Martin Meylin Middle School eighth-graders in Joseph Mencarini's German classes merged language skills and life skills in an "adulting" simulation. Using planning tools and online resources, students had a chance to "flash forward" and find their first jobs and housing while managing budgets in Berlin.
Students began the exercise by choosing career paths that interest them in real life. After selecting jobs, they found matching positions in Germany, looked up starting pay rates (in euros), and began planning to move to the capital city. Mencarini created spreadsheets so students could plug in their salaries, tax rates, and other information to provide realistic monthly incomes.
Once everyone was suitably employed, each student received a metro station assignment that represented the location of his or her job. The next task was to find housing using the designated stations and surrounding neighborhoods as a starting point. Housing worksheets helped the students to navigate the apartment market and account for variables like roommates and commute time. The last step was to budget for basic needs, like groceries, and find the closest and most affordable options.
Much of the information was in German, allowing language learners to further develop their skills. Students worked together in small groups to complete the project. Moriah Crutchfield looked for an apartment with roommate Isabel Schwebel. Classmates Nicholas DiPace and Alex Pawlson agreed that this assignment will be useful to them in the future.
Sixth-graders take a half-year each of German and Spanish and then choose a language to learn in seventh and eighth grades. Mandarin Chinese is added as an option at Lampeter-Strasburg High School.
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