Reading stories to build language confidence

StoryPlanet Deutsch is a reading and vocabulary training app for learners who have elementary to advanced knowledge of German (A2-B2). We help them overcome barriers to reading in a foreign language with very short stories and in-context definitions of difficult words.

As they read, they can build a personal learning list and practice the words they have chosen in adaptive exercises with immediate feedback. They can share their progress with their teachers at any time.

No advertising! No registration! No storage of personal data! Works offline! Learners can try it out for free with our three sample stories.

Dive deep into German

Imagine your learners having fun as they build up their German vocabulary! They will with the reading and learning app StoryPlanet Deutsch – because they read engaging mini-stories written in modern German, get context-specific definitions for tricky words and then dive deep into the vocabulary that’s relevant to them. So they’re neither bored nor overwhelmed at any time.

How it works

Individual users can purchase access to our full library of over 130 stories for a one-time fee of approx. €16 (price varies depending on country, taxes & exchange rate). Ask us about our considerably discounted classroom or school licenses in a non-binding quote.

What kind of stories are in the app?

The mini-stories in StoryPlanet are modern, quirky and full of personality. They have been written by experienced writers who are also avid readers and language learners (learn more about our authors). At about 400 words each, the stories are ultra-short and cover a wide range of genres – from love stories and science fiction to interesting facts and unusual anecdotes from day-to-day life. There’s literally something for everyone! All stories are also appropriate for young readers and people from different cultural backgrounds. Read our three free stories in full on our page StoryPlanet Geschichten. NB: This page is in German only.

The topics in our stories are all relevant to modern readers and serve as great stimuli for in-class discussion. Explore them as hashtags on our page StoryPlanet Geschichten (grouped by “THEMA”). You can also sort stories by learning level, genre and type of protagonist.

A safe space for learning

Your DAF/DAZ learners will be more motivated than ever about learning German, because StoryPlanet Deutsch provides them with a safe space to explore reading and practice vocabulary they are struggling with. Besides being exposed to vocabulary in a relevant and engaging context, they can also choose to practice any word or expression in bold, committing it to memory in a fun little quiz. There are approx. 50 words in bold in each story which are A2 or above and can be chosen for practice.

What kind of exercises are in the app?

The exercises in StoryPlanet Deutsch range from multiple-choice to spelling, and adapt in difficulty to the learner’s progress. Here are examples of some of the exercises with the expression “damit rechnen, dass…”.

The learner has to choose the expression that matches the definition in the grey box.

The learner has to choose the definition that goes with the expression in the grey box.

The learner has to find the expression that belongs in the sentence in the grey box.

The learner has to spell the correct form of the expression in the given sample sentence.

The learner gets immediate feedback if their answer was correct. If not, they are shown the correct answer and will not move on to a more difficult exercise until they have correctly answered the same exercise at a later time. Once the exercise is correctly answered, they will earn a point for that word (seen below the grey box). Each exercise also provides tips in case the learner gets stuck. If you are curious to learn more, ask us for a full presentation on the exercises in the app. Just write us an e-mail using our contact form.

The app is constantly improving, e.g. as we add new features like time-spaced repetition, reading comprehension questions, writing prompts and audio. Already now, it offers learners a highly individualized and contextualized way to build their German vocabulary.

Sharing progress

Thanks to the immediate feedback StoryPlanet Deutsch gives students, it’s the perfect tool for them to learn without supervision, e.g. as homework. How do you know your students are using it? At any time, students can share their progress with you via e-mail or WhatsApp. You will receive a PDF showing all the words they have successfully learned over a certain period of time.

For instance, assign them to read 10 stories and learn at least 100 words by the end of the month or semester (approx. 3 hours of learning). That’s all you have to do! Once they submit their progress, you see at a glance what they have successfully learned.

In the INFO section of the app, learners can find a page with all their “Learned vocabulary”.

By clicking “SHARE”, they send the list to their teacher via e-mail, WhatsApp or any other supported app on their device.

Using the app in class

Since the makers of StoryPlanet Deutsch have also worked extensively as teachers, we have come up with lots of ways you can use the app in class, as well. Send us an e-mail and ask us about our free teacher’s package!

Great offers for teachers

Stay on top of our latest developments. Subscribe to our StoryPlanet newsletter for periodic updates on our products as well as tips for classroom activities.
Book a writing workshop! One of the StoryPlanet writers will come into your class (or join by video stream). It’s a great way to motivate your students to engage more actively with the German language, since listening, reading, speaking and writing skills will all be practiced. Write us an e-mail and ask for a non-binding quote.
Get a volume license. Instead of having your learners pay, you can purchase the license for them (starting from 10 licenses). Fill out our form to ask for a non-binding quote.
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