What is German about?
[ Video Resource ]
- Title: European Languages
- Description: European Languages Subject Expert Group members discuss their experiences in the Review of Achievement Standards
- Video Duration: 5 minutes
- Video URL: https://player.vimeo.com/video/571914948
- Transcript: In conversation with Florence Lyons Maria Lamberto Calvo Transcript below: I think the main change is going to be like there's more student agency. Like the students are going to be able to choose what to do and how to do it and we're just kind of integrating all those digital technologies that they are so happy with
In conversation with
Florence Lyons
Maria Lamberto Calvo
Transcript below:
I think the main change is going to be like there's more student agency. Like the students are going to be able to choose what to do and how to do it and we're just kind of integrating all those digital technologies that they are so happy with, and so it's going to be a little bit more real.
Every student is going to see themselves in the assessment.
Yeah that is the aim of what we were working towards and that will be, especially the Māori/Pasifika, but not only just Māori, Pasifika, and European, like every single culture that lives in New Zealand will be able to identify or to be able to recognise themselves in the task.
If I were looking at the assessments now I would be excited because it gives a lot of choice to students, but I also think it gives a lot of those choices to teachers.
I believe that the biggest changes are in the principle of mātauranga Māori and Mana Ōrite.
I believe that it's reflecting more the culture of New Zealand, the culture of our students, and that no matter who you are the Standard reflects the students.
Yeah the mātauranga Māori I think like for Spanish, because there is so many crossovers between Māori culture and the Spanish culture, you know in regards to the house, to the whānau, how important it is and it's everything around you, that is easy to reflect.
But I think one of the things that we have been doing is just really focusing in our own culture and the mātauranga Māori it's coming across stronger now.
And that, it's been a big shift.
In my class I used to compare, I think I still compare a lot, a pōwhiri to a [Coutume] in New Caledonia. So this was done in the teaching, but now it allows us to go to show it in the assessment, but before it was almost split.
Then now, because we have created the assessment through a mātauranga Māori lens, the teaching and the assessment are more intertwined.
Yeah. I enjoyed the fact that there was a lot of us coming from very, very different backgrounds, and experiences. And moving away from, you know, in my school we're six-seven teachers who are amazing, but just coming back to that big group that you can build ideas from and yeah just really always coming from the perspective of what's going to be good for the students.
Even though there was a lot of disagreement, you always remember that everyone was coming from a good place. They were always thinking not about themselves or their own particular school, what's going to be good for the students.
And I was very happy as well to see that every corner of New Zealand was represented. I was scared first that there will be people from the big cities only, and that the rural New Zealand will be forgotten. But I was very happy to see that there was a wide range of expertise in the room.
I really hope that the teachers are going to be as excited as I am. And I would like that it moves from a teacher-centred assessment to a student-centred assessment and that the teachers trust their students and that they enjoy the journey together.
Instead of seeing the assessment as a milestone I would like that the assessment becomes part of the learning. So I think the biggest advice will be have an open mind, you know, just give it a go.
Like there is so many things that you can do. You can even involve students in how we're going to do this assessment, you know.
We were talking in one of the interactions that it could be a text interaction. Because that's the way our students interact now. Give it a go and if it doesn't work it's still going to be part of your learning.
Subject-specific terms can be found in the glossary.
Students develop language skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing by studying German. They can communicate and connect meaningfully with German-speaking communities.
Language and culture play a key role in developing personal, community, national, and global identities. Through German, students learn how to interact with others in culturally-informed ways. They also develop linguistic and cultural knowledge, as well as communicative skills. As students build their communication and intercultural skills, they can reflect on their personal identities and explore their own culture(s) from a new perspective.
Students will discover and make connections to the rich histories, customs, and cultures of German-speaking communities. For example, students can make linguistic and cultural connections between German-speaking communities and Māori and Pacific cultures, or their own.
Language learning is an individual and collaborative process. Students are encouraged to take ownership of their own learning and work together with others. They can gain confidence in their independent study skills, and strengthen collaborative skills to develop their language and cultural knowledge.
In German, students gain skills and knowledge that can lead to, and support, a variety of personal and career pathways. The ability to communicate in additional languages offers students new opportunities and shows commitment to learning, and interest in the world around them.
Subject-specific terms can be found in the glossary.
Students develop language skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing by studying German. They can communicate and connect meaningfully with German-speaking communities.
Language and culture play a key role in developing personal, community, national, and global identities. Through German, students learn how to interact with others in culturally-informed ways. They also develop linguistic and cultural knowledge, as well as communicative skills. As students build their communication and intercultural skills, they can reflect on their personal identities and explore their own culture(s) from a new perspective.
Students will discover and make connections to the rich histories, customs, and cultures of German-speaking communities. For example, students can make linguistic and cultural connections between German-speaking communities and Māori and Pacific cultures, or their own.
Language learning is an individual and collaborative process. Students are encouraged to take ownership of their own learning and work together with others. They can gain confidence in their independent study skills, and strengthen collaborative skills to develop their language and cultural knowledge.
In German, students gain skills and knowledge that can lead to, and support, a variety of personal and career pathways. The ability to communicate in additional languages offers students new opportunities and shows commitment to learning, and interest in the world around them.
Big Ideas and Significant Learning
This section outlines the meaning of, and connection between, the Big Ideas and Significant Learning, which together form the Learning Matrix. It then explains each German Big Idea.
The Learning Languages Learning Area, including its whakatauākī, informs this subject's Significant Learning — learning that is critical for students to know, understand, and do in a subject by the end of each Curriculum Level. This covers knowledge, skills, competencies, and attitudes. It also includes level-appropriate contexts students should encounter in their Level 6, 7, and 8 learning. The Learning Area's whakatauākī is:
Ko tōu reo, ko tōku reo, te tuakiri tangata. Tīhei uriuri, tīhei nakonako.
Your language and my language are expressions of identity. May our descendants live on and our hopes be fulfilled.
The Learning Languages whakatauākī came from Tāmaki Makaurau through Rewa Paewai of Auckland College of Education, gifted by the late Tuteira Brightwell Pohatu of Ngāti Porou.
The Learning Languages whakatauākī brings to life the why and how of language learning. The second part of the whakatauākī provides a metaphor for the experience of language learning. Like the movement from Te Kore (nothingness) to Te Pō (darkness and night) then finally to Te Ao (light and life), language learning brings students on a similar journey.
As in the Māori creation story, learners have an initial incomprehension of the language. This is also the state where unlimited potential exists. When students begin their language learning process, they face all the challenges that are involved with language learning. And finally, through resilience, perseverance, and guidance, students gain a sense of clarity, meaning, linguistic proficiency, and cultural understanding.
Communication is a vital part of human connection. We use language to express ourselves, build relationships, and create communities. Language, culture, and identity are inseparable. Language carries cultural values, practices, and protocols. It is a way to express identity. The vitality of a language impacts the vitality of a culture and vice versa. This way, the hopes of our ancestors live on through the continued use of their language by their descendants.
Big Ideas and Significant Learning
The subject's Big Ideas and Significant Learning are collated into a Learning Matrix for Curriculum Level 6 and indicative learning for Levels 7 and 8. Teachers can use the Learning Matrix as a tool to construct learning programmes that cover all the not-to-be-missed learning in a subject.
There is no prescribed order to the Learning Matrix within each Level. A programme of learning might begin with a context that is relevant to the local area of the school or an idea that students are particularly interested in. This context must relate to at least one Big Idea and may also link to other Big Ideas.
There are five Big Ideas in German. The nature of this subject as a discipline means aspects of Significant Learning often cross over multiple Big Ideas, and vice versa.
This section outlines the meaning of, and connection between, the Big Ideas and Significant Learning, which together form the Learning Matrix. It then explains each German Big Idea.
The Learning Languages Learning Area, including its whakatauākī, informs this subject's Significant Learning — learning that is critical for students to know, understand, and do in a subject by the end of each Curriculum Level. This covers knowledge, skills, competencies, and attitudes. It also includes level-appropriate contexts students should encounter in their Level 6, 7, and 8 learning. The Learning Area's whakatauākī is:
Ko tōu reo, ko tōku reo, te tuakiri tangata. Tīhei uriuri, tīhei nakonako.
Your language and my language are expressions of identity. May our descendants live on and our hopes be fulfilled.
The Learning Languages whakatauākī came from Tāmaki Makaurau through Rewa Paewai of Auckland College of Education, gifted by the late Tuteira Brightwell Pohatu of Ngāti Porou.
The Learning Languages whakatauākī brings to life the why and how of language learning. The second part of the whakatauākī provides a metaphor for the experience of language learning. Like the movement from Te Kore (nothingness) to Te Pō (darkness and night) then finally to Te Ao (light and life), language learning brings students on a similar journey.
As in the Māori creation story, learners have an initial incomprehension of the language. This is also the state where unlimited potential exists. When students begin their language learning process, they face all the challenges that are involved with language learning. And finally, through resilience, perseverance, and guidance, students gain a sense of clarity, meaning, linguistic proficiency, and cultural understanding.
Communication is a vital part of human connection. We use language to express ourselves, build relationships, and create communities. Language, culture, and identity are inseparable. Language carries cultural values, practices, and protocols. It is a way to express identity. The vitality of a language impacts the vitality of a culture and vice versa. This way, the hopes of our ancestors live on through the continued use of their language by their descendants.
Big Ideas and Significant Learning
The subject's Big Ideas and Significant Learning are collated into a Learning Matrix for Curriculum Level 6 and indicative learning for Levels 7 and 8. Teachers can use the Learning Matrix as a tool to construct learning programmes that cover all the not-to-be-missed learning in a subject.
There is no prescribed order to the Learning Matrix within each Level. A programme of learning might begin with a context that is relevant to the local area of the school or an idea that students are particularly interested in. This context must relate to at least one Big Idea and may also link to other Big Ideas.
There are five Big Ideas in German. The nature of this subject as a discipline means aspects of Significant Learning often cross over multiple Big Ideas, and vice versa.
Big Idea Body:
Communicating in an additional language is a rewarding experience. Students can engage in effective and appropriate communication with people from different cultures and communities. It also broadens opportunities to travel, study, and work in German-speaking communities across the world.
Each student brings unique linguistic and cultural backgrounds to their learning. They will learn the significance and rich history of German-speaking communities, culture, protocols, and language. Students can reflect on their personal identities and explore their own cultures(s) through intercultural connection and comparison.
Learning languages is about connecting and communicating within and across cultures and communities
Communicating in an additional language is a rewarding experience. Students can engage in effective and appropriate communication with people from different cultures and communities. It also broadens opportunities to travel, study, and work in German-speaking communities across the world.
Each student brings unique linguistic and cultural backgrounds to their learning. They will learn the significance and rich history of German-speaking communities, culture, protocols, and language. Students can reflect on their personal identities and explore their own cultures(s) through intercultural connection and comparison.
Big Idea Body:
Languages create and represent meaning by employing unique systems of linguistic building blocks that give rise to endless possibilities for expression and exchange. These building blocks include oral features, vocabulary, grammar, and syntax.
Students of German can explore its unique linguistic workings by comparing and connecting it with the language or languages they use. They learn how language is used in different contexts and for different purposes. This allows students to communicate with greater clarity, creativity, and confidence.
Languages express meaning through unique forms of communication
Languages create and represent meaning by employing unique systems of linguistic building blocks that give rise to endless possibilities for expression and exchange. These building blocks include oral features, vocabulary, grammar, and syntax.
Students of German can explore its unique linguistic workings by comparing and connecting it with the language or languages they use. They learn how language is used in different contexts and for different purposes. This allows students to communicate with greater clarity, creativity, and confidence.
Big Idea Body:
Language and culture evolve together and impact one another. Through language, culture can be shared and passed to the next generation. This contributes to personal, community, national, and global identities.
Learning an additional language provides rich access to another culture. Students can communicate with people from German-speaking communities and experience texts in spoken and written German. They can gain an understanding of the culture, which helps them develop intercultural respect, acceptance, and appreciation of the world’s diverse communities.
Language, culture, and identity are inextricably linked
Language and culture evolve together and impact one another. Through language, culture can be shared and passed to the next generation. This contributes to personal, community, national, and global identities.
Learning an additional language provides rich access to another culture. Students can communicate with people from German-speaking communities and experience texts in spoken and written German. They can gain an understanding of the culture, which helps them develop intercultural respect, acceptance, and appreciation of the world’s diverse communities.
Big Idea Body:
"Another language opens up a whole new window on the world. It might be small and difficult to see through at first, but it gives you a different perspective, and it might make you realise that your first window could do with a bit of polishing and even enlarging."
(Hone Tuwhare, Die deutsche Sprache und ich, NZCTE, Goethe-Institut, circa 1997)
The languages we use impact the way we think and see the world. Sometimes, we are not aware of how our language does this.
Learning an additional language allows students to compare and connect their linguistic and cultural knowledge with German-speaking communities and culture. They can appreciate and understand different ways of seeing the world and recognise similarities with their own. Students can gain a deeper insight into the relationship between language and the ways that people think, do, and are. Examining diverse cultural and personal points of view is a valuable skill for our increasingly diverse and globally connected world.
Learning languages encourages diverse ways of thinking, doing, and being
"Another language opens up a whole new window on the world. It might be small and difficult to see through at first, but it gives you a different perspective, and it might make you realise that your first window could do with a bit of polishing and even enlarging."
(Hone Tuwhare, Die deutsche Sprache und ich, NZCTE, Goethe-Institut, circa 1997)
The languages we use impact the way we think and see the world. Sometimes, we are not aware of how our language does this.
Learning an additional language allows students to compare and connect their linguistic and cultural knowledge with German-speaking communities and culture. They can appreciate and understand different ways of seeing the world and recognise similarities with their own. Students can gain a deeper insight into the relationship between language and the ways that people think, do, and are. Examining diverse cultural and personal points of view is a valuable skill for our increasingly diverse and globally connected world.
Big Idea Body:
The language learning process empowers the learner by giving them the essential tools and knowledge they need to understand and engage with the world.
Acquiring an additional language takes commitment, practice, and repetition. It fosters perseverance and supports students to take ownership of their learning. By doing so, they demonstrate and foster agency, leadership, and self-determination.
Students are made aware of the processes of language acquisition and learn some of the most helpful communication strategies. These include pattern recognition, techniques to memorise vocabulary, and effective use of tools like dictionaries and digital translators. Students are encouraged to find modes of learning that work best for them.
As students negotiate situations with their emerging communicative competence, they build resilience and feel safe to take the risk of being misunderstood. This encourages them to reframe ‘mistakes’ as rich opportunities for learning and development. It gives them the confidence to seek out opportunities to use German outside the classroom, which is where language learning truly flourishes.
Through language learning, students become better equipped to communicate competently in German, as well as in the language(s) they already know. The attributes gained, such as resilience, self-determination, a commitment to improvement, and increased problem-solving capabilities, will support and further empower students in every aspect of their life.
Language learning is an empowering process that involves risk-taking and fosters resilience and perseverance
The language learning process empowers the learner by giving them the essential tools and knowledge they need to understand and engage with the world.
Acquiring an additional language takes commitment, practice, and repetition. It fosters perseverance and supports students to take ownership of their learning. By doing so, they demonstrate and foster agency, leadership, and self-determination.
Students are made aware of the processes of language acquisition and learn some of the most helpful communication strategies. These include pattern recognition, techniques to memorise vocabulary, and effective use of tools like dictionaries and digital translators. Students are encouraged to find modes of learning that work best for them.
As students negotiate situations with their emerging communicative competence, they build resilience and feel safe to take the risk of being misunderstood. This encourages them to reframe ‘mistakes’ as rich opportunities for learning and development. It gives them the confidence to seek out opportunities to use German outside the classroom, which is where language learning truly flourishes.
Through language learning, students become better equipped to communicate competently in German, as well as in the language(s) they already know. The attributes gained, such as resilience, self-determination, a commitment to improvement, and increased problem-solving capabilities, will support and further empower students in every aspect of their life.
Key Competencies in German
Developing Key Competencies through German
Learning languages is inherently about extending the ability to relate to, and interact appropriately with, others in more than one cultural setting through the fine-tuning of linguistic skills. The language learning process itself requires students to manage self, participate, and contribute. Students will be exposed to new ways of thinking about the world and their place in it. They will be encouraged to think about how they can participate in, and contribute to, their communities and the wider world around them.
Thinking
Students of German will:
- deduce rules, recognise patterns, and use their problem-solving abilities to make meaning with an imperfect set of linguistic skills
- evaluate and choose from a range of vocabulary, structures, and communicative strategies to engage with different audiences, sometimes having to think on their feet to improvise and adapt for different contexts and purposes
- explore and reflect on the many ways language, culture, and thinking influence each other
- critically reflect on their assumptions and identities in a way that fosters intercultural competence and global citizenship.
Using language, symbols, and texts
Students of German will:
- develop increased proficiency in using language, symbols, and texts effectively to communicate information, ideas, and opinions, not just in the additional language they are learning but also in their own language(s)
- recognise how choices of language, symbols, or text work together and affect people’s understanding of, and responses to, communications and how they work together in different languages
- think about the type of language that is appropriate to use in a range of contexts and formats and for different purposes and audiences
- expand their ability to express themselves in increasingly independent and imaginative ways and improvise and adapt in a range of communicative situations.
Relating to others
Students of German will:
- build upon their listening skills, recognise different points of view, negotiate, and share ideas, embracing different cultural practices
- explore how language, culture, and identity are interrelated and thereby develop the ability to relate to people, both from other cultures and their own, with more empathy and insight
- develop an appreciation of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific
- experience how a curious, open-minded, and respectful engagement with the values and identities of others can lead to valuable insights into their own identity and offer opportunities for self-development.
Managing self
Students of German will:
- be encouraged to take ownership of their own learning process and find ways of learning and practising that work for them
- use their understanding of how language acquisition works, for example, lots of input, lots of output, making mistakes as part of the process, and so on, to actively engage in the practice necessary to make steady progress
- build on their own strengths and address their own identified learning needs, setting and meeting their own learning goals
- participate actively and responsibly in group activities.
Participating and contributing
Students of German will:
- be encouraged to take risks, learn from mistakes, and take responsibility for initiating and maintaining communication — through this, they will gain confidence to participate and contribute in and outside of the classroom with the skills they have
- mature as local and global citizens by getting to know the worldviews and needs of other people
- recognise the interconnected nature of societies and communities in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific.
Key Competencies
This section of The New Zealand Curriculum Online offers specific guidance to school leaders and teachers on integrating the Key Competencies into the daily activities of the school and its Teaching and Learning Programmes.
Developing Key Competencies through German
Learning languages is inherently about extending the ability to relate to, and interact appropriately with, others in more than one cultural setting through the fine-tuning of linguistic skills. The language learning process itself requires students to manage self, participate, and contribute. Students will be exposed to new ways of thinking about the world and their place in it. They will be encouraged to think about how they can participate in, and contribute to, their communities and the wider world around them.
Thinking
Students of German will:
- deduce rules, recognise patterns, and use their problem-solving abilities to make meaning with an imperfect set of linguistic skills
- evaluate and choose from a range of vocabulary, structures, and communicative strategies to engage with different audiences, sometimes having to think on their feet to improvise and adapt for different contexts and purposes
- explore and reflect on the many ways language, culture, and thinking influence each other
- critically reflect on their assumptions and identities in a way that fosters intercultural competence and global citizenship.
Using language, symbols, and texts
Students of German will:
- develop increased proficiency in using language, symbols, and texts effectively to communicate information, ideas, and opinions, not just in the additional language they are learning but also in their own language(s)
- recognise how choices of language, symbols, or text work together and affect people’s understanding of, and responses to, communications and how they work together in different languages
- think about the type of language that is appropriate to use in a range of contexts and formats and for different purposes and audiences
- expand their ability to express themselves in increasingly independent and imaginative ways and improvise and adapt in a range of communicative situations.
Relating to others
Students of German will:
- build upon their listening skills, recognise different points of view, negotiate, and share ideas, embracing different cultural practices
- explore how language, culture, and identity are interrelated and thereby develop the ability to relate to people, both from other cultures and their own, with more empathy and insight
- develop an appreciation of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific
- experience how a curious, open-minded, and respectful engagement with the values and identities of others can lead to valuable insights into their own identity and offer opportunities for self-development.
Managing self
Students of German will:
- be encouraged to take ownership of their own learning process and find ways of learning and practising that work for them
- use their understanding of how language acquisition works, for example, lots of input, lots of output, making mistakes as part of the process, and so on, to actively engage in the practice necessary to make steady progress
- build on their own strengths and address their own identified learning needs, setting and meeting their own learning goals
- participate actively and responsibly in group activities.
Participating and contributing
Students of German will:
- be encouraged to take risks, learn from mistakes, and take responsibility for initiating and maintaining communication — through this, they will gain confidence to participate and contribute in and outside of the classroom with the skills they have
- mature as local and global citizens by getting to know the worldviews and needs of other people
- recognise the interconnected nature of societies and communities in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific.
Key Competencies
This section of The New Zealand Curriculum Online offers specific guidance to school leaders and teachers on integrating the Key Competencies into the daily activities of the school and its Teaching and Learning Programmes.
Connections
German sits within, and is connected to all subjects within the Learning Languages Learning Area of the New Zealand Curriculum. Students in Learning Languages are all connected through their exploration of language and culture. Subjects in the Learning Area include:
New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL)
Asian Languages
- Chinese (Mandarin)
- Japanese
- Korean
European Languages
- French
- German
- Spanish
Pacific Languages
- Gagana Sāmoa
- Gagana Tokelau
- Lea Faka-Tonga
- Te Reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani
- Vagahau Niue
German is also connected to subjects outside of the Learning Languages Learning Area. This includes the Learning Areas and subjects of:
The Arts
Dance — shared exploration and comparison of different cultures, art, custom, and styles of dance across communities.
Music — shared exploration of different musical styles across cultures and communities. Music, as in German, allows for self-expression, creativity, and identity exploration.
Visual Arts — shared topics include exploring visual expressions of creativity. Stories shape our culture and enrich our society. Students can explore their ideas and experiment with a wide range of creative mediums.
English
English — languages and English provide opportunities to develop productive and receptive skills. English, like language learning, provides training in critical thinking, analytical skills, grammar, and organising and expressing ideas.
Health and Physical Education
Food and Nutrition — shared topics include exploration of cultural and staple foods, lifestyles, and celebrations across cultures.
Health — shared topics include discussing the complex interconnections between the physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions of people’s lives.
Physical Education — shared topics include discussions into popular sports in German-speaking communities, key sports personalities, and events.
Social Sciences
Geography — shared topics include exploration of regions and significant geographical features. Students also explore the relationship between people, culture, and their environments.
History — shared competencies include developing insight into the forces that have shaped our world and ourselves. Additional shared topics include studying different cultures, regions, indigenous histories, and languages.
Social Studies — shared topics include exploration of identities, cultures, and diverse bodies of knowledge. Students can explore experiences in Aotearoa New Zealand, the Pacific region, and German-speaking communities, and make connections with the wider world.
Technology
Computer Science — shared explorations include how computer science can support learning languages and translation. Students also develop insight into the digital tools that have shaped our access to learning languages and information on other cultures.
Digital Technologies — shared explorations include how digital technologies can assist with learning languages, translation, and sharing culture. Students also develop insight into the relationship between language, culture, and technology.
German sits within, and is connected to all subjects within the Learning Languages Learning Area of the New Zealand Curriculum. Students in Learning Languages are all connected through their exploration of language and culture. Subjects in the Learning Area include:
New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL)
Asian Languages
- Chinese (Mandarin)
- Japanese
- Korean
European Languages
- French
- German
- Spanish
Pacific Languages
- Gagana Sāmoa
- Gagana Tokelau
- Lea Faka-Tonga
- Te Reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani
- Vagahau Niue
German is also connected to subjects outside of the Learning Languages Learning Area. This includes the Learning Areas and subjects of:
The Arts
Dance — shared exploration and comparison of different cultures, art, custom, and styles of dance across communities.
Music — shared exploration of different musical styles across cultures and communities. Music, as in German, allows for self-expression, creativity, and identity exploration.
Visual Arts — shared topics include exploring visual expressions of creativity. Stories shape our culture and enrich our society. Students can explore their ideas and experiment with a wide range of creative mediums.
English
English — languages and English provide opportunities to develop productive and receptive skills. English, like language learning, provides training in critical thinking, analytical skills, grammar, and organising and expressing ideas.
Health and Physical Education
Food and Nutrition — shared topics include exploration of cultural and staple foods, lifestyles, and celebrations across cultures.
Health — shared topics include discussing the complex interconnections between the physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions of people’s lives.
Physical Education — shared topics include discussions into popular sports in German-speaking communities, key sports personalities, and events.
Social Sciences
Geography — shared topics include exploration of regions and significant geographical features. Students also explore the relationship between people, culture, and their environments.
History — shared competencies include developing insight into the forces that have shaped our world and ourselves. Additional shared topics include studying different cultures, regions, indigenous histories, and languages.
Social Studies — shared topics include exploration of identities, cultures, and diverse bodies of knowledge. Students can explore experiences in Aotearoa New Zealand, the Pacific region, and German-speaking communities, and make connections with the wider world.
Technology
Computer Science — shared explorations include how computer science can support learning languages and translation. Students also develop insight into the digital tools that have shaped our access to learning languages and information on other cultures.
Digital Technologies — shared explorations include how digital technologies can assist with learning languages, translation, and sharing culture. Students also develop insight into the relationship between language, culture, and technology.
Learning Pathway
Students of German gain knowledge and skills that enrich and support every aspect of their journey through life, including the world of work. Learning a language provides a space for students to understand who they want to be, to explore their interests and aspirations, and to ignite a passion for a pathway.
To employers, the knowledge of an additional language shows resilience, a commitment to learning, and an openness to understanding different cultures and perspectives. Proficiency in German is increasingly sought for work related to advocacy, education, journalism, health, and government.
Studying German enhances students’ cultural understanding and supports them to navigate diverse societies.
No matter what students choose to do beyond school, they will always carry with them the knowledge and skills developed through German. The ability to engage with people of different backgrounds, and bridge cultural gaps to facilitate effective communication, is a valuable way of not only understanding others but of understanding oneself.
Students of German gain knowledge and skills that enrich and support every aspect of their journey through life, including the world of work. Learning a language provides a space for students to understand who they want to be, to explore their interests and aspirations, and to ignite a passion for a pathway.
To employers, the knowledge of an additional language shows resilience, a commitment to learning, and an openness to understanding different cultures and perspectives. Proficiency in German is increasingly sought for work related to advocacy, education, journalism, health, and government.
Studying German enhances students’ cultural understanding and supports them to navigate diverse societies.
No matter what students choose to do beyond school, they will always carry with them the knowledge and skills developed through German. The ability to engage with people of different backgrounds, and bridge cultural gaps to facilitate effective communication, is a valuable way of not only understanding others but of understanding oneself.
Introduction to Sample Course Outlines
Sample Course Outlines are intended to help teachers and schools understand the new NCEA Learning Matrix and Achievement Standards. An example of how a year-long German course could be constructed using the new Learning Matrix and Achievement Standards is provided here. It is indicative only and does not mandate any particular context or approach.
Sample Course Outlines are intended to help teachers and schools understand the new NCEA Learning Matrix and Achievement Standards. An example of how a year-long German course could be constructed using the new Learning Matrix and Achievement Standards is provided here. It is indicative only and does not mandate any particular context or approach.
Vocabulary List
The Vocabulary List supports teachers to understand the language appropriate at Curriculum Level 6 for German.
Language drawn from this Vocabulary List is used to create external assessments and may be used to support teachers when preparing students for internal assessments.
The language used by students during internal assessment activities (and associated learning opportunities throughout the year) will reflect the teaching and learning of German that takes place within the context of each classroom. Teachers may extend the language they include in teaching and learning programmes to items and expressions beyond this Vocabulary List.
The first four sections of this Vocabulary List (German to English, English to German, Categories, and Grammar and Structures) contain language that candidates are expected to recognise for the NCEA Level 1 German external assessments.
Vocabulary List
The Vocabulary List supports teachers to understand the language appropriate at Curriculum Level 6 for German.
Language drawn from this Vocabulary List is used to create external assessments and may be used to support teachers when preparing students for internal assessments.
The language used by students during internal assessment activities (and associated learning opportunities throughout the year) will reflect the teaching and learning of German that takes place within the context of each classroom. Teachers may extend the language they include in teaching and learning programmes to items and expressions beyond this Vocabulary List.
The first four sections of this Vocabulary List (German to English, English to German, Categories, and Grammar and Structures) contain language that candidates are expected to recognise for the NCEA Level 1 German external assessments.
Assessment Matrix
Conditions of Assessment for internally assessed standards
These Conditions provide guidelines for assessment against internally assessed Achievement Standards. Guidance is provided on:
- specific requirements for all assessments against this Standard
- appropriate ways of, and conditions for, gathering evidence
- ensuring that evidence is authentic.
Assessors must be familiar with guidance on assessment practice in learning centres, including enforcing timeframes and deadlines. The NZQA website offers resources that would be useful to read in conjunction with these Conditions of Assessment.
The learning centre’s Assessment Policy and Conditions of Assessment must be consistent with NZQA’s Assessment Rules for Schools with Consent to Assess. This link includes guidance for managing internal moderation and the collection of evidence.
Gathering Evidence
Internal assessment provides considerable flexibility in the collection of evidence. Evidence can be collected in different ways to suit a range of teaching and learning styles, and a range of contexts of teaching and learning. Care needs to be taken to allow students opportunities to present their best evidence against the Standard(s) that are free from unnecessary constraints.
It is recommended that the design of assessment reflects and reinforces the ways students have been learning. Collection of evidence for the internally assessed Standards could include, but is not restricted to, an extended task, an investigation, digital evidence (such as recorded interviews, blogs, photographs, or film), or a portfolio of evidence.
Effective assessment should suit the nature of the learning being assessed, provide opportunities to meet the diverse needs of all students, and be valid and fair.
Ensuring Authenticity of Evidence
Authenticity of student evidence needs to be assured regardless of the method of collecting evidence. This must be in line with the learning centre’s policy and NZQA’s Assessment Rules for Schools with Consent to Assess.
Ensure that the student’s evidence is individually identifiable and represents the student’s own work. This includes evidence submitted as part of a group assessment and evidence produced outside of class time or assessor supervision. For example, an investigation carried out over several sessions could include assessor observations, meeting with the student at a set milestone, or student’s use of a journal or photographic entries to record progress.
These Conditions provide guidelines for assessment against internally assessed Achievement Standards. Guidance is provided on:
- specific requirements for all assessments against this Standard
- appropriate ways of, and conditions for, gathering evidence
- ensuring that evidence is authentic.
Assessors must be familiar with guidance on assessment practice in learning centres, including enforcing timeframes and deadlines. The NZQA website offers resources that would be useful to read in conjunction with these Conditions of Assessment.
The learning centre’s Assessment Policy and Conditions of Assessment must be consistent with NZQA’s Assessment Rules for Schools with Consent to Assess. This link includes guidance for managing internal moderation and the collection of evidence.
Gathering Evidence
Internal assessment provides considerable flexibility in the collection of evidence. Evidence can be collected in different ways to suit a range of teaching and learning styles, and a range of contexts of teaching and learning. Care needs to be taken to allow students opportunities to present their best evidence against the Standard(s) that are free from unnecessary constraints.
It is recommended that the design of assessment reflects and reinforces the ways students have been learning. Collection of evidence for the internally assessed Standards could include, but is not restricted to, an extended task, an investigation, digital evidence (such as recorded interviews, blogs, photographs, or film), or a portfolio of evidence.
Effective assessment should suit the nature of the learning being assessed, provide opportunities to meet the diverse needs of all students, and be valid and fair.
Ensuring Authenticity of Evidence
Authenticity of student evidence needs to be assured regardless of the method of collecting evidence. This must be in line with the learning centre’s policy and NZQA’s Assessment Rules for Schools with Consent to Assess.
Ensure that the student’s evidence is individually identifiable and represents the student’s own work. This includes evidence submitted as part of a group assessment and evidence produced outside of class time or assessor supervision. For example, an investigation carried out over several sessions could include assessor observations, meeting with the student at a set milestone, or student’s use of a journal or photographic entries to record progress.
The evidence submitted for this Achievement Standard may not also be submitted for AS 91969 (1.2) Communicate in German for a chosen purpose.
The evidence for this Achievement Standard will be collected over one or more interactions. The interactions must take place in real time and show that the student can use spoken German to respond to information, ideas, and opinions.
Students may work in pairs or a group. If students are working in a group, it is essential that each student contributes enough appropriate language to meet the requirements of this Standard. Assessors may assist students in selecting a suitable partner or partners.
Each interaction submitted as evidence must:
- be a single video recording without any edits
- be clearly audible and allow for each student to be identified clearly.
Assessors may:
- provide images or objects which can be used to prompt conversation, as long as they don't include German text.
- if multiple interactions are submitted, provide general feedback to students after their first interaction, but must not scaffold students' preparation for further interaction opportunities.
Students may:
- refer to prompts given by the assessor.
Students may not:
- practise the exact task with their partner(s) prior to the assessment
- rote-learn or script role plays
- be provided with any scaffolding, instruction, teaching, or other forms of guidance during the assessment
- use German notes, language learning resources, or dictionaries during the assessment.
The evidence submitted for this Achievement Standard may not also be submitted for AS 91968 (1.1) Interact in spoken German to share and respond to information, ideas, and opinions.
Submissions should consist of one piece of work. The submission may be in written, spoken, or a combination of spoken and written German. If a combination of both is chosen, the spoken and written language content must be complementary to each other, and students should not only be reading out what has been written.
The submission may consist of evidence involving one or more people, but students will be assessed individually. Where a collaborative approach to collecting evidence is used, assessors must ensure that each student has met the requirements of the Standard individually.
Assessor involvement during the assessment event is limited to providing students with feedback on the technical aspects of their work only, for example, formatting, design, or audio, visual and image quality. Assessors must not provide feedback on student language be it written or spoken.
Assessors must ensure that students are only assessed based on the quality of language.
Students may not:
- copy whole sentences or passages from any source without significant modification
- use online or digital translators of any kind
- have anyone else point out errors, edit, or correct their work before handing it in for assessment.