What will students be learning in German this year?
Please see the Curriculum Overview below for a list of the topics covered in German at KS4.
Expectations of students in German
There are two one-hour lessons a week and one 45 minute homework. Homework may be reading comprehension, vocabulary or grammar learning, grammar practice, writing, or preparing for an assessment. It is important for students to see learning homeworks as important as steadily building up their vocabulary and grammatical knowledge is critical to their success. To get the most from the course, students are expected to take an active part in lessons, especially in speaking German at every opportunity. Written work is marked using the department's marking codes, which enable students to work out for themselves how to improve their work, thus helping them to learn more effectively. They are expected to redraft marked work and will usually have the opportunity to do this and ask questions in lesson time.
What are the major assessments this year?
There will be formative assessments covering a range of skills at the end of most units, as well as low stakes quizzing and self and peer –assessments. In the Summer term of Year 10 there will be an End of Year Exam, which will assess all four skills including a speaking. Ongoing vocabulary and grammar tests assess the extent to which students have assimilated the new language. The final assessment takes the form of the four separate GCSE exams: Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing; all taken at the end of Year 11 (although the speaking exams will be a little earlier than the other three papers). Each paper is equally weighted and is 25% of the final mark. The listening and reading comprehension require verbal and non-verbal answers in either English or German and the reading paper also includes a translation into English. The speaking exam will be 10-12 minutes plus preparation time and includes a role play, photo card and general conversation. The writing paper contains two writing tasks (a 90- and 150-words question) and a translation into German.
What will the current performance grade be based on and what does it mean?
The grade given at the end of the year will be influenced by the end of year exam but will also consider the work throughout the year.
What should my daughter do if she feels she is struggling in the subject?
It is important for students to let their teacher know of any concerns promptly, so that support and advice can be offered, in a timely manner. Finding something challenging at first does not mean that one cannot do it: indeed, it is often in overcoming problems that we learn most!
How can I support my daughter?
It is by no means essential to know German in order to support your daughter effectively. Simply by taking an interest, asking her to show you her work and explain it, and encouraging her, you can make an enormous difference to how she feels about the subject. You can also encourage her to do her best in spending some extra time in her independent study outside school listening to German music, podcasts or watching a film in German or reading some short stories.
What kind of independent work should my daughter be completing?
It is a good idea for her to review her lesson notes and the relevant resources as soon as possible after the lesson, to help her consolidate it all. Little and often is the key to language learning. Spaced learning is particularly effective when it comes to learning new vocabulary. It only takes short, but focused and frequent, study time slots to help keep the language fresh in her mind.
We recommend a range of websites which your daughter can use for extra practice of the grammar and vocabulary, as well as to learn more about German culture and expand her global and international awareness.
Who can I contact for further advice and information?
Please feel free to contact your daughter's class teacher in the first instance, however Frau Lacey as Head of German is also available at vlacey@newsteadwood.co.uk