Sprachunterricht auf der Mittelstufe: 4./5./6. Schuljahr (Language Instruction in Grades 4-6).

This article discusses methods of teaching poetry and composition to German speaking elementary-school students in Switzerland. One effective device for treating poetry is enactment; children practice acting, declamation, pantomime, and narration while learning the poem. Another device is choral speaking with individually assigned roles, which allows the teacher to rate students' speaking skills, including fluency, expression, intonation, and pacing. Both methods permit the teacher to minimize his active role. A useful technique for approaching composition is telling stories about pictures. Children learn effectively to describe events and actions and to order their presentation. Subsequently, they will be able to write more coherently. In assigning a composition, the teacher should not give a one-word title, since this is too vague and uninspiring. Preferable is the "framework theme," a series of sub-topics or suggestive sentences grouped under a general heading. This device stimulates the student's imagination, keeps him from going astray in his presentation, and promotes fluency. Concrete illustrative examples of all the above methods are furnished. (RS)