The learning programme by Philipus-Education for primary schools is very comprehensive and built on the audio-visual with a predominantly cultural approach. The story and the characters are
endearing, which gets the students involved in the work and motivates them. The photographs throughout the story and the themes covered allow a real encounter with the country, its culture and
its language. The possibilities for each chapter are numerous, whether it is the course that each lesson takes, the supplementary material and the proposed activities, the transferability between
subjects or the interdisciplinarity.
Isabelle Delcroix – Teacher in the bilingual sector, French department 68 - Extract from her Master's thesis on "Culture as an essential tool and path for language learning", page
65
I have been using this learning programme since the start of the 2019 school year and I particularly appreciate it. Complete, varied and attractive, students also like it a lot ... I
recommend this method to colleagues because I am very satisfied with it. It really is a "turnkey" method!
Rita Seyer – School director and teacher in a primary school, French department 67
I use this course with my 3rd-year class in a primary school. I find it very practical (I let myself be guided by the teacher's handbook) and very pleasant (there are a lot of songs and
rhymes in particular). In addition, the students are very involved in the story and they also appreciate the format of the programme, namely the video support accompanied by exercises and various
recordings.
Audrey Alves, primary school teacher of a third-year class, French department 57
I am very satisfied with the course. The pupils immediately became attached to the characters and eagerly follow their adventures.
The photos of Germany take us on a journey ... and enhance the cultural aspect. The art projects are very interesting but as a language teacher, I only did a few.
It might be interesting to suggest that the students each have their own parrot which they could colour in as the colours are won during the course. *
Caroline Raison – language teacher – French department 70
* Response from Philipus-Education: Thank you for your suggestion. Indeed, that is a very good idea which can be implemented. The image cards of the parrot and the main characters are available in LUFTBALLONS+, "6. Weiteres Material / Additional resources"
Here is a little summary of my work with your “Luftballons” course.
I am a teaching assistant for German at a primary school (for almost 20 years) so I teach in quite a few different classes which also have different levels: first year, mixed groups of first
and second year, as well as third and fourth year, with and without prior knowledge in German. This year, I have between 45 and 60 minutes with my classes (only once a week!). I was very
sceptical at first, but now I am more than convinced. In addition, I must say that I work in the "traditional" way, therefore without DVDs, because here in our region, only a quarter of the
schools have interactive whiteboards in their classrooms.
In the second and third year classes I work with your coursebook “Komm, wir spielen!”, along with another programme.
In addition, in a few second and third year classes, I have started to use the story of “Luftballons” as an audiobook - it works very well.
Kerstin Staudt – Teaching assistant for German – French department 68
I am very satisfied with the German course “Luftballons” which is a "turnkey" method with a wide variety of materials (writing – speaking – evaluations – games). The audio support is very
clear and it allows many oral repetitions. The resources available online (LUFTBALLONS +) are also very well adapted. My pupils take great pleasure in discovering new stories and new songs. My
colleagues in secondary school have ordered the course “Komm, wir spielen!” so that we can coordinate our work.
Laurence Mathis, primary school teacher, second and third year – French department 67
I am completely satisfied with the “Luftballons” course. Children love it, the songs are appreciated. Mixing in visual art activities* is
great. No complaints. Thank you.
Christelle Acker, Director of Ecole de Waldhouse – French department 57
* Here is the link to the visual art projects online (at LUFTBALLONS+). Further details are provided in the teacher’s handbook.
The “Luftballons” course is completely in line with my expectations. The activities are varied and the method follows a common thread. The children are very happy, they have a lot of fun,
progress much faster than with the previous programme due to their identification with the characters and the variety of activities. Furthermore, the free LUFTBALLONS+ resources are also very
good.
Anne Joly, teacher of various courses: final year in pre-school, up to the third year in primary school – French department 67
As with the course "Komm, wir spielen!", I am completely delighted with the content of the chapters and the quality of the conversations between the little characters of the "Luftballons"
course. They are ideal for young learners because they are friendly and always seem enthusiastic about their numerous adventures. In addition, their journey across the country adds the cultural
element essential to learning a language. From a linguistic point of view, the spiral aspect of learning German is well conceived there. The CD and DVD offer an attractive audio-visual facility
that motivates the students. The exercise book also allows you to approach learning in a fun way. And the teacher's book is a methodological tool rich in approaches and strategies.
To conclude, the two programmes complement each other perfectly.
Roseline Bollinger, pedagogical advisor for teachers of modern languages in the communal schools of Wallonia (Belgium)
