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E6 G - Explain the important information

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E6 G - Explain the important information

Mini description: You read or hear a short everyday text. Then you tell another person only the information they really need. You do not translate every word.

Deutsch-Hilfe: Du entnimmst einem kurzen Alltags-Text die wichtigsten Informationen und gibst sie einfach weiter. Keine Wort-für-Wort-Übersetzung.

Einleitung

Sometimes a friend needs help with a message, a notice, a timetable or an announcement. Your job is simple:

Find the important information. Keep it short. Make it clear.

This course follows five steps:

notice → understand → practise → use → feedback → use again

I can ...

I can ...	Check
find the person, place, time and action in a short text	□
decide what information is important	□
explain the key information in simple English	□
use German help when I really need it	□
check names, times and places before I send a message	□

Quick start: What is important?

Look at the symbols.

What can a clock tell you?

Try English first: It tells me the ...

Hint: t _ m e

Deutsch-Hilfe: Es geht um die Uhrzeit.

Solution: It tells me the time.

What can a map tell you?

Try English first: It tells me the ...

Hint: p _ a c e

Deutsch-Hilfe: Es geht um den Ort.

Solution: It tells me the place.

The four key questions

For many short messages, these four questions are enough:

Question	Easy meaning
Who?	Who needs the information?
What?	What must the person do or know?
When?	What day or time is important?
Where?	What place is important?

You do not always need every detail. Ask yourself:

Does my partner need this information to act correctly?

Media start: signs give quick information

A bus sign gives fast information. You do not need a long text to understand the main idea.

A lost-and-found sign also gives one clear message.

Think: Good information is often short, clear and useful.

Input 1: Read and notice

Fictional school notice

SPORTS DAY – CHANGE
Class 6G meets at the East Gate at 8:20 on Friday.
Bring water and a rain jacket.
The bus leaves at 8:30.
Lunch is provided.
Do not bring sports bags.

First reading

Do not translate every word.

Find:

Who? Class 6G.
When? Friday, 8:20.
Where? East Gate.
What? Bring water and a rain jacket. The bus leaves at 8:30. No sports bags.

Deutsch-Hilfe: Suche zuerst Person, Zeit, Ort und Handlung.

What can you leave out?

Imagine you tell a classmate what they need before school.

Important: meeting time, meeting place, what to bring, bus time.

Less important for this moment: “Lunch is provided” may be useful, but it is not the first thing your classmate needs to reach the bus.

This can change with the situation. Important information depends on the person and the task.

Short message

Try English first:

“Hi! On Friday, meet us at ... at ... . Bring ... . The bus leaves at ... .”

Hint: East Gate – 8:20 – water – rain jacket – 8:30

Deutsch-Hilfe: Nutze nur die Informationen, die dein Mitschüler jetzt braucht.

Example:

“Hi! On Friday, meet us at the East Gate at 8:20. Bring water and a rain jacket. The bus leaves at 8:30.”

Check: Is the message clear? Are time and place correct?

Input 2: Sprachmittlung in a simple situation

Sometimes the source text is German, but your partner needs simple English.

Do not translate every sentence. Pass on the key information.

Fiktive Nachricht auf Deutsch:
Hallo Sam, der Schwimmkurs beginnt morgen ausnahmsweise um 16:30 statt um 16:00. Treffpunkt ist am Haupteingang. Bring deine Schwimmbrille mit. Der Bus fährt um 16:10 an der Schule ab.

Step 1: Notice

Find the key information:

When does the course start? 16:30.
Where do you meet? Main entrance.
What do you bring? Goggles.
When does the bus leave? 16:10.

Step 2: Understand

You do not need a word-for-word translation of “ausnahmsweise” or “statt”.

Sam mainly needs the new time and the action.

Hint: Think: “What must Sam know to be there on time?”

Step 3: Use

Sentence starters:

Job	Starter
give a time	It starts at ...
give a place	Meet at ...
say what to bring	Bring ...
give a bus time	The bus leaves at ...

Example solution:

“Hi Sam. Swimming starts at 4:30 tomorrow. Meet at the main entrance. Bring your goggles. The school bus leaves at 4:10.”

Deutsch-Hilfe: Kurz, richtig und verständlich ist besser als eine vollständige Übersetzung.

Vocabulary in context

Use only a small word bank.

English	German help	Example
important	wichtig	This time is important.
information	Information	Give the key information.
message	Nachricht	Read the message.
detail	Einzelheit	This detail is useful.
meeting point	Treffpunkt	The meeting point is the gate.
entrance	Eingang	Meet at the entrance.
bring	mitbringen	Bring water.
leave	abfahren / verlassen	The bus leaves at 8:30.

Watch and listen

The videos are extra practice. You can pause and repeat.

Listening focus: Listen for a place and a direction. You do not need every word.

Try English first: Where does the person want to go?

Hint: Listen for place words.

Deutsch-Hilfe: Höre zuerst nur auf den Zielort.

Listening focus: Listen for times.

Try English first: Write down one time you hear.

Hint: Listen twice.

Deutsch-Hilfe: Beim ersten Hören nur verstehen. Beim zweiten Hören die Uhrzeit notieren.

Audio practice with a short script

A teacher or partner can read this text twice. A private recording is optional.

“Hi Mia. The film club is in Room 12 today. It starts at three thirty. Please bring your school ID. Meet Ben at the library door at three twenty.”

First listen: Do not write.

Second listen: Write only the key words.

Key question	Your note
Where?	__________
Start time?	__________
Bring?	__________
Meet whom?	__________
Meeting time?	__________

Solution: Room 12 – 3:30 – school ID – Ben – 3:20.

Pronunciation

Clear speech is more important than a perfect accent.

Say the useful chunks slowly first:

important information
meet at the entrance
the bus leaves at eight thirty
bring your school ID
it starts at three thirty

Now say each chunk again at a natural speed.

Tip: Make the important words clear: entrance, eight thirty, school ID.

Deutsch-Hilfe: Verständlichkeit ist wichtiger als Akzentfreiheit.

Read: A short everyday message

Fictional notice

LIBRARY NOTICE
The library closes at 4 p.m. today.
Please return books at the blue desk.
The computer room is open until 3:45.
Ask Mr Green if you need help.

Your friend only wants to use a computer after school.

Try English first: What does your friend need to know?

Hint: Find the computer room and its time.

Deutsch-Hilfe: Welche Information braucht dein Freund wirklich?

Solution: “The computer room is open until 3:45.”

Practise: Need it or leave it?

Situation: Leo wants to catch the Sports Day bus.

Information	Need it now?
Meet at the East Gate.	Yes
Meet at 8:20.	Yes
The bus leaves at 8:30.	Yes
Lunch is provided.	Maybe later
The notice has five lines.	No

Rule: Important information depends on the task.

Speaking

Work with a partner.

Partner A reads:

“Chess club is in Room 7 today. It starts at 2:45. Bring a pencil. The club ends at 3:30.”

Partner B does not see the text.

Try English first:

“The important information is ...”

“Meet in ...”

“It starts at ...”

“Bring ...”

Deutsch-Hilfe: Gib nur Raum, Startzeit und das Benötigte weiter.

Then change roles.

Writing

Write a short message of two to four sentences.

Source:

“School café update: On Tuesday the café opens at 9:30, not at 9:00. Hot food starts at 11:30. Today there are sandwiches, soup and fruit. Please pay at the front desk.”

Situation: Your friend wants to buy hot food.

Word bank: Tuesday – opens – hot food – 11:30 – front desk

Sentence starter:

“Hi! On Tuesday, ...”

Hint: Your friend needs the time for hot food. The full food list is not necessary.

Example solution:

“Hi! On Tuesday, hot food starts at 11:30. Pay at the front desk.”

Feedback

Use this quick check after speaking or writing.

Check	Yes / Not yet
I gave the correct person or topic.	□ / □
I gave the correct time.	□ / □
I gave the correct place.	□ / □
I gave the action the person needs.	□ / □
I left out information that was not needed.	□ / □

If one point is “Not yet”, go back to the source and correct only that point.

Use again: New mini-situation

“Hi Noor. Art club is outside today. Meet behind the sports hall at 2:20. Bring an old T-shirt. We start at 2:30. The activity ends at 3:15.”

Your partner asks: “Where and when do I meet you, and what do I bring?”

Try English first.

Hint: You need three details.

Deutsch-Hilfe: Ort, Treffzeit, Mitbringen.

Solution: “Meet behind the sports hall at 2:20. Bring an old T-shirt.”

Grammar for communication

You only need a few useful patterns here.

Pattern	Use
It starts at ...	start time
The bus leaves at ...	travel time
Meet at ...	meeting point
Bring ...	important action
Please go to ...	direction
You need ...	necessary item

Use these patterns to communicate. You do not need a long grammar explanation.

Safe and fair use

Use fictional names and fictional personal data in your own tasks.

Record your voice only if you want to. Keep school practice recordings private unless a teacher gives a safe class solution.

Do not upload classmates’ names, photos, voices or private data without permission.

If you use AI for help, check the source text yourself. Then write the final message in your own words. Do not send private school data to an external AI tool.

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

What is your first job with a short message? (Find the key information) (!Translate every word) (!Write a long new text) (!Learn every sentence by heart)

Which question helps you find a meeting time? (When?) (!Who?) (!Why?) (!How old?)

Which question helps you find a meeting point? (Where?) (!Who?) (!How many?) (!Why?)

Your friend needs the bus. Which detail is most useful? (The bus leaves at 8:30) (!The notice has five lines) (!The paper is white) (!The title is in capital letters)

What is a good short message? (Meet at the East Gate at 8:20) (!I will translate the full notice now) (!There are many words in this notice) (!I know every German word)

What should you do with an unimportant detail? (Leave it out) (!Repeat it three times) (!Make it longer) (!Translate it first)

Which sentence tells someone what to take with them? (Bring your school ID) (!The room is blue) (!I like the library) (!Tuesday is a day)

What should you check carefully before sending a message? (Time and place) (!Font size and paper colour) (!Every article in the source) (!The number of letters)

What is more important than a perfect accent? (Clear speech) (!Very fast speech) (!A very long answer) (!Using difficult words)

What is good Sprachmittlung in this course? (Pass on the needed information) (!Translate every single word) (!Add new facts) (!Change times and places)

Memory

time	when
place	where
person	who
action	what to do
entrance	meeting point
message	short information

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
When	time
Where	place
Who	person
Bring	necessary item
Meet	meeting point

...

Kreuzworträtsel

message	What do you call a short piece of information for another person?
detail	What is one small piece of information?
place	Which word answers the question “Where?”
notice	What can you read on a school information board?
listen	What do you do when you want to understand an announcement?
action	What word means something a person needs to do?

LearningApps

Lückentext

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

Leseverstehen: Read a short fictional school notice. Mark only the time, place and action.
Hörverstehen: Ask a partner to read a four-sentence message twice. Write three key words.
Sprechen: Tell a partner where and when a fictional club meets. Use two short sentences.
Schreiben: Turn a five-line notice into a two-sentence message.

Standard

Sprachmittlung: Read a short German message and give an English-speaking partner only the information they need.
Aussprache: Practise three useful chunks such as “Meet at the entrance” and record them privately if you want to.
Alltagskommunikation: Create a fictional bus or club notice with time, place and one action. A partner extracts the key facts.
Peer-Feedback: Exchange two short messages. Check time, place, action and unnecessary details.

Schwer

Informationsauswahl: Write one source text for two different people. Create a different short message for each person because they need different details.
Medienkompetenz: Compare a picture sign and a written notice. Explain which information is faster to understand and why.
Sprachmittlung: Create a short German school announcement and pass it on in simple English without translating every sentence.
Kommunikation: Role-play an information desk. One person asks for help, the other gives only the information needed to act.

Lernkontrolle

Information auswählen: A friend needs to catch a bus from a longer notice. Choose only the details that help the friend reach the bus and explain why you left other details out.
Sprachmittlung: Read a short German message with a changed meeting time. Give the essential information in simple English in no more than four sentences.
Adressatenbezug: Use the same source text for two people with different needs. Write two short messages and explain why they are different.
Fehler prüfen: Compare a source text with a short message that contains one wrong time and one unnecessary detail. Correct the message.
Transfer: Create a new everyday situation, such as a club, library or school trip. Write a source text and a useful short message for one specific person.

Lernnachweis

For a good Lernnachweis, show that you can:

find the key information in a short everyday text
identify who, what, when and where
decide which details the other person really needs
use simple, clear English
use German help only when needed
pass on information without translating word for word
check names, times, places and actions
speak clearly enough to be understood
revise your message after feedback
protect private data in recordings and digital tools

Can-do check

I can ...	Yes	Almost	Not yet
find the key information quickly	□	□	□
explain a short message in simple English	□	□	□
leave out details that are not needed	□	□	□
check time and place	□	□	□
use a sentence starter when I need help	□	□	□

If you choose “Almost” or “Not yet”, repeat one short task from this course.

Wiederholung

Use the 4-key check:

Who? – What? – When? – Where?

Then use the 3-message check:

Short – correct – useful.

Folgekurs

Next step: E6 G - Ask for and give simple information

You can also practise:

OERs zum Thema

For background on mediation in language learning:

Medienhinweise

The pictures in this course are embedded from Wikimedia Commons. Check the file page for the exact licence and attribution information.

The YouTube videos are embedded for optional listening practice. You do not need an account to complete the core tasks in this course.

Do not upload personal recordings or private school information for these tasks.

Verknüpfte Lernbereiche

E6 G - Explain the important information

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