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IV. Intermediate Textbook (High School/ College -Level B1+) Koithan, Ute, et al. Aspekte: Mittelstufe Deutsch. Lehrbuch 1. (Bl + ). Berlin: Langenscheidt, 2007. Paper, 192 pp. + DVD, euro21 .90. 2 Audio CDs zum Lehrbuch, 1 15 min, euro20.00. Arbeitsbuch 1 . 2007. Paper, 176 pp., euro11.95. Lehrerhandreichungen 1. 2008. Paper, 144 pp., euro13.95. «www.langenscheidt.de/aspekte»
Aspekte is a very recent monolingual German method for intermediate students that is meant to provide plenty of practice at the Bl + level in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (Threshold to Vantage Independent User, corresponding roughly to the ACTFL's Intermediate Mid to High), and with the aim of bringing them into the B2 range. There is also an Aspekte 2 available that was not reviewed for this article. Both series aim to prepare students for B2 and Cl level exams and are directed toward young adults.
The program is designed to be modular, and it is not necessary to tackle the ten chapters in a linear sequence. Each chapter begins with a colorful two-page spread that offers an introduction to the organizing topic of that unit. The topics include health and nutrition, leisure and entertainment, education and training, professions and the work world, personal relationships, consumers and advertising, vacations, and the environment. Each chapter offers four modules that reflect various aspects of the chapter theme, followed by a Porträt of a famous person from German-speaking cultures, a one-page grammar summary of structures practiced in the chapter, and a final two-page guide to the video segment on the accompanying DVD with comprehension activities and stimuli for reflection and discussion. The last section of the book contains several useful pages of Redemittel listed by discourse function, followed by a grammar reference section in table format that refers students to chapters in which the construction is practiced. Two keys to the results of survey quizzes also appear here (such as "What sort of traveler are you?"), followed by a model format for a self-portrait assignment. There is no alphabetical glossary or even a simple listing of...