Walton Le Dale

German

Curriculum Intent

The intent of the German curriculum at Walton-le-Dale is to develop language learners who have a love of languages, are resilient and independent, are confident speakers of German and have a secure understanding of phonics. They will have a strong awareness of the culture of German-speaking  countries and they will have access to the use of authentic materials. They have a sound understanding of German grammar which includes the ability to apply it in new contexts and the ability to use and understand a range of tenses with confidence. They are inquisitive linguists, with intellectual curiosity, who are able to make connections with their learning of French, who ask searching questions and who like to understand how languages are interlinked and who can relate the influence of other languages to the English language. Pupils are also able to progress to the next stage of their language learning and they are proud of their linguistic achievements.  

Programmes of Study

Upper band pupils start to learn German alongside French in Year 8 and they continue with French and German in Year 9.
Pupils develop the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing at both Key Stages.
 

Year 8

Topics Culture Grammar

  • Introducing yourself

  • Talking about where you live

  • Appearance and personality

  • Personal equipment

  • Family

  • Pets

  • Numbers, dates, birthdays

  • Sports

  • Free time 

  • Online usage

  • School subjects

  • School routines

  • Teachers

  • Ideal school

  • Opinions

  • Local Area

  • Shopping

  • Food and Drink

  • Currency

  • Holiday Plans

 Christmas in Germany
New Year in Germany
German traditions
German school system
Towns and cities in Germany
German food and drink
German geography and key locations
German sports and athletes
 

Cognates
Introduction to German verbs
Adjectives
Definite and indefinite articles
Adjectival agreements
Possessive adjectives
Negatives
Simple interrogatives
Prepositions
Formation of tenses
Opinions
Word Order

 

Year 9

Topics Culture Grammar

  • Past holidays

  • Travel and transport

  • Weather

  • Problems on holiday

  • Film and television

  • Reading preferences

  • Online usage

  • Speaking different languages

  • German meals and foods

  • Healthy lifestyles

  • Youth hostels

  • Daily routine

  • Asking for directions

  • German festivals

  • Activity holidays

  • Clothes

  • Arranging an evening out

  • Fairtrade labels

German film and television
Reasons for studying languages
Employability with languages
German food and drink
German recipes
Festivals in German-speaking countries
Ethnical shopping
German brands

As Year 8 plus:
In-depth work on at least 3 tenses
Justifying opinions
Word order: Time Manner Place and inversion
Modal verbs
Prepositions and the dative case
Comparatives and superlatives
Reflexive and separable verbs

 

Key Stage 4 German
Year 10
 

Topic Culture Grammar

Theme 3: Current and future study and employment

 

  • School subjects and clothing

  • Personal equipment

  • Aspirations 

  • School system and routines

  • School rules

  • School exchanges and trips

 

Theme 1: Identity and Culture

 

  • Leisure activities

  • Reading habits

  • Music

  • Film and television

  • Sport

  • Celebrations and festivals

  • Family relationships

  • Friendship

  • Relationship dynamics

  • Weddings and formalised partnerships

  • Social weekend activities

  • Childhood experiences compared with the present

 

Theme 1: Identity and Culture and Theme 2: Local, national, international and global areas of interest

 

  • House and home

  • Food and drink

  • Meeting and greeting

  • Daily routine

  • Traditional German meals

  • Staying fit and healthy

  • Use of digital technology

  • Social media

  • Booking accommodation

  • Travel and Transport

  • Accommodation and associated problems

  • Directions

  • Tourist attractions

  • Eating out in a restaurant

  • Shopping for souvenirs

  • Problems whilst on holiday

  • Holiday destinations

  • Weather

  • Types of holidays

  • Holiday experiences

  • Holiday plans

  • Places where people live

  • Pros and cons of different locations

 German schools and school systems
German geography
German sports and leisure
German TV/cinema/music
German traditions, customs and festivals
German food and drink
German climate and regions
German transport, holiday destinations and accommodation
Extracts from German literature
 		 Range of tenses
Regular and irregular verbs
Reflexive verbs
Modal verbs
Negatives
Comparatives and superlatives
Interrogatives
Time frames and time expressions
Comparatives
Direct object pronouns
Formation of higher level opinions
Time/Manner/Place and complex word order
 

 

Key Stage 4 German
Year 11
 

Topic Culture Grammar

Theme 1: Identity and Culture and Theme 2: Local, national, international and global areas of interest

 

  • House and home

  • Food and drink

  • Meeting and greeting

  • Daily routine

  • Traditional German meals

  • Staying fit and healthy

  • Use of digital technology

  • Social media

 

Theme 2: Local, national, international and global areas of interest

 

  • Booking accommodation

  • Travel and Transport

  • Accommodation and associated problems

  • Directions

  • Tourist attractions

  • Eating out in a restaurant

  • Shopping for souvenirs

  • Problems whilst on holiday

 

Theme 2: Local, national, international and global areas of interest

 

  • Holiday destinations

  • Weather

  • Types of holidays

  • Holiday experiences

  • Holiday plans

  • Places where people live

  • Pros and cons of different locations

 

Theme 3: Current and future study and employment

 

  • Jobs

  • Places of work

  • Job descriptions

  • Job applications

  • Dream jobs

  • Rationale for foreign language learning

 

Theme 2: Local, national, international and global areas of interest

 

  • Local, national and international festivals and sporting events

  • Social problems 

  • Homelessness and poverty

  • Local, national and international environmentally-friendly initiatives and campaigns

 

Full revision programme prior to final examinations.

 German homes and lifestyles
German food and drink
German greetings and introductions
German leisure activities
German transport, holiday destinations and accommodation
German festivals and celebrations
German shops and shopping habits
Employment in Germany
Social issues
National and international concerns
Using languages for work
Extracts from German literature
 		 Range of tenses
Regular and irregular verbs
Reflexive verbs
Modal verbs
Negatives
Comparatives and superlatives
Interrogatives
Time frames and time expressions
Comparatives
Direct object pronouns
Formation of higher level opinions
Time/Manner/Place and complex word order
 

 

Marking and Internal Assessment

Key Stage 3
The four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing are marked using internal assessments, linked to GCSE marking criteria, where appropriate.
Key Stage 4
The four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing are marked using GCSE marking criteria.

Examinations

Pupils are entered for the AQA GCSE German exam.
Grades 9 to 1 are available.
Examinations are taken at the end of the course.
Pupils will be entered for either foundation or higher tier in all four skills.
Foundation tier of entry: Grades 1 to 5
Higher tier of entry: Grades 4 to 9

Revision Guides/Supporting Resources

CGP GCSE German (AQA) revision guide
BBC Bitesize website
Linguascope – school subscription
Duolingo app – free version recommended

Staff Details

Mrs R Holden – Modern Foreign Languages (French and German) Curriculum Leader 
Mrs P New – Teacher of French and German


Careers and Progression

Having knowledge of a foreign language is seen as a bonus in many jobs and a GCSE in a foreign language contributes to the EBacc portfolio of qualifications.  A foreign language is seen as important by many universities, regardless of the subject taken at degree level. Studying a foreign language leads to employability in education, public services, travel and tourism, journalism, international business, law, management, administration, marketing, publishing, politics amongst others, as well as providing an ideal opportunity for living and working abroad in a number of disciplines.  A good grade at GCSE MFL will be required for access to A-level MFL courses. Individual colleges will have their own published selection criteria.