This document outlines a curriculum plan for a unit teaching secondary German students how to order in a German restaurant. The unit goals are for students to research German foods, menus and dining customs online, create their own menu, and film a role play video demonstrating restaurant interactions. Key activities include online research on German cuisine and menus, designing an original menu, gathering restaurant vocabulary and behaviors, and creating a video presenting their menu and language skills. The curriculum aims to give students hands-on experience with authentic German dining resources and language use.

1. CREATING A MENU
AND ORDERING IN
A GERMAN
RESTAURANT Leslie Decker

2. Curriculum Plan for “Creating and
Menu and Ordering in a German
Restaurant”
Purpose and Rationale
Learners
Prerequisites
Educational Goals and Objectives
Content
Instructional Plan
Assessment

3. Purpose and Rationale
The purpose and rationale of this unit is to access information about the names
of foods in German, about different types of cuisine in the German-speaking
world, and about the vocabulary, customs, and language for ordering in a
German-speaking restaurant.
In addition, students will plan and create a menu for their own restaurant, and
make a short video depicting a scene in a restaurant. The video will include a
section teaching their lists of helpful phrases.
The idea for this unit grew out of a need for a helpful way to incorporate the
wealth of real-world information available from restaurant and language
websites into a centralized area to help secondary language students learn
how to find it and take responsibility for their language development.

4. Learners
The activities in this lesson are designed
for secondary (7th to 12th grade)
German language learners. It can also
be used with younger learners who
have the necessary prerequisites, and
college or adult learners.

5. Prerequisites
The ability to navigate web pages and use internet search engines
The ability to use basic publishing software such as Microsoft Publisher or
Adobe Indesign to create a menu layout.
The ability to use cameras or smartphones to film a video
The ability to use simple video editing software
The ability to read German at a novice level to navigate simple German
language websites.

6. Educational Goals and Objectives
The goal of this unit is to allow students to research information about German foods, cuisines,
restaurants, and eating culture, and prepare a menu and a video demonstrating how to
order in that restaurant, to share with others.
LOTE TEKS
•§114.22
•Use the internet to research the names of different foods and cuisines in German and German-speaking countries (2B,
3A; 3B)
•Use the internet to research what a German-language menu looks like (3A, 3B, 2A, 2B)
•Use the internet to research German words phrases and customs of use in a restaurant. (2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 4B,4c)
•Design and create a menu for their own restaurant. (2B)
•Write, preform and record a short video demonstrating a scene in a restaurant, and teaching their words, phrases, and
customs. (1A, 1C, 2A, 4B, 4C)
Cross-curricular:
•Social Studies: Students compare and contrast different cultures
•Technology: Students use video and publishing software to create menus and videos.

7. Content
This unit includes the following concepts:
• Names of foods
• Names of cuisines and their ingredients
• Cultural backgrounds of certain cuisines
German foods
• Restaurant behaviors (seating, cutlery, paying, tipping)
• Restaurant vocabulary and phrases, use of the formal register
• Modal verbs (möchten, wollen)
German restaurant
language and
culture

8. Instructional Plan
This Unit will consist of 4 activities
•Students will use the online resources to gather information regarding food and cuisine.
They will use a paper worksheet to record the information found. Activity 1:
•Students will use the information they created to write a restaurant menu for an establishment in a particular
German-speaking region. They will choose from various desktop publisher templates to help them, and will refer
to real-world menus as well as teacher requirements when designing the menu. The menu must contain
elements specific to that region.
Activity 2:
•Students will use the online resources to gather information about appropriate
language and behavior in German-speaking restaurants. They will use a paper
worksheet to record the information found.
Activity 3:
• Students will write and perform a restaurant dialogue, on video, using the information found. They will
incorporate their menu into the video. In addition, they will include a section teaching others about
the specific language phrases and cultural information they have learned. Activity 4:

9. Assessment
The teacher will use rubrics for the
menu and video.
The teacher will grade the
worksheets for accuracy.

10. Contact Information
For more information about this curriculum unit, contact the author:
Author: Leslie Decker
Affiliation: Texas Tech University (Graduate Student)
Email: leslie@familydecker.org

11. Credits:
The following resources were used in the development of this unit
plan:
Texas Education Agency: Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills.
Retrieved September 13, 2014 from
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter114/ch114c.html.
Rubistar. Retrieved September 13, 2014 from
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/.

12. Video Assessment Rubric

13. Menu Assessment Rubric
Student Name: ________________________________________
CATEGORY 4 3 2 1
Writing - Grammar There are no grammatical mistakes in
the menu.
There are a few grammatical mistakes,
but they do not impede
comprehension.
There are a number of grammatical
mistakes, that may impede
comprehension.
Several grammatical errors in the
menu. Comprehension is impeded.
Spelling & Proofreading No spelling errors. 1-3 spelling errors. 3-5 spelling errors. Several spelling errors in the menu.
Attractiveness & Organization The menu has exceptionally attractive
formatting and well-organized
information.
The menu has attractive formatting
and well-organized information.
The menu has well-organized
information.
The menu's formatting and
organization of material are confusing
to the reader.
Graphics/Pictures Graphics go well with the text and
there is a good mix of text and
graphics.
Graphics go well with the text, but
there are so many that they distract
from the text.
Graphics go well with the text, but
there are too few and the menu seems
"text-heavy".
Graphics do not go with the
accompanying text or appear to be
randomly chosen.
Elements included All elements (food/drink/desert
categories) are included in the menu.
The menu is regionally appropriate.
80-90% of the elements
(food/drink/desert categories) are
included in the menu. The menu is
somewhat regionally appropriate.
70-80% of the elements
(food/drink/desert categories) are
included in the menu. The menu is
minimally regionally appropriate.
Fewer than 70% of the elements
(food/drink/desert categories) are
included in the menu. The menu is not
regionally appropriate.
Date Created: September 13, 2014