A fascinating subject - regional studies. Regional studies in Dhow Didactic lotto "Dialogue of Cultures"

Subject: “Let's be polite” (country studies).

Educational tasks: to cultivate a sense of camaraderie, goodwill, the desire to come to the aid of friends, and a culture of communication.

Developmental tasks: training of linguistic guesswork, verbal-logical thinking, visual memory, visual-figurative and practical-effective thinking.

Training tasks: Repetition of vocabulary: “Good morning!”; "Good-bye!"

New vocabulary: “ Thank youyou!»

Equipment: models of Winnie the Pooh, Cheburashka, Mickey Mouse, Baba Yaga; envelope with flags of Russia, USA, Great Britain.

Move classes :

- Goodmorning, children! - Guys, look who came to us today. This is Winnie the Pooh. Let's say hello to him in English, because Winnie the Pooh is English, he's from England. (Winnie the Pooh greets each child individually).

Guys, I have a question for you: what country do you live in? Who knows the capital of our Motherland? What language do you speak? Do you know that there are also such countries as England, America, France, Japan, China, Germany, Italy. People in these countries all speak different languages. Here you and I are Russians and we speak Russian. And in France they speak... (French). I ask several countries.

Winnie the Pooh: But I didn’t come to visit you alone today. My friends came with me: Russian Cheburashka and American Mickey Mouse. And they brought with them the flags of their countries (we look at the flags of Russia, the USA, and Great Britain with the children).

Physical education minute "Head and shoulders"

Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes, knees and toes.

Head and shoulders, knees and toes, eyes, ears, mouth and nose.

Sit down comfortably and I will tell you a fairy tale that tells about the adventures of friends (I use models of heroes on the board):

Once upon a time there lived in different countries Cheburashka, Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh. They lived in their own countries and showed the children funny cartoons. But one evil Baba Yaga envied them that they were so cheerful and kind, they went to visit each other, showed cartoons to the children, and she was alone without friends. So she took it and hid her friends in a dark magical forest. So that they can no longer please children with their cartoons. And Cheburashka sits, Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse are in a dark forest and can’t get out...

Guys, I have a request to you: let's help our friends get out. And for this we must show our knowledge of the English language (we repeat the names of the colors).

Well done, Baba Yaga’s evil heart begins to thaw and becomes kinder. Now, let's learn a good dance to completely appease the evil Baba Yaga. This dance is called"Waltz of Friendship"

Listen to how it sounds in Russian:

One, two, three - on your toes,

One, two, three - turned around,

They clapped and dispersed.

Now line up in pairs and stand in a circle (learning movements with Russian text). And now, everything is the same only with English words:

One, two, three - on the tiptoes,

One, two, three - turn around,

Clap , clap , step aside .

(we dance, and the teacher sings in English). Now, let me turn on the music and you and I will dance to the music (we dance 2-3 times).

Because of our efforts, Baba Yaga became completely kind and let our friends go: Cheburashka to Russia (placed near the Russian flag), Mickey Mouse in the USA (near the American flag), and Winnie the Pooh to Great Britain (near the British flag).

Our friends say “Thank you” to you in English:“Thank you!”

And they say goodbye to you:"Good-bye, children !» (Children say goodbye in English).

Introduction

Chapter I. Specifics of teaching a foreign language to preschoolers

1 Psycho-physiological characteristics of children 5-7 years old

2 Problems of teaching a foreign language to preschoolers

3 Formation of sociocultural competence of preschool children when teaching the German language

Conclusions on the first chapter

Chapter II. Structure of the German regional studies course for preschoolers

2 Objectives of the training course “Country Studies”

3 Regional studies for the little ones

Conclusions on the second chapter

Conclusion

Bibliography

Applications

Introduction

Over the past few years, the number of people learning foreign languages, in particular German, has increased dramatically. The fact that it is impossible for a modern person to do without knowledge of foreign languages has become obvious to almost everyone. The age of the students has also changed. If until now the methodology was focused primarily on schoolchildren, now parents strive to start teaching their children a foreign language as early as possible. Moreover, preschool age is recognized by psychologists as the most favorable period for this type of activity.

In connection with the orientation towards the humanistic goal of education, the cultural value of educational institutions, including kindergartens, increases. There is already a practice of teaching foreign languages from preschool age. But full mastery of a foreign language is impossible without regional knowledge. Education through the means of a foreign language presupposes knowledge about the culture, history, realities and traditions of the country of the language being studied.

The subject of the study is the problems of developing the sociocultural competence of preschoolers in German language classes.

The object of the study is a regional studies course for preschoolers.

The purpose of this work is to compile an informational regional guide to Germany for preschoolers.

In accordance with the goal, the following tasks were formulated:

Study and analyze the age characteristics of preschoolers and their readiness to learn a foreign language;

Consider the content of the concept of sociocultural competence (SCC);

Select the content of teaching the German language for the formation of SKK in preschoolers;

Develop a manual for teaching regional studies to preschoolers.

The work consists of theoretical and practical parts. In the theoretical part, we determine the age characteristics of preschoolers and analyze the importance of the age factor in teaching foreign languages.

The practical part of this work presents a brief regional reference book.

The theoretical significance of this work lies in the theoretical justification and selection of content for the formation of SCM in preschool children.

The practical value of this work is that these developments can be applied by foreign language teachers in preschool institutions.

preschooler regional studies German learning

Chapter I.Specifics of teaching a foreign language to preschoolers

.1 Psychophysiological characteristics of children 5-7 years old

Research into the psychological characteristics of preschool age, in particular in the context of the problem of readiness to start school, constitutes a broad area of developmental psychology. A large number of works have been published in domestic and foreign psychology devoted to the study of various aspects of the psychology of preschool childhood (J. Selley, E. Maiman, A. Binet, St. Hall, K.D. Ushinsky, A.P. Nechaev, E.N. Vodovozova and others), discusses the features and significance of preschool age, differences in the course of mental processes in children and adults; the need for targeted preparation of children for systematic schooling; the role of family education in preparing a child for school; the tasks of preschool institutions in preparing children for school; content and methods of working with young children in the family and in preschool institutions to ensure comprehensive development and preparation for school.

According to psychologists, preschool childhood is an important period in the mental and personal development of a child. In domestic psychology and pedagogy, it is customary to distinguish junior (3-4 years), middle (4-5 years) and senior preschool age (5-7 years). Each age period is associated not only with further development, but also with a significant restructuring of the child’s cognitive activity and personality, necessary for his successful transition to a new social status - the status of a schoolchild. (2,7,14,18,30)

Since the senior preschool age is more favorable for the implementation of targeted learning, in particular teaching a foreign language (Vygotsky L.S., Nafikova E.V., Roptanova L.F., Filatov V.M., etc.), it would be advisable consider the features of this particular period.

The development of volition and volitional qualities allows the child to purposefully overcome certain difficulties specific to a preschooler. Subordination of motives also develops (for example, a child may refuse noisy play while adults are relaxing).

Interest in reading appears. At the age of 5-6 years, a child can already remember something purposefully.

In addition to the communicative function, the planning function of speech develops, that is, the child learns to consistently and logically organize his actions and talk about it. Self-instruction develops, which helps the child organize his attention in advance on the upcoming activity.

The moral development of an older preschooler largely depends on the degree of adult participation in it, since it is in communication with an adult that the child learns, comprehends and interprets moral norms and rules. It is necessary to form the habit of moral behavior in a child. This is facilitated by the creation of problematic situations and the inclusion of children in them in the process of everyday life.

At the age of six, the child is free and relaxed, impatient. “A six-year-old child constantly has a variety of needs that constantly replace each other. Their peculiarity is that they are experienced as urgent, i.e. actual, desire. Actual needs are closely intertwined with impulsive activity, i.e. with the transition to action from the very first awakening, without delay. The teacher has not yet finished the question, but the child is already rushing to answer, the task has not yet been explained, but he is already starting to complete it.”

By the age of 6, the child becomes much more independent, more independent of the adult, his relationships with others expand and become more complicated. This provides an opportunity for a more complete and deeper self-awareness, assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of both one’s own and peers. The child begins to realize his place among other people, he develops an internal social position and a desire for a new social role that meets his needs. At this age, the preschooler begins to realize and generalize his experiences, a stable self-esteem and a corresponding attitude towards success and failure in activities are formed.

The harmonious development of a six-year-old child is closely related to his abilities - personality traits that ensure high achievements in activities and determine a person’s suitability for a particular type of activity.

Many of them are already noticeably manifested by the age of 6. These include cognitive abilities, which include sensory (perception of objects and their external properties) and intellectual abilities. The latter provide relatively easy and productive mastery and operation of knowledge and its sign systems.

The child’s cognitive abilities are manifested, for example, in accuracy, sensitivity of his perception to differences in objects, the ability to isolate their most characteristic properties, differences from each other, the ability to understand complex situations, asking questions, confident use of logical-grammatical structures in speech (cause - effect). , opposition, etc.), observation, ingenuity. An important condition for the development of these abilities is the desire for mental effort, the absence of indifference or reluctance to mental stress.

By the end of the preschool period, the rudiments of voluntary, active attention appear, associated with a consciously set goal, with volitional effort. Its occurrence is an important new formation in the child’s psyche. Voluntary attention does not appear by itself from involuntary attention, but only in the course of interaction between a child and an adult. The first person to draw attention to this was the Soviet psychologist L. S. Vygotsky. Each person, in the process of his development, through communication with other people, masters historically established ways of organizing his own attention. The first stages of such mastery occur at the age of 6-7 years.

Preschool age is characterized primarily by the development of play. The importance of the game for the development of educational activities and preparation at school is revealed in the works of L.I. Bozhovich, S.G. Yakobson, T.N. Doronova, N.V. Nizhegorodtseva and others. In child psychology, a variety of types of games have been analyzed: manipulative, directorial, role-playing, games with rules, didactic. The central place among them is occupied by a role-playing game. It is in this type of games that the most significant changes occur in the child’s psyche. These changes are of lasting importance and prepare the child for a new, higher stage of development. Role-playing play integrates and reveals the most significant aspects of a child’s development.

For the first time in the game, the most important ability appears - to act in terms of ideas. In the game, a child, acting with one object, imagines another in its place. The game develops the child’s imagination and thinking, he plans the implementation of the plan, creatively improvises during the game. L.S. Vygotsky wrote that “a child’s play is not a simple memory of what he has experienced, but a creative processing of experienced impressions, combining them and building from them a new reality that meets the needs and drives of the child himself.”

The group nature of role-playing games develops the ability to coordinate one’s actions with others. A child needs to be able to communicate and establish certain relationships with peers. In the game, the child learns to manage himself, his behavior in general and individual actions. By accepting this or that role, the child learns the norms of behavior necessary for this role and develops the ability to navigate the sphere of norms and rules of human relations.

Thus, on the one hand, the level of development of the game is the most important indicator of the child’s development, and on the other hand, the game reveals the essential characteristics of the child’s mental and social development.

One of the main characteristics of a child’s development is the motor sphere. The level of mastery of motor skills is important for the overall development of the child. The development of fine motor skills and the mastery of subtle, complexly coordinated actions is the basis for mastering writing skills at school. Motor clumsiness and impaired coordination of movements can serve as indicators of mental development disorders. Mastery of certain actions and movements, compliance of motor skills with certain minimum age standards is a necessary characteristic of age.

Mental development is the most informative and complex indicator of a child’s development. In a broad sense, mental development refers to the development of basic cognitive processes: perception, memory, thinking, imagination, attention and speech. The operational side of cognitive processes characterizes those actions and transformations that a child is able to perform with the information he receives. The content side represents the knowledge about reality that the child possesses and can operate in the process of solving various problems.

During preschool age, the child’s memory undergoes quantitative (allowing him to retain an increasing amount of information) and qualitative changes. Qualitative changes are characterized by the appearance of indirectness and arbitrariness. Which are expressed in the fact that the child no longer just remembers what he likes, but accepts the memorization task and uses special methods to retain the necessary information.

Similar indicators determine the development of attention. An important property of attention is its volume, measured by the number of objects that a person is able to perceive and cover when they are simultaneously presented. A 6-year-old child can already simultaneously perceive not one object (as was the case at 4-5 years old), but even three, and with sufficient completeness and detail.

By the age of six, not only does the number of objects that a child is able to simultaneously perceive increase, but the range of objects that attract the attention of six-year-olds also changes. If at 3-4 years old the child’s attention was attracted by bright, unusual objects, then at the age of six the child’s attention is often attracted by outwardly unattractive objects. In addition to strengthening such qualities of attention as stability, volume, switching, its arbitrariness and the child’s ability to increasingly focused concentration increases, which is most significant.

Children's attention in class can increasingly be aroused by a riddle or a question. And in those objects that attracted him before, a six-year-old child notices both more and differently than before. His attention is increasingly attracted by the man himself and his activities.

Such properties of attention as distribution and switching are poorly developed in six-year-old children. Teachers are well aware of the distractibility of six-year-old children from activities and the difficulty of concentrating on something uninteresting and unimportant.

One of the main new developments of preschool age is imagination. The main indicators of the development of imagination are its symbolic nature, productivity combined with the originality and flexibility of images, the creation of a plan and its implementation.

In an older preschooler, the imagination needs support from an object to a lesser extent than at previous stages of development. It turns into internal activity, which manifests itself in verbal creativity (counting books, teasers, poems), in the creation of drawings, modeling, etc.

In the development of speech, a variety of components and indicators can be distinguished. These are types of speech (monologue, dialogic, oral, written), and the degree of its development and coherence, mastery of various means of speech activity; mastery of phonetics (sound hearing and sound pronunciation), vocabulary (richness of vocabulary), grammar (correctness of speech).

In addition, in older preschool age there is rapid development and restructuring in the work of all physiological systems of the child’s body: nervous, cardiovascular, endocrine, musculoskeletal. The child quickly gains height and weight, and body proportions change. Significant changes in higher nervous activity occur. In terms of its characteristics, the brain of a six-year-old child is more similar to that of an adult’s brain. The child’s body during this period indicates its readiness to move to a higher stage of age development, which involves more intense mental and physical stress associated with systematic schooling. Physiological readiness for learning at school is formed.

Body proportions change, limbs stretch, the ratio of body length to head circumference approaches school-age parameters. All of the listed positive changes in physical development serve as indicators of the child’s biological maturity necessary to begin schooling.

Speaking about physical development, one should also note his success in mastering movements, the emergence of useful motor qualities (dexterity, speed, strength, accuracy, coordination of movements). In the process of various and specially selected exercises, the hand and fine muscles of the fingers developed.

Thus, thanks to proper upbringing, by the end of preschool age the child develops a general physical readiness for school, without which he will not be able to successfully cope with new academic loads.

All of the changes described above lead to the fact that by the end of preschool age the child becomes ready to accept a new social role for him as a schoolchild, to master new (learning) activities and a system of generalized knowledge that constitutes the foundations of the sciences. In other words, he develops psychological and physical readiness for systematic learning at school.

It should be emphasized that these important changes in the child’s psyche for further development do not occur on their own, but are the result of targeted pedagogical influence.

1.2 Problems of teaching a foreign language to preschoolers

Teaching a foreign language, mainly English, in preschool educational institutions is becoming increasingly popular in Russia. It is known from psychology that the most favorable age for the development of speech abilities is considered to be senior preschool age. Therefore, the idea of using this period in the development of a child’s personality to master a foreign language attracts many teachers. At the same time, there are a number of difficulties associated specifically with the specifics of preschool age.

First of all, preschool age, being on the one hand an advantage, on the other hand includes a number of problems that the teacher needs to pay attention to. The reactions of preschoolers are spontaneous, emotions run high, attention constantly switches from one subject to another. All this must be taken into account by the teacher when preparing and conducting classes. In addition, the child may develop an active negative attitude towards a foreign language, which will have certain consequences for life, and which will not be easy to overcome in the future. Therefore, the teacher needs not only to know his material well, but also to be a good psychologist in order to avoid such situations.

When teaching a foreign language to preschoolers, the principle of oral advance will be decisive. Thus, when explaining the material, only speaking and listening will be relied upon.

Finding appropriate ways and techniques to develop sociocultural competence in preschoolers can also present a certain difficulty for a teacher. The difficulty lies in the competent selection of the necessary and adequate lexical and grammatical material.

The next problem is relevant primarily for teaching the German language. There are many preschool educational institutions that teach English. Therefore, there is enough literature on teaching English to children of any age. As for the German language, this language is not as in demand compared to English. In this regard, the main problem is the lack of good and well-developed teaching materials for teaching preschoolers the German language. In addition, there is no uniform standard of education, unlike school education. In this case, the teacher needs to independently come up with topics for classes, select suitable material and structure the course of the lesson.

1.3 Formation of sociocultural competence of preschool children when teaching the German language

Currently, modern society is faced with problems of mutual influence of different cultures and preservation of the cultural diversity of the planet. The need to develop a dialogue of cultures is increasingly being realized; in this regard, learning a foreign language should become a preparation for intercultural communication, since in the process of learning a language a child will have to penetrate a different system of values and life guidelines and integrate it into his own picture of the world.

The position on the need to study a foreign language in inextricable connection with the culture of the people who are native speakers of a given language has long been perceived as an axiom in foreign language methodology.

Vereshchagina wrote that “by elucidating the relationship between personality and culture, it is impossible to understand the genesis of the formation of personality in isolation from the culture of a social community (a small social group and, ultimately, a nation). If you want to understand the inner world of a Russian or a German, a Pole or a Frenchman, you should study Russian or, respectively, German, Polish, French culture.”

Thus, the subject “foreign language” occupies a special place. It not only introduces the culture of the countries of the language being studied, but, through comparison, highlights the features of its national culture and introduces universal values. In other words, it promotes the education of the individual in the context of a “dialogue of cultures.”

A foreign language, as a new means of communication, is necessary in order to communicate with representatives of another culture. Such communication must comply with the norms accepted in a foreign cultural environment, and for this it is necessary to simultaneously master the forms of verbal and non-verbal behavior characteristic of native speakers of a given culture, and the ability to navigate in a foreign language environment, in other words, to be able to behave in everyday situations in the country of the language being studied. At the same time, it is necessary to master the means and methods of transmitting facts of one’s own culture in a foreign language.

Obviously, in order to ensure intercultural communication, it is necessary to impart certain knowledge to students and develop certain skills and personality traits that will allow them to participate in the process of communication with representatives of another culture, i.e., in other words, to form sociocultural competence in students.

Sociocultural competence is an integral part of communicative competence. In addition, it is believed that from the scope of sociocultural competence it is possible to isolate narrower concepts - linguocultural, sociolinguistic and social competence. However, this terminology needs clarification, which is associated with conceptual uncertainty leading to confusion of these concepts in modern methodological literature. The differences between them are found in the nature of the knowledge and skills that the student possesses, as well as in those abilities and personality traits that can be developed in the process of mastering knowledge and skills.

Sociocultural competence includes a body of knowledge from the field of geography, nature and history of the country of the language being studied; knowledge of national customs, traditions, realities, as well as the ability to extract regional information from language units and use it for communication. Sociolinguistic competence includes an idea of the ways in which the choice of linguistic means is determined depending on the environment, the relationship of communication partners, and communicative intention. Social competence is understood as additional, non-linguistic knowledge that regulates the normatively correct speech and non-speech behavior of a person as a member of society.

But language teaching should not be aimed only at the formation of sociocultural competence, as the ability to use a foreign language in authentic situations of verbal communication. It is also important to develop in children the ability to explain and assimilate someone else’s way of life/behavior in order to destroy the stereotypes existing in their minds, to use a non-native language as a tool for learning another linguistic culture and expanding their individual picture of the world.

As is known, the main goal of teaching a foreign language in educational institutions is to develop the child’s personality, capable and willing to participate in intercultural communication and independently improve in the activities being mastered. In order to participate in a direct and indirect dialogue of cultures, it is necessary to gradually become familiar, through the language being studied, with the history and modern life of the country whose language is being studied, its traditions and culture. Currently, the study of a foreign language is becoming more and more inseparable from the simultaneous familiarization of students with the culture of the country of the language being studied, which includes the culture of foreign language communication.

Of course, it is very difficult to master sociocultural competence in a foreign language without being in the country of the language being studied. Therefore, an important task of teachers is to develop students’ motivation to learn a foreign language.

To stimulate sociocultural competence, children need to know why they need a foreign language and have a clearly defined, specific goal for studying it, and the teacher, in turn, should create real or imaginary communication situations in foreign language classes, use role-playing games, discussions, creative projects, etc. Equally important is the introduction of preschool children to the cultural values of native speakers.

When starting to learn a foreign language, children want to get acquainted with the everyday life of people in other countries, especially their peers, and get an idea of their worldview, interests, concerns, and hobbies. They strive to compare life abroad with their own, and of course, learn to communicate with people who speak a different language.

Students can be introduced to the intercultural component of language using pictures, drawings, realia (stamps, coins, etc.), communicative gestures, videos, regional studies comments, and texts of various types. In addition, to develop sociocultural competence, it is recommended to: create pen-pal clubs, cook according to national recipes, solve geographical riddles and puzzles; collecting models of cars, ships, stamps, toys from countries; placement of flags, symbols, posters in the classroom. These and other forms and techniques of work will help students acquire intercultural communicative ability.

At the beginning of learning a foreign language, regional information should be entertaining. As you know, entertainment precedes cognitive interest in a subject, and new vivid impressions help to awaken students’ interest in learning.

The main motives for this could be: the desire to expand and deepen the scope of cognitive activity, interest in the culture of the native people - the language.

In addition, the sociocultural component contributes to a more conscious mastery of a foreign language as a means of communication.

Thus, in modern educational institutions it is necessary to teach foreign languages in inextricable connection with national culture. Foreign language culture, which contains sociocultural factors, helps to increase learning motivation, develop needs and interests, as well as more conscious learning of foreign languages.

The use of regional information in the learning process ensures an increase in the cognitive activity of students, examines their communication capabilities, promotes their communication skills and abilities, as well as positive motivation, provides an incentive to independently work on the language and contributes to solving educational problems.

Conclusions on the first chapter

In recent years, the age threshold for children to begin teaching a foreign language has been increasingly decreasing. Teaching a foreign language from an early age is a social order and is based on such psychological characteristics of preschool children as the plasticity of the natural mechanisms of speech acquisition, the intensive formation of cognitive processes and the ability to analyze and systematize speech flows in different languages. All this gives the child the opportunity, under appropriate conditions, to successfully master a foreign language. With age, this ability gradually fades away. Therefore, any attempts to teach a foreign language (especially in isolation from the language environment) to older children are usually associated with a number of difficulties.

Successful acquisition of foreign language speech by children also becomes possible because children (especially preschool age) are distinguished by more flexible and rapid memorization of language material than at subsequent age stages, naturalness of motives for communication and the absence of the so-called language barrier, i.e. fear of inhibition, which prevents you from communicating in a foreign language even if you have the necessary skills.

Learning a foreign language at an early age is especially effective because preschoolers show great interest in people of a different culture. These childhood impressions remain for a long time and contribute to the development of internal motivation for learning a first, and later a second, foreign language. In general, early teaching of a foreign language carries enormous pedagogical potential both in terms of the linguistic and general development of children.

The main functions of a foreign language at the early stage of its study are the development of both the general speech ability of preschool children and their most elementary philological education, and in the formation of their abilities and readiness to use a foreign language as a means of communication, as a way of familiarization with another national culture and as an effective means of continuous language education, upbringing and comprehensive development of the child’s personality.

Chapter II. Structure of the German regional studies course for preschoolers

2.1 Contents of the regional studies course for preschoolers

Early teaching of a foreign language in preschool educational institutions continues to be popular. Parents and professionally trained teachers are really interested in the early introduction of the child not only to national, but also to foreign culture.

Recently, the attention of researchers (E.M. Vereshchagin, I.N. Vereshchagina, V.G. Kostomarov, G.V. Rogova, etc.) has increasingly been attracted to issues of the content of foreign language teaching at the initial stage. Many people pay attention to the linguistic and cultural aspect in the study of a foreign language (i.e., cultural studies focused on the tasks and needs of language learning).

In the work of E.M. Vereshchagin and V.G. Kostomarov, in particular, notes that “language, being one of the main characteristics of a nation, expresses the culture of the people who speak it... Therefore, teaching a foreign language can and should be done not only as a new code, but also as a source of information about the national culture of the people - native speaker of the target language."

Sociocultural competence is understood as a holistic system of ideas about the main national traditions, customs and realities of the country of the language being studied, which, in addition, allows one to associate the same information with the lexical unit of this language as its native speakers and achieve full communication. That is why the linguistic and cultural direction in teaching foreign languages primarily aims to ensure intercultural communication and mutual understanding between partners.

The problems of developing the content of the sociocultural component of teaching a foreign language to preschoolers were analyzed, for example, in the work of L. Even, who emphasized the important role of fairy tales in the transmission of cultural heritage, saying that a fairy tale performs the function of “children's regional geography,” allowing the child to better understand the structure of the language being studied, its means expressions, the nature of the people’s thinking and their national identity. Thus, the distinctive features of “children’s regional studies” are: simplicity and accessibility of the material, proximity to the child’s inner world, unique forms of presenting the material.

Children should form the idea that language is closely connected with the culture and history of the country. Consequently, it is at the initial stage that country studies information can and should be included, aimed at familiarizing children with the characteristics of the country of the language being studied.

The sociocultural component should act in the content of teaching German to preschoolers not only as additional material in relation to the main course, but also as basic material for children’s mastery of a foreign language. The inclusion of a sociocultural component in the methodology of early teaching of the German language begins from the very first stages of children’s mastery of a foreign language. It is important for young children to understand that language is associated with some other way of life, with specific people living, perhaps, in another country and using this language. A child, especially a child of senior preschool age, is already interested in learning how his peers live in other countries; through the specific naming of an object in a foreign language, he comes to the idea that not everything is the same everywhere.

The use of linguistic and cultural information in a fun and accessible form also contributes to children’s faster assimilation of elements of a foreign language culture, increasing their cognitive activity and creating positive motivation in them.

The objectives of linguistic and regional studies in the course of teaching a foreign language in preschool age are the acquisition of knowledge about the culture of the language being studied, the structure of the language, its system, similarities and differences with the native language, as well as satisfying the cognitive interests of students in the field of national, social ethnographic features of the country of the language being studied. . Such knowledge, acquired by the child in the form of a set of cultural facts, a system of concepts, ideas, serves as the basis for the development of the student’s thinking, and also regulates his independent creative activity.

Thus, the linguistic and regional aspect combines, on the one hand, language teaching, and on the other hand, provides certain information about the country of the language being studied. In the process of non-emphasized study of linguistic and regional studies by students, students gradually prepare for the study of regional studies at an older age.

Recently, a variety of reference literature has become increasingly in demand among children, as well as foreign language teachers. These are various reference books, encyclopedias, electronic publications. Therefore, it seems more appropriate to present linguistic and regional information on the course “Country Studies” in the form of a reference book, which will consist of the following sections:

1. Geographical information (cities and landmarks)

· Dresden

· Hamburg

2. Personalities

· Brothers Grimm

· Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

· Friedrich Schiller

· Michael Schumacher

· Philip Lahm

· Miroslav Klose

· Manuel Neuer

· Magdalena Neuner

· Heidi Klum

3. Holidays

· Christmas

· German Unity Day

· St. Nicolas day

· "Festival of Lights" in Berlin

· St. Martin's Day

· Strawberry Festival

· Samba Carnival in Bremen

4. Folklore

By mastering a foreign language, children become acquainted not only with foreign words and grammatical rules. Learning a foreign language also means getting to know the country of that language, its customs, traditions, holidays, geographical features, and attractions.

Unfortunately, the current teaching materials in the German language for preschoolers do not fully contribute to satisfying students’ interest in the country of the language being studied, its people, traditions, literature and, therefore, do not adequately support motivation for learning a foreign language, which is largely based on this interest.

Thus, the main goal of the course program was formulated - to ensure the assimilation of regional studies material and the formation of linguistic and regional studies communicative competence, which is understood as a holistic system of ideas about national customs, traditions, and realities of the country of the language being studied.

The main objectives of the course are:

1. Formation of sociocultural competence in preschool children;

2. Introducing children to the history, culture, traditions and realities of Germany; comparison with native culture;

Fostering a tolerant attitude towards the culture of the country of the language being studied;

Formation of interest and sustainable motivation for learning a foreign language;

Aesthetic education of preschool children.

2.3 Regional studies for the little ones

1. Geographical information (cities and landmarks)

· Berlin

Berlin is the capital of Germany and a cultural center with a unique history. With a population of 3.4 million, it is the second most populous city and ninth most populous region in the European Union.

After World War II the city was divided. East Berlin became the capital of East Germany, while West Berlin became a Western enclave surrounded by the Berlin Wall from 1961-1989. After German reunification in 1990, the city regained its status as the capital of all Germany. In Berlin, as in no other city, the past, present and future collide with each other with such force: in architecture, in worldview and in the way of thinking. Berlin is once again experiencing a breakthrough, and in this it is again in its element. The eastern and western parts of the city are merging.

You can feel the breath of history in every corner of Berlin. And henceforth it will not be different, because Berlin is a city that is destined to always grow and change. That is why today's Berlin is one of the most vibrant, diverse and energetic cities in Europe.

Berlin can impress and pleasantly surprise any travel-savvy tourist. This city has an endless number of attractions that are unlikely to be seen in just one trip to Berlin.

In addition, here tourists will discover a world of amazing historical museums and will be able to visit dozens of luxurious restaurants and nightclubs. The most popular tourist attractions in the city are:

Brandenburg Gate- Das Brandenburger Tor ( Annex 1 )

Like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Colosseum in Rome or the Tower in London, the Brandenburg Gate is a symbol and calling card of Berlin. This is the most recognizable Berlin landmark, with which construction began in the so-called Berlin classic style. They are located in the heart of the German capital and adjoin the legendary Linden Alley, which connects the gate with the former royal residence, and are also one of the tallest buildings on Paris Square, their height is more than twenty-five meters.

The Brandenburg Gate was erected by order of the German king Frederick William II in 1791. Their continuous construction took place over three years, and was led by the architect Karl Gottgard Langhans. It was he who designed this triumphal arch, taking the front gate of the Acropolis of Athens as a model. According to the original idea, they were supposed to become a symbol of peace, hence their second name - the Gates of Peace.

According to this concept, the main decoration of the gate is the bronze figure of the ancient Greek goddess of peace Irene, riding an ancient chariot drawn by four horses; she appeared above the gate only two years after its construction. Napoleon Bonaparte liked this sculptural composition so much that after the conquest of Berlin in 1806, he took it with him to Paris, but eight years later it was recaptured and took its original place. True, since then she has been holding a cross in her hands instead of an olive branch, and is called the goddess of victory Victoria.

The problems of developing the content of the sociocultural component of teaching a foreign language to preschoolers were analyzed, for example, in the work of L. Even, who emphasized the important role of fairy tales in the transmission of cultural heritage, saying that a fairy tale performs the function of “children’s regional geography”, allowing the child to better understand the structure of the language being studied, its means expressions, the nature of the people’s thinking and their national identity. Thus, the distinctive features of “children’s regional studies” are: simplicity and accessibility of the material, proximity to the child’s inner world, unique forms of presenting the material.

1. Geographical information (cities and landmarks)
·Berlin
·Munich
Dresden
Bremen
Hamburg
2. Personalities
·Brothers Grimm
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Friedrich Schiller
·Michael Schumacher
·Philip Lam
·Miroslav Klose
Manuel Neuer
·Magdalena Neuner
·Heidi Klum
3. Holidays
·Christmas
·Easter
German Unity Day
·St. Nicolas day
"Festival of Lights" in Berlin
·St. Martin's Day
Strawberry Festival
Samba Carnival in Bremen
4. Folklore
·Poetry
·Songs
·Fairy tales

I collected regional studies books: culture, history of Russia. Now there will be the second part of the review, this time only walks around the cities, guidebooks - those publications that are suitable for bilingual children and that will help you spend your summer holidays.

1. Series "Illustrated Guide"

This is something you can supplement your classes with, something you can take with you on a real trip. Excellent guides to the Golden Ring, St. Petersburg and the surrounding area, Veliky Novgorod. Partially - biblical scenes in bas-reliefs of St. Petersburg (bas-reliefs, however, are not enough). I haven't seen the rest yet. It's not just about cities and streets, about houses and landmarks. It's also about culture and history. Interesting and colorful, not primitive and not too difficult - bilingual children can handle it.

2. Helga Pataki, "The City Inside Out"

For starters - books and guides.

Just like you, I’m passing through Russia, so I can only follow updates on social media pages.

If possible, I recommend it! Take a walk, get inspired, soak up the atmosphere. Regional studies - it consists of 30% facts, 70% - atmosphere.

3. Helga Pataki, episode "Walking from the Box"

The series "Walks from the Box" - also from Helga Pataki (from 7 years old).

It includes educational travel games “Moscow”, “St. Petersburg” and “100 Wonders of the World”. In the boxes you will find 90-100 (depending on the set) cards with attractions and interesting facts about them, detailed and visually designed routes, as well as colorful city maps (in the case of wonders of the world - a world map), chips and cubes for , so that the guide turns into a board game. Those. you can just play at home or actually go for a walk along the suggested routes.

4. Coloring guides for Moscow and St. Petersburg

Very cool idea: detailed coloring pages + interesting facts about the place.

“I love Moscow” and “I love St. Petersburg” are the 2 books that interested me the most. Walking along different streets, good printing, quite large but convenient format. I like both the choice of places and the presentation of information.

Objectives of the training course “Country Studies”

The main objectives of the course are:

1. Formation of sociocultural competence in preschool children;

2. Introducing children to the history, culture, traditions and realities of Germany; comparison with native culture;

3. Fostering a tolerant attitude towards the culture of the country of the language being studied;

4. Formation of interest and sustainable motivation for learning a foreign language;

5. Aesthetic education of preschool children.

Regional studies for the little ones

1. Geographical information (cities and landmarks)

· Berlin

Berlin can impress and pleasantly surprise any travel-savvy tourist. This city has an endless number of attractions that are unlikely to be seen in just one trip to Berlin.

Brandenburg Gate- Das Brandenburger Tor ( Annex 1)

Museum Island - Die Museumsinsel

Museum Island is the name given to the northern part of Berlin's Spreeinsel Island. There are five of the city's most famous museums here: the Old Museum, the New Museum, the Old National Gallery, the Museum. Bode and the Pergamon Museum (Pergamon Museum). The pride of the latter is the famous bust of the Egyptian queen Nefertiti (which Egypt is unsuccessfully trying to regain) and the altar of Zeus, which the Germans dug up near the ancient city of Pergamon in Turkey.

Tiergarten Park - Tiergarten

A favorite vacation spot for city residents in Berlin is the famous Tiergarten park. It occupies a huge area, almost twice the area of London's Hyde Park.

This oldest park (17th century) was heavily damaged during the Second World War. Then the townspeople were forced to cut down park trees to heat their houses. But over time, the Tiergarten was restored; many German cities participated in this large-scale action, sending seeds, sprouts and tree seedlings to the capital. Today the Tiergarten is still in bloom. In addition to well-groomed paths and lawns, there are many sculptures, monuments, memorials and small tea houses. History buffs will also have something to see here, as the park contains several historical monuments, including the famous statue of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. In addition to the city park, the most important and iconic attractions for the capital of Germany are located here, including the Victory Column, Bellevue Palace, and the Reichstag.

Olympic Stadium- Olympiastadion Berlin(Appendix 2)

The Olympic Stadium in Berlin is a sports stadium located in the capital of Germany. It is the home arena for the Hertha Berlin football club, as well as the German national football team.

This is a real paradise for any football fan, since at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin almost every day you can watch the development of some kind of match, international or taking place at the local level.

The stadium was built in 1936 and in the same year it hosted the main competitions of the Summer Olympic Games. During World War II the stadium was destroyed but was rebuilt in the mid-1960s.

On the eve of the 1974 FIFA World Cup, the Olympiastadion was reconstructed and hosted three matches of the group stage of the championship. The second and most extensive reconstruction was carried out in preparation for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. In addition, the Olympic Stadium hosted the 2009 World Athletics Championships, matches of the 2011 Women's World Cup, and on June 6, 2015, the UEFA Champions League final was held at the Olympiastadion.

Berlin Cathedral- Berliner Dom(Appendix 3)

The Berlin Cathedral is one of the most impressive ancient buildings located in the central part of the city. Located at the very end of the eastern street of Unter den Linden, this cathedral (Berliner Dom) was rebuilt after almost complete destruction during the Second World War.

The cathedral is the largest representative of the Protestant church in Germany and is located in the southern part of Museum Island. One of its facades faces the only square near the water in Berlin - Lustgarten Square.

Berlin's outstanding cathedral was designed and built by architects Otto and Julius Raschdorff between 1895 and 1905. on the site of the Schinkel Cathedral by order of Wilhelm II. Initially, the main attraction of Germany served as a family cathedral, and also served as a tomb for the Hohenzollern dynasty.

This Protestant church, whose height was 116 m, was conceived as an analogue of the Catholic Cathedral of St. Peter in Rome. Unfortunately, during the Second World War, the church was damaged during bombing. Fifty years later, restoration work was completed, and now the cathedral has a height of only 98 m. The grand opening took place on June 6, 1993, at which the temple amazed everyone with its magnificent interior decoration. An observation deck is equipped under the new dome of the church, from where an indescribably beautiful panorama of the surrounding Berlin opens.

Reichstag- Reichstag(Appendix 4)

Undoubtedly, the parliament building in any country should look very presentable and solemn - this is exactly what the Berlin Reichstag is, which, moreover, has its own, without exaggeration, heroic history.

Construction of the building lasted for ten years, which was preceded by a ten-year project approval stage. As a result, in 1894, a chic building in the spirit of the new Renaissance, complemented by baroque elements, appeared on Republic Square. It was named the same as the then legislative body of the newly formed German state - the Reichstag. The main decoration of the Reichstag was a glass dome, unusual for that time, the likes of which the world had never seen.

From under the roof of the Reichstag there is a wonderful view of the whole of Berlin; there is an extensive observation deck for tourists who, in a long line of queues, stretch from morning to evening at any time of the year along the square in front of the building to see the whole of Berlin from a bird's eye view.

Berlin TV tower- Berliner Fernsehturm(Appendix 5)

The Berlin TV Tower is the tallest building in Germany, its height is 368 meters. This is the fourth tallest television tower in Europe (after Ostankino, Kyiv and Riga). The TV tower is located in one of the busiest places in Berlin, on Alexanderplatz Square.

At an altitude of 203 meters there is a huge ball made of glass and steel, inside of which there is an observation deck. It offers stunning views of Berlin; in good weather, visibility reaches 40 kilometers. The diameter of the ball is as much as 32 meters, its weight is 4800 tons! There is also a rotating TV cafe inside, which makes 3 turns in an hour.

The Berlin TV Tower was built in 4 years and went into operation on October 3, 1969. More than a million tourists a year go up to the observation deck of the tower; it is rightfully one of the most recognizable attractions of Berlin.

· Munich

Munich is the pearl city of Central Europe, the capital of the federal state of Bavaria, located on the Isar River in the south of the country. The city of Munich is one of the most attractive in the region from a tourist point of view, with a rich history and cultural traditions.

The official motto of the Bavarian capital is “Munich loves you.” And indeed, when you get here, it’s easy to immediately feel the friendly, cheerful atmosphere of this southern German city. The capital of the federal state of Bavaria is not only and not so much a fun and riotous Oktoberfest, a great football team and a “mecca” for lovers of powerful cars. Situated on the banks of the Isar River, in southern Germany, in the foothills of the Alps, Munich attracts with its majestic cathedrals with tall bell towers, sweeping front squares, rich old houses with ornate facades and flower baskets on the windows.

In Munich, you can very much feel the difference between the strict northern part of the country and the completely different south. Everywhere here there are beer houses, the history of which goes back almost several hundred years. On other holidays, townspeople in national costumes take to the streets of the city and calmly drink all these countless “Paulaners” and “Franciskaners”, snacking on the best sausages in the world; the rolling copper music of brass bands can be heard from all the streets and squares. In addition, Munich has wonderful museums and art galleries, wonderful parks and luxurious palaces. Having come here once, you will want to repeat this experience an infinite number of times.

Marienplatz (Appendix 6)

Marienplatz is the main square of Munich, a kind of its heart. An elegant column of the Virgin Mary is installed on the square, which appeared as a sign of gratitude to this patroness of the city after the end of the plague epidemic and the war with the Swedes. On the square are the Old Town Hall and the New Town Hall, which are made in the Gothic style, and the construction of the Old Town Hall dates back to the 14th century, and the New Town Hall to the 19th century.

In the Middle Ages, the square was a crossing point for trade routes, and it was here that the market was located. Previously, this square was called Schrannenplatz (Grain Market Square).

From April to November at 17:00 and at 9:00 (in other months - at 11:00) a small performance is shown in the clock at the New Town Hall - a knightly tournament in honor of the wedding of Duke Renata of Lorraine and William V in 1568. What will especially please children, this is the toy museum in the Old Town Hall. Sights worth visiting in the Marienplatz area include the historic Viktualienmarkt market and Munich's largest cathedral, the Frauenkirche.

Marienplatz is the most visited place in Munich and has the largest number of attractions in Munich. Here you can see houses built in different eras and in different styles. Restaurants and bars offer delicious food and amazing beer, which is famous throughout the world. And the ringing of the famous clock of the New Town Hall attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world.

Allianz Arena (Appendix 7)

The Allianz Arena is a magnificent football stadium in the north of Munich. The facade of the stadium looks like a huge pillow, and it is no coincidence, because it is made of 2760 diamond-shaped air chambers in which air is pumped through special tubes, and interesting lighting makes the stadium look like some kind of space object. FIFA and reputable architects have recognized this stadium as one of the most comfortable and most beautiful in the world, and some travel agencies call it the most creative attraction in Munich. The stadium's capacity is more than 70,000 seats.

The Allianz Arena is the home stadium of the famous football team Bayern Munich. In just a few years, this stadium has become as famous as the BMW Museum.

The air chambers of the stadium facade are made of a thin (0.2 mm) layer of ethyl fluoroethylene, considered one of the most advanced materials in the world, it does not need to be washed and is very durable, which significantly reduces the cost of maintaining the stadium. The cameras are illuminated with lights of different colors (red, white or blue). The stadium changes its lighting every 30 minutes.

The huge luminous roof of the sports complex is visible even from the Alpine foothills, located 70 km from the Bavarian capital. Wonderful excursions are held on the territory of the stadium that will introduce you to the history of German football and specifically the history of the Bayern club.

BMW Museum (Appendix 8)

The BMW Museum presents a huge exhibition of BMW cars and motorcycles produced throughout the history of the brand. The museum was opened in 1972, as was the BMW headquarters in Munich, located nearby. To get acquainted with BMW, aircraft of this brand are presented, because at the beginning of their journey, BMW was engaged in aircraft construction and engine development, then they moved on to the development of brakes for trains, and only then to the production of cars. The museum area is more than 5000 m2.

The BMW Museum displays cars produced since the 1910s, and during that time there have been many different models produced, so if you are a car lover, plan on visiting the museum for at least 4 hours. Also on display here are the first BMW motorcycle and the famous Isetta especially small passenger car. The museum building is bowl-shaped, and the BMW emblem serves as the roof. This is Munich's favorite attraction for men.

A fascinating performance awaits museum visitors at the end of the exhibition: a large number of small steel balls, suspended on a thin line from the ceiling, move and take the shape of a BMW car. Next to the museum there is an exhibition of new achievements and models of the auto giant brand - BMW Welt.

Legoland (Appendix 9)

Legoland is an amusement park of the LEGO company, which is famous all over the world. The park is located in the Bavarian town of Günzburg, 70 km from Munich. You can easily get here by car or public transport. Opened in 2002, today it is one of the most beloved places for children under 12 years of age in Germany and a favorite children's attraction in Munich.

There are 50 million LEGO bricks available for kids to build whatever they want.

Legoland can be divided into 8 parts: entrance (Eingagngsbereich); country of pirates (Land der Piraten), mini country (Miniland); imagination (IMAGINATION); Lego extreme (Lego X-Treme); Lego City; Land of adventurers (Land der Abenteurer), Land of knights (Land der Ritter). Here, visitors can see small copies (on a scale of 1:20) of landmarks in major cities such as Berlin, Venice, Hamburg, and Munich.

The largest number of people are attracted by LEGOLAND Express, the land of adventure with an expedition to the jungle, safari, dragon hunting, the land of knights with jousting tournaments, shows, performances and interactive games. Legoland has also opened wonderful cafes and restaurants for its visitors, which will provide you with quick and tasty food.

Toy Museum(Appendix 10)

The Toy Museum in Munich has a large collection of toys from all over the world. The museum is located in the Old Town Hall, and it occupies as many as 4 floors. The collection is based on European and American toys, some of which are already several centuries old. There are even toys made from feathers and wax, both industrially produced and handmade. The museum is included in the honorable list of Munich attractions.

The collection of toys was assembled by Czech director Ivan Steiger. Looking for a suitable toy for the scenery for his film, he became carried away by the search itself - meeting people who had interesting models, searching through advertisements, buying from collectors, and soon he collected a whole collection, and there was no longer enough space in his own apartment, so that he agreed with Munich officials, and they gave him premises in the Old Town Hall.

The museum is located on the central square of Munich - Marienplatz.

The famous Teddy bears receive special attention in the museum - a whole room is dedicated to them. Moreover, various events and exhibitions dedicated to toys are organized here. Most girls gather around the Barbie collection. On the 3rd floor of the museum, mechanical and tin toys, educational games, kaleidoscopes, various instruments, and ancient railways are exhibited. One of the main collections of the museum is the composition of the Hausser - Elastolin company, here you will see wooden houses, a zoo, figures of townspeople, farms with stables, soldiers of the first half of the 20th century, Indians, hunters and rangers. For young children this will be one of the best places in Munich.

· Dresden

Dresden is a city in Germany, the administrative center of Saxony, on the Elbe River about twenty kilometers from the border with the Czech Republic.

Dresden is one of the most beautiful cities in Germany. Its central part, almost completely destroyed during the Second World War, has now been restored to its original form and includes the main monuments and museums. Most of them are located on the left bank of the Elbe. But on the right bank there are many interesting and unusual places.

Dresden is one of the greenest cities in Europe, with 63% of the city being green areas and forests. There are four nature reserves in the city. Dresden and the Elbe Valley are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Dresden is also one of the largest centers of industry, transport and culture in Germany.

Zwinger (Appendix 11)

The Zwinger is the stronghold of Dresden's best museums. Until the mid-18th century, the Zwinger served as an entertainment center for high society, where parades, holidays, and weddings were held. Later, the leisure of those in power moved to new territories, and libraries and museums began to open in Zwinger.

The Zwinger palace ensemble was built in the best Baroque traditions - complex geometry with elegant details. Six two-story pavilions connected by one-story galleries form a courtyard the size of almost two football fields.

Externally, the Zwinger is an extremely expressive and lush baroque complex, which is distinguished by an abundance of decorative elements, with which tourists clearly associate Dresden itself. In particular, it is here, at the very top, that you can see the golden crown - a classic photographic object. And the Nymphenbad fountain complex, located near the pavilion on the rampart, is one of the most beautiful in the country.

If we talk about the “filling”, then the five Zwinger museums are famous throughout the world. At least the first of them: this is the well-known Dresden Art Gallery. The other four are the Physics and Mathematics Museum, the Sculpture Museum, the Porcelain Museum and the Museum of Mineralogy and Geology.

Transport Museum(Appendix 12)

This place contains steam locomotives, carriages and trams - everything that at the beginning of the 20th century was considered an achievement of technical thought. Retro cars of all stripes. A collection of funny old trailers: the kind you only see on retro postcards and in historical films. Trams that ran on horses. Steam locomotives that filled the surrounding area with smoke and the oldest German steam locomotive “Muldenthal” from 1861. And vintage cars of all stripes.

Here you can get acquainted with the history of Dresden trams and see the oldest electric tram from 1895. The aviation hall displays gliders from 1894 and tells the story of the creation of the first German passenger turbojet aircraft, the 152. The exposition of road transport is represented by the rarest models of motorcycles of the 19th century and a collection of bicycles with a 200-year history. There are also passenger cars here, and even the first German air-cooled truck. In addition, the museum has a working model of the "Rut 0" railway.

German Hygiene Museum(Appendix 13)

It is worth coming to this museum to look inside yourself. Its main exhibition is called "Adventure - Man". It includes all kinds of glass figures in which, at the touch of a button, you can highlight certain organs, models of the human body and wax figures and body parts. Main exhibitions: “To Live and Die”, “Eat and Drink”, “Movement”, “Remember. Think. Study".

The first “glass man”, which appeared in the museum in 1930, became a world sensation. Today there are many such figures. Although visitors still crowd around the “pioneer” port. Many models can be touched and twisted in your hands. In a special “children’s” room there are exhibits where children can learn what eyes are made of and how ears work.

Moritzburg Castle(Appendix 14)

Do you want to plunge into a fairy tale? Then you just need to visit Moritzburg Castle, which is located just 14 km from Dresden. It was in this country residence of the Wettin house that the film “Three Nuts for Cinderella” was filmed.

Moritzburg Castle is called the pearl of the Saxon Baroque. It all started with a small hunting lodge, built in 1564. Electors, princes and even kings of Saxony, who came to shoot animals, stayed here. In the 18th century, Augustus the Strong decided to turn this house into a royal residence. The result is a real castle on the water, which literally floats above the lakes surrounding it. Both the area of the “house” and the surrounding area have expanded. Moritzburg Castle is connected to the outside world only by a narrow path.

Externally, Moritzburg Castle is bright and colorful, its red roofs give it a special festive feel. But inside, the court artist created an atmosphere with a touch of antiquity. But here, too, everything corresponds to the main idea - hunting. On the walls you can see portraits of Athena, the goddess of the hunt.

Moritzburg Castle is surrounded by several parks designed in different styles. Here the strict French park, created according to all the laws of symmetry, turns into English. And paths filled with romanticism will lead to one of the ponds, of which there are a great many in Moritzburg Castle.

· Hamburg

Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany after Berlin. At the beginning of the 19th century, freedom-loving Hamburg found itself under Napoleonic occupation, but very soon managed to regain its sovereignty. The inscription on the City Hall reminds us of the independent spirit of modern Hamburg: “Let our descendants honor the freedom that our ancestors achieved for us.” Not every European metropolis can boast of its own anthem, but Hamburg has one. It’s not for nothing that it is also called a city-state.

In addition to its rich history, Hamburg is primarily interesting for its attractions. Let's take bridges, for example. There are over two thousand of them here! This is more than if you add up all the bridges in Venice, London and Amsterdam.

Megacities love to stand out with elaborate skyscrapers. Hamburg has a lot of modern architecture, but medieval sights are also preserved here with special care.

Despite the title of the industrial and commercial center of Germany, Hamburg has managed to remain a green metropolis. There are at least 120 parks, including two large botanical gardens with plants brought from all over Europe and Asia.

Miniature Museum(Appendix 15)

In general, it is difficult to call a mini-copy of European and American cities, airports, highways and much more with a total area of half a football field a museum. This settlement is home to 250,000 miniatures made on a scale of 1:87, that is, the average height of a human figurine is about 2 centimeters. Every 15 minutes, twilight falls in the city, lanterns and tiny night lights in the windows of houses are lit.

It is in the details that the attraction lies, forcing some visitors to come to the miniature museum for years and spend hours looking at dramatizations of ordinary human life. A truck overturned in an accident, from which hundreds of cheese wheels rolled out; firefighters and police pull a man out of the river; someone eats a pie with appetite; two guys beat each other up; and in the attic of the house someone is watching TV... The miniature splendor can be controlled by pressing special buttons - at a group picnic, a grill begins to spin, on which a whole cow is skewered, trains pass Alpine villages, next to which lazy farmers sunbathe in the meadows.

In addition to 250,000 inhabitants, the city of miniatures has about 5 thousand cars, 215 thousand trees, 15 kilometers of rails and 830 trains (the longest of which is 14.5 meters). Each car has low and high beams, wipers and turn signals work, and with the onset of “twilight” their movement slows down.

Automotive Museum "Prototype"(Appendix 16)

The Hamburg Automotive Museum is housed in a former factory built in the last century. On three floors there is a unique collection of post-war racing cars, many of which were assembled in a single copy. These cars, painted silver, look like spaceships. In total there are about 50 cars in the collection.

In addition to sports cars from the 40s to the 60s, the museum also displays more modern Porsche and Audi models. But the pride of the local exhibition is the Formula I car, in which the famous racer Michael Schumacher made his debut in 1991.

After a tour of the museum, everyone is invited to go to a special booth where you can listen to the roar of the engines of different models of racing cars. The museum has a special store selling miniature models of racing cars.

Panopticon Museum

The Panopticon wax museum appeared in Hamburg in 1879. At that time, the public was presented not with historical characters, but with contemporaries who found themselves involved in some scandalous affairs. For example, the museum exhibited figures of thieving burgomasters with appropriate signatures or figures of murderers committing crimes. There was no end to the audience.

Today, in addition to 120 wax figures of celebrities, including Einstein, Stalin, Roosevelt, Hitler, Princess Diana, Goethe and Schiller, the museum also has a unique “anatomical” hall. This room features wax models of various human organs, stages of disease development, and even a terrifying collection of glass eyes.

Botanical Garden

The Hamburg Botanical Garden was founded at the beginning of the 19th century. For him, a huge number of seedlings and plant seeds were brought here from all over the world. At first the garden was private, but over time it became city property and was opened to the public.

Today the park occupies a vast territory. Here you can see a classic Japanese garden, created with the support of botanists from Japan. Nearby is a typical Chinese garden with a miniature bridge over an artificial pond. There is also a rock garden in the park, where the mountainous regions of Europe are represented: the Alps, the Carpathians, the Balkans. The best time for an excursion is spring, when trees, shrubs and flower beds bloom.

Another interesting idea of landscape designers is a peasant garden, where medicinal herbs, spices, vegetables and old varieties of garden flowers grow in neat, level beds. There is even a small garden here where you can see plants described in the Bible. This exhibition was created with the support of Jerusalem specialists. In a word, you can walk in the cozy Hamburg Botanical Garden and look at strange flowers and plants all day.

· Bremen

Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. It is a port city located along the Weser River, approximately 60 km south of the river's mouth in the North Sea. Bremen is the second most populous city in Northern Germany and the tenth in Germany.

Bremen is a fairly large scientific center. There is a university, specialized educational institutions, and research laboratories. The headquarters of the Polar Research Center is located in Bremen.

The diversity of Bremen's cultural life will satisfy the most demanding tastes. There are museums, art collections, opera and ballet stages, a wide variety of theaters to choose from, and festivals and concerts are often held here. The German Chamber Philharmonic is located in Bremen.

Nature lovers can take a boat trip on the Weser River or ride a bicycle through the picturesque surroundings of the city. In summer, pleasure boats depart daily from Bremen to the island of Heligoland in the North Sea.

Don’t believe those who say that there is nothing to do in Bremen, and there are “one or two too many attractions”. Although the city on the Weser River is small, there are many interesting places from a tourist point of view.

Sculpture "Bremen Town Musicians"(Appendix 17)

There are probably no tourists who have visited Bremen and not taken photos near the monument to the Bremen musicians. The bronze sculpture standing on the Market Square is, without exaggeration, a symbol of the modern city. The monument to the Bremen Town Musicians is a kind of pyramid of characters from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale of the same name standing on top of each other. To be more precise, a dog is standing on a donkey, a cat is on it, and a rooster is climbing the highest. There is never a deserted place near these fairy-tale heroes. Quite the opposite: there are so many people who want to photograph themselves against the backdrop of wandering musicians that a decent queue often forms here.

By the way, there is a long-standing legend associated with the monument to the Bremen musicians in Bremen. So, being next to the sculpture, everyone can make a wish, and in order for it to come true, you need to do the following: take hold of both legs of the donkey and lightly rub them. Judging by the donkey's polished limbs, many tourists have taken advantage of this tradition.

Bremen Town Hall(Appendix 18)

Bremen Town Hall is a symbol of modern Bremen. The medieval two-story building, built in the best traditions of the German Renaissance, cannot be confused with any other in the city. You probably won’t be able to pass by one of Bremen’s most famous landmarks either. The Town Hall is located in the very heart of the city - on the Market Square.

The building was erected back in 1405-1410. Exactly two centuries later, the Bremen Town Hall underwent significant reconstruction. This was not due to the building being two hundred years old. The authorities of Bremen thought that the Town Hall looked too modest, which is why they decided to carry out large-scale reconstruction. So at the beginning of 1600, the Bremen Town Hall acquired a new look, which has been preserved to this day.

Today this landmark of Bremen is open to all tourists. Moreover, visitors can not only walk through the halls where the Senate used to sit and important political meetings took place, but also go down to the medieval wine cellar and - attention - taste truly ancient drinks. And you can do this if, after an educational excursion, you look into the restaurant that operates here called Bremer Ratskeller. By the way, this place is the same age as the Bremen Town Hall itself, and there are about 600 varieties of drinks made from grapes.

Universum Science Museum(Appendix 19)

The Universum Museum in Bremen is a large scientific center with about 250 interactive exhibits that tell, or rather show, the most interesting phenomena that occur in our body, on planet Earth and in space. Due to the fact that visitors to the Universum Museum in Bremen can not only look at, but also experiment with the exhibits in every possible way, many tourists strive to come here, regardless of age and social status. The Universum Museum (it was opened in 2000 and is considered one of the youngest in Bremen) promises its guests that their tour of the exhibitions will turn into an incredible adventure!

Indeed, even from the outside, the science center attracts the attention of all foreigners who travel to Bremen for the first time. The Universum Museum in Bremen is a gigantic iridescent building, shaped like some kind of futuristic whale, and it beckons tourists to look inside.

The Universum Museum in Bremen has interactive stations that simulate tornadoes, earthquakes and many other natural phenomena. In addition, visitors can visit the halls where exhibits are presented that demonstrate the functioning of all senses. At the same time, tourists can verify from their own experience and at any time what the guide is telling. Almost all exhibits in the Universum Museum in Bremen are designed to interact with visitors.

In the Discovery Park, for people who are afraid to swim, a simulation of diving into the ocean depths is organized, and daredevils can find out what a person feels during an earthquake. In other halls of this part of the park, full of sound, audio, kinesthetic effects and illusions, you can better understand the principles of the “working” of your eyes, ears, and other organs. The Recreation Zone has a lecture hall, a theater and a place to relax.

You can learn a lot of interesting things and literally get closer to the stars and planets if you look at the exhibits dedicated to space. By the way, in the Universum Museum in Bremen there is even an exhibition representing the Milky Way.

House with bells(Appendix 20)

Since 1934, the “musicality” of this house has been provided by 30 bells made of Meissen porcelain, hanging between its two pediments. During the first half of the year they sound three times a day (at noon, 15.00 and 18.00), and in the second half every hour from noon to 18.00.

Next to the bells there is a rotating tower. At certain hours, its doors open and reveal 10 wooden carved panels with images of the planet Earth and famous pioneers and inventors, from the Scandinavians Leif Eriksson the Happy and Thorfinn Karlsefni to the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin.

Bremen hole(Appendix 21)

At first glance, the Bremen Hole is just a bronze manhole cover on the Market Square. But in reality there is a giant piggy bank hidden underneath. If you throw a coin into the slot of the lid, a solo from one of the Bremen musicians will sound in response: the braying of a donkey, the meowing of a cat, the barking of a dog, the crowing of a rooster. For 4 coins, you can thus listen to the entire repertoire of the quartet. All money is transferred to the Wilhelm Kaiser Charitable Foundation, which helps the needy residents of Bremen.

2. Personalities

· Brothers Grimm(Appendix 22)

Jacob was born on January 4, 1785, Wilhelm on February 24, 1786 in the family of an official in the German city of Hanau. We grew up in a prosperous family, in an atmosphere of love and kindness.

In four years instead of the required eight years, the brothers completed a full course at the gymnasium. They received a law degree and served as professors at the University of Berlin. From a very early age, the brothers were bound by close bonds of friendship that lasted throughout their lives.

In their student years, during the period of their youthful fascination with German antiquity and nationality, the Brothers Grimm mainly devoted their activities to collecting and studying folk tales. The Brothers Grimm did not invent their own fairy tales, but reworked ancient Germanic folk tales. Three collections of “Children's and family tales” brought them fame as great storytellers. Among them are “The Town Musicians of Bremen”, “A Pot of Porridge”, “Puss in Boots”, “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Snow White”, “Cinderella”, “The Golden Goose”, “The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats” - about 200 fairy tales in total. During this period, to which the “Fairy Tales” also belong, the Brothers Grimm looked at their works as common property, and the honor of authorship was divided in half, putting “the Brothers Grimm” on their title pages everywhere. Only since 1818 did their scientific activity split in two: Jacob Grimm devoted himself exclusively to philological studies of Germanic dialects. Wilhelm Grimm remained with the study of individual monuments of ancient German literature, which attracted him more, and did a lot to explain them. From the time when the paths of scientific activity of the scientific brothers bifurcated, each of them began to sign their works with their full name.

· Johann Wolfgang von Goethe(Appendix 23)

Johann Wolfgang Goethe is one of those brilliant representatives of his age who succeeded in many ways. He defended his dissertation in law, was a talented natural scientist, an author of scientific works and an active researcher, a talented theater figure, an organizer and an honorary citizen. However, in the eyes of the whole world, he is, first of all, the greatest poet and writer. The man who gave culture the literary images of Faust and Werther, Iphigenia and Egmont, Torquato Tasso and Wilhelm Meister. For this he has been praised for the second century in a row.

The biography of Johann Goethe, a German poet, politician, and scientist, never ceases to amaze with its versatility.

This great son of Germany was born on August 28, 1749 in Frankfurt am Main into a wealthy bourgeois family. His father, a lawyer, held the position of imperial councilor, and, despite his busy schedule, paid close attention to raising his children, who received a good education at home.

From early childhood, Johann read a lot and became a regular visitor to his father's large library. Books excited the imagination and shaped the child’s soul, awakening interest in literary creativity. Already as a child, Johann began to show amazing abilities for science. Already at the age of seven he knew several languages, in addition, at this age he began to write his first poems and compose plays.

At the age of 16, Goethe left his native Frankfurt to receive professional education at the University of Leipzig. The young man had a craving for philological sciences, but his father, a professional lawyer, was adamant - his son should study law. Despite the fact that Wolfgang Goethe was a law student, he did not abandon his studies in literature. A striking feature of Goethe, which characterizes him as one of the most brilliant people of his time, is the ability to successfully combine various types of activities. Having completed his studies and defended his dissertation, Goethe simultaneously studied natural science and medicine, attended literary circles, and in particular became close to the popular poetic movement of Sturm und Drang.

The poetic attempts of the pen during the apprenticeship period were, however, rather mediocre. Goethe himself later called them “half-nonsense.” However, communication with creative youth, interesting acquaintances in literary circles shaped the aesthetic tastes of the young writer, he improved his skills, searched for himself and was never afraid to make mistakes, the main thing is not to stop.

Studying to become a lawyer did not attract him; Goethe's leading interests were literature and art, and he soon left home. Then he becomes a student at the University of Strasbourg. There, due to his curiosity, Goethe became interested in medicine, read a lot, and studied natural sciences.

Herder, a German cultural historian, critic and poet, had a great influence on the young poet. Thanks to Herder, Johann studied Shakespeare more closely, as well as folk poetry and song. In those same years, his work began on Faust, his main work.

Even at the dawn of his work, Goethe took it as a principle not to rewrite ancient, already established poetic images, but to write from the heart and express his own life experience and the results of his thoughts in his works. All of Johann's works trace autobiographical events of his life, which are reflected in the destinies and actions of his heroes.

The tragedy “Faust” was created by the great poet over the course of sixty years. The author sealed the manuscript in an envelope and ordered it to be published only after his death. Faust has been translated into many languages, is a popular theater production and a famous cinematic subject.

The brilliant writer passed away on March 22, 1832, leaving his brilliant legacy in the form of many poems, ballads, plays, novels, scientific works in the field of anatomy, geology, mineralogy, and physics. Goethe went down in history as the greatest poet and universal genius of German literature.

· Friedrich Schiller(Appendix 24)

Friedrich Schiller (Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller) is an outstanding German playwright, poet, prominent representative of romanticism, one of the creators of national literature of the New Age and the most significant persons of the German Enlightenment, art theorist, philosopher, historian, military doctor. Schiller was popular throughout the continent; many of his plays were rightfully included in the golden fund of world drama.

The writer was born on November 10, 1759 in Germany in the city of Marbach am Neckar. Schiller's father was a regimental paramedic, and his mother came from a baker's family. From childhood, the boy was raised in a religious atmosphere, which can be seen in his early poems. The future writer grew up in relative poverty.

In 1773, he entered the military academy, where he first studied law and then medicine. His first works were written during his studies. After graduating from the academy, Schiller was appointed to the post of regimental doctor. In 1781, he completed the drama “The Robbers,” which no publishing house accepted. As a result, he published it with his own money. Subsequently, the drama was appreciated by the director of the Mannheim Theater and, after some adjustments, was staged.

The premiere of "The Robbers" took place in January 1782 and was a great success with the public. After this, people started talking about Schiller as a talented playwright. For this drama, the writer was even awarded the title of honorary citizen of France.

Schiller's most famous ballads (1797) are the Cup (Der Taucher), the Glove (Der Handschuh), the Polycrates Ring (Der Ring des Polykrates) and Ibyk's Cranes (Die Kraniche des Ibykus), which became familiar to Russian readers after translations by V.A. Zhukovsky. His “Ode to Joy” (1785), the music for which was written by Ludwig van Beethoven, gained worldwide fame.

From 1787 to 1789 he lived in Weimar, where he met Johann Goethe. It is believed that it was Schiller who inspired his friend to complete many of his works. Schiller together with him founded the Weimar Theater, which became the leading theater in Germany. Until the end of his days the writer lived in this city. He died on May 9, 1805.

· Michael Schumacher(Appendix 25)

Michael Schumacher is a name that makes Formula 1 proud, the history of world racing, and the whole of Germany. Seven-time world champion, winner of many awards and records, the fastest racer on the planet! There is hardly a person in the world who has not heard of this now legendary German surname. Many Formula 1 pilots have tried and are trying to repeat the records of Michael Schumacher, but everything is in vain.

Michael was born on January 3, 1969. Despite the fact that the family lived in Germany, his father took a rather creative approach to raising his son. Once, he even suggested that Michael quit school, but on the condition that his son find a worthy occupation. Subsequently, it was his father who would open the world of auto racing to Schumacher and give the young racer his first car, converted with his own hands from an old lawn mower.

Little Michael started driving very early. Thus, he received his first racing license at the age of 14. Since then, he has become a regular participant in various competitions. As a teenager, Schumacher played cards. And in 1987 he became the champion of Germany and Europe in karting.

Since 1991, Schumacher has competed in Formula 1 racing, winning his first Grand Prix a year later. Racing for Benetton in 1994, Schumacher earned his first world title. After four years with the Benetton team, he began driving for Ferrari. In 2000, the driver brought the first world title in 21 years of waiting for the Ferrari team. In the biography of Michael Schumacher, 2004 became legendary: he won 13 races out of 18 attempts, becoming an unprecedented world champion for the seventh time.

Schumacher remained a major force in Formula 1 racing until 2006, when it was announced that Schumacher would retire from racing at the end of the season.

· Philip Lahm(Appendix 26)

Philipp Lahm is a German footballer who plays as a central midfielder/full-back for Bayern Munich and the German national team. In both teams, Philip is the captain and the clear leader. Philipp Lahm is one of the most experienced players in the German Bayern team, as he joined the team in the early 2000s and saw the club go through several generations of players. Lahm has been playing for the German national team since 1999, but only made it into the main squad in 2004; Today, Philipp is the mainstay of the German team, participating both in the team’s attacks and in defense; under his leadership, the German national team reached the final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, where they stole the victory from the Argentina team - 1:0.

A fan favorite, Lahm has acquired a huge number of nicknames over the years of professional play, most of which in one way or another indicate his small stature, tenacity and speed: “The Mighty Ant”, “The Magic Dwarf” and, most popularly, “Lami”.

During his career, Lahm became the champion of the German Bundesliga 6 times, the winner of the German Cup (DFB-Pokal) 6 times and the German Super Cup (DFL-Supercup) once. In 2013, the footballer and his team won the UEFA Champions League, the Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup and the World Championship. During his career, Philip entered the field more than 530 times.

In 2011, Lahm became captain of Bayern Munich, after which the club's performance improved sharply: thus, the subsequent seasons - 2012, 2013 and 2014 - are perhaps the best in the club's history. In 2013, thanks to Lam’s efforts, the team reached the final of the Champions League and entered its name among the best clubs on the planet; in the same season, the player’s home club became the winner of the Club World Championship.

Lahm played his first match in the uniform of the German national team in 1999. Since then, he has become a permanent member of youth teams, and in 2004 he joined the main team. The biggest achievement on the world stage, of course, was winning the World Cup in Brazil in 2014; In the final match, the Germans defeated the Argentine team in extra time. Despite the largest number of matches for the national team - 113 - Lahm scored goals only 5 times, the last time in 2012. However, it is through him that most of the attacks of the German team go through, and it is he who often becomes the author of scoring passes.

In 2011, the player also showed himself as a writer, releasing his autobiography “Der feine Unterschied: Wie man heute Spitzenfuäballer wird”. The book quickly became a bestseller in Germany and was quite warmly received by critics.

Philipp Lahm takes part in various social projects. In December 2011, he founded a charitable foundation in his name (Philipp Lahm-Stiftung), the purpose of which is to support children in need in Germany and Africa. In addition, the Lama Foundation takes part in the SOS Children's Villages project and other charitable projects. For his charitable work, Lam was awarded an award by the Bayerischen Sportpreis on June 30, 2009.

· Miroslav Klose(Appendix 27)

Miroslav "Miro" Josef Klose.

Games for the national team - 120. Goals - 64. Years of participation: from 2001 to the present. Position - forward.

Klose holds a confident second place in the number of matches played for the Bundesteam, he is again second in the number of goals scored. In general, Klose’s statistical indicators are impressive, and if the German national team had been a little more fortunate with him in the lineup, we could talk about Miro as a world-class star. But Klose's career did not come at the best of times in German football. Miroslav’s collection includes three bronzes and two silvers and one gold from the World and European Championships. The footballer has nothing to reproach himself with: Klose was twice included in the symbolic team of the best at the World Championships and once became the top scorer in 2006. He also has a unique achievement: he is the only one who was able to score at least 4 goals at 3 world championships.

But everything could have turned out completely differently, and Klose could have ended up... in the Polish national team! As his name suggests, Miroslav is an ethnic Pole and moved to Germany with his family only in 1987 at the age of nine. As he himself later recalled, it was quite difficult to adapt, primarily because of the language; it is still easier for Klose to express himself in Polish, and this is the language he speaks at home. It is not surprising that the football player had a choice for which team to play for, but Miroslav had no doubts, especially since the then Bundestim coach Rudi Völler had a very high opinion of the striker. In general, Klose is an extremely versatile footballer - he can play a pass, take the initiative, and open up for a pass. Klose's signature goals are headers. By the way, Miro also has a peculiar way of celebrating a scored goal - performing a forward somersault.

At club level, Klose played for Homburg, Kaiserslautern, Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich, and now plays for Lazio in Rome. Outside the football field, Klose is not very popular; he does not like to dress flashy or attract the attention of the press. But he participates in charity and supports the campaign for donor stem cell transplantation.

And most importantly, Klose is a kind of talisman for the German national team. Never before has Germany lost a match if Klose managed to score a goal.

· Manuel Neuer(Appendix 28)

Manuel Neuer is a German footballer, goalkeeper of the Bayern Munich team and the German national football team. Today, Neuer, according to many football analysts, is one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

Manuel’s unique style of play quickly drew the attention of professional agents to the young football player: Neuer not only defended the goal, but throughout the entire match he was part of the team and its 11th player, who was not only the center of defense, but the initiator of the team’s sharpest attacks and counterattacks. Unlike other goalkeepers, Manuel was never afraid to come out of the goal and meet the attackers already on the penalty line - this trick alone baffled the forwards, accustomed to the fact that between the goalkeeper and the defensive line there is almost always enough space to accelerate, shake off defense and strike. In many ways, as Neuer himself admitted, he owes his technique to his idol, Jens Lehmann, the most successful German goalkeeper in history, who finished the 2004 season with Arsenal without a single defeat. But over time, Manuel began to find his own style of play, more aggressive and dangerous than that of his predecessors. So, today Neuer feels confident on the penalty line, and is also not afraid to come out of the goal to meet the attacker who has broken through the defensive line. Thanks to this technique, he not only reduces the angle of fire, but takes the attacker by surprise, preventing him from getting close to the goal.

In 2011, Manuel signed a contract with Bayern Munich and immediately joined the team. The transfer amount was 22 million euros, making him the second most expensive goalkeeper in the history of world football. Already in the first months in the new team, Neuer broke the record of the previous goalkeeper, Oliver Kahn, and also set a team record - more than 1000 game minutes without conceding a goal.

In 2009, Manuel joined the main team of the German national team. At the 2010 World Cup, the young goalkeeper played in all matches except the game for third place. He also played for the German national team at the 2012 European Championship, but he and the team were eliminated in the semi-finals after losing to Italy.

At the World Championships in Brazil in 2014 Manuel Neuer easily reached the championship final with the team, becoming one of the most productive goalkeepers in the championship.

· Magdalena Neuner(Appendix 29)

Magdalena Neuner is a famous biathlete from Germany who became an Olympic champion twice and won the world champion title in her sport twelve times. In addition, she has three World Cups, seven Small Cups. Also during her professional career, Magdalena won the world summer biathlon competition three times.

She is rightfully considered the best German biathlete. And although the athlete ended her sports career in 2012, she still has a huge number of gold medals, reminiscent of her enchanting sports past.

The future world champion was born in Germany in the small town of Garmisch-Pantherkirchen on February 9, 1987. Already at the age of four, the girl began learning to ski. And at the age of 9, her parents took her to the biathlon section. Magdalena really liked this sport, and she began to show her skills from the very first lessons. The athlete made a conscious decision to perform at a professional level only after graduating from school, when she was 16 years old. Over the next four years, Magdalena demonstrated her skills at junior competitions, where she was able to become a seven-time world champion in biathlon. If we talk about regional competitions, she won championships in them even more often.

In her free time, Magdalena enjoys making time for creativity. She loves to knit and even play the harp.

If we talk about musical passion, the athlete dreams of one day playing in a real orchestra. Thanks to her perseverance, perhaps someday she will realize this dream. In addition to handicrafts and music, Magdalena is interested in motorcycles and, like many girls, she simply loves sweets.

· Heidi Klum(Appendix 30)

Heidi Klum is a German top model, actress and TV presenter. Since the late 1990s, she has been considered one of the most famous models in the world. Biography of Heidi Klum ( Heidi Klum has always been associated with the world of fashion. She was even born into the family of a representative of a large cosmetics company and a fashion stylist. This happened in West Germany in 1973. In 1992, Heidi managed to win the national German competition "Model 1992". The 19-year-old schoolgirl won a competition against 25 thousand competitors, and as a prize she signed a contract with a modeling agency for $300,000. she signed a contract with a modeling agency for 300 thousand dollars. She decided not to continue her education, although she was going to become a clothing designer. Instead, Heidi pursued her modeling career.

The following year, Heidi moved to the United States. She gained worldwide fame by appearing on the cover of the popular Sports Illustration magazine in a swimsuit. Then there were covers of Vogue, Marie Claire, Elle. Having signed a multimillion-dollar contract with Victoria's Secret, Heidi Klum became their leading model. But Heidi's career is not limited to the world of fashion. She was also the official representative of several German shoe brands, participated in the advertising of the new Volkswagen model, Jordache jeans, and Schwarzkopf cosmetics.

Sometimes Heidi plays in TV series, mostly herself. The most famous are “Spin City”, “How I Met Your Mother”, “The Devil Wears Prada”, “Desperate Housewives”. Heidi Klum has developed several clothing lines presented in the Otto catalog and created two fragrances, Heidy Klum and Me. Her reality show Project Runway was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Contribution to a Genre.

3. Holidays

· Easter(Appendix 31)

Germans, like other Christians, celebrate Easter (Ostern) or the Resurrection of Christ on the Sunday after the first spring full moon - no earlier than March 22, no later than April 25. In the modern world, Germans celebrate Easter for two days: Easter Sunday and the next day, Easter Monday. Both days are public holidays.

Initially, the ancient Germans celebrated the spring equinox on this day and praised the goddess of spring and fertility Ostara, from whose name the name of the holiday came.

The holiday is always celebrated in the spring, most often in April. This month is called Easter month - Ostermonat. Initially, there was no single exact date for celebrating Easter. But already in 325 AD. it was established: the first Sunday after the spring full moon (i.e. after March 21), the Resurrection of Christ.

This spring holiday is especially important for rural residents. Easter is not only a holiday for them, but also a time for action: the future harvest depends on the timely start of field work. The change of cold and warm seasons causes changes in the plant world, everything awakens to new life. It is also important for humans - it stimulates human love of life and vital activity.

There are 5 holidays associated with the celebration of Easter:

Palm Sunday (Palmsonntag) is the Sunday before Easter. On this day, Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on a donkey is greeted with blessed green willow branches. This tradition has been preserved since the Middle Ages

Maundy Thursday (Grndonnerstag) is the Thursday before Easter, from which, in fact, the “passion days” (days of suffering) begin. On this day Jesus was betrayed and his last supper took place. Therefore, today communion on Maundy Thursday is held in church. On this day, various dishes with herbs are prepared.

Good Friday (Karfreitag) is the Friday before Easter, the day when Christ died on the cross. Dishes prepared on this day include various pies baked in vegetable oil. Those who are going to “hide” Easter eggs on Sunday go to the forest with their children on Good Friday to collect moss for Easter nests.

Holy Saturday (Karsamstag) is the Saturday before Easter, when the Easter fire is usually lit, the day of eternal rest of Jesus Christ.

Easter Sunday (Ostersonntag) is also the first day of Easter, the main holiday, the resurrection of Christ. Church services are held, Easter customs are carried out, Easter games are held.

Easter Monday (Ostermontag) is the second day of Easter. Germany has a legal holiday that is observed in different ways throughout the country.

In Germany there are also Easter symbols:

Easter egg (Osterei) - bright, painted, with stickers, with amazing fantastic drawings, ornaments, hard-boiled. The egg is a symbol of nascent life.

The Easter Bunny (Osterhase) is the most controversial figure of this holiday. Only he has been bringing eggs to children only since the 16th century, because... it used to have a lot of competitors. In this regard, for example, the rooster in Saxony, the stork in Alsace and Germany, the fox in Hesse, the cuckoo in Potsdam and Switzerland. It is believed that in the end the hare won the speed competition. In addition, the hare is the animal of the goddess of love Aphrodite.

Confectionery stores in Germany sell Easter bunnies of various sizes (from 2-3 cm to 50 cm) made of chocolate. The Easter Bunny is often represented with a full carton of eggs on his back and is a symbol of rich offspring.

Easter fire - symbolizes the beginning of spring and farewell to winter. Previously, on Maundy Thursday, fires in houses were extinguished everywhere, which could only be rekindled later from the Easter fire. In clearings and beaches, tall bonfires were built from wood, which were then burned. In this Easter fire everything evil and old was burned. The large Easter flame served as a symbol of the sun and spring. This custom comes from the Germans. At first it was a purely men's holiday. But now - for everyone. Children bake potatoes over a fire. Both adults, children, and couples (hand in hand) jumped over the fire. It is believed that the one who jumps over the fire becomes purer in soul. For couples in love, this means a long life together. To avoid misfortune or damage, they painted their faces with ashes and ash from the fire, ensuring happiness and health for the whole year. It used to be believed that those houses that burned down from fire protected the inhabitants of these burnt houses from illness. On this day, trees are also decorated with colorful ribbons and eggs. For the Germans, fire was the sun, and symbols were life.

Osterbaum - Easter tree. The classic Easter tree comes from the Lebensbaum - thuja, consists of a main, central trunk and three crossed trunks (sticks), of which the lowest one is the longest. On each crossed stick, 4 colorfully colored eggs inflated from a balloon are hung, which symbolize 12 months.

Osterzweig - Easter branch - a flowering branch is placed in a vase and hung with 12 eggs made from any material.

And another important element of Easter is the wreath, which characterizes the awakening of nature, the rebirth of new life. In Germany, the Easter wreath is hung on the front door or window, or at the same time. Decorated with flowers and blossoming branches. On this day, it is customary to bless only blossoming branches in the church. They are decorated with sweets (especially chocolate), fruits, ribbons and presented to children. Blessed branches are attached to the head of the bed, at crucifixes, and fireplace hearths. Dried branches are stored and used as amulets during bad weather, thunderstorms, and illnesses.

Osterspaziergang - people like to go on nature hikes during Easter. The first walk after a long winter into the green bosom of nature is called, according to Goethe’s expression, an Easter walk.

Ostermarsch - on Easter, Easter marches take place in many cities in Germany, the purpose of which is to protest people against new wars in the world, serious global topics.

Where did the custom of giving out eggs at Easter come from?

According to the old German law, rent for land was paid in eggs, and since the payment deadline was Easter, it is generally accepted that the concept of “Easter egg”, the custom of distributing eggs on Easter, is associated with this fact.

Another assumption is that after winter the egg acts as a spring sacrifice, because there was no other food. It replaces the animal that would have been slaughtered. But they didn’t do this because the overwintered animals and poultry were used for domestic breeding. Summer was supposed to fill the gaps in the economy that arose in winter.

And one more thing - the church strictly prohibited eating eggs and dishes during Lent, which coincided with the period when chickens laid eggs especially well. In this way, a large number of eggs were collected, which were generously distributed at Easter. Initially, white eggs were distributed. Only in the XII-XIII centuries. they began to be painted or painted. Coloring eggs for Easter is a great art.

Preparation for the holiday. People decorate their houses with Easter symbols, bouquets, the table is covered with an Easter tablecloth, and in gardens and front gardens you can see delightful Easter shrubs or trees. Schoolchildren go on Easter holidays, and Easter bunnies come to kindergartens.

· Strawberry Festival(Appendix 32)

Every year at the end of May in the small German town of Oberkircher, located in the lands of Baden-Württemberg, a very tasty and fun festival is held - the Strawberry Festival (Erdbeerfest). The largest wholesale strawberry market in Germany is located here, so it is not surprising that the celebration of this delicious berry takes place in this city and dates back to 1999, when it took place for the first time. It starts on the last Saturday of May and lasts two days. Traditionally, the Strawberry Festival begins on Saturday morning with a speech by the mayor of Oberkirch, who welcomes residents and guests of the city and announces the opening of the festival. Then fairs, presentations, master classes, tastings, concerts, fashion shows, dance shows and theatrical performances take place at a variety of festival venues. The main events take place along the main road of the city, where there are also cafes and restaurants, which, of course, treat holiday guests to all sorts of strawberry delicacies and dishes made from this berry. And, according to tradition, each establishment delights its visitors with performances of various musical groups and performers who come here specially for the holiday.

Little guests of the holiday will not get bored at this event either. There is a separate area for children where they can ride a carousel, try strawberry cakes and ice cream, and cook something with the chef. An integral part of the Strawberry Festival are free trips to the Mittelbaden wholesale fruit market, where everyone can purchase any quantity of delicious and fresh strawberries - the hero of the occasion. And the holiday ends on Sunday with a big concert with the participation of invited musicians. Every year, more and more tourists visit this holiday, because the rich festival program, a huge number of strawberries and delicacies made from them attract guests to Oberkirch not only from Germany itself, but also foreign tourists.

· German Unity Day

German Unity Day or German Unity Day (Tag der deutschen Einheit) is a national holiday in Germany. It is celebrated on the day of the successful official reunification of West and East Germany on October 3, 1990.

Simultaneously with the unification, this day was proclaimed an official national holiday and a public holiday, while the national holiday of the former Federal Republic of Germany - June 17 - was abolished.

The unification of Germany became possible thanks to the “peaceful revolution” in the GDR in the fall of 1989, which serves as a de facto unification of the people and is more revered by them.

On this day, festive rallies and meetings are organized in land parliaments and city halls, at which political holiday speeches are made. They are attended by members of the Bundesrat (the upper house of the German parliament) and other constitutional bodies of the country, as well as representatives of politics, society and the population (the so-called citizen delegations - Burgeldelegation).

This holiday has no special customs or traditions. In some areas, concerts and celebrations are held, and fireworks displays are held in the evening. Compared to Bastille Day in France or Independence Day in the United States, Germany's national holiday is celebrated rather modestly. The only exception is probably Berlin. There are many cultural and public events taking place here simultaneously on different stages.

· Berlin Light Festival(Appendix 33)

The Festival of Lights in Berlin is a large-scale light show, when the historical and architectural sights of the city serve as objects of light installations at night. It takes place annually since 2005, in the second half of October and lasts almost two weeks.

The cultural life of Berlin, like any other capital of the world, is eventful all year round, regardless of the time of year. In the autumn, many interesting events take place here, one of which, undoubtedly, is the Festival of Lights, when residents and guests of Berlin can literally see the city in a completely new light.

Every year thousands of tourists strive to get to this festival, and every year it amazes with its originality and uniqueness. Billions of colorful lamps on the facades of historical buildings and monuments, fireworks and hundreds of spotlights flash in the evenings, dispelling the autumn gloom over the German capital and turning the city into a fairy tale. “Light the light, let it shine” is a specially composed festival anthem.

This event was invented and organized by the mayor of Berlin Klaus Wowereit. The purpose of this event was to show that the city is no less beautiful at night than during the day, and also how you can play a real symphony with the help of fireworks, lasers and light. The festival was first held in 2005 and immediately gained great popularity. Today, it aims not only to show Berlin in a “favorable light”, but also to demonstrate the enormous importance lighting plays in creating a favorable atmosphere in a modern city where urbanization is constantly growing. And many townspeople believe that the artists and craftsmen of the festival reveal to guests the true face of their hometown - a little mysterious and enigmatic.

Traditionally, the event involves more than 70 world-famous historical buildings and places, including the Brandenburg Gate, Alexanderplatz, the TV tower, the Golden Elsa victory column, Unter den Linden street, the facades of the Berlin House, the Berlin Cathedral, the Pergamon Museum , buildings on Museum Island, the Main Station, Charlottenburg Castle, the Chancellor's residence, the DomAquaree aquarium complex and others.

Many unique illuminations and light projections are made at a high professional level, and anyone can see them simply by walking along the streets. To increase the comfort of travel during the festival, a “LightLiner” bus runs around Berlin, upon boarding which guests will be able to view all the light compositions.

During all festival evenings and nights, in addition to special buses, water buses, bicycle taxis and even a hot air balloon are also available for residents and guests of the city. All these types of transport are also decorated with multi-colored illumination.

In addition to light installations, the festival program also includes a variety of cultural and entertainment events, excursions and music concerts, laser shows and fireworks. Naturally, on these days, or rather in the evenings and until late at night, bars, restaurants and even museums will be open.

The festival will end with the night marathon “City Light Run”, during which participants will run a 10-kilometer race through the center of Berlin. The Brandenburg Gate will be the start and finish point. It has already become a good tradition to hold an exhibition of photographs telling about the festival in Berlin at night, some time after the event. The Germans are rightfully proud of their ancient and beautiful city, which has gone through a lot, but has retained its warmth and comfort, despite some cumbersomeness, and the festival only confirms this, allowing everyone to discover a new, never-before-seen Berlin.

The Festival of Light is a whole symphony, where instead of instruments, light, laser and fireworks are used. This very beautiful, unusual and large-scale event will give a lot of impressions to both adults and children.

· St. Martin's Day(Appendix 34)

In Germany, St. Martin's Day (Martinstag) is a harvest festival. He is especially loved by children. After all, it is on this day that Laternenumzug takes place (loosely translated - “Procession with lanterns”). It all starts a few days in advance, with preparation for the event - children in kindergartens and junior grades make paper lanterns with their own hands, into which candles are inserted.

On the evening of the holiday, children together with their parents gather at an appointed place (usually near the church) and set out in a column to a certain predetermined final point of the trip. Usually the distance is short: 30-40 minutes, but the whole point is in how it happens. The procession looks impressive - adults carry torches, children carry paper lanterns with lit candles. Usually up to several hundred people participate in such hikes, so a sort of luminous snake of hundreds of lanterns and torches stretches across the city.

According to legend, this is how the fellow villagers of St. Martin looked for him at one time with lanterns and torches in order to pay tribute to him for his kindness.

· Christmas

Christmas is one of the most beautiful and favorite holidays in Germany, so the Germans prepare for it long and thoroughly. Starting from December 1, Germany is unrecognizable; an atmosphere of celebration and joy can be felt everywhere. Shop windows, house facades, arches, streets and trees - everything is decorated for the holiday. Everything around is sparkling with Christmas lights!

By tradition, large decorated Christmas trees are installed in the main squares of all cities, which are one of the integral attributes of German Christmas. Since ancient times, there has been a belief that the forest spirit lives in green needles. By the way, the Christmas tradition of decorating the Christmas tree with garlands, stars, Santa Claus figures, as well as various toys and delicacies came to Russia from Germany, and then quickly took root in other countries. In German houses, the Christmas tree is traditionally decorated in mid-December. It happens that Germans also put up a Christmas tree decorated with garlands on their balconies or in front of the house, and paint the windows. The traditional theme is, of course, the Christmas biblical story; the window sills are decorated according to the holiday.

Another characteristic feature of Christmas in Germany is that all Germans love to create various religious scenes using figurines of people and animals. All these figures are carefully kept in families and are even passed down by inheritance. The Christmas holiday begins 4 weeks in advance; the Germans call this time Advent. Advent is the anticipation of the coming of a bright holiday - the birth of little Christ.

The main symbol of Christmas in Germany is the “Christmas Star”. In reality, the Christmas star is a beautiful houseplant called Euphorbia, poinsettia. It usually blooms in December and has bright red bracts that resemble stars.

One of the most striking symbols of the German holiday is also the Advent wreath with the obligatory four candles. The first candle is lit according to the rules on the first Sunday, on the second two candles are lit, and on the last Sunday 4 candles are traditionally lit. However, not only the candles in the wreath are lit in the house. During this cheerful festive period, usually practical Germans do not save money, so they usually light a lot of beautiful candles in the house.

Green and red have been considered the favorite and main colors of Christmas in Germany since ancient times. The green color symbolizes hope and fidelity, and the red color symbolizes the blood of Christ.

Also a symbol of German Christmas is the merry Christmas festival (Weihnachtsfest), which begins on November 11 and continues until Christmas. The Germans have a blast at the Christmas markets, where you can buy the hot red wine many Germans love with various spices, called mulled wine, but the Germans call it Glühwein. Mulled wine can be both strong and weak. No less traditional at fairs is another Christmas drink called “Fire Tooth”, this is the name given to ordinary hot punch, which is prepared according to an old recipe in a huge bowl and then spectacularly set on fire. Hot wine warms people who are frozen on the street and lifts an already excellent mood. In the center of the fair there is a stage where Christmas concerts take place. Here at the fair you can also meet the German Father Frost, so that you can once again tell him in secret what gift you expect from him for Christmas.

There is no Christmas in Germany without fairy-tale German heroes: the enchanted Nutcracker, Frau Holle from the beloved fairy tale “Mistress Blizzard,” as well as other characters beloved by children.

Children in Germany especially love the sweet advent calendar, consisting of 24 windows, designed for 24 days. (Appendix 35) The most interesting thing for them, naturally, is that each of these windows hides a sweet gift - an original chocolate surprise or something like that. And every time a child opens one window with a sigh, he already anticipates in advance the pleasure that awaits him. It’s funny, but similar calendars exist even for pets, whose bags contain tasty food.

December 24 - Holy Evening (Heilige Abend) - German families traditionally go to church, and then sit down decorously to have dinner. The Christmas table is usually served with seven or nine dishes. Christmas is not complete without millet porridge with milk, seasoned with butter and honey. Well, stuffed goose with a delicious golden brown crust and a variety of snacks are a must. Pork with sauerkraut is also considered a very desirable dish at the Christmas feast. The Germans cannot do without a Christmas pie called Stollen on the holiday table, the recipe of which includes many dried fruits and all kinds of seasonings. By the way, this dessert becomes much tastier the next day than just baked. During dinner, everyone wishes each other happiness, goodness and health and exchanges gifts. And small children still find gifts under the tree the next morning. They sincerely believe that Santa Claus brings them Christmas gifts; in German he is called Weihnachtsmann, although, for example, in Bavaria children are waiting for the Christmas Angel.

Christmas is a family holiday, so on December 25 the whole family will gather for a festive dinner once again. This time there will be baked goose with stewed cabbage on the table. And the house will again be filled with an atmosphere of comfort, tranquility and magic...

On the eve of Christmas in Germany, life seems to stop, all shops, restaurants and cafes are closed, since Christmas, according to tradition, should certainly be celebrated at home with the family.

· Samba Carnival in Bremen(Appendix 36)

Samba Carnival in Bremen "Bremer Karneval" is Germany's largest musical samba carnival, with vibrant performances and fiery music of this energetic Brazilian dance. Samba dancers from all over Germany come to take part in the street carnival, and thousands of tourists come to see this vibrant celebration.

The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen is an ancient and beautiful city in Germany, where there are many historical monuments, museums, and vibrant city life, but its highlight is the samba carnival, which traditionally takes place every year in February for two days.

Samba is a Brazilian dance that originated in Europe in the early 20th century, but only gained widespread popularity after World War II. Samba music has a characteristic rhythm created by drums and maracas. Today, this rhythmic, fiery Brazilian dance is included not only in the program of modern ballroom dancing, but also in the everyday life of all dance lovers.

The history of the Bremen Carnival goes back more than a quarter of a century. It arose in 1985, when enthusiasts of a local dance school - the samba club - decided to organize a celebration of Brazilian music and dance in the city. Fans of the incendiary samba held their own street festival, which over the course of several years won the love of the townspeople and was so loved by everyone that they decided to organize it annually and with the support of the Bremen authorities.

Over the years, this Brazilian party has quickly turned into a real carnival, and the sounds of samba never leave it. Every year the number of participants is constantly growing - these are dancers from newly emerging samba clubs, percussion and brass bands, theater groups, and simply those who wish - from Bremen, other regions of Germany and even from neighboring countries.

Although northern Germany isn't exactly known for its emotional nature, the carnival proves that the city knows how to have fun. Sedate burghers put on suits and take to the streets to surrender to the power of dance. The city is shaken by the drum music and masquerade dancing of Germany's largest samba carnival. You have no idea what crazy things residents and guests of the venerable city of Bremen are capable of during the carnival.

Punctual Germans begin preparing for the festival in advance - exactly on November 11 at 11:11 am. This is a kind of Opening of the starting action of the Bremen Carnival. On this day, carnival communities discuss the future program of the festival, the number of participants and performances, costumes, etc. Just before the carnival in the city, many shops sell carnival costumes, jewelry and makeup for everyone. Special “guilds” and “guards” of jesters rehearse songs, write jokes and come up with costumes.

The carnival itself starts on Friday. It begins with a children's costume procession in the city center, performances by young musicians and dancers. Then the adults take the initiative. For them, samba sounds and dance floors work from morning until late at night, and in the evening and at night, competitions and performances of samba groups take place in several open areas of the city.

The next day there is a large street parade with giant dolls, colorful outfits, platforms on which fantastic decorations are erected - the so-called “carnival of animals”, then a drumming competition. The evening program consists of dance parties in clubs and outdoors, and at night there are incredible costume balls. All this action ends with fiery dancing to Brazilian music and parties in restaurants and bars. Often the fun spills out onto the streets and turns into spontaneous processions of mummers.

The Samba Carnival in Bremen is a real madness, when local residents and visitors of the city suddenly seem to go crazy, dress up as clowns and animals and pour out into the streets of Bremen to have fun from the heart. By the way, the Germans know how to not only have fun, but also give great food. Traditionally, several types of beer, wine, as well as sausages, baked meat, and cabbage are served at the holiday.

Every year the theme of the carnival changes, but the energetic rhythms of samba and the bright colors of the festival always remain.

· St. Nicolas day

St. Nicholas Day (Nikolaustag) is the first sign of the approaching Christmas. It has been celebrated in Germany since 1555.

Saint Nicholas is one of the most revered saints of Christianity. He became famous for his intercession for the persecuted and suffering, as well as for his courage and generosity. Saint Nicholas is also considered the patron saint of sailors, traders, clergy and children.

There are many legends associated with Saint Nicholas. He was a rich man and cared about the poor people of that time. And he did it secretly so that he would not be thanked. There is a legend that once, wanting to help a very poor family, Nikolai climbed onto the roof at night and from there threw five bundles of gold coins into the little room - the bundles fell into children's shoes standing by the window.

According to another legend, for three nights Nicholas secretly threw a piece of gold through the window into the room where the daughters of one poor man were spending the night - as a dowry for each sister. Now they could get married and did not have to be sent to work.

Most likely, the tradition of gifts originated from these cases. In Germany, as well as in Switzerland and Austria, on the evening of December 5, children put their shoes outside the house so that Nikolaus, who comes at night, will leave them sweets and small gifts. Some believe that Nikolaus travels around all the houses in his sleigh and comes through the fireplace to hide the gifts he brought in shoes or socks hung up by children.

Also today, on the night from December 5th to 6th, German children put their polished shoes or boots outside the door so that St. Nicholas passing by will put apples, tangerines, nuts, and sweets there.

True, Saint Nicholas brings tasty gifts only to obedient children, and those who have been angry with their parents for a whole year and did not obey will receive rods as a gift. Which of the children was obedient and which was not, Nikolaus reads in his special “golden book”.

According to another custom, Nikolaus comes to the children's house and asks them if they have behaved well, and gives gifts only to honest and obedient children. Nikolaus is often accompanied by the servant Ruprecht (Knecht Ruprecht) - a scary character who punishes naughty children with rods or even puts them in a sack and takes them to the forest. Apparently, Knecht Ruprecht was invented for educational purposes - he first appeared in the traditions of the 17th century, and since then has been invariably present in German folklore. It's good that this is a fictional character! In Switzerland, Nikolaus is usually accompanied for these purposes by Schmutzli, and in Austria and Bavaria by Krampus. But in anticipation of the holiday, children try not to play pranks, and no one is left without gifts from St. Nicholas.

4. Folklore

· Poetry

1. Ich gebe dir ein Osterei

als kleines Angedenken.

Und wenn du es nicht haben willst,

so kannst du es verschenken.

2. Meine Mutti ist die beste,

Und die schönste Frau der Welt.

Mutti ist ja immer fleiIig

Und die Arbeit ihr gefällt.

kommt angerannt,

Er schl"gt mit dem Bommel

auf eine Trommel:

4. Eins, zwei, drei, wir tanzen heut, juchhei!

Rechtes Bein, links Bein, das ist lustig, das ist fein!

Eins, zwei, drei, wir tanzen heut, juchhei!

5. Eine böse Ki-ka-katze

Schlagt die Maus mit ihrer Tatze.

Sitzt vor ihrem Haus.

Ein Mi-ma-mauschen

Sitzt vor ihrem Hauschen.

6. Ich bin ein Bar.

Ich laufe hin und her.

Ich habe gern den Honig.

Ich bin im Wald der König!

7. Wir fahren fahren, fahren

Wir fahren in die Stadt.

Wir gehen in den Zoo,

Der viele Tiere hat.

Alle tiere wohnen da:

Tieger, Baren, Affen,

Lowen und Giraffen,

Fuchse, Wolfe, Zebras hier

Alle Tiere lieben wir.

8. “Guten Morgen”,

"Guten Morgen"

9. Bei “Rot” bleibe stehen,

Bei “Grun” Kannst du gehen.

Bei “Gelb” muBt du warten,

Bei “Grun” kannst du starten.

Der Winter ist schon da.

Uberall liegt Schnee.

11. Hurra! Hurra! Neujahr ist da.

Wir lachen und singen.

Wir tanzen und springen.

Wir sind alle lustig und rufen: Hurra!

Hurra! Hurra! Die Ferien sind da.

12. Der Schneemann auf der StraBe

Tragt ein weiBen Rock,

Hat eine rote Nase

Und einen dicken Stock.

13. Eins, zwei, drei, vier,

In die Schule gehen wir.

In die Schule kommen wir

Und bekommen “Funf” und “Vier”.

14. Ei, ei, ei! Im Monat Mai

Ist es warm und kalt dabei.

1,2,3-komm, lieber Mai!

15. Mein Geburtstag ist heute.

Komm herbei, liebe Leute!

Tanzen, spielen wollen wir,

Lieder singen am Klavier.

16. Nun, liebe Gaste sagt all im Chor:

Ach wie schade, ach wie schade

Wir haben gerne Schokolade.

Der Kopf tut mir weh,

Der Doctor ist da.

Jetzt bin ich froh,

Es ist wieder gut, juchhe!

Jetzt fehlt mir nix,

Jetzt geh ich ins Bett.

18. Ich kann springen: hopp, hopp, hopp.

Ich kann lachen: ha, ha, ha.

Ich kann klatschen: klapp, klapp, klapp.

Ich kann singen: la, la, la

· Songs

Weihnachtslied: LaЯt uns froh und munter sein

Lasst uns froh und munter sein

und uns ganz von Herzen freu"n.

Lustig, lustig, tralla-la-la-la,

bald ist Nikolaus-abend da,

Bald ist Nikolaus-abend da!

Stelle Deinen kleinen Teller auf,

Nikolaus legt gewiss "was "drauf.

bald ist Nikolaus-abend da,

Bald ist Nikolaus-abend da!

Nikolaus mit seinem Jutesack,

trägt darin Geschenke huckepack..

Freu" Dich, freu" Dich, tralla-la-la-la,

bald ist Nikolaus-abend da,

Bald ist Nikolaus-abend da!

Nikolaus ist ein guter Mann,

dem man nicht genug danken kann.

Freu" Dich, freu" Dich, tralla-la-la-la,

bald ist Nikolaus-abend da,

Bald ist Nikolaus-abend da!

Nikolaus ist schon unterwegs,

mit Päckchen, Nüssen und mit süssem Keks.

Freu" Dich, freu" Dich, tralla-la-la-la,

bald ist Nikolaus-abend da,

Bald ist Nikolaus-abend da!

Weihnachtslied: Kling, Glöckchen, kingelingeling

kling, Glöckchen, kling!

LaЯt mich ein, ihr Kinder,

ist so kalt der Winter,

tsffnet mir die Türen,

laЯt mich nicht erfrieren!

Kling, Glöckchen, klingelingeling,

kling, Glöckchen, kling!

Kling, Glöckchen, klingelingeling,

kling, Glöckchen, kling!

Mädchen hört und Bübchen,

macht mir auf das Stübchen,

bring" euch milde Gaben,

sollt euch dran erlaben.

Kling, Glöckchen, klingelingeling,

kling, Glöckchen, kling!

Kling, Glöckchen, klingelingeling,

kling, Glöckchen, kling!

Hell erglьhn die Kerzen,

tsffnet mir die Herzen,

will drin wohnen fröhlich,

frommes Kind, wie selig!

Kling, Glöckchen, klingelingeling,

kling, Glöckchen, kling!

Weihnachtslied: O Tannenbaum

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,

wie treu sind deine Blätter.

Du grünst nicht nur zur Sommerzeit,

nein auch im Winter, wenn es schneit:

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,

wie treu sind deine Blätter!

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,

du kannst mir sehr gefallen!

Wie oft hat nicht zur Weihnachtszeit,

ein Baum von dir mich hoch erfreut!

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,

du kannst mir sehr gefallen!

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,

Die Hoffnung und Beständigkeit,

gibt Trost und Kraft zu jederzeit!

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,

dein Kleid will mich was lehren!

Backe, Backe Kuchen

Backe, backe Kuchen,

Der Bäcker hat gerufen.

We will guten Kuchen backen,

der muss haben sieben Sachen,

Eier und Schmalz,

Zucker (Butter) and Salz,

Safran macht den Kuchen gehl!

Schieb, schieb in"n Ofen"rein!

Schnappi, das kleine Krokodil

Ich bin Schnappi, das kleine Krokodil.

Komm aus Agypten,

das liegt direkt am Nil.

Zuerst lag ich in einem Ei,

dann schni-,schna-,schnappte ich mich frei

Refrain: Schni Schna Schnappi

Schnappi Schnappi Schnapp

Schni Schna Schnappi

Schnappi Schnappi Schnapp

hab scharfe Zähne,

und davon ganz schön viel.

Ich schnapp mir,

was ich schnappen kann,

ja ich schnapp zu, weil ich das so gut kann.

Ich bin Schnappi, das kleine Krokodil,

ich schnappe gern, das ist mein Lieblingsspiel.

Ich schleich mich an die Mama ran,

und zeig ihr, wie ich schnappen kann

Ich bin Schnappi, das kleine Krokodil,

und vom Schnappen, da krieg ich nicht zu viel.

Ich beiI dem Papi kurz ins Bein,

und dann, dann schlaf ich einfach ein.

Das Lied von den Jahreszeiten

Dezember, Januar, Februar,

Da kommt der Winter. Ist es klar?

Im März, April und Mai,

Da kommt der Frühling. Eins, zwei, drei!

I'm Juni, Juli, August,

Da kommt der Sommer. Hast du"s gewusst?

September, October, November,

Dann ist der Herbst bis December…

Stoffel (Antoshka)

He, Stoffel, he, Stoffel

Komm, schälern wir Kartoffeln!

Dilidili, traliwali,

das hab ich nicht aufbekommen,

das hab ich nicht durchgekommen!

He, Stoffel, he, Stoffel

Komm her mit deinem Löffel!

Dilidili, traliwali,

ja, da werde ich gleich kommen,

hab den Löffel schon genommen

Dilidili, traliwali, traliwali, traliwali!

Param, pam, pam, param, pam, pam

· Fairy tales

The Bremen Town Musicians

One man had a donkey that for many years dutifully carried sacks of flour to the mill, but in his old age the donkey weakened and became unfit for work. Then the owner decided to starve him to death, but the donkey guessed what was going on, ran away and headed to the city of Bremen. He decided to hire himself as a musician there.

After walking a little, the donkey saw a hunting dog. She lay on the road and breathed so heavily, as if she had run until exhaustion.

Why are you puffing so hard, Polkan? - asked the donkey.

“Ah,” answered the dog, “I am old and every day I am becoming weaker and no longer suitable for hunting, so my master wanted to kill me. I ran away wherever I could! How will I earn my bread now?

“You know what,” said the donkey, “I’m going to Bremen and will hire myself as a musician there.” Come with me and make music too. I will play the lute, and you will beat the drum. The dog agreed and they moved on.

Soon they saw a cat on the road. She sat on the road as boring as three days of rainy weather.

“What happened to you, old bastard,” asked the donkey.

Who will rejoice if he is grabbed by the throat? My teeth are worn out and now I would rather sit at the stove and purr than chase mice, so my mistress decided to drown me. Of course, I ran away, but who will advise me where to go now?

Come with us to Bremen, you know a lot about music and you can get hired as a musician there. The cat liked it and they went together.

Then our fugitives passed by a courtyard. A rooster sat on the gate and crowed with all its might.

Why are you pulling your throat like that? - asked the donkey. “What’s wrong with you?”

“It’s me who predict good weather for tomorrow,” answered the rooster, “after all, tomorrow is a holiday, but since guests will come to us on this occasion, my hostess, without any mercy, ordered the cook to make soup from me.” My head is to be cut off this evening. So I scream at the top of my lungs while I still can.

“Well, red-headed,” said the donkey, “you’d better come with us.” We are heading to Bremen. You will find something better than death everywhere. You have a good voice and if we sing in chorus it will turn out great. The Rooster liked this proposal and the four of them went further.

But they could not get to Bremen in one day and in the evening they came to the forest, where they decided to spend the night. The donkey and the dog sat down under a large tree, the cat settled on the branches, and the rooster flew to the very top of the tree, where it seemed safest to him. Before falling asleep, the rooster looked in all four directions and suddenly it seemed to him that he saw a light in the distance. He shouted to his comrades that there must be a house nearby, because the light was visible.

Then we must go there, I don’t like this place for the night,” said the donkey. And the dog noticed that a few bones with leftover meat would be very useful to her. So, they went in the direction where the light flickered. The light became stronger and stronger, and finally they came to the brightly lit house of the robbers. The donkey, being the tallest one, approached the window and looked inside.

What do you see, gray? - asked the rooster.

What I see? - answered the donkey. A laid table with good food and drink. And the robbers sit around and have fun.

“It wouldn’t be bad for us either,” said the rooster.

Yes Yes. “Oh, if only we were there,” the donkey sighed.

Then they began to consult how they could drive out the robbers. And finally they came up with an idea. The donkey stood with its front legs on the window, the dog jumped on the donkey's back, the cat climbed onto the dog, and the rooster flew onto the cat's head. When this was done, they began their music at once. The donkey brayed, the dog barked, the cat meowed, and the rooster crowed. Then they rushed through the window into the room. So much so that the windows rattled. The robbers jumped up from their seats with terrible screams. They thought that a ghost had come to them. And in great fear they fled into the forest. Then the four friends sat down at the table and began to eat whatever was left with pleasure. They ate as if they needed to eat for four weeks. Having finished eating, the musicians turned off the lights and began to look for a place to rest. Each to their own taste and habits. The donkey lay down in the yard on a pile of garbage, the dog lay down behind the door, the cat lay down on the hearth in a warm place, and the rooster sat on a perch. And since they were very tired after a long journey, they immediately fell asleep. When midnight had passed and the robbers had already noticed from a distance that the lights were off in the house and everything seemed calm, the chieftain said:

We shouldn't have allowed ourselves to be so intimidated after all.

And he ordered one of the robbers to go and inspect the house. The messenger, making sure that everything was calm, went into the kitchen to light a fire. And since he mistook the cat’s sparkling eyes for smoldering coals, he stuck a match there to get some light. But the cat didn't like to joke. She rushed at the robber and grabbed his face. He was terribly frightened, started to run and was about to jump out into the yard, but the dog, which was lying outside the door, jumped up and bit him on the leg. As he raced across the yard past a garbage heap, the donkey kicked him hard with its hind leg. And the rooster, who was awakened by the noise, cheerfully crowed from his perch

Ku-ka-re-ku.

The robber began to run with all his might to his chieftain. And he told him.

Oh, there's a terrible witch in the house. She hissed at me and scratched my face with her long claws. There was a man with a knife behind the door, he wounded me in the leg. There was a black monster lying in the yard, which attacked me with a club. And there’s a judge sitting upstairs on the roof, and he’ll shout, “Give me this swindler here.” At this point I started running. From then on, the robbers no longer dared to approach the house. And the four Bremen musicians liked it so much in the house of the robbers that they stayed to live there.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

It was in the middle of winter, snowflakes were falling like fluff from the sky, and the queen was sitting at the window - its frame was made of ebony - and the queen was sewing. She was sewing, looked at the snow and pricked her finger with a needle, and three drops of blood fell onto the snow. And the red on the white snow looked so beautiful that she thought to herself:

“If only I had a child, white as this snow, and ruddy as blood, and black-haired, like the wood on the window frame!”

And the queen soon gave birth to a daughter, and she was as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black-haired as ebony, and therefore they called her Snow White. And when the child was born, the queen died.

A year later the king took another wife. She was a beautiful woman, but proud and arrogant, and she could not stand it when anyone surpassed her in beauty. She had a magic mirror, and when she stood in front of it and looked into it, she asked:

And the mirror answered:

You, queen, are the most beautiful in the country.

And she was pleased, because she knew that the mirror was telling the truth. During this time, Snow White grew up and became more and more beautiful, and when she was seven years old, she was as beautiful as a clear day, and more beautiful than the queen herself. When the queen asked her mirror:

Mirror, mirror on the wall,

Who is the most beautiful in the whole country?

It answered like this:

Still, Snow White is a thousand times more beautiful!

Then the queen became frightened, turned yellow and green with envy. From that hour she saw Snow White - and her heart broke, so she began to hate the girl. Both envy and arrogance grew like weeds in her heart, higher and higher, and from now on she had no peace, day or night. Then she called one of her huntsmen and said:

Take the child to the forest, I can’t see her anymore. You must kill her and bring me her lungs and liver as proof.

The huntsman obeyed and led the girl into the forest, but when he pulled out his hunting knife and was about to pierce Snow White’s innocent heart, she began to cry and ask:

Oh, dear huntsman, if you leave me alive, I will run far into the dense forest and never return home.

And because she was beautiful, the huntsman took pity on her and said:

So be it, run, poor girl!

And it was as if a stone had been lifted from his heart when he didn’t have to kill Snow White. At that time, a young deer just ran up, and the huntsman killed it, took out its lungs and liver and brought them to the queen as a sign that her order had been fulfilled. The cook was ordered to boil them in salt water, and the evil woman ate them, thinking they were Snow White's lungs and liver.

And the poor girl was left alone in the big forest, and she became so scared that she looked at all the leaves on the trees, not knowing what to do next, how to help her. She started to run, and ran over sharp stones, through thorny thickets, and wild animals jumped around her, but they did not touch her. She ran as long as she could, and then it was already getting dark, she saw a small hut and went into it to rest. And in that hut everything was so small, but beautiful and clean, that you could not tell it in a fairy tale or describe it with a pen.

There stood a table covered with a white tablecloth, and on it were seven small plates, each plate had a spoon, and also seven small knives and forks and seven small goblets. There were seven small beds standing against the wall, one next to the other, and they were covered with snow-white blankets. Snow White wanted to eat and drink, and she took a little bit of vegetables and bread from each plate and drank a drop of wine from each goblet - she did not want to drink everything from one. And since she was very tired, she tried to lie down in bed, but none of them were suitable for her: one was too long, the other was too short, but the seventh turned out to be just right for her, she lay down in it and, surrendering to the mercy of the Lord, fell asleep .

When it was already completely dark, the owners of the hut came, and there were seven gnomes who were mining ore in the mountains. They lit their seven lamps, and when it became light in the hut, they noticed that someone was with them, because not everything was in the same order as it was before. And the first dwarf said:

Who was that sitting on my chair?

Who ate from my plate?

Who took a piece of my bread?

Fourth:

Who ate my vegetables?

Who took my fork?

Who cut with my knife?

The seventh asked:

Who was it that drank from my little cup?

And the first one looked around and saw that there was a small fold on his bed, and asked:

Who was that lying on my bed?

Then the others came running and began to say:

And there was someone in mine too.

The seventh gnome looked at his bed and saw Snow White lying in it and sleeping. Then he called the others, they came running, began to scream in surprise, brought seven of their light bulbs and illuminated Snow White.

Oh, my God! Oh, my God! - they exclaimed. - What a beautiful child, however! “They were so happy that they didn’t wake her up and left her sleeping in bed.” And the seventh dwarf slept with each of his comrades for an hour, and so the night passed.

Morning has come. Snow White woke up, saw seven dwarfs and got scared. But they were kind to her and asked:

What is your name?

“My name is Snow White,” she answered.

How did you get into our hut?

And she told them that her stepmother wanted to kill her, but the huntsman took pity on her, and that she ran all day until she finally found their hut. The dwarves asked:

If you want to run our household, cook, make beds, wash, sew and knit, keep everything clean and in order - if you agree to this, you can stay with us, and you will have plenty of everything.

“Very well,” said Snow White, “with great pleasure.”

And she stayed with them. She kept the hut in order, in the morning the gnomes went to the mountains to look for ore and gold, and in the evening they returned home, and she had to prepare food for them when they arrived. The girl remained alone all day, and therefore the good gnomes warned her and said:

Beware of your stepmother: she will soon find out that you are here, be careful not to let anyone into the house.

And the queen, having eaten Snow White’s lungs and liver, again began to believe that she was the first and most beautiful of all the women in the country. She went to the mirror and asked:

Mirror, mirror on the wall,

Who is the most beautiful in the whole country?

And the mirror answered:

You, queen, are beautiful,

But Snow White is there, just over the mountains,

At the seven dwarfs behind the walls

Then the queen was frightened - she knew that the mirror was telling the truth, and she realized that the huntsman had deceived her and that Snow White was still alive. And she began to think again and come up with ways to kill her; She felt no peace of envy because she was not the most beautiful woman in the country. And then, finally, she thought of something: she painted her face, dressed as an old merchant, so that it was impossible to recognize her. She went through the seven mountains to the seven dwarves, knocked on the door and said:

Snow White looked out the window and said:

Hello, kind woman, what are you selling?

“Good goods, wonderful goods,” she answered, “multi-colored laces.” - And the queen took out one of the laces, showed it, and it was woven from colorful silk.

“We can let this honest woman into the house,” thought Snow White, opened the door bolt and bought herself a beautiful cord.

How it suits you, girl,” said the old woman, “let me lace you up properly.”

Snow White, not expecting anything bad, stood in front of her and let her tighten the new laces, and the old woman began to lace, so quickly and so tightly that Snow White suffocated and fell dead to the ground.

“You were the most beautiful,” said the queen and quickly disappeared.

Soon after, in the evening, the seven dwarfs returned home, and how frightened they were when they saw that their dear Snow White was lying on the ground, not moving, not moving, as if dead! They lifted her and saw that she was laced tightly, then they cut the laces, and she began to breathe little by little and gradually came to her senses. When the dwarves heard what had happened, they said:

The old merchant was really an evil queen, beware, don’t let anyone in when we’re not at home.

And the evil woman returned home, went to the mirror and asked:

Mirror, mirror on the wall,

Who is the most beautiful in the whole country?

And the mirror answered her, as before:

You, queen, are beautiful,

But Snow White is there, just over the mountains,

At the seven dwarfs behind the walls

A thousand times more beautiful!

When she heard such an answer, all the blood rushed to her heart, she was so frightened - she realized that Snow White had come to life again.

Well, now,” she said, “I’ll come up with something that will surely destroy you.” “Knowing the witch’s witchcraft, she prepared a poisonous comb. Then she changed her clothes and turned into another old woman. And she went over the seven mountains to the seven dwarves, knocked on the door and said:

I sell good goods! Selling!

Snow White looked out the window and said:

Perhaps we can take a look,” said the old woman, took out a poisonous comb and, lifting it up, showed it to Snow White.

The girl liked him so much that she let herself be deceived and opened the door. They agreed on a price, and the old woman said: “Well, now let me comb your hair properly.”

Poor Snow White, suspecting nothing, allowed the old woman to comb her hair, but as soon as she touched her hair with the comb, the poison immediately began to take effect, and the girl fell unconscious to the ground.

“You, beautiful woman,” said the evil woman, “now the end has come for you.” - Having said this, she left.

But, fortunately, it was late in the evening, and the seven dwarves soon returned home. Noticing that Snow White was lying dead on the ground, they immediately suspected her stepmother, began to find out what was the matter, and found a poisonous comb; and as soon as they got him out, Snow White came to her senses again and told them all that had happened. And once again the dwarves told her to be on her guard and not open the door to anyone.

And the queen returned home, sat down in front of the mirror and said:

Mirror, mirror on the wall,

Who is the most beautiful in the whole country?

And the mirror answered, as before:

You, queen, are beautiful,

But Snow White is there, just over the mountains,

At the seven dwarfs behind the walls

A thousand times more beautiful!

She heard what the mirror was saying, and she trembled and trembled all over with anger.

“Snow White must die,” she cried, “even if it cost me my life!”

And she went to a secret room, where no one had ever entered, and prepared a poisonous apple there. It was very beautiful on the outside, white and ruddy, and anyone who saw it would want to eat it, but whoever ate even a piece of it would certainly die. When the apple was ready, she painted her face, dressed as a peasant and set off on her journey, across the seven mountains to the seven dwarves. She knocked, Snow White stuck her head out the window and said:

No one is allowed in, the seven dwarfs forbade me to do so.

Yes, that’s good,” answered the peasant woman, “but where will I put my apples?” Would you like me to give you one of these?

No,” said Snow White, “I am not ordered to take anything.”

What is it, are you afraid of poison? - asked the old woman. “Look, I’ll cut the apple into two halves, you’ll eat the brown one, and I’ll eat the white one.”

And the apple was made so cunningly that only its rosy half was poisoned. Snow White wanted to taste the beautiful apple, and when she saw that the peasant woman was eating it, she, too, could not resist, stuck her hand out of the window and took the poisoned half. As soon as she took a bite, she immediately fell dead to the ground. The queen looked at her with her evil eyes and, laughing loudly, said:

White as snow, blush like blood, black hair like ebony! Now your gnomes will never wake you up.

She returned home and began asking the mirror:

Mirror, mirror on the wall,

Who is the most beautiful in the whole country?

And the mirror finally answered:

You, queen, are the most beautiful in the whole country.

And then her envious heart calmed down, as far as such a heart can find peace for itself.

The dwarves, returning home in the evening, found Snow White lying on the ground, lifeless and dead. They picked her up and began to look for poison: they unlaced her, combed her hair, washed her with water and wine, but nothing helped - the dear girl was dead and remained dead. They put her in a coffin, all seven of them sat around her and began to mourn her, and they cried like that for three whole days. Then they decided to bury her, but she looked exactly alive - her cheeks were beautiful and rosy.

And they said:

How can you bury it like that in damp ground?

And they ordered a glass coffin to be made for her, so that she could be seen from all sides, and they laid her in that coffin, and wrote her name on it in gold letters, and that she was the king's daughter. And they carried that coffin to the mountain, and one of them always remained with it on guard. And the birds also came to mourn Snow White: first the owl, then the raven, and finally the dove.

And for a long, long time Snow White lay in her coffin, and it seemed that she was sleeping - she was white as snow, blush as blood, and black-haired as ebony. But it happened that one day the prince drove into that forest, and he ended up in the house of the gnomes to spend the night there. He saw a coffin on the mountain, and in it the beautiful Snow White, and read what was written on it in golden letters. And then he said to the dwarves:

Give me this coffin, and I will give you whatever you want for it.

But the dwarves answered:

We won't give it up even for all the gold in the world.

Then he said:

So give it to me. I can't live without seeing Snow White.

When he said this, the good gnomes took pity on him and gave him the coffin.

And the king's son ordered his servants to carry him on their shoulders. But it so happened that they tripped over some bush, and the shock caused a piece of a poisonous apple to fall out of Snow White’s throat. Then she opened her eyes, lifted the lid of the coffin, and then stood up herself.

Oh, Lord, where am I? -- she exclaimed.

The prince, filled with joy, replied:

“You are with me,” and he told her everything that happened, and said:

You are dearer to me than anything in the world, let’s go with me to my father’s castle, and you will be my wife.

Snow White agreed, and they celebrated a magnificent and magnificent wedding.

But the queen, Snow White’s stepmother, was also invited to the celebration. She dressed up in a beautiful dress, walked up to the mirror and said:

Mirror, mirror on the wall,

Who is the most beautiful in the whole country?

And the mirror answered:

You, Madam Queen, are beautiful,

But the young queen is a thousand times more beautiful!

And then the evil woman uttered her curse, and she became so scared, so scared that she didn’t know how to cope with herself. At first she decided not to go to the wedding at all, but she had no peace - she wanted to go and look at the young queen. And she entered the palace, and recognized Snow White, and from fear and horror, as she stood, she froze in place.

But iron shoes had already been placed on the burning coals for her, and they were brought, holding them with tongs, and placed in front of her. And she had to step her feet into the red-hot shoes and dance in them until she finally fell dead to the ground.

A pot of porridge

Once upon a time there lived a girl. The girl went into the forest to pick berries and met an old woman there.

“Hello, girl,” the old woman told her. - Give me some berries, please.

Here, grandma,” says the girl.

The old woman ate some berries and said:

You gave me berries, and I’ll give you something too. Here's a pot for you. All you have to do is say:

"One two Three,

Cook the pot!”

and he will begin to cook delicious, sweet porridge.

And you tell him:

"One two Three,

Don't cook anymore!

And he will stop cooking.

“Thank you, grandma,” said the girl, took the pot and went home to her mother.

The mother was delighted with this pot. And how can you not be happy? Without labor or hassle, delicious, sweet porridge is always ready for lunch.

One day a girl left the house somewhere, and her mother put the pot in front of her and said:

"One two Three,

Cook the pot!”

He started cooking. I cooked a lot of porridge. Mother ate and became full. And the pot cooks everything and cooks the porridge. How to stop him? It was necessary to say:

"One two Three,

Don't cook anymore!

Yes, the mother forgot these words, and the girl was not at home. The pot cooks and cooks. The whole room is already full of porridge, there is porridge in the hallway, there is porridge on the porch, and there is porridge on the street, and he cooks and cooks everything.

The mother got scared and ran after the girl, so as not to get her across the road - the hot porridge was flowing like a river.

It’s good that the girl was not far from home. She saw what was happening on the street and ran home. Somehow she climbed onto the porch, opened the door and shouted:

"One two Three,

Don't cook anymore!

And the pot stopped cooking porridge.

And he cooked so much of it that anyone who had to travel from the village to the city had to eat his way through the porridge.

But no one complained. The porridge was very tasty and sweet.

Grandma Metelitsa

One widow had two daughters: her own daughter and her stepdaughter. My own daughter was lazy and picky, but my stepdaughter was good and diligent. But the stepmother did not love her stepdaughter and forced her to do all the hard work. The poor thing spent all day sitting outside by the well and spinning. She spun so much that all her fingers were pricked until they bled.

One day a girl noticed that her spindle was stained with blood. She wanted to wash him and bent over the well. But the spindle slipped out of her hands and fell into the water. The girl cried bitterly, ran to her stepmother and told her about her misfortune.

“Well, if you managed to drop it, you can get it out,” the stepmother answered.

The girl did not know what to do, how to get the spindle. She went back to the well and jumped into it out of grief. She felt very dizzy, and she even closed her eyes in fear. And when I opened my eyes again, I saw that I was standing on a beautiful green meadow, and there were many, many flowers around and the bright sun was shining.

The girl walked along this meadow and saw a stove full of bread.

Girl, girl, take us out of the oven, otherwise we will burn! - the loaves shouted to her.

The girl went to the stove, took a shovel and took out all the loaves one by one. She went further and saw an apple tree, all strewn with ripe apples.

Girl, girl, shake us off the tree, we have long since matured! - the apples shouted to her.

The girl approached the apple tree and began to shake it so much that the apples rained down on the ground. She shook until not a single apple was left on the branches. Then she collected all the apples in a pile and moved on.

And then she came to a small house, and an old woman came out of this house to meet her. The old woman had such huge teeth that the girl was scared. She wanted to run away, but the old woman shouted to her:

Don't be afraid, sweet girl! Better stay with me and help me with the housework. If you are diligent and hardworking, I will reward you generously. Only you have to fluff my feather bed so that the fluff flies out of it. I am a snowstorm, and when fluff flies from my feather bed, it’s snowing for people on the ground.

The girl heard the old woman speaking kindly to her and stayed with her. She tried to please Metelitsa, and when she fluffed the feather bed, the fluff flew around like snow flakes. The old woman fell in love with the diligent girl, was always affectionate with her, and the girl lived much better at Metelitsa than at home. But she lived for some time and began to feel sad. At first she didn’t even know why she was sad. And then I realized that I missed my home.

Then she went to Metelitsa and said:

I feel very good with you, grandma, but I miss mine so much! Can I go home?

It’s good that you miss home: it means you have a good heart,” said Metelitsa. - And because you helped me so diligently, I myself will take you upstairs.

She took the girl by the hand and led her to the large gate.

The gates opened wide, and when the girl passed under them, golden rain poured down on her, and she was completely covered in gold.

This is for your diligent work,” said Grandma Metelitsa; then she gave the girl her spindle.

The gate closed, and the girl found herself on the ground near her house.

A rooster was sitting on the gate of the house. He saw the girl and shouted:

Ku-ka-re-ku! Look, people: our girl is walking all in gold!

The stepmother and daughter saw that the girl was covered in gold, and they greeted her kindly and began to question her. The girl told them everything that happened to her. So the stepmother wanted her own daughter, a sloth, to also get rich. She gave the sloth a spindle and sent her to the well. The sloth deliberately pricked her finger on the thorns of a rosehip, smeared the spindle with blood and threw it into the well. And then she jumped in there herself. She, too, like her sister, found herself in a green meadow and walked along the path. She reached the stove, the bread and they shouted to her:

Girl, girl, take us out of the oven, otherwise we will burn!

I really need to get my hands dirty! - the sloth answered them and moved on.

When she passed by the apple tree, the apples shouted:

Girl, girl, shake us off the tree, we have matured long ago!

No, I won’t shake it off! Otherwise you’ll fall on my head and hurt me,” the sloth answered and moved on.

A lazy girl came to Metelitsa and was not at all afraid of her long teeth. After all, her sister had already told her that the old woman was not evil at all. So the sloth began to live with grandmother Metelitsa. On the first day, she somehow hid her laziness and did what the old woman told her. She really wanted to receive the award! But on the second day I started to feel lazy, and on the third I didn’t even want to get out of bed in the morning. She didn’t care at all about Blizzard’s feather bed and fluffed it so poorly that not a single feather flew out of it. Grandma Metelitsa really didn’t like the lazy girl.

“Come on, I’ll take you home,” she said to the sloth a few days later.

The sloth was delighted and thought: “Finally, the golden rain will rain on me!” Blizzard led her to a large gate, but when the sloth passed under it, not gold fell on her, but a whole cauldron of black tar was poured out.

Here, get paid for your work! - said Snowstorm, and the gates closed.

When the sloth approached the house, the rooster saw how grimy she had become, flew up to the well and shouted:

Ku-ka-re-ku! Look, people: here's the dirty one coming towards us!

The sloth washed and washed, but could not wash off the resin. So it remained a mess.

Conclusions on the second chapter

In modern society, in the era of pan-European development, the status of a foreign language as an academic subject is changing. Taking into account the changing role of a foreign language as a means of communication and mutual understanding in the world community, modern methods are aimed at achieving tangible results, that is, emphasizing the need to strengthen the linguistic and cultural aspects of language learning.

In theoretical terms, the work showed that modern teaching of a foreign language is impossible without instilling in students a foreign language culture. It was found that most methodologists pay great attention to the current state of the theory and practice of teaching foreign languages with a pronounced communicative orientation, which contributes to the comprehensive development of personality and the development of spiritual values in children.

Thus, teaching a foreign language puts forward the task of humanitarian and humanistic development of the child’s personality. This is facilitated by familiarity with the culture of the countries of the language being studied; education of politeness and goodwill; awareness of oneself as a person. Studying a foreign language is also intended to make a certain contribution to the development of independent thinking, logic, memory, imagination of the child, to the formation of his emotions, to the development of his communicative and cognitive abilities.

In the light of modern requirements for the goals of teaching a foreign language, the status and role of regional information is changing, presented in such a way as to correspond to the experience, needs and interests of children and to be compared with the similar experience of their peers in the country of the language being studied.

Consequently, in modern preschool educational institutions it is necessary to teach a foreign language in inextricable connection with the national culture. Foreign language culture, which contains sociocultural factors, contributes to the formation of a communicative personality, as well as increasing motivation to learn. The sociocultural component is an incentive to increase the effectiveness of student learning at all stages of education.