Level Description

The nature of the learners

These years represent a transition to secondary school. Students in this sequence bring with them an established capability to interact in different situations, to engage with a variety of texts and to communicate with some assistance about their immediate world and that of German-speaking communities. They have experience in analysing the major features of the language system and in reflecting on the nature of intercultural exchanges in which they are involved.

German language learning and use

German is used for a range of classroom interactions and transactions, and for creating and maintaining a new class dynamic, explaining and practising language forms, reflecting on ways of thinking and learning, and developing cultural understanding. Learners are encouraged to socialise and interact with users of German beyond the classroom. Additional opportunities for interaction in the target language are provided by purposeful and integrated use of digital technologies, including social media and a range of applications. Learners work collaboratively and independently in the target language, exploring different modes and genres of communication with particular reference to their current social, cultural and communicative interests and needs. They pool information, language knowledge and resources to plan, problem-solve, monitor and reflect. They use and adapt modelled and rehearsed language in familiar and unfamiliar contexts, increasingly generating original language. They make cross-curricular connections and explore intercultural experiences and perspectives, such as the notion of a shared understanding.

Contexts of interaction

While the primary context for learning is usually the German language classroom, there may be opportunities for interacting with peers in German-speaking contexts and with other learners of German, such as through the use of technology or relationships with partner schools. Learners may also have some contact with German speakers and cultural events in the local community.

Texts and resources

Learners listen to, read, view and interact with a widening range of texts for a variety of purposes (informative, transactional, imaginative, expressive). They apply learnt processing strategies and language knowledge, drawing on their grammatical and vocabulary knowledge and their understanding of text conventions and patterns to obtain meaning from texts. They make connections between texts and cultural frames, and reflect on aspects of the variability of language, identifying how cultural values and perspectives are embedded in language and how language choices determine how people, issues and circumstances are represented. They plan, create and present more complex and varied imaginative, informative and persuasive texts (shared stories, poetry, songs/raps, blogs, advertisements, reports, journal entries), applying appropriate conventions of text types. They design interactive events and collaborative tasks, and participate in discussions, games and competitions.

Features of German language use

Learners gain more control of grammatical and textual elements such as the case system, prepositions and tenses, using the present perfect (Perfekt) tense of verbs conjugated with haben and sein and the simple past (Imperfekt) tenses. They use German with increasing accuracy and fluency, drafting and editing texts to improve structure and effect and to clarify meaning. Learners build on their cumulative experience of learning languages to analyse the relationship between language and culture more critically. They identify cultural references in texts and consider how language frames and communicates perspectives and values. They make comparisons between their own language(s) and German, and reflect on the complexities involved in moving between languages and cultural systems. They monitor and reflect on their own intercultural experience and capability as second language learners, and identify their own personal and community practices and identities that reflect cultural influence.

Level of support

Particular support is required at this stage of second language learning to manage the transition to post-primary schooling and to encourage continued engagement. Opportunities to review and consolidate prior learning are balanced with provision of engaging and relevant new experiences and connections. Students are supported to develop increasing autonomy as language learners and users, to self-monitor, and to reflect on and adjust language in response to their experience in diverse contexts.

The role of English

While German is used in more extended and elaborated ways at this level, English is used when appropriate to allow for explanation, analysis and reflection in relation to abstract concepts.

Achievement Standard

By the end of Year 8, students use written and spoken German to interact with teachers, peers and others; to make decisions, solve problems and negotiate transactions; and to exchange and justify ideas, opinions and views. When interacting, they use both rehearsed and spontaneous language to ask and respond to open-ended questions and express, compare and justify opinions, for example, Sie glaubt, dass … Ich bin dafür, weil … They apply rules of pronunciation, rhythm, stress and intonation to a range of sentence types and words, including loan words from English. They obtain, summarise and evaluate information from a range of sources. They express opinions and feelings in response to imaginative texts, and make connections with their own experiences and other texts. They plan, draft and present original imaginative and informative texts, following models to link and sequence events and ideas using both adverbs such as danach, dann, früher, vorher and common subordinating conjunctions, for example, als, wenn, weil, dass. They use some modal verbs and imperative forms, for example, Was soll ich machen? Du kannst … Kauf die neue App! They refer to a person, object or place using definite and indefinite articles, personal pronouns, and some demonstrative and interrogative adjectives such as dieser, jeder and welcher. They produce original present tense sentences and use familiar examples of the Perfekt and Imperfekt tenses. They use a range of everyday and topic-based prepositions, adverbs and adverbial phrases, for example, nach der Schule, zu Hause, in der Stadt, gegen die Wand, links, hier, oben, im Süden. They interpret and/or translate terms associated with the culture of German-speaking communities or their own culture, and explain specific values and traditions reflected in the language. They create a range of bilingual resources for the wide community and to assist their own and others’ language learning. They explain the importance of shared understanding, discussing adjustments made as a result of reactions and responses to intercultural experience.

Students explain how language changes over time and identify reasons for change. They identify and apply the German case system (nominative, accusative and dative) and name some grammatical terms and their functions. They describe the similarities and differences between German and English punctuation, including capitalisation, numbers (ordinals, decimals) and quotation marks. They explain reasons for differences in a range of text types, for example, personal, informative and persuasive texts, including differences in text structure and language features. They give examples of how language use varies according to audience, context and purpose. They identify different aspects of the cultural dimension of learning and using German, and explain how language use reflects cultural ideas, assumptions and perspectives.