This is an intensive beginner’s language programme. The course is designed to enable students with no previous knowledge of German to reach a lower-intermediate proficiency by the end of the year, and to build towards the use of the language at a high level. Study focuses on the four major language skills;

• receptive skills (listening and reading)
• productive skills (speaking and writing)
• mediation skills (translation)
• inter-cultural awareness skills (awareness of cultural diversity)

These skills, as well as the study of the grammatical and lexical patterns of the language are practiced and developed  through classwork exercises, online activities and written work, use of video and audio material, and interaction with native speakers where possible  - including  native speaker exchange students hosted by the  school.

1. Read, understand and speak German to a level comparable with A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR)
2. Speak German confidently and with appropriate grammatical correctness and spontaneity about topics that are familiar and routine
3. Write coherent texts in German using a range of registers and on a range of topics with appropriate grammatical accuracy
4. Extract data and ideas from a range of authentic written texts

The module will be delivered through a range of interactive teaching sessions supplemented by online teaching and learning activities and materials – and may include, where relevant, asynchronous materials such as lecture recordings. Full details on the delivery mode of this module will be available on Learning Central at the start of the academic year – and may be, in part, determined by Welsh Government and Public Health Wales guidance.  

Independent Learning: You will be expected to spend a significant amount of time studying and participating in in individual and collaborative activities outside the live sessions. Materials will be provided on Learning Central which will help you develop your expertise as an independent language learner. You will be asked to consolidate your language learning by learning vocabulary and linguistic structures, and by reading, watching and/or listening to material in the German language. You will also be expected to prepare and complete exercises and activities online, to complete written, listening and oral tasks and to engage with tutors and peers through discussion boards and forums. Over the course of the semester you will begin to acquire a repertoire of effective language learning strategies.

Students will develop:

1. Understand the principles of learning a foreign language intensively and organise their learning with guidance with the tutor
2. Subject-specific language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) in the German language at the appropriate level
3. The ability to use language creatively and precisely for a range of purposes and audiences
4. The abilities to extract and synthesize key information from written, spoken and other sources
5. A greater awareness of how languages (including the mother tongue) function
6. The skills to be effective, independent and self-aware Iearners, including active reflection on learning processes and preferences so as to independently develop appropriate strategies and linguistic skills to ensure progression
7. The ability to work creatively and flexibly with others as part of a team
8. Skills in intercultural awareness, understanding and competence, including a critical understanding of other cultures and practice other than one’s own
9. Enhanced skills in effective communication, presentation and interaction – both in an online environment and face-to-face
10. Extended and refined vocabulary and skills by engaging with the Independent Learning Portfolio
11. Enhanced digital literacy skills including the ability to engage with appropriate language learning technologies
12. The ability to actively participate in online group discussions with an online community of learners through chats, discussion boards or forums
13. The ability to identify, assess, and make good use of appropriate reference materials (e.g. dictionaries; online resources; self-study tool)

The key language skills are receptive (reading and listening), production (speaking and writing), mediation (translation between two languages) and intercultural awareness. Developing these skills involves acquiring metalinguistic and lexical competence, i.e. studying the building blocks of the language including grammatical and lexical patterns and structures. All of these skills are assessed through continuous assessment over the course of the module which reflects the progressive and accumulative nature of language learning.

The method(s) of assessing the learning outcomes for this module are set out in the Assessment Table, which also contains the weightings of each assessment component.

Mapping of Assessments to Intended Learning Outcomes:

Translation into English assesses ILOs 1

Writing in German assesses ILOs 3, 4

Oral  assesses ILOs 2

Reassessment

Students who fail the module will be reassessed through the one synoptic re-assessment (weighted at 100%). Resit assessments that are not supported by extenuating circumstances will be capped at the pass mark applicable to your programme.

The course will focus on:

• Consolidating and building on knowledge of grammar points studied
• Developing more complex sentence structures
• Developing the range of vocabulary relevant to contemporary society, as specified in the European Common Framework of Reference, level A2
• Developing a sense of different registers
• Developing an awareness of the cultural contexts of German culture
• Making the most of independent learning and learning technologies