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We have been using Delfin for a number of years with our ab initio students. Overall the book is good for writing, reading and listening comprehension. The online exercises are also ok. However, the oral dialogues lassen doch etwas zu wünschen übrig, and we normally supplement these with other materials. Could you please send me your summary word file? Maybe we should get together and write the ideal textbook! Good luck with Delfin. Birgit Dr Birgit Smith Head of Department European Languages and Cultures Bowland North B71 Lancaster University Lancaster LA1 4YN T 01524 - 592466 E: [log in to unmask] -----Original Message----- From: JISCmail German Studies List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Stefan Baumgarten Sent: 30 June 2014 11:48 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: German ab-initio textbook Dear colleagues, Some of you will remember my enquiry from earlier this year, asking about your experiences with suitable textbooks for teaching ab-initio German. Many thanks again to all those who replied. For our own ab-initio first year German course at Bangor University we have now decided to use "Delfin", the main reason being that it combines A1-B1 levels in one book, and seems therefore well-suited for a course lasting 22 weeks (5 hours per week, 110 contact hours in total), leading to quasi-A-level knowledge of German. The book also has a structure that fits in with the different weekly components we teach (2hrs grammar, 2hrs language/writing, 1hr oral). From Year 2, our students are brought together with the post-A-level 'mainstream', which is why we need to have covered A1 to B1 in one year. It was however a close call between "Delfin" and "DaF Kompakt", as the latter in a way had different strengths and weaknesses in comparison, so for our needs they in a way cancelled each other out. But in the end we went for "Delfin", with the option to possibly try out "DaF Kompakt" the following year in case that the former would not fully live up to expectations. Based on my own impression after having sifted through a variety of different textbooks, and as also one colleague responded to me, there does not seem to be a really suitable textbook on the market that panders specifically to the needs of ab-initio provision at HE-level here in the UK, though of course I might have missed something. In the end, the best option might be to write a textbook specifically geared to our market, or perhaps encourage a publisher to do so. On another note, we have also decided to now use "Menschen" for our university-wide language programme. I have produced a summary in table-form in a Word document which I am happy to forward to anyone interested in receiving further details. Unfortunately this list does not allow any attachments. With best wishes and wishing everyone a productive summer, Stefan Baumgarten