AS Level German Transition Programme

This is a guide for pupils to practice their language skills through the medium of German for the purpose of

transitioning to AS content with their teachers when schools re-open.

You have obviously chosen German for a reason and hopefully that reason is because you enjoy learning this language. The motivation to want to learn a language at this level is the key to your success. Through determined hard work and enjoyment, you will succeed in achieving a good result at AS level.

Within this introductory section, a few things will be explained including an outline of the course, examination requirements, the assessment criteria, and the topics you will study. There are also a few helpful hints on how you can maximise your potential at this high level.

AS Exam

We will follow the WJEC specification in German for AS / A2.

The AS awards a grade on a scale from A –E and the A2 awards a grade on a scale from A* –E . If you fail to achieve a grade E, a U grade is recorded and you will not receive a certificate. However you can resit in June each year.

The AS is 40% of an A level and therefore the AS grade will contribute to the final A2 grade, if you continue to study it at this level.

The AS exam is assessed through 2 components. They are as follows:

AS Unit 1: Speaking Non-exam assessment: 12-15 minutes (plus additional 15 minutes preparation time) 12% of qualification 48 marks

Task 1 Arguing a point of view based on a written stimulus card (5-6 minutes)

Task 2 Discussion based on a second written stimulus card (7-9 minutes)

Learners are not permitted to use dictionaries in any part of the assessment.

GN2 You will be provided with a CD and listen to it on a CD player. You can stop and rewind, listen to it as many times as required.

Unit 2: Listening, reading, translation and critical response in writing Written examination: 2 hours 30 minutes 28% of qualification 84 marks

The stimulus material will be in German, based on the two AS themes under the areas of interest: social issues and trends and political, intellectual and artistic culture.

There will be four sections:

Section A: Listening Question types may include true/false statements, multiple choice and gap-fill questions.

Section B: Reading Questions may include multiple choice, gap-fill questions and summary/assimilation style questions.

Section C: Translation An unseen passage or passages from German into English/Welsh (minimum 70 words).

Section D: Critical response in writing : Barfuss Candidates are required to write one essay of approximately 300 words on the film they have studied from the prescribed list (see page 13). This response will require an in-depth critical response in German to an aspect or aspects of the film studied.

Learners are not permitted to use dictionaries in any part of the assessment.

Topic Areas

These are the topic areas as stated in the WJEC specification:

Area of interest (i) Area of interest (ii) Social issues and trends Political, intellectual and artistic culture

Theme 1: (AS) Theme 2: (AS) Being a young person in German-speaking Understanding the German-speaking world society  Regional culture and heritage in Germany,  Family structures, traditional and modern German-speaking countries and values, friendships / relationships communities  Youth trends, issues and personal  Literature, art, film and music in the identity German- speaking world  Educational and employment opportunities

Tenses

(Use https://deutsch.lingolia.com/en/grammar to practise using interactive activities) Match the tense to the example sentence and then to the description of when you would use it:

The present tense 1)ich hatte den Apfel a) is used when there is a degree of uncertainty gegessen

The perfect tense 2) ich aß den Apfel b) as with perfect tense but modals stay in the infinitive is there is another infinitive in the sentence

The perfect tense with 3) ich habe den Apfel c) used to describe events in the past, more modals nicht essen wollen common in written German

The imperfect tense 4) ich werde den d) used to describe something with is happening Apfel essen or usually happens

The pluperfect tense 5) ich habe den Apfel e) used to express something that will have gegessen happened by a certain period in time

The future tense 6) ich hätte den Apfel f) used to describe something which had gegessen happened, a past past

The conditional tense 7) ich esse einen g) can be formed in all tenses using werden + past Apfel participle and is used when something is being done to something/somebody

The conditional perfect 8) Der Apfel wurde h) used to describe events in the past, more von dem Mann common in spoken German gegessen

Future Perfect 9) ich möchte den i) used to express what would have happened if... Apfel essen Formed with hätte/wäre + past participle

The passive voice 10) ich werde den j) it consists of werden plus an infinitive to talk Apfel gegessen about something which will happen haben

Reference Recommendations

You have to a dictionary!

A good dictionary is essential whether you are keeping your language skills on the boil or learning new vocabulary, in a book format or on-line. These are just some of the ones that most teachers recommend, are user-friendly and will help you when you start you’re a A- Level course properly. Get to know the way they work and how best to use them to help you!

The Collins German Dictionary The world's leading German to English and English to German bilingual dictionary, This ninth edition has been revised to include all the latest vocabulary from a wide range of fields, including new additions from the fields of the Internet, the environment and economics. Culture boxes explain the origins of phrases from literature, film and popular culture to aid translation and improve your understanding of German popular culture. Acclaimed "Language in Use" supplement contains hundreds of examples of usage in real-life contexts such as essay writing, email and telephone conversations to help you use German fluently and naturally. * Includes detailed colour maps of the English and German-speaking worlds.

On-line dictionary www.linguee.com

English Dictionary and Translation Search with 1000000000 example sentences from human translators. Languages: English, German, French, Spanish.

Free online dictionaries - Spanish, French, Italian, German and more. Conjugations, audio pronunciations and forums for your questions.

Movie Recommendations for pleasure

Watching films in the German language will really help with your listening skills and keep your knowledge of vocabulary and syntax on the boil. Don’t worry if you don’t know what is being said, that it goes really fast or that you may only know a few words of vocabulary. (That is what subtitles are for)! What you will be doing however, is training your ear to get used to the flow and rhythm of the language and getting used to different voices and German accents! By the time you get to the AS course film selected by your teacher, you will be used to the medium and good to go!

Good Bye Lenin Year released: 2003 Rating: 15 Duration: 2h1m Genre: Comedy / Drama Synopsis: In 1990, to protect his fragile mother from a fatal shock after a long coma, a young man must keep her from learning that her beloved nation of East Germany as she knew it has disappeared. You can watch this film on

Willkommen bei der Hartmanns ( Welcome to Germany) Year released: 2016 Rating: GUIDANCE (PG) Duration: 1h56m Genre: Comedy/Drama Synopsis: A well-off Munich family offers boarding to a refugee. Diallo from Nigeria soon makes friends among the family members, but they are tested when they have to face racism, bureaucracy and terror suspicions because of him.

You can watch this film on

Charité

Year released: 2017-2020 Rating: TEEN (12) Duration: 45 min Episodes ( 3 Seasons) Genre: Drama Synopsis: The series describes the accomplishments of several famous German physicians and scientists at the prestigious Charité hospital in Berlin towards the end of the 19th century..

You can watch this film on

Nailed It! Germany

Year released: 2020 Rating: GUIDANCE (PG) Duration: 1 season, 6 episodes, 34m Genre: Food & Travel TV Synopsis: Home cooks try -- and inevitably fail -- to re-create spectacular confections on this comical competition show, all for a sweet 5,000 euros.. You can watch this film on :

Developing Listening Skills

As with watching movies, listening to the radio or podcasts in German will also help develop your listening skills and keep your knowledge of vocabulary and syntax on the boil. Again, please don’t worry if you don’t know what is being said, that it goes really fast or that you may only know a few words of vocabulary. You are still training your ear to get used to the flow and rhythm of the language and getting used to different voices and German accents! Do this every day and the AS course listening exercises will seem slower in comparison!! 

www.dw.com/en/learn-german/s-2469 With Deutsche Welle's online offer it is not only easy but also entertaining to learn German. They also offer Langsame gesprochene Nachrichten , where you can listen to current news items played at a slower speed with transcripts. www.dw.com/de/29042020-langsam- gesprochene-nachrichten/a-53277963

LISTEN TO THE RADIO! https://www1.wdr.de/index.html The great thing about listening to the radio is that you can listen and do something else at the same time. Listen live using WDR where you can choose your station Remember, this is German radio for the Germa so it will go quickly, just try to pick out some words for fun - even if it is just the weather!

Four reasons to learn a new language English is fast becoming the world's universal language, and instant translation technology is improving every year. So why bother learning a foreign language? Linguist and Columbia professor John McWhorter shares four alluring benefits of learning an unfamiliar tongue.

Breaking the language barrier | Tim Doner | TEDxTeen Watch the video in which Tim Doner shared his experience of learning many languages to illuminate the objectives of learning languages and how to reach the goals.

Developing Reading Skills

When you are reading French (article or book), you don’t need to look up every word as it would take a long time to get through! Skimming and scanning the text to get the gist works just as well and will be far more pleasurable! Use the context, cognates, pictures and your literacy skills to work out what the article is about. Give yourself a target number of new new words to add to your vocabulary list. Ideally you could also find a synonym or an antonym for the new words you learn. This way you would be doubling or even tripling your range of vocabulary! 

www.planet-wissen.de/index.html This site offers a wealth of articles and videos on a variety of topics and themes.

Mary Glasgow publications publish 4 magazines for French learners ranging from beginners to GCSE (Schuss) Check with your language teachers if you have a code to access to the magazine online.

www.goethe.de/ins/us/saf/prj/stg/enindex.htm In cooperation with Deutsche Welle Step into German is turning up the volume and presents “Music Made in Germany”. Little Gems – The best commercials. Most of the time TV-ads make you want to change channels or press mute. But if you take a closer look you can discover little gems. Little Gems – The best commercials.

Why not have a go at reading a foreign language newspaper – Spiegel is available in larger paper shops. Speigel has its own website www.spiegel.de/ so that you can read the paper online. You do not have to read the paper cover to cover, just scan the headlines and pick out ONE article that grabs your attention.

Developing your Grammar

Part of your skill set is of course developing your knowledge of the French language. There are some fun on-line grammar sites that can help you keep your grammar going during your this transition time.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z4cv7nb BBC bitesize again have grammar sections under each examination board. These have clear explanations and some exercises to remind you of key grammatical points. Further practice can then be had on the websites below. www.languagesonline.org.uk This a very helpful online grammar practice website. You are able to choose the tense you want to revise, read the explanations and complete the exercises. You can do these as often as you like and it gives you a percentage.

This website is free after 4pm. It has a really helpful A level section where you are able to watch news video clips, find theme related vocabulary and do listening and reading comprehensions as well as grammar exercises. http://zut.languageskills.co.uk/advanced/year12.html

Developing knowledge through your research skills

Your research skills will come into the fore as this is an ideal opportunity to get to know about German and German speaking countries, for example, the regional culture and

heritage in German, German-speaking countries and communities. Choose a region of Germany , Austria or Switzerland and compile a fact-file or start a presentation for your fellow students. You can do this research both in English or German. As this is part of the course of study, the more customs and traditions that you are able to refer to and the richer your knowledge, the better! Your teachers will probably refer you to information and websites, as it is easy to get overwhelmed, however, below are some

ideas to get you started.

BBC has a wealth of information. This link will take you through to a profile on Germany https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17299607

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p011ky0f These programmes look at a range of issues including Germany in history, politics and cultural issues affecting Modern Europe Germany. Programmes looking at the challenges facing modern Germany and providing context.

https://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/en/spr/unt/kum/dfj/alv.html Through this link students can find useful links to German- language websites on subjects relating to German society and culture. The topics are chosen with reference to the UK exam boards' specifications, and their aim is to provide fast access to websites which are well-presented and up-to-da

Deutsche Redewendungen

Idioms are a great way of making your writing and speaking more advanced, as well as sounding more German.

Here are a few idioms and suggestions on how to use them.

1. Meinungen – opinions

Deutsch English (literally) What it means and how to use it

It is really boring. Use it with ’finden’ or a form of ‘sein’ (e.g. ‘ist’ or Es/Das ist zum Einschlafen. It/That puts you to sleep. ‘sind’). It/That makes you die of Es/Das ist zum Totlachen. It is really funny. Use it with ’finden’ or a form of ‘sein’ (e.g. ‘ist’ or ‘sind’). laughter. Es/Das ist 08/15 (null – acht – It is average. Use it with ’finden’ or a form of ‘sein’ (e.g. ‘ist’ or ‘sind’) for It/That is zero – eight – fifteen. fünfzehn). speaking only, as it is very colloquial. It is the latest fashion. Use it as an exclamation with ‘das’ or as a statement Das/Es ist der letzte Schrei. That/It is the latest scream. about something. That is/would be the dot on the That is/would be the icing on the cake. Use it as an exclamation in the Das ist/wäre das I-Tüpfelchen. ‘i’. present with ‘ist’ or use the conditional with ‘wäre’. Da steppt der Bär. That’s where the bear dances. It is an awesome party. Use it as an exclamation. Er/Sie ist eine Nervensäge. He/she is a nerve saw. He/she is really annoying. Use it to describe a person. It is a very boring place where nothing happens. Use it as a set phrase to Da liegt der Hund begraben. A dog is buried there. describe a boring place on holiday or a boring village/town. I’ve had enough. Use it as an exclamation that you’ve had enough of a Ich habe die Nase voll. I have the nose full. certain situation. This brings me up on the palm This winds me up. Use it as an exclamation to say that something annoys Das bringt mich auf die Palme. tree. you. It is a waste of time or effort. Use it as a set phrase, e.g. to give an opinion Das ist für die Katz. This is for the cat. about a pointless subject or task you have to do at school.

2. Zum Sprechen – conversational idioms

Deutsch English (literally) What it means and how to use it

I haven’t got a clue. Use it as a set phrase when you don’t know what’s going Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof. I only understand train station. on. Da kannst du Gift drauf You can bet your life on that. Use it as a set phrase to give a definite yes to a You can take poison on that. nehmen. yes/no question. Das ist mir Wurst. This is sausage to me. I don’t care. Use it in a conversation to say that you don’t have a preference. Das macht nix. That makes nothing. That’s ok / It’s not a big deal. Use it as a set phrase in a conversation. Das kannst du laut sagen. You can say that loudly. That’s right. Use it is a set phrase if you want to agree with somebody.

3. Zum Spaß – some funny and quirky idioms and proverbs

Deutsch English (literally) What it means and how to use it

Ich drücke dir die Daumen. I squeeze my thumbs for you. Fingers crossed. Use it as a set phrase to wish somebody good luck. Ich habe Schwein gehabt. I had pig. I was very lucky. Use it in the past tense. Das Lied ist ein richtiger The song is a real ear worm. The song is very catchy. Use it to describe your favourite song. Ohrwurm. Das Leben ist kein Ponyhof. Life is not a pony farm. Life isn’t fair. Use it to tell somebody to get over it if they are complaining. Das Leben ist kein You don’t always get what you want. This phrase was famously used by Life is not a wish concert. Wunschkonzert. football manager Jürgen Klopp. Have a nice evening! /Enjoy your free time! This is what Germans wish each Schönen Feierabend! Nice celebration evening! other at the end of a working day. To sulk. Use this to mock somebody who is sulking. You need to use the Die beleidigte Leberwurst To play the offended liver correct form of ‘spielen’ to use it in a sentence, e.g. ‘Sie spielt die spielen. sausage. beleidigte Leberwurst’ or ‘Spiel nicht die beleidigte Leberwurst’.

4. Jetzt bist du dran! Rephrase the underlined sections in each sentence using an appropriate idiom from the grids above. a. Viel Glück! ...... b. Der Film war sehr lustig...... c. Im Urlaub hat es sehr viel geregnet...... d. Ich hasse meine Stadt, denn man kann hier nichts machen......

...... e. Meine Deutschlehrerin ist total verrückt......

...... f. Schule war heute total langweilig...... g. Gehst du morgen auf die Party? Ja, auf jeden Fall...... h. Ich möchte ein Pferd haben. Das wäre das beste! ...... i.Ich habe das nicht verstanden...... j. Es tut mir leid, aber ich habe deinen Kuli verloren. Das ist ok......

...... k. Das Wetter ist heute schrecklich. Ja, das stimmt......

...... l. Ich hasse Mathe, denn es ist total sinnlos......

...... m. Mein Bruder ist total nervig......

...... n. Ich bin fertig mit der Arbeit und gehe jetzt nach Hause. Tschüss! ......

......

Teaching notes

When introducing the idioms, you could cut off the third column of each grid (‘What it means and how to use it’) and cut up these meanings for students to match to the first two columns.

Answers a. Viel Glück! Ich drück dir die Daumen. b. Der Film war sehr lustig. Der Film war zum Totlachen. c. Im Urlaub hat es sehr viel geregnet. Im Urlaub hat es aus Eimern geschüttet. d. Ich hasse meine Stadt, denn man kann hier nichts machen. Ich hasse meine Stadt, denn da liegt der Hund begraben. e. Meine Deutschlehrerin ist total verrückt. Meine Deutschlehrerin hat nicht alle Tassen im Schrank. f. Schule war heute total langweilig. Schule war heute zum Einschlafen. g. Gehst du morgen auf die Party? Ja, auf jeden Fall. Da kannst du Gift drauf nehmen! h. Ich möchte ein Pferd haben. Das wäre das beste! Das wäre das I-Tüpfelchen. i. Ich habe das nicht verstanden. Ich habe nur Bahnhof verstanden. j. Es tut mir leid, aber ich habe deinen Kuli verloren. Das ist ok. Das macht nix. k. Das Wetter ist heute schrecklich. Ja, das stimmt. Das kannst du laut sagen.

© www.teachitlanguages.co.uk 2018 29517 Page 21 of 22 Deutsche Redewendungen l. Ich hasse Mathe, denn es ist total sinnlos. Ich hasse Mathe, denn es ist für die Katz. m. Mein Bruder ist total nervig. Mein Bruder ist eine Nervensäge. n. Ich bin fertig mit der Arbeit und gehe jetzt nach Hause. Tschüss! Schönen Feierabend!

Keeping it Fresh……..

It is important to keep the knowledge you have gained at GCSE fresh in your mind ready to start your A levels in September. Why not spend some time looking over some past papers and using the mark schemes to assess how well you’ve done.

German GCSE – Past Papers and Marking Schemes: https://www.wjec.co.uk/qualifications/german-gcse#tab_pastpapers