Driven by a proven six-step instructional design and time-tested approach
Six-step instructional design
Each lesson is organized into color-coded strands that present new material in clear, comprehensible, and communicative ways. With a focus on authenticity, cultural immersion, and the seamless integration of text and technology, language learning comes to life in ways that are meaningful to every student.
1. Context
Make it personal
- Chapter opener photos provide visual context for the chapter theme.
- Als Erstes jump-starts the unit, allowing students to use the German they know to talk about the photo.
- Lesson openers have clearly labeled Essential Questions and Can-Do Goals.
2. Vocabulary
Put it into words
Setting the stage for communication
- Illustrations introduce high-frequency vocabulary through expansive, full-color images.
- Wortschatz sidebars call out important theme-related vocabulary in easy-to-reference German-English lists.
- Achtung boxes provide additional information about how and when to use certain vocabulary words or grammar structures.
- Kontext contains two audio activities that accompany the Anwendung practice activities. Anwendung follows a pedagogical sequence that starts with simpler, shorter, discrete recognition activities and builds toward longer, more complex production activities.
Engaging students in active communication
Kommunikation activities make use of discourse-level prompts, encouraging creative use of vocabulary in interactions with a partner, a small group, or the entire class. Pair and group icons indicate communicative activities—such as role-plays, games, personal questions, interviews, and surveys—for interpersonal and presentational practice.
New Los gehts! feature presents the target language in context at the start of each unit, providing comprehensible input.
With Los gehts!, students can acquire a small amount of instantly applicable vocabulary based on cognates, previous knowledge, and decodable words. Auftakt previews or recycles vocabulary from previous units in a new, meaningful context. Übungen activities recycle words and expressions.
Verwandte Wörter empowers students by introducing the new theme in a narrative context. Using cognates in context helps students build cross-language and induction skills.
Authenticity in pronunciation and spelling
- Explanations of German pronunciation and spelling are presented clearly, with abundant model words and phrases. The red highlighting feature focuses students’ attention on the target structure.
- Practice reinforces pronunciation and spelling at the word- and sentence-levels. The final activity features illustrated sayings and proverbs that present the target structure in an entertaining cultural context.
3. Media
Bridges Experiences
Instructional, cultural, and authentic streaming video presentations with optional captioning
Fotoroman episodic videos bring lesson vocabulary and grammar to life. Students experience local life with George, Sabite, Meline, and Hans—four students studying in Berlin.
Zapping presents authentic TV commercials and public service announcements (PSAs) from around the German-speaking world.
Kurzfilm—a complete, award-winning short film from a German-speaking director—replaces the TV and PSA clips in the last three chapters in Mosaik 3.
4. Culture
Culture presented in context
Im Fokus presents an in-depth reading about the lesson’s cultural theme. Full-color photos bring to life important aspects of the topic, while charts support the main text with statistics and additional information.
Porträt spotlights notable people, places, events, and products from the German-speaking world. This article is thematically linked to the lesson.
Die deutschsprachige Welt focuses on the people, places, dialects, and traditions in regions where German is spoken. This short article is thematically linked to the lesson.
Im Internet boxes, with provocative questions and photos, feature additional cultural explorations online.
5. Structure
Grammar as a tool, not a topic
- Startblock eases into each grammar explanation, with definitions of grammatical terms and reminders about grammar concepts that are already familiar.
- Querverweis boxes call out information covered in earlier lessons or provide cross-references to related topics that will be covered in future lessons.
- Achtung boxes clarify potential sources of confusion and provide supplementary information.
Grammar application and communication
- Anwendung offers a wide range of guided activities that combine lesson vocabulary and previously learned material with the new grammar point.
- Kommunikation activities provide opportunities for self-expression using the lesson grammar and vocabulary. These activities feature interaction with a partner, in small groups, or with the whole class.
6. Skill Synthesis
Pulling it all together
- Wiederholung activities integrate the lesson’s grammar points and vocabulary with previously learned vocabulary and structures, providing consistent, built-in review. It includes a realia-based activity.
- Mein Wörterbuch in the B lesson of each chapter offers the opportunity to increase vocabulary comprehension and the contextualization of new words.
Perspective through geography
- Panorama offers interesting facts about the featured city, region, or country. Maps point out major geographical features and situate the featured region in the context of its immediate surroundings. Readings explore different aspects of the featured region’s culture, such as history, landmarks, fine art, literature, and insight into everyday life.
- Musik, Musik introduces contemporary musicians and singers from different musical genres of the German-speaking world.
Reading skills developed in context
- Vor dem Lesen presents useful strategies and activities that help develop stronger reading abilities.
- Readings are tied to the chapter theme. The selections recycle vocabulary and grammar learned.
- Nach dem Lesen consists of post-reading activities that check comprehension.
Listening skills developed in context
- Hören uses a recorded conversation or narration to develop listening skills in German, while Strategien and Vorbereitung are preparation for an audio listening activity.
- Zuhören serves as a guide to the recorded segment, and Verständnis checks comprehension.
Writing skills developed in context
- In the Schreiben section, Strategien provides useful preparation for the writing task presented in Thema.
- Thema presents a writing topic and includes suggestions for approaching it. It also provides words and phrases that may be useful in writing about the topic.
ACTFL Standards
Teachers will see clearly which activities address which standards and can plan their classes accordingly with improved labeling in the Teacher Edition.
Additional Core Resources
Continuous practice, review, and reinforcement helps students stay on track! See how additional core resources further support instruction and encourage student learning.
Workbook: Completely coordinated with the textbook, the Workbook provides additional practice of the vocabulary and grammar presented in each of the textbook’s four chapters. The Workbook also helps build reading and writing skills in German.
Online Testing Program: The Mosaik testing program includes two test options for each of the textbook’s eight lessons, two chapter tests for each of the textbook’s four chapters, two exams options for the multi-unit exam, and oral testing with a grading rubric and suggestions for oral test questions that correspond to grammar and vocabulary presented in Mosaik. Answer keys and audio are available as well. The testing program is available online on the Mosaik Supersite.