German (Version 8.4)

Years 7 and 8 Band Description

The nature of the learners

Students are beginning their study of German and typically have had little prior exposure to the language and associated cultures. Many will have learnt an additional language in primary school, and some have proficiency in different home languages and bring existing language-learning strategies and intercultural awareness to the new experience of learning German. Students’ textual knowledge developed through English literacy learning supports the development of literacy in German. Skills in analysing, comparing and reflecting on language and culture in both languages are mutually supportive. Students may need encouragement to take risks in learning a new language at this stage of social development and to consider how the experience of learning a new language impacts on the sense of the ‘norms’ associated with their first language and culture.

German language learning and use

Learners are offered the necessary scaffolding to listen to, view, read, speak, perform and write German in a range of simple classroom interactions and transactions with the teacher and peers. The teacher speaks increasingly in German in order to provide rich language input and to maximise exposure to the target language. Learners work collaboratively and independently, pooling information, language knowledge and resources to plan, problem-solve, monitor and reflect. They use modelled and rehearsed language in guided situations with familiar contexts and roles, and begin to use and adapt the language learnt to express their own personal meanings. They reflect on intercultural perspectives and their experience of interaction and make cross-curricular connections. Opportunities are provided for real and simulated interactions with other German speakers within and beyond the school community, including via purposeful and integrated use of ICT such as social media and applications.

Contexts of interaction

The German classroom is the primary context for learning, with ICT resources and community links providing access to additional resources and learning experiences. Learners may communicate with peers in German-speaking countries using teacher-guided digital technologies such as wikis, email or online chat. They may also access German-language events or resources in the wider community, such as interschool activities, film festivals or cultural performances.

Texts and resources

Learners listen to, read, view and interact with a growing range of simple texts for a variety of purposes (social, informative, transactional, imaginative, expressive). They apply learnt processing strategies, drawing on their vocabulary and grammatical knowledge and understanding of text conventions and patterns to gain meaning and to produce texts. They plan, create and present short, simple informative and imaginative texts (personal profiles, letters, timetables, poetry, songs/raps, blogs, advertisements)

Features of German language use

Students become familiar with the sounds of German, including pronunciation, rhythm, intonation and stress. They recognise similarities with many English words, noting differences in pronunciation (Computer, Buch, Auto). They approximate the pronunciation and phrasing of single words and short phrases, including distinctive sounds such as ch, r, th, u and z, diphthongs such as au, ei, eu and ie, and the impact of the Umlaut. They understand and apply elements of German grammar such as subject-verb-object word order, simple verb forms, and gender and number agreement of nouns and pronouns. Students understand that language is organised as text and that texts use different structures and language features to achieve different purposes. They create their own short texts, mainly using the present tense of regular and common irregular verbs, enriched by the use of adjectives and adverbs. They understand that language use reflects and shapes values and attitudes, and explore how language choices determine how people, events or circumstances are represented.

Level of support

Learners rely on teacher instruction, modelling, feedback and structured opportunities for practising and understanding new language. Support resources and activities include word lists, dictionaries, visual organisers, images and gestures. Learners support one another through structured pair and group tasks that have clear roles and expectations. Opportunities are required for monitoring and evaluating their language and culture learning.

The role of English

The teacher provides rich and supported German language input, using English as a medium for most explanation and discussion. Learners are supported to use German as much as possible for classroom routines and interactions, structured learning tasks, language experimentation and practice. As their first language capabilities far exceed their proficiency in German at this stage, it is likely that they will use mainly English for discussion, clarification, explanation and analysis.

Years 7 and 8 Content Descriptions

Years 7 and 8 Achievement Standards