| Unit name | German Language post ab initio |
|---|---|
| Unit code | GERM20032 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Mr. Langner |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
GERM19003 German ab initio |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of German |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit will practise and develop students’ oral, aural, reading, writing and translation skills in the language specified as a follow on to the ab initio language unit taken in Year 1. The unit will further develop students’ understanding of grammar and cultural background of the language specified.
Students will:
i) be able to communicate both orally and in writing with a reasonable degree of accuracy
and fluency.
ii) be able to work with authentic material and retrieve necessary information.
Overall, students will attain a level comparable to B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEF).
3 hours of seminars per week.
The communicative approach will be used; learners will be involved in a variety of interactive and stimulating activities with maximum use of the target language. This will be supported by e-learning opportunities; a Blackboard site, wikis, blogs and use of self-study facilities.
One 3 hour exam (75%) plus continuous assessment (25%)
The exam assesses the three written skills. Continuous assessment tests the oral and aural skills.
25% - Translation - 100% exam
25% - Guided writing - 100% exam
25% - Composition - 100% exam
25% - Oral (70%)/Aural (30%) split - 100% continuous assessment
The four key skills are; Composition, Translation, Guided Writing and Oral/Aural.
Composition assesses the students’ ability to communicate in the longer written form in the target language, which can include essay writing. ILOs assessed: i, ii
Translation assesses the students’ ability to translate accurately and fluently into and out of the target language. ILOs assessed: i, ii
Guided Writing, sometimes also known as Mediation into the Target Language, assesses the students’ skills in reading comprehension and in expressing material in the target language in prose form (including condensing, translation into the target language, rephrasing, asking them to respond to structured or guided questions related to a given text, etc). It may also assess students’ metalinguistic and lexical competence (i.e. grammar and vocabulary). ILOs assessed: i, ii
Oral/Aural assesses the students’ verbal and listening skills, communicating verbally and in comprehension of the spoken language. ILOs assessed: i, ii
In order to progress into Year 3 (Year Abroad), students need to achieve a pass mark (40) in their overall language mark. Marks of below 40 in any of the four language skills would not prevent a student from progressing, as long as the overall average remained above 40.
Selection of dedicated material prepared in-house (SML). Grammar texts and dictionaries as appropriate to language area.
