STEP INTO GERMAN The world’s number one sport is getting ready for the world’s greatest sporting spectacular. From June 9 to July 9, 2006, Germany will host the FIFA Soccer World Cup, an event which will be followed by billions of fans worldwide and give Germany the opportunity to present itself as a cosmopolitan, tolerant and cheerful country. In anticipation of this global event the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG), the California Language Teachers Association (CLTA) and the Goethe-Institute San Francisco have launched the initiative “Step into German.” “Step into German” brings the excitement of the World Cup to schools in California while at the same time promoting the study of German. “Step into German” is proud to have as its honorary chairperson Jürgen Klinsmann, currently coach of the German national team, who after playing in some of Europe’s top soccer leagues has been very active in raising the awareness of the importance of foreign language learning. “Step into German” is an initiative which tries to accomplish a variety of goals. The website (www.stepintogerman.org) offers linguistic and cultural information on German, Germany and the world of soccer in fun-filled and interactive ways. Here you can find video clips that introduce the 12 German cities hosting World Cup matches as well as games that let students demonstrate their knowledge of Germany and soccer. At the same time, “Step into German” uses the World Cup as a vehicle for younger students to discover German and Germany. “German Ambassadors” from German high school programs all around California will encourage Middle School students who have not been exposed to German to give German a try. The “German Ambassadors” will visit soccer tournaments, give presentations at Middle Schools, and try to draw the attention of younger students to the World Cup and Germany as well as the “Step into German” initiative. After signing up for the “Step into German” newsletter, Middle School students can participate in an online quiz on Germany and the world of soccer. The highest-scoring students will be invited to the “World Cup Festival” in May of 2006, which will be a celebration of soccer and German. Here the students can enjoy soccer movies and the acclaimed soccer exhibit “Weltsprache Fußball – Planet Football”, demonstrate their soccer skills in small-sided games, obstacle courses and juggling contests and win fabulous prizes. The top prize will be an all-expense paid trip to World Cup Germany! This unique project,which tries to combine soccer with learning a new language and intercultural exchange was only made possible by the generous support of the German Program for Transatlantic Encounters (Transatlantic Program). The Transatlantic Program is financed from European Recovery Program (ERP) funds provided by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economics and Labor. Peter Zygowski Goethe Institut San Francisco