aiMOOC

E8 G - Mediate important information from a short text

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E8 G - Mediate important information from a short text

Mini-Beschreibung: Du vermittelst zentrale Informationen aus einem kurzen deutsch- oder englischsprachigen Text sinngemäß für eine konkrete Person. Du übersetzt nicht Wort für Wort. Du entscheidest: Was braucht die Person wirklich?

Niveau: Englisch als erste Fremdsprache, Klasse 8, G-Niveau, Baden-Württemberg.

Course routine: English first → context → try → ask → hint → German help if needed.

Wichtig: Verständlichkeit ist wichtiger als Akzentfreiheit. Aufnahmen sind freiwillig und bleiben privat. Verwende fiktive Profile. Lade keine privaten Social-Media-Daten hoch. Nutze externe KI nur, wenn dies ausdrücklich erlaubt ist. Prüfe KI-Hilfen, Fakten und Feedback selbst. KI soll Deinen eigenen Text nicht ersetzen.

Medien-Einstieg

Look first. Do not translate yet.

Imagine you are in an English-speaking town. A friend asks you in German:

„Kann ich bei diesem Angebot mitmachen und was muss ich wissen?“

Your job is not to translate every word. Your job is to give the friend the important information.

Quick try: Look at the bike-workshop photo. Say three pieces of information that could be important for a teenager before joining a workshop.

I-can-Ziele

Nach diesem aiMOOC kannst Du sagen:

I can mediate: I can pass on the main information from a short text.
I can choose: I can choose information that is useful for one person.
I can paraphrase: I can use my own words instead of translating word by word.
I can read for gist: I can find the main idea and key details in a short text.
I can listen for key information: I can understand important points in clear, moderate speech.
I can speak clearly: I can connect short statements and give a reason.
I can write briefly: I can write a short message or email with the needed information.
I can ask for help: I can ask, use a hint and only then use German help.

Vorwissen

Think first:

What is the difference between a translation and a summary?
Which details are often important in an event text: time, place, price, age, equipment, booking?
Which details can be unimportant for one person but important for another?

Mini-rule: The same source text can lead to different mediation answers because different people need different information.

Was ist Mediation?

Mediation means that you help another person understand useful information across languages. You keep the meaning, but you may shorten, explain or rephrase.

Not this: word-for-word translation.

Do this: understand → select → explain.

For G-level, the focus is on familiar topics, clear structure, guided strategies and information that is easy to identify. The Baden-Württemberg curriculum for English as a first foreign language states that learners should transfer relevant information appropriately for the addressee and use compensation strategies with guidance.

Bildungsplan Baden-Württemberg: Sprachmittlung, Englisch als erste Fremdsprache, Klassen 7/8/9

The five-step mediation plan

Who? Who needs the information?
Need? What does this person want to know?
Find. Mark only useful key information.
Say. Use simple connected sentences in your own words.
Check. Did you answer the person's question?

Rule: If one difficult word is not important, you may leave it out.

Reading: Short text

Context first: Mina is 14. She is staying with an exchange family. Her bike brakes do not work well. She wants to know whether the following event can help her.

Read once for the main idea. Do not use a dictionary yet.

Saturday Bike Fix

Riverside Youth Hub is offering a free bike workshop this Saturday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. The workshop is for young people aged 12 to 17. Bring your own bike. Local mechanics will show you how to check brakes, tyres and lights. Book a 30-minute slot by Friday at 6 p.m. Helmets are recommended for the short test ride. Drinks are available for £1, and adults can wait in the café.

First question: Is this event probably useful for Mina? Give one reason.

Read again: Find only what Mina needs

Write down no more than six key points.

Try first.

Possible categories:

age
time
place
cost
what to bring
booking
safety

Do not copy full sentences.

Kontextwortschatz

Step 1 – Guess from context.

workshop
brakes
tyres
slot
recommended
available

Step 2 – English hints.

workshop: a practical session where you learn by doing
brakes: parts that help a bike stop
tyres: the rubber parts around the wheels
slot: a short fixed time for one person
recommended: a good idea, but not always a rule
available: ready to use or buy

Step 3 – German help only if needed.

German help

workshop = Workshop / praktische Einheit
brakes = Bremsen
tyres = Reifen
slot = Zeitfenster / Termin
recommended = empfohlen
available = erhältlich / verfügbar

False-friend alert: free can mean kostenlos. It does not always mean frei.

Aussprache

Say the words slowly, then in a short phrase.

Word	Stress help	Mini-phrase
information	in-for-MA-tion	important information
repair	re-PAIR	repair a bike
recommended	recom-MEN-ded	helmets are recommended
important	im-POR-tant	important details

Goal: Speak so that another person can understand you. You do not need to sound like a native speaker.

Listening and Viewing

First listen: no transcript and, if possible, no subtitles.

This BBC Learning English video practises asking for and giving directions.

First viewing:

What is the topic?
Which words help you follow a route?
Which information would you pass on if a German-speaking visitor asked for help?

Second viewing: Listen again and note only key phrases.

After your own listening attempt: You may switch on subtitles or use the transcript linked by the video source.

Mediation task: Imagine a German-speaking visitor does not understand the English explanation. Give only the route information that person needs.

Optional strategy video

Use this BBC Learning English study-skills video only as an optional strategy resource.

Task: Find one reading strategy that could also help with mediation. Explain it in one simple sentence.

Your first mediation

Person: Mina, 14, wants help with her bike brakes.

Task: Tell Mina in German what she needs to know. Use 3–5 connected sentences.

Try before you open a hint.

Hint 1 Start with the answer to Mina's real question: Is the workshop useful for her?

Hint 2 Useful points are age, activity, time, place, price, bike, booking and possibly helmet.

German help Possible opening: „Ja, das Angebot passt zu dir, weil …“ Do not translate the whole flyer.

Direct feedback

Compare the three answers.

Answer A: „Am Samstag gibt es von 12 bis 15 Uhr im Riverside Youth Hub einen kostenlosen Fahrrad-Workshop für 12- bis 17-Jährige. Du kannst dort auch die Bremsen prüfen. Du musst Dein eigenes Fahrrad mitbringen und bis Freitag um 18 Uhr einen Termin buchen.“

Feedback: Clear, relevant and connected. It answers Mina's need.

Answer B: „Der Hub bietet einen freien Fahrrad-Workshop. Getränke sind verfügbar für ein Pfund. Erwachsene können im Café warten.“

Feedback: Some words are translated too literally and important details for Mina are missing.

Answer C: „Es gibt einen Workshop.“

Feedback: The main idea is there, but Mina still cannot decide what to do.

Improve one answer: Add the missing information without translating every sentence.

Error analysis

Problem	Better strategy
translating free as frei	check the context: here it means kostenlos
translating every sentence	select only information the person needs
copying unknown words	paraphrase with easier words
forgetting the booking deadline	look for times, dates and action words
giving many details without order	start with the answer, then add key details

Self-correction question: Does your answer help the person act?

Speaking

Partner task:

Student A is Mina. Student B mediates the event information.

Mina asks:

„Kann ich da mitmachen?“
„Kostet das etwas?“
„Was muss ich mitbringen?“
„Muss ich mich anmelden?“

Student B answers in short connected statements.

Useful English phrases for strategy talk:

The important point is ...
She needs to know ...
This detail is not important for her because ...
I would leave this out because ...

Recording option: You may record your answer only if you want to. Keep it private unless your teacher gives a clear, safe sharing task.

Writing

Write a short message to Mina.

Length: about 50–70 words in German.

Structure:

answer her question
give key details
say what she must do next

Less support: Do not copy the model answer. Use your own order and wording.

Check:

Is every sentence useful?
Did I include the deadline?
Did I avoid unnecessary detail?
Is my message easy to understand?

Functional grammar: understand, do not overproduce

At G-level, some grammar is mainly receptive. You should recognise the meaning when you meet it. You do not have to force these forms into your own mediation.

Bildungsplan Baden-Württemberg: Grammatik, Englisch als erste Fremdsprache

Past perfect – receptive

Example: The group had booked before the workshop started.

Meaning: First they booked. Later the workshop started.

Your job: Understand the time order. You do not need to use past perfect in your mediation.

Passive – receptive

Example: The workshop is organised by the youth centre.

Meaning: The youth centre organises the workshop.

Your job: Find who or what the sentence is about. Do not force passive forms into your own answer.

Reported speech without backshift

Example: Mina said that the workshop is free.

You can use simple reported speech without changing all tenses.

Useful for mediation: You can report what another person says, but clear simple sentences are enough.

Level note: Productive passive forms, backshift, reported questions and commands belong to higher demands than this G-level course. Past perfect progressive is not a productive target here.

Mediation toolkit

When you do not know one word:

describe it: a place where young people meet
use a simpler word: repair → fix
give an example
leave it out if it is not important
ask for repetition in listening
use a dictionary only for an important word

Do not stop because of one unknown word.

Transfer task 1: A new short text

Context: Your German-speaking cousin Ben is 13. He wants to try a new sport but cannot stay after 4 p.m.

School Sports Taster Day

On Wednesday, Green Park School is running short sports sessions for students aged 12 to 15. Activities include basketball, table tennis and climbing. The event starts at 2 p.m. and finishes at 4 p.m. Equipment is provided. Students should wear trainers and bring a bottle of water. The event is free, but students need to register at the school office by Tuesday.

Task: Tell Ben in German whether the event fits his situation and what he needs to do.

Rule: Maximum 4 sentences.

Transfer task 2: Change the recipient

Now the same text is for another person:

Aylin is 15. She wants to try climbing and asks whether she needs to bring sports equipment.

Which information becomes more important now?

Write a new mediation in 3–4 sentences.

Think: Same source, different recipient, different selection.

Media literacy and AI check

Use only information that is actually in the source.
If a picture suggests something that the text does not say, mark it as a guess.
Do not use real private profiles for practice.
Do not paste private chats, names or social-media data into external tools.
AI may give a wrong translation or add facts. Compare its result with the source.
Your own mediation should remain your work.

Can-do-Check

Mark what you can do now.

I can ...	Yes	Not yet
find the main idea of a short text	☐	☐
choose information for one specific person	☐	☐
leave out irrelevant details	☐	☐
paraphrase instead of translating word by word	☐	☐
ask for help after trying first	☐	☐
give a short connected mediation	☐	☐

If you marked Not yet, return to the five-step mediation plan and repeat one transfer task.

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

What is the main goal of mediation? (To pass on relevant meaning for a specific person) (!To translate every word) (!To copy the source text) (!To explain every grammar rule)

What should you do before using German help? (Try to understand the English context first) (!Translate the first sentence immediately) (!Skip the text) (!Write a full dictionary list)

Which information is especially important for Mina in the bike-workshop text? (The workshop helps with brakes and needs advance booking) (!Adults can wait in the café) (!Drinks cost one pound) (!The text uses the word mechanics)

What does free mean in the bike-workshop context? (Kostenlos) (!Frei im Sinne von nicht besetzt) (!Freizeit) (!Freigelassen)

What is a good strategy for an unknown but unimportant word? (Leave it out if the message still works) (!Stop the whole task) (!Invent a meaning) (!Translate it word for word)

Why can two mediation answers from the same source be different? (Different recipients need different information) (!One source always has two meanings) (!Grammar changes the facts) (!Mediation has no rules)

What should a G-level learner mainly do with past perfect in this course? (Recognise the time order) (!Use it in every sentence) (!Change every verb into past perfect) (!Avoid understanding it)

What is the best first step in listening? (Listen for the main idea before reading a transcript) (!Read a full translation first) (!Stop after the first unknown word) (!Write every word you hear)

Which response is most useful in mediation? (A short connected answer with needed facts) (!A list of every word in the text) (!A literal sentence-by-sentence translation) (!An answer with extra invented details)

What should you do with AI-generated help? (Check it against the source and keep your own work) (!Accept every answer automatically) (!Upload private chats) (!Let AI replace your whole text)

Memory

mediation	meaning across languages
recipient	person who needs the information
gist	main idea
paraphrase	say it in different words
deadline	latest time to do something
relevant	useful for the task

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
recipient	the person who needs the information
gist	the main idea of a text
paraphrase	express the meaning in other words
deadline	the final time for an action
relevant	useful for the concrete task

Kreuzworträtsel

Mediation	Wie heißt das sinngemäße Vermitteln zwischen Sprachen?
Kontext	Was hilft Dir, die Bedeutung eines unbekannten Wortes zu erschließen?
Adressat	Für wen wählst Du bei einer Sprachmittlung passende Informationen aus?
Paraphrase	Wie nennt man eine Wiedergabe mit anderen Worten?
Relevanz	Welches Kriterium entscheidet, ob eine Information für die Person wichtig ist?
Kernaussage	Wie heißt die wichtigste Aussage eines Textes?

LearningApps

Lückentext

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

Schlüsselwörter markieren: Markiere im Bike-Workshop-Text höchstens sechs Informationen, die Mina braucht.
Mediation vergleichen: Vergleiche zwei kurze Antworten und erkläre, welche für Mina hilfreicher ist.
Wortschatz im Kontext: Wähle drei unbekannte Wörter und erkläre ihre Bedeutung zuerst auf einfachem Englisch.
Mündliche Sprachmittlung: Vermittle den Sports-Taster-Day-Text in höchstens vier deutschen Sätzen.

Standard

Adressatenwechsel: Schreibe zwei verschiedene Mediationen zum selben Text für zwei unterschiedliche fiktive Personen.
E-Mail schreiben: Verfasse eine 60-Wörter-Nachricht, in der Du die wichtigsten Informationen aus einem kurzen englischen Veranstaltungstext vermittelst.
Fehleranalyse: Erstelle eine Tabelle mit fünf typischen Mediation-Fehlern und passenden Verbesserungsstrategien.
Listening-Mediation: Höre ein kurzes, klares englisches Audio zweimal und vermittle anschließend drei zentrale Informationen. Nutze das Transkript erst danach.

Schwer

Info-Flyer erstellen: Erstelle einen eigenen kurzen englischen Flyer zu einem vertrauten Thema und formuliere dazu zwei verschiedene Mediation-Aufträge.
Interview durchführen: Führe mit einer Mitschülerin oder einem Mitschüler ein kurzes fiktives Interview auf Englisch und vermittle die Kernaussagen anschließend auf Deutsch.
Video-Mediation: Erstelle freiwillig und privat ein höchstens 60-sekündiges Video, in dem Du wichtige Informationen aus einem kurzen englischen Text vermittelst. Kein ungefragter Upload.
KI-Feedback prüfen: Lass Dir nur bei erlaubter Nutzung von einer KI Feedback zu einem selbst geschriebenen Mediationstext geben. Prüfe jede Rückmeldung am Originaltext und dokumentiere, was Du übernimmst oder ablehnst.

Lernkontrolle

Adressatenbezug prüfen: Zwei Personen lesen denselben englischen Veranstaltungstext. Erkläre, warum sie nicht zwingend dieselben Informationen brauchen.
Informationsauswahl begründen: Wähle aus acht Details vier aus, die für eine konkrete Person wichtig sind, und begründe zwei Deiner Entscheidungen.
Paraphrasieren anwenden: Umschreibe drei schwierige Informationen mit einfacheren Wörtern, ohne den Sinn zu verändern.
Hörverstehen übertragen: Höre eine kurze Mitteilung zweimal und gib anschließend nur die Information weiter, die eine bestimmte Person zum Handeln braucht.
Fehler verbessern: Überarbeite eine zu wörtliche Mediation so, dass sie kürzer, klarer und adressatengerechter wird.
Transfer leisten: Übertrage die fünf Schritte Who – Need – Find – Say – Check auf einen neuen Texttyp, zum Beispiel eine kurze E-Mail oder einen Aushang.

Lernnachweis

Für einen Lernnachweis ist wichtig, dass Du:

die Hauptaussage des Ausgangstextes richtig verstehst,
Informationen passend zur konkreten Person auswählst,
keine wichtigen Fakten erfindest oder veränderst,
sinngemäß statt Wort für Wort vermittelst,
einfache verbundene Aussagen verwendest,
bei Schwierigkeiten passende Strategien nutzt,
Hilfen schrittweise und bewusst einsetzt,
Deine Lösung am Ausgangstext überprüfst.

Ein möglicher Lernnachweis besteht aus einem kurzen unbekannten Text, einem fiktiven Adressatenprofil und einer kurzen mündlichen oder schriftlichen Mediation.

Folgekurs

Wenn Du diesen Kurs sicher kannst, arbeite weiter mit:

OERs zum Thema

Wikipedia: Fremdsprachenunterricht

Weitere frei zugängliche Lernressourcen:

Mediennachweise

Die verwendeten Wikimedia-Commons-Dateien sind auf ihren jeweiligen Dateiseiten mit freien Lizenzen oder Public-Domain-Hinweisen dokumentiert.

Information icon
Bike workshop
Speaking
Reading
Information sign
Reading icon
Speaker
Writing
Email

Die eingebetteten YouTube-Videos stammen von BBC Learning English. Nutze bei externen Medien die jeweils angegebenen Nutzungsbedingungen und Datenschutzregeln.