Module LZG-1004:
German for Beginners II

Module Facts

Run by School of Languages, Literatures, Linguistics and Media

20 Credits or 10 ECTS Credits

Semester 2

Organiser: Dr Sarah Pogoda

Overall aims and purpose

  1. To enhance students' basic understanding of the German language, and to develop a more complex understanding of grammatical structures.
  2. To enable students to translate short texts into English and produce more advanced pieces of writing in German, such as short essays and letters.
  3. To enable students to develop intermediate oral skills, and become confident with German phonology.
  4. To enable students to read and understand intermediate texts in German and to enhance their vocabulary acquisition.
  5. To enable students to understand and respond to more complex spoken information in German in both formal and informal registers.

Students on this module will be working towards achieving B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)

Course content

This module is aimed at all first year students who have completed German for Beginners 1. The module aims to develop the basic oral, aural and written communicative skills acquired in semester 1 in order to bring students up to and beyond a level of proficiency equivalent to 'A' level. Students apply the grammatical principles learned in semester 1 to extended pieces of writing and also focus on more complex grammatical structures. Aural communicative skills are developed through audio and video tape comprehension exercises and students are required to make individual presentations on more sophisticated topics

Course book:
Birgit Braun, Margit Doubek et. al. DaF Kompakt (Ernst Klett Verlag, 2011).

Students are encouraged to consult: English-German Context Dictionary: http://www.linguee.com/

Assessment Criteria

excellent

70+%: Excellent grasp of grammatical structures; excellent understanding of written texts and aural material in German. Clear ability to write longer passages in German, translate texts into English and respond to spoken material; excellent grasp of German pronunciation.

threshold

40-49%: Basic grasp of grammatical structures; basic understanding of written texts and aural material in German. Limited ability to write longer passages in German, translate texts into English and respond to spoken material; limited grasp of German pronunciation.

good

50-69%: Good grasp of grammatical structures; good understanding of written texts and aural material in German. Some ability to write longer passages in German, translate texts into English and respond to spoken material; good grasp of German pronunciation.

Learning outcomes

  1. Communicate with growing competence and confidence in the target language.

  2. Incorporate new vocabulary and grammatical structures into oral and written expression.

  3. Produce more advanced pieces of writing, such as short essays and letters.

  4. Read and understand notices, advertisements and journalistic texts in the target language

Assessment Methods

Type Name Description Weight
Assignment 20
Test 20
Oral Exam 20
Written Exam 40

Teaching and Learning Strategy

Hours
Seminar

1 x grammar (1 hour per week for 11 weeks) 1 x reading skills (1 hour per week for 11 weeks) 1 x listening skills (1 hour per week for 11 weeks) 1 x speaking skills (1 hour per week for 11 weeks) 1 x writing skills (1 hour per week for 11 weeks)

55
Private study 145

Transferable skills

  • Self-Management - Able to work unsupervised in an efficient, punctual and structured manner. To examine the outcomes of tasks and events, and judge levels of quality and importance
  • Exploring - Able to investigate, research and consider alternatives
  • Information retrieval - Able to access different and multiple sources of information
  • Inter-personal - Able to question, actively listen, examine given answers and interact sensitevely with others
  • Self-awareness & Reflectivity - Having an awareness of your own strengths, weaknesses, aims and objectives. Able to regularly review, evaluate and reflect upon the performance of yourself and others

Subject specific skills

  • The ability to extract and synthesise key information from written and spoken sources in the target language. (Benchmark statement 5.3, 5.4, 5.14)
  • Sensitivity to and analysis of grammar and syntax in the target language, as well as basic morphology and phonology. (Benchmark statement 5.8, and 5.9)
  • Basic reading and listening skills in the target language as well as vocabulary acquisition. (Benchmark statement 5.3, 5.4, 5.7, and 5.10)
  • The ability to make effective use of notes and to carry out independent study. (Benchmark statement 5.15)
  • Develop verbal communication skills in the target language through group work and class discussions. (Benchmark statement 5.8)
  • The ability to read, understand, translate, and write short texts in the target language (benchmark statement 5.13, 5.14, 5.15 and 5.16)
  • More advanced reading and listening skills in the target language as well as more advanced vocabulary acquisition. (Benchmark statement 5.3, 5.4, 5.7, and 5.10)
  • Further develop students's verbal communication skills through group work and class discussions.

Pre- and Co-requisite Modules

Courses including this module

Compulsory in courses:

Optional in courses: