By Caitlyn Phillips Due: December 7, 2011 Mrs. Johnson’s PACE Class

 I’m going to teach you about Germany.  You will learn about many different things including Germany’s history, meals and foods, family and customs, geography and climate, clothing, school, and festivals.  You will also see many pictures.  I hope you will appreciate all the hard work and effort I put into this.

 Germany was part of the Holy Roman Empire more than a thousand years ago.  War and fighting was causing the empire to become weak, and rulers were gaining power over small parts of Germany.  In 1871, Germany became one nation instead of several different states.  World War I was a disaster for Germany. More than six million Germans died and they had to pay gold and goods to other countries who won the war.  Hitler was the German chancellor and he killed many people. He was the cause of World War II. After six years the war ended and Germany had lost.  After the war, Germany was divided into East Germany and West Germany.  In 1989 the wall between East and West Germany was taken down and a year later, Germany again became a united nation.

 Breakfast usually consists of bread with either honey, jam, or Nutella on top.  The common German lunch is usually potatoes, vegetables, meat with gravy, and sometimes even a dessert. Lunch is usually considered the main meal.  Dinner is often cold sausage, cheese, maybe even a sandwich or salad. If dinner is the main meal because it is the only meal where all family members are present, then it will be hot.  Germany inspired the hotdogs in North America.

Family:  The majority of German households are made up of a married couple with or without children.  In some areas, several generations of families live together.  Relationships with relatives are an important part of a German family.  In most families both parents work. Customs:  The custom of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas time is a popular custom in Germany. It was adopted by America.  The custom of the hunting for decorated eggs on Easter morning is a popular German custom. It was also adopted America.  Shaking hands is a custom of Germans and when meeting friends or acquaintances you are expected to shake hands.  German weddings have two parts- a civil ceremony at a government office and a church service the following day. Between the ceremonies the couples will have a “rumble night” where friends and family all gather with them to smash glass to frighten away the devil.

Geography:  Northern Germany has lots of plains and is mostly farm land.  Central Germany is tree-covered mountains and river valleys.  Southern Germany has some of the highest mountains in the country. Climate:  Germany has a mild climate.  January (the coldest month) has average temperatures of 21 degrees- 34 degrees Fahrenheit.  July (the warmest month of the year) has average temperatures of 64 degrees-68 degrees Fahrenheit.  There is snowfall between early November to late April.

 The Germans dress very similar to Americans.  They have to dress warm though, because it is usually very cold in Germany.  The price of clothing in Germany is so high, that some Germans buy a plane ticket to America and buy clothes for a cheaper price than it would have been to buy clothes in Germany.  A dirndl is a traditional dress, which was worn in the Southern area of Germany. The dirndl is worn today only for traditional events.

 Education is mainly for children between the ages of six and fifteen (or sixteen in some places). This covers basic education for four to six years, and lower secondary school.  More academic students go to a gymnasium until age 18.  Literacy – 99%  School in Germany ends at lunchtime.

 One of the most popular festivals in Germany is Oktoberfest. Oktoberfest is a beer festival.  The Germans have many different festivals for many different reasons. There are beer fests, wine fests, fests for the first blossom of spring, and many more.  Some of the most popular celebrated holidays are New Year's, Epiphany, Mardi Gras, Easter, Ascension Day, Pentecost, Christmas, and Unity Day.

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 Something interesting about Germany is that dogs are treated like kings.They can go just about everywhere: first class restaurants, trains and buses, even clothing shops and bookstores.  I have brought you some items to look at that came from Germany.  I hoped you enjoyed the PowerPoint and learned a lot about Germany. If you have any questions, please just ask me.  Thank you.