Development of a reference vocabulary for schools

Some of Germany’s federal states – e.g. Bavaria, Berlin-Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and North Rhine-Westphalia – define so-called key, minimum or basic vocabulary for primary schools. Teachers use these vocabularies, in German lessons for example, to teach the children reading and writing, and especially spelling. However, no vocabulary has yet been defined that contains additional information to meet the needs of primary and secondary schools and that can be used by teachers of all subjects and made available to a wider target group, including educational institutions, publishers and academics.

The aim of the project is to develop an annotated vocabulary in the form of a web-based application. The database upon which it will be based is to include approximately 5,000 words that are based on the criteria of linguistics and language teaching and reflect real life. Additional associated information (e.g. pronunciation, thematic fields, grammar, origin, orthography and frequency) will be assigned to each word so that the various target groups can find the information they need to answer their specific questions.

The vocabulary is intended to serve as a tool for teachers and educational institutions (e.g. further education, colleges, universities, childcare facilities), helping them to support their students individually and to plan and develop lessons. It can also be used by publishers to develop and compile appropriate educational school material and by academics in their research work.