German

Curriculum Intent

The Orleans Park Languages Department is passionate about the benefits and opportunities that learning a language can bring. We are committed to providing a high-quality language education, creating confident and successful linguists through our interactive and collaborative Target-Language approach to teaching and learning.

We strongly believe that Languages are a skill for life and something students should enjoy and find rewarding. Our students will develop the skills of independent, inquisitive and responsible citizens with a sound understanding of the multilingual world in which they live.

Students will develop appreciation for the language and popular culture of the Language that they study, whilst deepening their knowledge of their own language(s).

Key Stage 3 

In German at KS3 we aim to:

  • build upon prior knowledge of Languages that students gained in Key Stage 2
  • develop students’ ability to communicate, interact, understand and respond in German
  • develop students’ knowledge and application of phonics in German
  • build confidence through regular and purposeful classroom routines
  • inspire a love of language learning through a series of stimulating topics
  • engage students by enabling students to participate in a wide variety of  activities in German
  • use authentic materials (films, short clips, music, poems and stories) as a foundation to foster students’ appreciation of the diverse German-speaking world
  • encourage students to use language that they know as a tool to express what they want to say
  • develop students’ understanding of grammatical concepts, which underpin the writing and speaking tasks they will have, should they continue to GCSE German

Key Stage 4

In German at KS4 we aim to:

  • build on students’ knowledge of phonics, grammar and vocabulary learned in KS3 German
  • develop students’ confidence in speaking with good pronunciation in German by using a familiar routine
  • enable students to recognise and feel confident in talking and writing about the past, present and future in a variety of contexts
  • provide an authentic context for learning using songs, films and literature which will engage them and give further insight into Germanic culture
  • promote an ability to respond to spoken and written questions both with topic-specific vocabulary and transferable grammatical structures
  • develop students’ confidence in manipulating language in order to express their own opinions and experiences
  • develop and consolidate students’ understanding of grammatical concepts, which underpin the writing and speaking tasks for GCSE German

Key Stage 5

In German at KS5 we aim to:

  • build upon students’ knowledge of phonics, grammar and vocabulary learned in KS3 and KS4 German, as well as their linguistic competencies
  • advance students’ linguistic and grammatical knowledge and communicative competencies for different themes using a range of contemporary contexts and source materials
  • broaden students’ cultural knowledge of Germany and German-speaking countries when studying the key aspects of multiculturalism, political life and the artistic culture of German-speaking societies 
  • create communicative and confident linguists who can give and justify their opinions about a variety of contemporary social issues
  • develop students’ analytical skills when studying German literature and film
  • offer students a wide range of extra reading and films to watch to broaden their experience of Germanic culture
  • develop students’ analytical and research skills through the Individual Research Project

Where can German take me?

Languages are a facilitating subject, which develop a transferable and highly appealing skill set, such as strong communication, resilience, presentation and listening skills. Languages can open doors to a whole host of exciting opportunities for further study, including study abroad, as well as travel and careers. Many of our A Level students have gone on to study German at University alongside Business, Engineering, History and other languages.

German Curriculum & Assessment Overview