Students are given a list of qualities a friend may have which they rate by importance. They use this to discuss with different partners what an ideal friend (or boy/girlfriend) would be like. Excellent for engaging and motivating. Great vocab builder. Also good for practising ambitious sentence structures (esp subordinate clauses).

3 separate reading tasks about 3 young people. Each one gives information about their jobs, family, interests, school, as well as referring to the past and future. The first task is a comprehension with questions in English, the second a gap text, and the third a translation. The texts are challenging but accessible. I have used for several different purposes - an assessment, a cover lesson, a task to focus students while speaking tests are taking place. They have proven to motivate and engage.

Three role play dialogues about the local environment for students to practise and peer assess in pairs. Includes bullet point prompts for student A and a script with suggested answers for the interviewer. There is also a peer assessment grid. Students would ideally have several goes at each role play, possibly with different students around the class, each adding their feedback at the end. Proven motivating and engaging activity.

A listening task or assessment on the topic of Friends. Ideal as an end of unit test but could be used at any point in a unit about friends and relationships at KS3 (esp Y9) or KS4. The teacher reads the transcript. This is suitable for all abilities.

A Powerpoint showing how to build up a paragraph in a film / literature essay, here using 2 examples about the film Good Bye Lenin. Students are encouraged to support their statements with specific evidence from the film / text and then to extend and analyse. Having looked at the 2 examples (they can decide how successful they are), the final slide has a selection of essay titles for students to choose from and write a SEXY paragraph of their own.

Students match German idioms relating to food to their literal and actual meanings. Great activity to boost vocabulary and as an extension task when doing the food topic at GCSE. Students could also look at ways of including the idioms when discussing other topic areas.

Powerpoint giving examples of how different connective types can be used. The rules can be applied in all contexts but examples relating to Jobs & Work are used here. There is a range of examples and challenges, including gap sentences where students work out which connective fits best, and a writing task to redraft a letter of application. Used many times in lessons, this resource is proven to motivate and give clarity on this key grammar point.

4 paragraphs in German inviting a friend to a Christmas party, and a range of group activities to consolidate the language. POSSIBLE ACTIVITIES: Students get 4 paragraphs in German, each in a different colour: a) match up each English sentence with a coloured paragraph. b) students read each paragraph with a partner, taking turns to read 1, 2, or 3 words at a time before their partner takes over. They alternate who reads. Person who reads the last word in the paragraph loses. c) In pairs, students are given 4 small bits of scrap paper which they label gelb / gruen / rosa / blau. Teacher reads a few words from one paragraph and students have to grab the correct colour before their partner. d) in groups of 4 (ideally) with one captain - captain is given page 2 and calls out a short phrase in English. The student who gives the EXACT translation in German gets a point. Continue with a time limit. Great activity for engaging and broadening vocabulary. Could be followed by students writing their own paragraphs, which they could then write questions about for others to answer.

4 paragraphs in German relating to music, and a range of group activities to consolidate the language. POSSIBLE ACTIVITIES: Students get 4 paragraphs in German, each in a different colour: a) match up each English sentence with a coloured paragraph. b) students read each paragraph with a partner, taking turns to read 1, 2, or 3 words at a time before their partner takes over. They alternate who reads. Person who reads the last word in the paragraph loses. c) In pairs, students are given 4 small bits of scrap paper which they label gelb / gruen / rosa / blau. Teacher reads a few words from one paragraph and students have to grab the correct colour before their partner. d) in groups of 4 (ideally) with one captain - captain is given page 2 and calls out a short phrase in English. The student who gives the EXACT translation in German gets a point. Continue with a time limit. Great activity for engaging and broadening vocabulary. Could be followed by students writing their own paragraphs, which they could then write questions about for others to answer.

‘Leonie spricht über Musik’ - 3 paragraphs and an audio recording in German about music with a range of comprehension and grammar tasks and increasing levels of difficulty (Gemütlich / Geht schon / Echt hart). Includes answers. Perfect for a classroom task, assessment or cover lesson. Challenges students at all levels. Proven to motivate and engage. Develops students’ ability to cope with a range of question types and tasks, including dictation.

A reading and writing task with online research, ideal for end of term / topic. Students read about the Weber family and research possibilities for a summer holiday for them. Students should make suggestions which match the family’s interests and write to them in German with suggested itinerary / activities. Some German tourist websites are given as a starting point, and key phrases are offered to help students put their suggestions into sentences. Proven in class to be a motivating task, with strong links to the ‘real world’ and GCSE Urlaub theme.

Useful phrases for use during listening tasks which students can use to discuss what they have heard. Students make notes in German when listening, then with a partner, use their notes and the help sheet to discuss the content of the audio. This encourages extended use of the target language and promotes interaction.

Some ‘fun’ phrases to help students to react to their partners’ comments during speaking tasks. Encourages experimentation and interaction, and adds an element of authenticity to speaking work. A proven motivator.

3 role-play tasks based on the topic of music. Prompts are given in English, questions for interviewer / assessor are in German. Some utterances need to be in different tenses. There is also a peer assessment feedback sheet. These tasks are proven in class to be motivating and to encourage interaction.

3 role-play tasks based on the topic of free time and fitness. One student plays part of the interviewer and has a model script. The other plays the TV star interviewee and has the English prompts. Some utterances need to be in different tenses. There is also a peer assessment feedback sheet. These tasks are proven in class to be motivating and to encourage interaction.

A listening task or assessment on the topic of work. Ideal as an end of unit test but could be used at any point in a unit about jobs KS3 or 4. The teacher reads the transcript. This is suitable for all abilities.

A listening task or assessment on the topic of work. Ideal as an end of unit test but could be used at any point in a unit about jobs KS3 or 4. The teacher reads the transcript. This is suitable for more able students.

Students read about what Elias does for the environment, then adapt his paragraph to make him sound non environmentally-friendly. This is a good task for lower ability students as much of the necessary language is in both German and English on the worksheet.

A range of phrases and vocabulary to help students talk about musical interests and give opinions about different types of music. There are some ambitious adjectives here. I have used this by playing some different types of music as students move around the room discussing what they here. Encourages interaction and ambition.

This sheet gives students suggestions about how to include ambitious sentences in a GCSE essay about hobbies. In preparation for the essay, students translate 9 sentences (page 1) that would fit the essay bullet points. They use the grammar notes (page 2) to help them. Answers are on page 3. Once complete students should write their own essay. This task has produced some excellent essays for me in the past, and has helped those who frequently complain that they ‘don’t know what to write’.