German A2.1

Code:

LLC003

Acronym:

AA2.1

Instance: 2014/2015 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Germanic Studies
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Languages, Literatures and Cultures

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
CL	3	CL - Study Plan	1	-	6	52	162
LA	29	LA - Study Plan	1	-	6	52	162
			2
LLC	30	Plano Oficial do ano letivo 2013_2014	1	-	6	52	162
			2
LRI	36	Plano Oficial do ano letivo 2013_2014	1	-	6	52	162
			2

Teaching language

Alemão

Objectives

 The object of this course, which is the continuation of German A1.2, is to enable the students to achieve the level A2.1 (according to Common European Framework of Reference – CECR) as to all four basic language skills: oral and reading comprehension, as well as oral and written production.

 The manual adopted, which contains a very diverse range of texts, tasks and exercises to develop and train all skills predicted by the CEFR allows the students, in addition to the consolidation of knowledge of the A1 level, to acquire new and more differentiated knowledge and skills. Regarding also the culture / reality of German-speaking countries, students work in all subject areas on the lexical enrichment, as well as on the skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking. Grammatical knowledge, which contributes to the enlargement of comprehension strategies and interaction, is acquired through further study of textual phenomena in context and trained through the exercises proposed by the manual. For a more intensive workout, the exercises of the manual are complemented by numerous material provided by the teacher.

Learning outcomes and competences

At the end of the semester, in addition to develop interest in the reality and culture of the German-speaking cultures and to master the terminology and competent use of grammatical structures planned for this level, students shouldpossess the following skills:

Reception (oral and written): Understand the essential of informal conversations and of short and simple information. Read clear and simple texts and collect concrete and predictable information in everyday texts.
Interaction / production (oral and written): Interact orally in everyday situations as the exchange of information and on familiar topics to the students. Produce brief notes, SMS, cards, short family letters (e.g. congratulations, invitations).

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Knowledge of A1 level.

Program

 

In the German language courses A2.1 will be focused topics related to everyday life, such as, e.g., learning experiences, family and family gatherings, travel and mobility, activities during free time, media.

The following grammatical aspects will be the subject of reflection, analysis and practical exercises: 

1. Causal and concessive clauses ("weil" / "obwohl").
2. Degrees of adjectives.
3. Declension of adjectives (the four grammatical cases: with definite articles, indefinite articles and without).
4. Possessive pronouns.
5. “dass”-clauses.
6. Modal verbs (objective use).
7. Reflexive pronouns.
8. Adverbs of time.
9. Indefinite pronouns.
10. Indirect interrogative clauses.
11. Relative clauses (in the four grammatical cases). 

Mandatory literature

Funk, H; Kuhn, C.; Demme, S.; studio d A2. Deutsch als Fremdsprache. Kurs- und Übungsbuch , Cornelsen, 2009

Complementary Bibliography

Niemann, Rita Maria; studio d A2. Deutsch als Fremdsprache. Spractraining , Cornelsen, 2009
Reimann, Monika; Grundstufen-Grammatik für Deutsch als Fremdsprache, Hueber, 2004
Rusch, Paul; Schmitz, Helen; Einfach Grammatik. Übungsgrammatik Deutsch A1 bis B1, Langenscheidt, 2007

Teaching methods and learning activities

Faced with very diverse tasks, students will develop skills on receptive and productive / interactive level, parallel to the enlargement of the lexical field, of the terminology and of the use of grammatical structures as well as the acquisition of sociocultural knowledge.

Practical classes; various teaching strategies, group work or individual work, independent work (homework) using materials indicated and /or provided by the teacher in order to consolidate their knowledge and bridge any shortfalls. Since the mode of assessment is "assessment without final exam", particular importance is attributed to regular and active collaboration in the classroom so that the students are able t develop the different skills.

The listening is stimulated not only by the use of the German language by the teacher in the classroom, but also through the use of audio materials appropriate to the knowledge level of the students. By working with audio recordings of different nature, students learn to extract information from descriptions or from short, simple and clear messages about current affairs, and also, especially in the case of dialogues, to understand them as possible models for their own speech production.

With regard to reading, which covers the three levels of understanding (global, selective and detailed), students learn to understand short texts with simple vocabulary on common everyday life situations (e.g. descriptions, emails, invitations, brief newspaper articles). 

As for oral production, students widen their communication skills speaking in a simple way about situations or experiences that are familiar to them (eg. family situation, their own habits and tastes, hobbies) in group, individual or pair work and using basic sentence models. Representing dialogue-scenes is also trained in classes (e.g. planning and booking a travel in a travel agency, making a complaint at a restaurant or at a store).

In written production, students learn to use simple phrases and sentences, although already using some subordinate clauses. In addition to a textual strongly oriented production they train, e.g., the autonomous production of messages, text notes, cards and personal letters, invitations.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Prova oral	30,00
Teste	70,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	108,00
Frequência das aulas	54,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

The frequency is obtained by passing the different elements of evaluation.
Working students and other students legally exempt from regular class attendance should contact the teacher at the beginning of the semester in order to combine a form of alternative assessment.

Calculation formula of final grade

Written evaluation, which consists of 3 tests - 70%.

Oral assessment, which consists of reading aloud and the performance of a dialogue-scene - 30%.

Examinations or Special Assignments

In accordance with FLUP evaluation rules.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

In accordance with FLUP evaluation rules.

Classification improvement

In accordance with FLUP evaluation rules.