Teaching an Advanced German Course Through the Lens of Soccer

This article explores how soccer can be used as a lens to teach about German history, culture, and society. I outline three sample modules for an advanced German course at the high school or college level: The first module focuses on soccer in German history, the second on sexism and LGBTQ-related topics in soccer, and the third on soccer and racism. I present a variety of authentic materials for the German classroom, ranging from songs and short articles to documentaries, feature films, and books. This article is theoretically motivated by the interaction approach, which emphasizes the importance of input, interaction, and output for successful second language acquisition. I discuss how educators can create a language-rich environment through authentic soccer-related materials, and I demonstrate how these materials can be used to design class activities and assessments that promote interaction, discussion, and output in the German classroom.