German

"The limits of my language are the limits of my world." Ludwig Wittgenstein

Head of Department: Ms B Reinecke

Teachers: Mrs H Fritzsch, Ms T Heath, Mr R Jaehne, Mrs T Munjal, Ms S Neudert (maternity leave)

German is one of three thriving modern languages taught at the Latymer School. We promote the enjoyment and skills of language learning by teaching the German curriculum in a thorough and engaging manner, using songs, games, extra-curricular activities and exchanges to bring the subject to life. Our aim is to motivate and equip our students with the skills to engage with the German-speaking world so that they expand their cultural and linguistic horizons for personal enjoyment, university study and work.

The German curriculum at the Latymer School is designed so that pupils will learn how to:

Recognise patterns in sound and in written words.
Understand and respond to authentic written and audio texts and native speakers.
Express themselves clearly and fluently, both orally and in writing.
Translate from German to English and English to German.
Gain and apply a deep understanding of the grammar underlying the language.
Understand and appreciate other cultures and people through exploring their cultural traditions.
Work collaboratively and participate effectively in pair work and group discussions.
Use online resources effectively and develop presentation skills.
Discuss and analyse A Level literature and film in a logical and coherent way.
Paraphrase what they read in German in their own words.
Follow and discuss current affairs in German.
Research A Level topics beyond the syllabus.
Present and defend arguments in compelling ways.

We have successfully embedded new GCSE skills (phonics, dictation, spontaneous speaking, picture descriptions etc) into Key Stages 3 and 4 schemes of work.

KEY STAGE 3

Most pupils have no previous knowledge of German and enjoy the fact that everyone starts from scratch learning the four basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing with every theme we study. Our Key Stage 3 syllabus is engaging and inspiring as we study a wide range of topics using a great variety of teaching methods (whole class discussion, pair and group work, independent learning via online resources, one-to-one sessions, games, songs, penfriends, celebrating traditions and extra-curricular activities). Emphasis on grammar plays an important role in our teaching from the very start, so that pupils learn how the language works. We encourage students to adapt previous learning to new topics and to become independent learners.

Year 7 + 8 (2^nd language)

Family and pets
Free time and hobbies
School and subjects
My town and shops
Geography & traditions

Year 8 (1^st & 2^nd language)

Holidays
Media
Food and health
Rules and routines
Fashion and clothes

Year 9

Music
Fairy tales
Jobs and ambitions
GCSE basics via German art and history

KEY STAGE 4

Our students follow the AQA German GCSE course, developing the four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) further across a wide range of topics. We have designed our curriculum so that pupils have the opportunity to acquire a wealth of vocabulary and advanced grammatical structures which we re-visit and extend with each topic. This allows them to do well in exams as well as use their German skills when they go abroad. We also make frequent links to other languages to support our double linguists.

Theme 1 – Year 10

Identity and relationships (Autumn 1)
Healthy lifestyle and Christmas traditions (Autumn 2)
Education and work (Spring 2)

Theme 2 – Year 10

Free time activities (Summer 1)
Customs, festivals and celebrations continued (Spring 1)
Travel and Tourism (part 1) & Year 10 mock exams (Summer 2)

Theme 3 – Year 11

Travel and Tourism, places of interest (part 2) (Autumn 1)
Celebrity culture and Media and technology (Autumn 2)
Environment and where you live (Spring 1 – after January mock exams)
Revision and assessment practice (Spring 2)

KEY STAGE 5

We have good student uptake in German at AS and A Level. Our syllabus offers variety, so apart from developing their German comprehension, speaking and writing skills by including more and more advanced grammar, students learn about many aspects of the German-speaking society in Europe. Our A Level course offers a broad education as students learn to engage with and discuss the culture, history, politics, current affairs, film and literature of the German-speaking world whilst developing their analytical and high-level thinking skills.

Theme 1 - Social issues & trends: modern family forms & relationships, the digital world and youth culture (fashion, music, TV).

Theme 2 - Artistic culture: festivals, traditions, art, architecture, cultural life of Berlin – then and now.

Theme 3 - Multiculturalism in the German-speaking society: immigration, integration and racism.

Theme 4 - Aspects of political life in the German-speaking world: Germany and the EU, youth and politics, reunification and its consequences.

Film: Good Bye, Lenin! by W. Becker.

Literature: Besuch der alten Dame by F. Dürrenmatt.

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Key Stage 3: pen-pal projects, one-to-one speaking opportunities with our German mentors from Year 12, German theatre performances in school, celebrations of traditions as they appear in the calendar
Key Stage 4: exchange with Enfield’s twin town Gladbeck, one-to-one and group sessions for oral work with our German mentors from Year 12, talks by Latymer Alumni.
Key Stage 5: Work experience exchange (two weeks), one-to-one sessions for oral work with our German assistant, talks, lectures or visits by Latymer Alumni or as part of the lecture series (i.e. on German art history, der Blaue Reiter), lessons, Kulturklub, Filmklub. We also encourage making the most of what London has to offer: German Art exhibitions, theatre plays/films in the West End and at the BFI (Southbank), Christmas market, Goethe Institut study days, University open days and lectures etc.

DESTINATIONS

German is a popular language choice at Latymer and our aim is to inspire a life-long interest in language learning as a whole. Every year, we have students going on to study German at Oxbridge and other well-regarded universities, either as a single degree or in conjunction with another language or a different subject. Some of our A Level students even decide to study or live in Germany permanently.

Photo by rashid khreiss on Unsplash