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German
In German, we believe that learning should be lively, enriching, challenging and a multi-faceted experience. Our students will engage in a plethora of different tasks in each lesson and experience both the language and culture of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We actively encourage the use of the target language in all lessons from day one so that our students feel confident in speaking the language.
In Y7 students will start to learn the basic conversational structures such as introductions, greetings, personal information and their favourite things.
Learning is not confined to the classroom; students are supported in their studies with online resources such as Duolingo, Memrise, and Language Nut. We also offer a wide range of enrichment activities to experience language in action including trips to the German Christmas Markets and German Exchange. To support Y7 students in their learning, they are paired with German pen-pals to give them the experience of engaging with native speakers and sharing anecdotes about their day to day lives. This is an opportunity that really brings the language alive for the students.
The aim of our department is for our students to be excited by language learning and to take on new opportunities that will help them in their future careers, as well as improve their confidence. Deutsch macht Spaß!
KS3
German
KS3 Overview
The MFL Department is delighted to offer German to our pupils. Our students have access to learning not only the German language, but also to learning about life in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxemburg and other German-speaking countries and regions. The benefits of learning German are as diverse as our curriculum, which focuses primarily on language and culture. Apart from the educational benefits of learning German, pupils also profit from the fact that the German-speaking area in Europe is the most important and powerful part of the EU and Germany itself is a world power in terms of manufacturing, innovation and classical music and opera.
Expected Equipment
We expect all our students to be organised when they come to the lessons. As well as a normal equipment, they should, as per school policy, have a red pen for peer-marking and a purple pen for self-marking. At KS3, we strongly encourage them to purchase a bi-lingual dictionary.
Resources for learning
- Own textbook for use in year 7,8 and 9
- Class sets and digital copies of workbooks
- Digital versions of textbooks on www.memrise.com
- Access to www.duolingo.com for independent study and learning.
- Access to www.languagenut.com for homework and learning.
Extracurricular enrichment
- Key Stage 3 Study clinic
- Year 8 trip to German Markets
- Year 9 Activity Holiday to the Rhineland Valley.
Programme of Study
During the course of Key Stage 3, all pupils use the textbooks Stimmt 1-3 to give them a firm foundation in the language. Those pupils who continue with the subject have a firm basis for further success in Key Stage 4. The course books are accompanied by workbooks and also by the use of interesting and engaging digital resources.
KS4
KS4 Overview
The MFL Department (German) is delighted to offer German (Years 7-13) to all our pupils. As a result, all pupils at some stage in their careers at our school have access to learning not only the German language, but also to learning about life in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxemburg and other German-speaking countries and regions. The benefits of learning German are as diverse as our curriculum, which focuses primarily on language and culture. Apart from the educational benefits of learning German, pupils also profit from the fact that the German-speaking area in Europe is the most important and powerful part of the EU and Germany itself is a world power in terms of manufacturing, innovation and classical music and opera.
Expected Equipment
We expect all our students to be organised when they come to the lessons. As well as normal equipment, they should, as per school policy, have a red pen for peer-marking and a purple pen for self-marking. We recommend the purchase of a German Oxford Learner’s Dictionary for vocabulary acquisition.
Resources for learning
- Stimmt GCSE German textbook
- Bespoke workbook produced in house
- Digital version of the GCSE textbook available on www.memrise.com to enable pupils to work on various language skills on a digital device
- Pupil access to www.duolingo.com to improve general German language skills.
- Access to www.languagenut.com for homework and learning.
Extracurricular enrichment
- A range of digital resources to stretch pupils at all levels
- A curriculum trip to Vienna, capital of the second most populous German speaking country.
Programme of Study
German is a very popular GCSE option and is taken by a number of pupils in Key Stage 4. All pupils are issued with the latest Stimmt GCSE textbook and this is supplemented with a bespoke workbook and in-house digital resources to allow pupils to practise their language skills at home on a digital device. All pupils at the end of the two year course will take the Edexcel GCSE exam in the skills of reading, listening, speaking and writing. A GCSE in German is regarded as being a highly academic GCSE option.
KS5
German
The MFL Department (German) is delighted to offer German (7-13) to all our pupils. As a result, all pupils at some stage in their careers at our school have access to learning not only the German language, but also to learning about life in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxemburg and other German speaking countries and regions. The benefits of learning German are as diverse as our curriculum, which focuses primarily on language and culture. Apart from the educational benefits of learning German, pupils also profit from the fact that the German speaking area in Europe is the most important and powerful part of the EU and Germany itself is a world power in terms of manufacturing, innovation and classical music and opera.
Expected Equipment
We expect all our students to be organised when they come to the lessons. As well as a normal equipment, they should, as per school policy, have a red pen for peer-marking and a purple pen for self-marking. We recommend the purchase of a German Oxford Learner’s Dictionary for vocabulary acquisition.
Resources for learning
- A Level German textbook
- Bespoke workbooks to supplement the textbook.
- Der Besuch der alten Dame + bespoke workbook.
- Die Welle film + bespoke in house workbook
- Digital version of workbooks on www.memrise.com
- Digital version of A Level textbook on www.memrise.com
- Various other resources as recommended by German teacher.
Extracurricular enrichment
- A Level booster lessons.
- Teaching German in a local primary school.
- Curriculum study visit to Berlin in year 12.
Programme of Study
A Level German is highly regarded by universities as being an academic A Level. It not only provides excellent preparation for a degree course that includes a language element but is also very useful in providing language skills for pupils wishing to communicate with people from German speaking countries. German speaking countries are without doubt the leaders in Europe in terms of manufacturing, classical culture and political power and pupils with a knowledge of German will be very marketable in the future. The German course itself covers the four skills of reading, listening, writing and speaking with the study of a play and film included in the two-year course.
