German
Transitus
Pupils are introduced to German in Transitus and the focus of each lesson is primarily on developing their accent and pronunciation, as well as introducing them to the culture of German speaking countries. Pupils should be able to communicate confidently in German by the end of the year and talk, for example, about themselves, their pets and their family, as well as understand basic information such as numbers and personal details.
SI
The German course continues the work started in Transitus and develops the four skills of Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. Pupils are introduced to more grammar, in particular German word order and regular and irregular verbs in the Present Tense. Lessons are conducted mainly in the target language and pupils are expected to communicate in German as much as possible. Pupils’ vocabulary is increased considerably in areas such as school life and leisure activities. As the year progresses, pupils are given longer written tasks to complete and reading passages to understand. Listening practice is given every lesson and pupils are tested on their speaking skills individually with the teacher, in pairs or in the form of a presentation. Pupils are also introduced to the cultural aspects of countries where German is spoken.
SII
The German course in second year focuses primarily on the skills of Speaking and Listening. Speaking is developed through paired activities and group work. Pupils are introduced to the German alphabet, numbers and talking about themselves and their own interests. Accent and pronunciation are particularly important at this stage. Short written tasks are introduced gradually as pupils’ confidence develops and as they are introduced to the rudiments of German grammar. Reading tasks are introduced as pupils’ vocabulary increases during the year. The ultimate aim of the course is to instil the pupils with confidence in the language and to set a firm foundation for those who opt to continue to Standard Grade.
SIII-SIV Standard Grade
The German course develops the four skills developed in SIII, namely Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. Speaking is developed through prepared presentations, role play and discussion. Writing is assessed by means of a folio generated from class work. In Reading, pupils read short German texts and answer questions in English and in Listening, pupils listen to recordings of German extracts and answer questions in English. The overall grade in German is determined by giving Reading and Speaking (class-based) double the weighting of Listening and Writing.