Unit 9 — Birthday and Friends

Track E · Klasse 5 · Niveau E

Template: Activate → Input → Practise → Produce → Reflect.
Niveau: E. class test (“Klassenarbeit”) at Niveau E (30 BE).

Learning objectives Link to heading

  • I can give and accept an invitation politely.
  • I can use ordinal numbers and dates in writing.
  • I can write a 6-line birthday-invitation card.

Bildungsplan alignment Link to heading

  • 3.1.1 Soziokulturelles Orientierungswissen / Themen
  • 3.1.3.3 Sprechen – an Gesprächen teilnehmen
  • 3.1.3.5 Schreiben
  • 3.1.3.8 Verfügen über sprachliche Mittel – Grammatik

(Source: https://www.bildungsplaene-bw.de/,Lde/LS/BP2016BW/ALLG/SEK1/E1)

Lead-in story Link to heading

Mia’s birthday is on the 17th of March. She is making invitations on bright pink paper. Theo, who claims pink is embarrassing, is also making invitations — on bright pink paper, because the green ran out. Frida steals one for the foxes. “It is the principle,” she says, “of being included.”

1. Activate Link to heading

Date chant. Class repeats the months together, then says the date of three classmates’ birthdays.

2. Input Link to heading

Vocabulary — months and ordinals Link to heading

Months: January–December. Ordinals: 1st first, 2nd second, 3rd third, 4th fourth, 5th fifth, 9th ninth, 12th twelfth, 21st twenty-first, 30th thirtieth. Spelling: fifth (not fiveth), ninth (no e), twelfth (drop ve).

Grammar — dates and prepositions Link to heading

  • My birthday is on March 17. / on the 17th of March.
  • I’m 11 in March.
  • The party starts at 3 p.m.
  • We meet on Saturday at 3 p.m. at my house.

Invitation phrases Link to heading

  • I’d like to invite you to my party.
  • Would you like to come?
  • I’d love to, thank you!
  • Sorry, I can’t make it, but thank you for asking.
  • Please RSVP by Tuesday.

3. Practise Link to heading

Niveau E — controlled Link to heading

  1. Fill in in/on/at: My birthday is __________ March. The party is __________ Saturday __________ 3 p.m.
  2. Build the ordinal: 17 → ___ , 21 → ___ , 30 → ___ .

Niveau E — productive Link to heading

  1. Build a polite invitation (date, time, place, RSVP).
  2. Build a polite refusal (one reason, thanks).
Answer key

Controlled. 1. in / on / at. 2. seventeenth, twenty-first, thirtieth.

Productive. 3-4. Open; check polite forms.

4. Produce Link to heading

Birthday card swap. A6 paper. Front: drawing. Inside: a 6-line invitation (greeting, reason, date, time, place, RSVP, sign-off). Swap with a partner — they reply in writing (accept or polite refusal).

Sample Link to heading

Dear Theo, I would like to invite you to my birthday party. It is on Saturday, 17 March, at 3 p.m. at my house. There will be cake and games. Please RSVP by Tuesday. Best wishes, Mia.

5. Reflect Link to heading

  • I can write the 12 months and ordinals 1–31.
  • I can use in/on/at with dates and times.
  • I can write a polite invitation card.

One thing in your notebook: Write one sentence that uses something you learned in this Unit.

Exam example Link to heading

class test ("Klassenarbeit") — Niveau E (45 minutes)
Time. 45 minutes. Total. 30 points.

Task 1 — Listening (8 BE) Link to heading

Listen twice.

“Hi Lina, I would like to invite you to my birthday party on Saturday, 17 March. It starts at 3 p.m. at my house. Please let me know by Tuesday if you can come.”

  1. Day: ___ . 2. Date: ___ . 3. Time: ___ . 4. RSVP deadline: ___ .

Task 2 — Reading (8 BE) Link to heading

Read the reply.

“Dear Mia, thank you for the invitation. I would love to come on Saturday. I will bring a small gift. See you at 3! Love, Lina.”

  1. Yes/no: ___ . 2. Day: ___ . 3. Bringing: ___ . 4. Sign-off: ___ .

Task 3 — Use of English (8 BE) Link to heading

Fill in in/on/at.

  1. ___ April, 2. ___ 5 May, 3. ___ 4 p.m., 4. ___ September.

Task 4 — Writing (6 BE) Link to heading

Write a 6-line birthday invitation: greeting, reason, date, time, place, RSVP, sign-off.

Answer key
T1. Saturday, 17 March, 3 p.m., Tuesday. T2. yes, Saturday, a small gift, Love. T3. in / on / at / in. T4. Open.
Notenschlüssel (von 30)
| 28–30 | 1 | 24–27 | 2 | 20–23 | 3 | | 15–19 | 4 | 9–14 | 5 | 0–8 | 6 |

Downloads Link to heading

**Slide deck timing.** 45 minutes total. Lead-in 3 min · Activate 4 min · Input 12 min · Practise 8 min · Produce 13 min · Reflect 5 min.

Differentiation — support (below Niveau E).

Fill in the gaps to build your 6-line card, then copy it neatly:

  • Dear ______, I would like to invite you to my ______ party.
  • It is on ______ , the ______ of ______ , at ______ p.m.
  • We will meet at ______ .
  • There will be ______ and ______ .
  • Please RSVP by ______ .
  • Best wishes, ______ .

Extension (above Niveau E / Oberstufe).

Design invitations for the same party aimed at two very different guests — for example a shy new classmate and a lively best friend — and write a short paragraph explaining how you changed your word choice, tone and level of politeness for each reader. Then argue whether a handwritten card or a quick phone message is the better way to invite someone, giving at least two reasons that weigh warmth against convenience.

Common pitfalls Link to heading

  • on March → ✗ / in March → ✓.
  • at Saturday → ✗ / on Saturday → ✓.
  • L1 trap: German am 17. März → English on 17 March / on the seventeenth of March.

Further reading / listening Link to heading

  • BBC Learning English — Months and dates.
  • British Council — invitation card templates.

Downloads

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Worksheet
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Listen

The vocabulary, dialogues and reading texts of this unit as audio, spoken by a native voice. The spoken text is shown beneath each clip.

Text 1
Show text

"Hi Lina, I would like to invite you to my birthday party on Saturday, 17 March. It starts at 3 p.m. at my house. Please let me know by Tuesday if you can come."

Text 2
Show text

"Dear Mia, thank you for the invitation. I would love to come on Saturday. I will bring a small gift. See you at 3! Love, Lina."