,789

950

2,508

15448

2,300

1,797

3,726

813

1404

10040

n Compare Germany with UK: which materials is Germany better at recycling / reusing? n Ask children to do a "waste audit" in their homes; agree how to measure the different kinds of waste. n Then discuss how waste can be reduced: - which things have too much packaging? - which could be re-used rather than thrown away? - if you don't want old items, who else might? n Do the same with the waste in your classroom.

Bar chart: History of British domestic waste: what's in our dustbins?

Restm端ll

percent

Holz

Glas

Plastik

Biom端ll Papier Metall

Textilien Restm端ll Glas

Staub und Asche * * dust and ashes

Biom端ll

Papier

Metall

1892

1935

1966 40

2002

Key

Mein Haus 1

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