List of German Text Books for Beginners (A1)
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German as a Foreign Language: A1, ACTFL Novice, ILR 0/0+
Wondering about the best course book for teaching German to beginners? In the following list, you’ll find German A1 (ACTFL Novice & ILR 0/0+) course books based on The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages. These course books are used in European foreign language schools and they are acknowledged by the Goethe-Institut (GI), a German cultural institution operating worldwide and promoting the study of the German language abroad.
Goethe-Institut examinations and certificates are accepted as a language qualification by employers and various education institutions in Europe and many other countries. Courses, common reference levels, exams, and certificates range from A1 (the beginner’s level) to C2 (proficient speaker).
German A1 common reference level is usually divided into two courses: A1.1 and A1.2. According to Germany’s international broadcaster aimed at the overseas market - Deutsche Welle (DW), sponsored by the German government - A1 is reached with cca. 75 hours of German study.
European Framework of Reference A1: the beginner's level
In the U.S., the European Framework of Reference A1 is equivalent with:
- The Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale: ILR Level 1 – Elementary Proficiency (0/0+)
- The ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines: Novice – Low (0), Novice – Mid (0/0+), Novice – High (0+)
CEFR language level equivalents
CEFR
| ILR
| ACTFL
|
|---|---|---|
A1 – Breakthrough or beginner's level
| Elementary Proficiency: 0/0+
| Novice:
|
Novice-Low: NL (0)
| ||
Novice-Mid: NM (0/0+)
| ||
Novice-High: NH (0+)
|
German A1.1 and A1.2: Course Books for Beginners
Looking for the right "German as a Foreign Language" A1 beginner’s textbook/course book? Teacher or learner, you may choose between these editions:
Coursebook Title
| Description
| Author
|
|---|---|---|
eurolingua Deutsch 1: Volume 1
| Language: German. A1 level: Unit 1 – 16. Textbook and Workbook. Available online on Amazon.de
| Dr. Herman Funk, Michael Koeing et al.
|
Delfin Level A1 Part 1: A1.1
| Language: German. Includes Textbook and Workbook. Audio-CD. Lessons 1-7. Available online on Amazon.de
| Hartmut Aufderstraße, Juta Müller and Thomas Storz
|
Delfin Level A1 Part 1: A1.2
| Language: German. Includes Textbook and Workbook. Audio-CD. Lessons 8-14. Available online on Amazon.de
| Hartmut Aufderstraße, Juta Müller and Thomas Storz
|
Passwort Deutsch - Kursbuch 1
| Language: German. Textbook and Workbook. Lessons 1-10. Audio CD. Available online on Amazon.com
| Ulrike Albrecht, Dorotea Dane et al.
|
Passwort Deutsch 1 - Lehrerhandbuch
| Language: German.Teacher’s Guide. Available online on Amazon.com
| Anneliese Ghahraman-Beck
|
German Coursebook and Teacher's Guide
| 1. |  | German Coursebook for Beginners Amazon Price: $40.50 |
| 2. |  | Teacher's Guide for the Beginner'S Level Amazon Price: $24.09 |
German Course Books for Beginners: Bilingual Editions
Most popular bilingual German course books for beginners (in English and German):
Bilingual German Coursebooks for Beginners
Coursebook Title
| Comment
| Author
| Publisher
|
|---|---|---|---|
Ultimate German Beginner-Intermediate
| Language: English and German. Coursebook. 40 lessons. Available online on Amazon.com
| Ingeborg Lasting, Heidi Singer
| Living Language; large type edition edition (September 21, 2004)
|
Willkomen
| Language: English and German. Coursebook. Available online on Amazon.com
| Paul Coggle, Heiner Schenke
| Unkown (2009)
|
Herr Biedermann und die Brandstifter / Rip van Winkle
| Language: Spanish and German. Workbook with grammar explained. Available online on Amazon.com
| Roland Schäpers, Renate Luscher and Manfred Glück
| Verlag für Deutsch (1998), Max-Hueber
|
Bilingual German Coursebooks
| 1. |  | German Coursebook: Bilingual for Beginners: German-English Amazon Price: $9.11 List Price: $18.00 |
Before you Choose your German Coursebook
If you are a teacher getting ready to teach German abroad, learn all about the beginner’s level in learning and teaching German language as a foreign language:
- what is A1 level in learning foreign languages
- what are A1 learners supposed to be able to do in reading, listening, speaking and writing
- how to use alternative teaching materials for the beginner’s level
- how to play educational classroom games
- how is the A1 certificate exam for German language structured
- pick up some learning and teaching German tips
Practice German
- Learn German Online: common nouns, grammar articles and gender [ der, die, das]
The article explains the rules to determine the gender of German nouns. Ideal for beginners and advanced German language learners!
Foreign LanguageTeaching Methods
- Foreign language teaching methods
Modern foreign teaching methods are easier to understand and develop if you are well acquainted with the foreign teaching methods used in the past (most of them are still used today in some form and integrated into new teachings). It is important for
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Actually, I could do the same hub for beginners in French:) I've got the material (a brochure of an adult learning center where they teach foreign languages and the internet, of course).
I wrote this hub because a German person currently living in Mexico ended up on my other "German hub" and asked if I could help him to find a coursebook for beginners (he wants to teach the language there). So, instead of listing them in the comments, I wrote a hub :)
Interesting that you know about Deutsche Welle. See, it is a small world after all :)
How about Korean? I here it is a good one for those in business careers.
@careercounselor: Interesting idea, but I don't know much about non-European languages :(
Thats okay, I like French it is such a beautiful language, I don't think I have tried German yet.
@careercounselor: I don't speak French, but plan to learn it some day, too :)
So Vox, what is the best course book for teaching German to beginners in your opinion. Couldn't figure that out in this hub. And I would add that a good coursebook should not only have a teacher's guide that usually contains not only instructions and grammatical background information as well as templates for bonus exercises. There should also be bilingual glossarys (word-lists) available. The answer key for the students (if they are old or disciplined enough) is a must and CDs with transcriptions of the audio material should be mandatory. The higher level books are usually more equipped. Maybe the publishing houses think that beginners cannot work autonomously. A workbook is a must, integrated or extra. There is only few books that fulfill these criteria for intermediate students (B2). For beginners I haven't done my research yet. We work with Lagune [Hueber] that offers lots of exercises. But in the end it all depends on the teacher and his additional material. A book should deliver or support the teacher's guideline but never be the sole content of the lesson.
@denkmuskel: You're right on the spot there! I never use student's books as the sole content of the lesson. Instead, I spend some time reading the texts and solving some exercises, but then I leave the rest for people to do at home and ask me questions if something isn't clear to them. Also, I try to go through exercises similar to those in workbooks so that students can exercise some more at home.
Hueber publications are professional and useful(I use their grammar books and workbooks, too - as a student).
I can't really tell which of the German coursebooks is the best, but as a learner, I must say that Passwort Deutsch isn't that interesting or well-organized (and I've heard this from my friends who are teaching German). Yet, the book is the most widely used German coursebook in Europe, and based on this book learners have their exams, so it might be the best choice. Those German learners (in America or elsewhere) who want to take their exams at the Göethe Institute should also use this book, but they won't find a bilingual glossary at the end, and will have to use a dictionary on the side.
I'd be very glad if you'd list those B2 books meeting the criteria here unless you wrote a hub on the topic I could link to. On my way now to see your articles :)
P.S. I teach English and Italian as a second language.
I've made a hub out of it. Better formatting possibilities. So how far has your German come? I will have to take a close look on your profile later. Although I've hear of "Passwort" I've never had to work with it. It's sometimes hard to understand what authors thought when composing these confusing and incomplete textbooks and it is a pain in the neck to work with bad material. You'll find the hub here: http://hubpages.com/hubtool/edit/3011068
@denkmuskel: I finished B2 in the "volkshochschule" and decided to continue by self-tutoring at home. I should repeat everything and buy the coursebook for C1, and then take the exam. Watching German TV helps a lot: "Deutschland Sucht Den Superstar," for example :) I also like "Wer Wird Millionär" or "Rette die Million." I couldn't read your hub because it's still in the edit mode.
PWalker281 Level 7 Commenter 8 months ago
If I ever wanted to learn German, I'd use your hub as a reference, vox vocis. Excellent overview of what's available for those wanting to learn and teach German. Maybe you could do one for French ;-). Rated up and useful.
P.S. We used to get Deutsche Welle programming here in Hawaii on one of the public access cable channels, but I haven't seen it in awhile. I think the community wanted to see more Hawaiian language programming.