The Thomas Mills High School & Sixth Form German curriculum aims to equip students with foundational language skills while fostering an understanding of German-speaking cultures. The course covers key areas:
This includes learning core vocabulary, grammar structures, and cultural knowledge to communicate effectively in German. Pupils will develop skills to understand and interpret spoken and written German, alongside fostering independent language acquisition strategies. They are also constantly encouraged to reflect on their own language-learning journey, make connections to their native language and appreciate different cultures. Discussion, role-play and practical language application play a significant role in the curriculum, with a focus on building confidence in speaking and writing German.
For further details about this subject at Key Stage 3 or 4, or to discuss your child’s progress, please contact the school office.
Knowledge:
Students will learn essential German vocabulary, including numbers, the alphabet, basic verbs, and common cognates. They will explore personal pronouns and fundamental sentence structures. Pupils will also gain an understanding of German family structures, pet vocabulary, and descriptive adjectives. By the end of the term, they will be able to introduce themselves, describe their family and pets, and express simple opinions.
Skills:
Pupils will develop the ability to ask and answer basic questions in German, apply present tense verb conjugation, and use simple connectives to form more detailed sentences. They will also enhance their listening and pronunciation skills, gaining confidence in speaking aloud and understanding spoken German.
Useful Links
https://www.thenational.academy/teachers/programmes/german-secondary-ks3-l/units
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zcj2tfr
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Assessments:
Students will be assessed through listening, speaking, reading, and writing tasks. These assessments will focus on their ability to introduce themselves, describe their family and pets, and demonstrate comprehension of simple German texts. The assessments will help monitor progress in pronunciation, vocabulary retention, and grammatical accuracy.
Knowledge:
This term, students will expand their vocabulary related to hobbies, sports, music, and daily routines. They will learn how to express opinions and preferences about their interests and discuss school-related topics, such as subjects and timetables. An introduction to tense recognition will help students understand how to describe past and present activities.
Skills:
Pupils will practise forming and expressing opinions, comparing hobbies, and using time expressions. They will develop the ability to hold short conversations about their school routine and weekend activities while recognising different verb tenses. Listening and reading comprehension exercises will reinforce their ability to understand spoken and written German.
Useful Links
https://www.thenational.academy/teachers/programmes/german-secondary-ks3-l/units
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zcj2tfr
Duolingo – The world’s best way to learn a language
Assessments:
Students will complete a variety of tasks in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. These assessments will evaluate their ability to discuss personal interests, school life, and basic time expressions. A particular focus will be on sentence structure, opinion-based responses, and comprehension of simple German dialogues.
Knowledge:
In the final term, students will learn about healthy lifestyles, including food choices and exercise. They will explore the conditional tense to discuss hypothetical situations related to future aspirations and career paths. Additionally, they will be introduced to notable German figures and their cultural significance.
Skills:
Pupils will refine their ability to construct longer sentences using the conditional tense. They will learn to express their views on healthy eating and compare different lifestyle choices. Research and presentation skills will also be developed as they explore cultural aspects of German-speaking countries.
Useful Links
https://www.thenational.academy/teachers/programmes/german-secondary-ks3-l/units
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zcj2tfr
Duolingo – The world’s best way to learn a language
Assessments:
Students will be assessed on listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Assessments will include a written task on healthy lifestyles, a listening comprehension on German cultural topics, and a speaking exercise where they discuss their aspirations and career goals. These tasks will help measure their ability to use new vocabulary, apply the conditional tense, and express opinions fluently.
Knowledge:
Students will expand their vocabulary related to holiday activities, past travel experiences, and weather conditions. They will learn to describe daily routines, discuss their home and bedroom, and express opinions about their ideal home. Key grammar topics include the perfect tense, infinitive structures, separable verbs, and using ‘es gibt’ correctly.
Skills:
Pupils will develop their ability to use past and present tenses together, improving fluency in describing past holidays and experiences. They will practise giving directions, making comparisons between different types of homes, and expressing future aspirations using the future tense. Listening and speaking activities will enhance comprehension and pronunciation.
Useful Links
https://www.thenational.academy/teachers/programmes/german-secondary-ks3-l/units
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zcj2tfr
Duolingo – The world’s best way to learn a language
Assessments:
Students will complete listening, speaking, reading, and writing assessments. These will test their ability to describe past holidays, give opinions on different living environments, and use appropriate grammar structures. Writing assessments will focus on structuring extended responses using connectives and tenses accurately.
Knowledge:
This term introduces vocabulary related to daily routines, healthy living, chores, and making plans. Students will also explore German-speaking festivals and special occasions. Grammar topics include modal verbs, possessive adjectives, and the use of subordinate clauses. Pupils will work with both the future and conditional tenses to discuss plans and aspirations.
Skills:
Students will practise forming complex sentences using modals and subordinate clauses. They will engage in discussions about shopping habits, personal style, and celebrations in German-speaking countries. Role-play activities will help build confidence in making plans and expressing preferences. Translation exercises will reinforce grammatical accuracy.
Useful Links
https://www.thenational.academy/teachers/programmes/german-secondary-ks3-l/units
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zcj2tfr
Duolingo – The world’s best way to learn a language
Assessments:
Listening, speaking, reading, and writing tasks will assess students’ ability to discuss daily life, compare different lifestyles, and express preferences about fashion and special occasions. Speaking assessments will focus on fluency in responding to real-life scenarios.
Knowledge:
Students will explore topics related to television, film, music, the internet, and social media. They will discuss environmental issues and famous German figures and take a virtual trip to Berlin. Grammar topics include modal verbs, various tenses (past, present, future, conditional), and complex sentence structures with coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.
Skills:
Pupils will refine their ability to express opinions on media and technology, using a range of tenses confidently. They will analyse social and environmental issues, improving their ability to construct persuasive arguments in German. Research projects on German celebrities and cultural landmarks will enhance their comprehension and presentation skills.
Useful Links
https://www.thenational.academy/teachers/programmes/german-secondary-ks3-l/units
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zcj2tfr
Duolingo – The world’s best way to learn a language
Assessments:
Students will complete listening and reading comprehension tasks, testing their understanding of media, technology, and social issues. Writing assessments will focus on constructing detailed arguments and reflections on German cultural influences. Speaking exercises will encourage discussion of personal media habits and environmental concerns.
Knowledge:
Students will build their understanding of describing family relationships, friendships, and opinions on marriage and partnership. They will explore topics related to free time, hobbies, and going out. Key grammar topics include present and past tense formation, comparative and superlative structures, and using subordinate clauses.
Skills:
Pupils will develop the ability to describe people and relationships in detail, express preferences, and engage in discussions about their hobbies and interests. They will refine their pronunciation and listening comprehension through conversational practice, while also learning to form well-structured written responses.
Useful Links
https://senecalearning.com/en-GB/blog/gcse-german-revision/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z8j2tfr
https://quizlet.com/gb/content/gcse-german
https://www.thenational.academy/teachers/programmes/german-secondary-ks4-l/units
Duolingo – The world’s best way to learn a language
Assessments:
Students will complete listening, two speaking, reading, and two writing assessments. These will test their ability to describe relationships, discuss their free time, and use the past tense accurately in different contexts.
Knowledge:
This term introduces vocabulary and structures related to TV, music, film, mobile phones, and social media. Students will also explore traditional German festivals and celebrations. Grammar topics include the perfect tense, complex sentence formation, and the use of opinion-based language.
Skills:
Students will practise giving detailed opinions on different media and cultural traditions. They will engage in structured conversations and role-play activities to improve their spoken fluency. Reading and listening tasks will help them recognise high-frequency words and key grammar patterns in authentic texts.
Useful Links
https://senecalearning.com/en-GB/blog/gcse-german-revision/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z8j2tfr
https://quizlet.com/gb/content/gcse-german
https://www.thenational.academy/teachers/programmes/german-secondary-ks4-l/units
Duolingo – The world’s best way to learn a language
Assessments:
Listening, speaking, and writing assessments will focus on students’ ability to express opinions on media and festivals, narrate past events, and engage in structured conversations about cultural traditions.
Knowledge:
Students will learn to discuss career aspirations, work experience, and their future plans using the conditional and compound tenses. They will also describe their home, town, and region, discussing local amenities and advantages/disadvantages of different environments.
Skills:
Pupils will refine their ability to describe places and future aspirations using more complex sentence structures. They will develop confidence in expressing opinions on different locations and career paths, improving their ability to use prepositions and descriptive language effectively.
Useful Links
https://senecalearning.com/en-GB/blog/gcse-german-revision/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z8j2tfr
https://quizlet.com/gb/content/gcse-german
https://www.thenational.academy/teachers/programmes/german-secondary-ks4-l/units
Duolingo – The world’s best way to learn a language
Assessments:
Students will be assessed on speaking, listening, reading, and writing. These assessments will evaluate their ability to describe future plans, discuss their home and local area, and demonstrate their use of varied tenses in writing and speaking tasks.
This year emphasises fluency, accuracy, and exam preparation, ensuring students are well-equipped for the GCSE examinations.
Knowledge:
Students will explore topics related to health, including diet, exercise, and the dangers of smoking and drugs. They will also study school routines, timetables, facilities, rules, and future education options. Grammar topics include modal verbs, the past tense, and sequencing words.
Skills:
Pupils will develop their ability to discuss lifestyle choices and school-related topics with greater fluency. They will improve their ability to understand and give opinions on structured topics, forming longer and more complex sentences. Listening and speaking tasks will enhance their comprehension and pronunciation.
Useful Links
https://senecalearning.com/en-GB/blog/gcse-german-revision/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z8j2tfr
https://quizlet.com/gb/content/gcse-german
https://www.thenational.academy/teachers/programmes/german-secondary-ks4-l/units
Duolingo – The world’s best way to learn a language
Assessments:
Students will complete listening, speaking, reading, and writing assessments, evaluating their ability to describe healthy lifestyles, express opinions on education, and use key grammar structures effectively.
Knowledge:
This term introduces discussions on celebrity culture, media influences, and opinions on famous people. Students will analyse celebrity-related articles, social media content, and reality TV. Grammar topics include sentence structure variations and expressing detailed opinions.
Skills:
Pupils will refine their ability to discuss contemporary topics using varied vocabulary and grammatical accuracy. They will practise constructing arguments about media influence, engage in debates, and improve reading comprehension of authentic texts.
Useful Links
https://senecalearning.com/en-GB/blog/gcse-german-revision/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z8j2tfr
https://quizlet.com/gb/content/gcse-german
https://www.thenational.academy/teachers/programmes/german-secondary-ks4-l/units
Duolingo – The world’s best way to learn a language
Assessments:
Preparatory Examination. Listening, speaking, reading, and writing assessments will focus on students’ ability to express their opinions on celebrity culture, engage in structured conversations, and demonstrate strong grammatical control in written tasks.
Knowledge:
Students will explore travel and tourism, learning to ask for directions, purchase tickets, and discuss holiday destinations. They will also examine environmental issues such as pollution, conservation, and transport. Grammar topics include all tenses and complex sentence structures.
Skills:
Pupils will develop practical communication skills for travel scenarios, enhancing their ability to navigate real-world situations in German. They will also build persuasive writing skills when discussing environmental issues and sustainability.
Useful Links
https://senecalearning.com/en-GB/blog/gcse-german-revision/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z8j2tfr
https://quizlet.com/gb/content/gcse-german
https://www.thenational.academy/teachers/programmes/german-secondary-ks4-l/units
Duolingo – The world’s best way to learn a language
Assessments:
Listening and reading assessments will evaluate students’ ability to understand and respond to travel-related and environmental texts, demonstrating comprehension of both practical and academic topics.
This year emphasises fluency, accuracy, and exam preparation, ensuring students are well-equipped for the GCSE examinations. They will be preparing exemplar essays on all topics, for 50, 90 and 150 words. They will create revision resources, as well as using online materials to prepare for the GCSE examination.
Knowledge:
They will be preparing exemplar essays on all topics, for 50, 90 and 150 words. They will create revision resources, as well as using online materials to prepare for the GCSE examination.
Skills:
They will explore the grammatical requirements needed to get 4-9 in the writing examination. These will include, present, past, future, imperfect, conditional and subjunctive tenses. Coordinating and subordinate clauses. Relative clause, with pronouns, possessive and personal. Modal verbs and impersonal verbs. Prepositions, quantifiers, adverbs and intensifiers.
Useful Links
https://senecalearning.com/en-GB/blog/gcse-german-revision/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z8j2tfr
https://quizlet.com/gb/content/gcse-german
https://www.thenational.academy/teachers/programmes/german-secondary-ks4-l/units
Duolingo – The world’s best way to learn a language
Assessments:
Assessment will be via the 50, 90 and150 word essays, as well as retrieval practice on vocabulary each week using the vocabulary booklets for GCSE Foundation and Higher.
Knowledge:
They will have past paper practice for Reading and Listening each week, coupled with a targeted vocabulary lesson per topic each week. There will also be revision skill lessons for Writing and Speaking.
Skills:
These will focus on Reading and Listening practice, split into Foundation and Higher. They will go through past papers and will be taught how to access questions and best practice skills.
Role Play and Photo Card will also be taught.
Useful Links
https://senecalearning.com/en-GB/blog/gcse-german-revision/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z8j2tfr
https://quizlet.com/gb/content/gcse-german
https://www.thenational.academy/teachers/programmes/german-secondary-ks4-l/units
Duolingo – The world’s best way to learn a language
Assessments:
Assessment will be via Reading and Listening past papers, as well as regular vocabulary retrieval tasks.
Knowledge:
Final revision of all topics.
Skills:
All four skills.
Useful Links
https://senecalearning.com/en-GB/blog/gcse-german-revision/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z8j2tfr
https://quizlet.com/gb/content/gcse-german
https://www.thenational.academy/teachers/programmes/german-secondary-ks4-l/units
Duolingo – The world’s best way to learn a language
Assessments:
All four skills will be practised.
Family and citizenship, youth trends and personal identity, education and employment opportunities, regional culture and heritage, media, art, film and music, migration and integration or cultural difference and celebrating difference?
Publishing, journalism, hospitality
Mr M Heath
