9GER - German

German culture is an integral part of language learning and students gain an appreciation of another culture and another way of thinking. In particular, there is a focus on the lifestyle of people in Germany and other German speaking countries.

If you study German at Year 9, you will be able to study German at all year levels. Learning German offers a range of pathways, such as:

•  career – German is useful in many fields - commercial, scientific, and technical and tourism – when studied in conjunction with other subjects. Scholarships and zero-fee opportunities are available for New Zealanders wishing to study at German universities

•  leisure – knowledge of another language makes travel more interesting

•  travel to Germany in Year 12 – all Year 12 students can apply to go to Germany for two months at the end of Year 12. Students stay with a family and attend school.

The main language focus will be on communicating in German and every effort will be made to speak as much German in the classroom as possible. In class we will be using the Stimmt One course. You  will be using your device to record spoken interactions and videos, for research and inquiry projects and for simple writing tasks. You will need an exercise book for note taking and writing basic vocabulary. You will study German for two terms in Year 9. 

By the end of the two terms, you should be able to:

•  cope with a variety of routine situations when talking to German speakers

•  use familiar language with some flexibility and pick up some new language from its context

•  read and write short emails, blogs and letters, and fill out simple forms

•  interact and converse appropriately in familiar social situations according to the norms and conventions of German-speaking people

•  use a range of language-learning strategies and be able to relate these to their own language.

You will get a taster of German language and culture. This introduction will challenge you with lots of speaking, in class language competitions and games. It will also also provide you the opportunity to learn about the rich culture and attractions Germany has to offer. 

Topics Covered

1. Meine Welt und ich: numbers, alphabet, introducing yourself and describing your character, asking and answering questions about your belongings, preparing a poster, learning about famous people.

2. Familie und Tiere: talking about pets, talking about family members and age, talking about birthdays, finding out about German traditions.

3. Freizeit – juhu!: talking about which sports you play, talking about leisure activities, talking about mobiles and computers.

This course is open to all Year 9 students. You will need a pen, an exercise book and a laptop device so you can access different language learning websites e.g languagesonline.co.uk or Duolingo. 

Regular Topic-based vocabulary tests. There will be two short learning progression tasks to complete. Students will deliver a speech/presentation about themselves in Term 1 and students will do an interaction -speaking task with a partner in term 2, in which they ask and answer questions about themselves in German. In class they will develop skills in listening, reading and writing for each module. 

Assessment in the Junior School

Learning Progressions are an evaluation of student progress using various modes of learning as evidence (not just a one-off test).  They are based on the New Zealand Curriculum, and show the level at which a student is demonstrating knowledge or skills.  Our Learning Progressions Framework maps out students’ development as they move through Years 9 - 11.  

Within each subject, at the end of a phase of learning (ie. topic, unit or skill), students will be evaluated using these indicators: Emerging, Developing, Proficient, Advancing.  For more information about what these mean, please see the Year 9 - 11 section of our website.