German as a subject at the Nelson Mandela School
Aims and contents
German is one of the two languages of instruction at Nelson Mandela School. Therefore, the subject German has the central task of continuously improving the academic language performance of the students so that as many of them as possible fulfill the language requirements for the Abitur (or IB) despite the large number of subjects taught in English.
The most important required skills are the comprehension of literary and non-fictional texts, the composition of different text types, oral and written discussion, and the confident and correct usage of the German language.
At the same time, the aim is to have fun with reading, performing, writing in a creative way and presenting results etc.
Moreover, highlights in the different grades are, besides literary readings, theatre visits and literary walks:
- the Ballad Festival in Grade 7
- the German Olympiad in grade 9 and - brand new -
- the project "Jugend debattiert" in grades 8-10.
Classification into language levels according to the European Framework of Reference for Languages
At the beginning of grade 7, pupils are divided according to the European Framework of Reference into mother tongue level (level C) or partner language level (level B), depending on their family language and their knowledge of vocabulary, spelling and grammar. A change from partner to mother tongue is possible at the end of every school year (not in the other direction).
For pupils who are admitted to our school without any knowledge of German, we offer lessons in the "Deutsch A-Kurs". Here they receive German lessons across classes and grades at the level that corresponds to them individually (A 1.1-A.2.2). Within a maximum of two years, they should successfully complete the A2 level examination there and then switch to the partner language lessons of their class.
Comparative tests / examinations in secondary level I
In Year 8, all pupils of language levels B and C take part in VERA 8, the compulsory comparative test in Berlin. This is not graded, but gives students, parents and teachers feedback on the current individual level of competence.
In Year 9, all students who have attended school in Germany for at least two years take the German examination for the BBR (Berufsbildungsreife) and in Year 10 the German examination for the MSA (Mittlerer Schulabschluss). Those who have attended school in Germany for less than two years take an alternative examination in English for the MSA.
Upper Secondary level
In the Abitur branch, teaching is based on the general Abitur standards (Berliner Rahmenplan/ EPA). There is no distinction between B and C level. All students must choose the Grundkurs Deutsch or the Leistungskurs Deutsch. In addition, German can be chosen as a written or oral examination subject and for the „5. Prüfungskomponente“ (a presentation or essay as 5th part of the examination).
In the International Baccalaureate (IB), students attend the programmes "German Language & Literature A", "German B" or "German ab initio".
