Alles klar: An Integrated Approach to German Language and Culture, by Karl Otto, Wolff von Schmidt, et al., 2nd ed. (2003). Informed by a variety of approaches and techniques, Alles klar? offers a careful balance of communicative activities, cultural information, and contextualized grammar practice using a variety of sources such as realia, authentic texts, and audio-visual materials. It gives learners numerous opportunities to practice the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

See also our German practice activities to accompany Alles klar.

Deutsch heute: Grundstufe, by Winnifred R. Adolph, Gisela Hoecherl-Alden, 9th ed. (2009).
8th edition (2005). By maintaining a focus on building students' listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, Deutsch Heute has become a classic among introductory German texts. Students learn grammar while being introduced to contemporary life and culture in German-speaking countries through cast of recurring characters. Familiar characters and the integration of all program components -- workbook, video, and function-based activities -- foster language learning and skill development.

Deutsch, na klar!, by Robert Di Donato, Monica D. Clyde, et al., 5th ed. (2007). 4th edition (2003). This program for introductory German courses motivates students through its integration and use of authentic materials to illustrate vocabulary in context, communicative functions of grammatical structures, and cultural points. Includes a variety of activities and exercises, the easy-to-follow chapter structure, and the wide array of multimedia supplements.
Fokus Deutsch: Beginning German 1 & Fokus Deutsch: Beginning German 2,  by Annenberg, Rosemary Delia, Daniela Dosch Fritz, et al. (1999). Fokus Deutsch is a three-level program that integrates videos, texts, audio and other supplements to bring German language, history and culture into focus for students. It was created through a collaboration of the Annenberg/CPB project, WGBH/Boston, and the McGraw-Hill Companies along with Inter Nationes and the Goethe-Institut. The result is an original and engaging program that immerses students in the reality of German life, history, and culture.
Graded German Reader, by Hannelore Crossgrove, William C. Crossgrove, 3rd ed. (1992). This reader provides an array of cultural and literary material for students in their first year of German. The first five sections were written or edited specifically for the text, while authentic material is presented in a concluding short story by Doris Dörrie. Features include frequent use of cognates and basic vocabulary; exercises in reading comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and word-building techniques; graded readings; and footnotes throughout the text along with a verb appendix and index of exercises.

Kontakte: A Communicative Approach, by Tracy Terrell, Erwin Tschirner, 6th ed. (2008). 5th ed. (2004). This German text is based on and inspired by the Natural Approach, pioneered by Tracy D. Terrell. With it, students learn German through communicative contexts with an emphasis on the four skills as well as cultural competence, with grammar functioning as an aid to language learning, rather than as an end in itself. The abundance of interesting activities and readings in Kontakte ensure that students are exposed to rich language input, critical to language acquisition.
Neue Horizonte: A First Course in German Language and Culture, by David B. Dollenmeyer, Thomas S. Hansen, 7th ed. (2008). 6th ed. (2002).

Treffpunkt Deutsch, by Fritz T. Widmaier, Rosemarie E. Widmaier, 5th ed. (2007). 4th ed. (2002). As indicated by the title Treffpunkt—meaning "meeting place"—this book embraces the philosophy that the German classroom is a place where students get to know each other better through the target language. The book is designed to encourage students to interact spontaneously and meaningfully in German. Readers also encounter the culture and history of the German-speaking countries.
Wie geht's?, by Dieter Sevin, Ingrid Sevin, 9th ed. (2010). 8th ed. (2006). Wie geht's? shows students how the German language works while encouraging cultural awareness and the acquisition of a functional vocabulary that effectively prepares students to continue with their study of German. The audio CD included with every new student copy of the book helps students improve their listening comprehension of structures and vocabulary as well as their pronunciation.
Vorsprung, by Thomas Lovik, Douglas Guy, Monika Chavez, 2nd ed. (2007). Rev. 1st ed. (2001). This introductory German program stresses authentic language material and the practice of communicative skills. Students are stimulated to learn through pair work, realia-based activities, and a continuous story line.

Anders gedacht, by Irene Motyl-Mudretzkyj, Michaela Spähinghaus, 2nd ed. (2010). 1st ed. (2004).
Fokus Deutsch Intermediate German, by Daniela Dosch Fritz, Stephen L.Newton, et al. (2000). Fokus Deutsch is a three-level program that integrates videos, texts, audio and other supplements to bring German language, history and culture into focus for students. It was created through a collaboration of the Annenberg/CPB project, WGBH/Boston, and the McGraw-Hill Companies along with Inter Nationes and the Goethe-Institut. The result is an original and engaging program that immerses students in the reality of German life, history, and culture.
Impulse: Kommunikatives Deutsch für die Mittelstufe, by David Crowner, Klaus Lill, 2nd ed. (1998). Taking a communicative, four-skills approach, Impulse is designed to increase students' language proficiency and encourage the active use of German. This thematically organized text offers high-interest readings chosen by students, as well as partner and group work that draws on students' own experiences and builds specific language skills such as describing things and expressing opinions.
Kaleidoskop: Kultur, Literatur und Grammatik, by Jack Moeller, 7th ed. (2006). 6th ed. (2001). This intermediate text uses a four-skills approach to promote communication. It is divided into 2 sections: a cultural and literary reader and a grammar. The reader presents excerpts and complete texts that reflect contemporary Germany, followed by reading comprehension activities, and speaking and writing practice. The grammar offers a comprehensive grammar review that recycles and integrates vocabulary used in the reader.
Kenntnisse: An Advanced German Course, by Claire Burke, Edmund Burke, Susanne Parker (1999). Kenntnisse has been devised to meet the needs of students of advanced German at the undergraduate level. Includes a focus on practical language skills, authentic modern texts, original audio material, oral language practice, and grammar reinforcement.
Schemata: Lesestrategien, by Dolly Young, Beverly Moser, Darlene F. Wolf (1996). Schemata incorporates the latest in reading research to help bridge the gap between first-year language courses and third-year literature and culture courses.

Allerlei zum Besprechen, by Herman U. Teichert, Hahn Gabriele (1997). This intermediate German conversation text employs a variety of authentic materials—including literary texts, journalistic selections, audio recordings, and video clips—to explore themes such as love, prejudices, foreigners, relationships, family, fairy tales, and superstition. Includes 60-min. student audio cassette.

A Practical Review of German Grammar, by Gerda Dippmann, Johanna Watzinger-Tharp, 3rd ed. (1999). Based on an empirical approach, this popular German grammar review is arranged as a flexible classroom book or reference grammar. Concepts are explained in step-by-step fashion. Exercises in this 3rd edition now include more contextualized practice of grammar points and are more consistent in length. Features exercises that are in natural German, frequently in conversational form.
English Grammar for Students of German, by Cecile Zorach, Charlotte Melin, 5th ed. (2005).
Concise German Review Grammar, by Jack R. Moeller, 2nd ed. (2005). A clear and concise overview of grammar that can be used with an intermediate reader or alone as a reference. Uses English explanations and abundant charts and examples to help students reinforce grammatical concepts.
German in Review, by Kimberly Sparks, Van Horn Vail, 4th ed. (2003). A complete grammar of the German language offers both online activities and timeless skill-building exercises for classroom use.

Handbuch zur Deutschen Grammatik, by Jamie Rankin, Larry D. Wells, 5th ed. (2010). 4th ed. (2003). This intermediate, modular approach to German grammar serves as both reference handbook and practice manual. The organization of the 30 chapters allows instructors to teach sequentially or in modules, as each chapter is self-contained and can be used in any order. The chapter structure provides a presentation of new information, followed by material for oral and written practice: Grammatik (grammar), Worschatz (vocabulary), Übungen (exercises, self-, and small-group practice), Anwendung (application, in-class group activities), Schriftliche Themen (writing topics), and Zusammenfassung (summary).
Neue Kommunikative Grammatik: A Communicative Grammar Worktext With Written and Oral Practice, by John Klapper, Trudi McMahon (1997)

Allerlei zum Lesen, by Herman Teichert, Lovette Teichert, 2nd ed. (2005). 1st ed. (1992). An intermediate reader containing 18 unedited short stories selected for readability and interest. The stories represent classical and contemporary authors from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Die Deutschen, by Wulf Koepke, 5th ed. (1999). A reader for second and third-year German civilization courses, looks at German culture, both historically and in the present day. Consists of three parts: the geography, the history, and the culture of Germany.

Mitlesen Mitteilen: Literarische Texte zum Lesen, Sprechen, Schreiben und Hören, by Larry D. Wells, Rosmarie T Morewedge, 4th ed. (2007), 3rd ed. (2003). The text offers explicit strategies to help students approach authentic texts through a collection of short stories that reflect current themes in German culture.
Ruckblick: Texte und Bilder nach 1945: An Intermediate German Studies Reader, by Andreas Lixl-Purcell (1994). This illustrated reader for intermediate to advanced classes presents a wide range of authentic readings contributed by libraries, museums, and private collections. Memoirs, literary texts, interviews, diaries, poems, and songs offer a compelling portrait of Central European life from 1945 until today.
Stimmen eines Jahrhunderts 1888-1990: Deutsche Autobiographien, Tagebücher, Bilder und Briefe, by Andreas Lixl-Purcell
Der treffende Ausdruck, by Brigitte M. Turneaure, 2nd ed. (1998)
Was ist Deutsch?, by Anne Leblans (2000).This reader is intended for advanced intermediate students of German and introduces contemporary topics such as German identity, foreigners and their experiences in Germany, religious affiliation, disability issues, and the growing pains of young people as they come to terms with changes around them. Uses an all-in-German approach with limited glossing, focuses on comprehension strategies, vocabulary expansion, and dictionary use.
Der Weg zum Lesen, by Van Horn Vail, Kimberly Sparks, 3rd ed. (1986). Der Weg zum Lesen is designed to help instructors and students over one of the most difficult hurdles in language instruction -- the transition from working lessons in a grammar book to reading unedited literary texts.

German for Reading Knowledge, by Hubert Jannach, Richard Alan Korb, 6th ed. (2008). 5th ed. (2004). Recognized as THE book for teaching academic reading skills, the fifth edition continues to introduce students in the humanities, arts, and social sciences to a basic knowledge of German that they can use independently to begin to read specialized literature in their respective fields.
German Quickly: A Grammar for Reading German, by April Wilson (2004). German Quickly: A Grammar for Reading German teaches the fundamentals for reading German literary and scholarly texts of all levels of difficulty. It can be used as an introductory text for scholars with no background in German, or it can serve as a reference text for students wishing to review German. The grammar explanations are detailed and clear, addressing common problems students encounter while learning to read German. This book includes thought-provoking and entertaining reading selections consisting mainly of aphorisms and proverbs. There are also twelve appendices, including a summary of German grammar, descriptions of German dictionaries, a partial answer key, strategies for learning German, and a humanities vocabulary section of about 3,800 words.
Reading German: A Course Book and Reference Grammar, by Waltraud Coles, Bill Dodd (1998). This comprehensive study aid to reading real German texts provides essentials for both students and specialists who have to develop a reading knowledge of German in order to study their core subject. The book includes exercises, translation of authentic German texts, and an reference section.
Reading German: Humanities, by Joerg-Matthias Roche, 1st ed. (2000).
Reading German: Music, by J. Roche, Joerg-Matthias Roche,1st ed. (2000).The Reading German texts and CD-ROM materials were developed to aid students in acquiring a reading knowledge of German. Students are expected to obtain a level of proficiency sufficient for understanding scientific and scholarly material written in German at proficiency levels comparable to fourth year language courses. The program makes efficient use of the students' subject matter knowledge and accommodates five different levels of text difficulty to suit the German language skills of individual students.

Deutsch im Berufsalltag, by Michael Hager (2001). A complete second-year German course, provides culturally accurate, up-to-date professional situations and dialogues to introduce students to German business and social situations and contemporary culture.
German Business Situations: A Spoken Language Guide, by Paul Hartley, Gertrud Robins (1995). Reference and learning text for those who need spoken German for business. Suitable for self-study or class use. Over 40 spoken situations are simply presented, including: basic phone calls; leaving messages; making presentations; comparing, enquiring, and booking; and selling techniques. English translations and brief usage notes.
German for Business and Economics: VOL. 1: Die Volks- und Weltwirtschaft, + VOL. 2: Die Betriebswirtschaft, by Patricia Ryan Paulsell, Anne-Katrin Gramberg, Karin U. H. Evans, 2nd ed. (2000).
Geschaftsdeutsch: An Introduction to Business German, by Gudrun Clay, 2nd ed. (1994). For high-intermediate to advanced German students, Geschäftsdeutsch focuses on the topics, language, vocabulary and structures used in everyday business dealings in German-speaking countries. Thematic coverage includes the economy, industry, commerce, transportation and banking. Hones students' language skills while acquainting them with business aspects of contemporary German culture.


See also our other books on Business German

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