Welcome to German A
The German A Department serves the needs of native or near-native students in German.
Our courses
In Grades 6-10 we align our curriculum with the philosophy of the Middle Years Program (MYP) and with the key aspects of the curriculum of the Bavarian Gymnasium. At the end of Grade 10, students have the opportunity to take German as one of their subjects in the IGCSE exam, which is recognized by the Bavarian government as “Mittlere Reife”.
In our Diploma Program (DP) courses in Grades 11 and 12, students can take German within the International Baccalaureate (IB) as an A1 or an A2 course. From 2011 onwards these courses will change to A1 literature and A1 language and literature. At present, A1 German is a pure literature class, whereas A2 German focuses on the study of language and literature. In both DP classes we seek to further develop the students’ language competence and foster an appreciation of literature.
Our philosophy
Language is a key to global understanding, tolerance and peace and enables a successful and responsible way of living together in a society. Therefore our focus is to promote every child’s emotional, social and academic growth by developing a profound competence in the German language.
In our courses we aim to reflect the increasingly globalised world we live in, in which the nature, context and uses of texts have changed. We explore language through various sources of texts and media, which enable the students to gain a deeper understanding of themselves, human nature and values, and the world around them. Our approach is interdisciplinary and intercultural in order to develop a holistic and independent learner. New technologies are an essential part of our teaching practice. We focus on the five skill areas of language: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and viewing and on developing critical literacy with our students.
Grades 6,7 & 8
In these grade levels we study a wide range of literary, non-literary and visual texts and provide opportunities for students to write creatively as well as analytically for a variety of purposes and audiences. The basic skills of comprehending, interpreting and analyzing texts are established and the foundations of style and language mechanics are further extended. Students also develop their communication skills in various contexts, e.g. discussions, presentations and role-plays. We encourage students to make connections to both the real world and personal experiences. Enhancing the students’ reading competence is another key aspect, for example, in grade 6 the students take part in a national reading competition.