Ofsted Outstanding

German

Key Documents

  1. Learning to Fly in MFL
  2. Independent Study in MFL
  3. German Curriculum Overview

What will students be learning in German this year?

Please see the Curriculum Overview above for a list of the topics covered in German at KS4.

Expectations of students in German

There are 2 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 and an end of year exam in the Summer term of Year 10, which includes a speaking exam. Ongoing vocabulary and grammar tests assess the extent to which students have assimilated the new language. Terminal assessment takes the form of four separate exams, all taken at the end of Year 11 (although the speaking exams will be a little earlier than the written papers). Each paper is equally weighted so 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 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 take into account work over 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, before she starts to fall behind. 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 the Controlled Assessments at the end of the year as these can count towards the GCSE.

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 it sink in. There are a range of websites including the exam board's own which she can use if she wants to do extra practice. And of course, we recommend that she take part if the Y10 exchange trip to Starnberg.

Whom can I contact for further advice and information?

Please feel free to contact your daughter's class teacher in the first instance, but Frau Lacey as Head of German is also available on vlacey@newsteadwood.co.uk

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