German

Course summary

As one moves beyond the basics of GCSE, studying a foreign language becomes ever more rewarding as one can say and understand so much more. Activities are varied. We aim to use a range of materials in class to enable you to learn more about the German-speaking world in an enjoyable way and through the medium of the German language. You may eventually find yourself summarizing a speech, rephrasing parts of another article, giving an oral or written summary of the evening news, taking part in a classroom role play, interpreting or even writing letters to newspapers. You will see from the exam topics that many aspects of German-speaking culture are covered and all are approached using authentic materials. You will study technological and social change, looking at the multicultural nature of German-speaking society. You will study highlights of German-speaking artistic culture, including art and architecture, and will learn how Germany's political landscape was formed. You will explore the influence of the past on present-day German-speaking communities, and throughout your studies, you will learn the language in the context of German-speaking countries and the issues and influences which have shaped them. You will study texts and film and will have the opportunity to carry out independent research on an area of your choice. Assessment tasks will be varied and cover listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. By the end of the course you should be able to: • understand authentic texts in the written language from a variety of sources such as magazines, newspapers or books • understand contemporary spoken language from various sources including recorded news items from radio and TV, announcements, talks and discussions • communicate confidently and clearly in the spoken language in a wide variety of situations. • display research skills in German • display a sound base of skills and attitudes which will be useful in future work, study and leisure • display a positive attitude towards foreign language learning and its uses in a future career together with a range of intellectual, personal and social skills