VLE
Language learning contributes to mutual understanding, a sense of global citizenship and personal fulfilment. Students learn to appreciate different countries, cultures, communities and people. Further, by making comparisons, they gain insight into their own culture and society.
The German language is widely spoken in the European Union and in many Eastern European countries. In addition to its value in leisure, commerce and industry, German is a language with a rich cultural heritage.
German is an optional subject offered to Year 6-9 students from non-Muslim and non-Arab families at the same time as Arabic and Islamic Studies lessons, and is taught by specialist teachers. Edexcel GCSE, AS and A2 courses in German are available in Years 10-13. Students are taught in small mixed ability groups.
On 04 June 2009, BSK was honoured to become the first school in the Gulf region to be recognised by the German Government as a German Partner School. HE Herr Doktor Michael Worbs, the German Ambassador to Kuwait, presented BSK Director Mme Vera Al-Mutawa with a plaque from the Federal Republic of Germany symbolising the agreement in a ceremony at the BSK campus.
BSK has been teaching German since 1996 and this partnership has helped expand the existing provision for German through exchange programmes, summer scholarships, teacher training courses, international competitions, access to special websites and a range of other activities.
During the past two years eleven BSK students have been privileged to receive scholarships for a free summer course in Germany. The students have greatly enjoyed the opportunity to visit Germany, improve their German language skills and meet students from other Partner Schools around the world.
A further result of the German government initiative has been that BSK now has a thriving penpal project with students of the Werner von Siemens Realschule, Wiesbaden.
In Years 6-11, two lessons of 65 minutes each are allocated to German per week. In the Sixth Form Department, in common with all other subjects, five such lessons are allocated.
Lessons are conducted mainly in German and class time is divided between listening, speaking, reading and writing tasks. Activities include textbook work, written exercises, games, paired work and role-play. Students use their laptops to conduct research, to listen to spoken German and to learn and practise grammatical structures and vocabulary.
Topics: personal identification, numbers, the alphabet, home and family, school. Grammar elements include regular and irregular verbs in the present tense and question forms.
Topics: home and family, school, descriptions, free time, the town, going out, daily routine. Grammar elements include regular and irregular verbs in the present tense, the future tense, prepositions and adjectives.
Topics: holidays, food and meals, health, leisure activities, visiting Germany. Grammar elements include verbs in the past, present and future tenses, infinitive constructions and pronouns.
Topics: personal identification, daily routine, travel, town and country, leisure, the world of work, future plans, fitness and health. Grammar elements introduced in the Middle Department are consolidated and students learn to use the imperfect tense and subordinate clauses.
Topics: the media, travel and tourism, school, family and friends, a healthy lifestyle. Grammar elements include a range of verb tenses, subordinate clauses, modal verbs and pronouns.
Topics: the world of work, town and country, the environment, free time. Grammar elements from Year 10 are consolidated, and students are introduced to the pluperfect tense, relative clauses and the passive voice. Students prepare for their examinations using GCSE past papers. Students enter for either Edexcel Foundation or Higher papers.
Terms 1 and 2: Youth culture and concerns, health and fitness, travel and tourism. Students also prepare their chosen speaking topic area using a range of German websites, magazines and TV channels. Terms 3 and 4: The world around us, education, the world of work. Term 5: Revision and examination practice using past papers.
Terms 1 and 2: Customs and traditions, the world of work, national and international events of the past. Students also conduct research on a topic or literary text of their choice. Terms 3 and 4: World problems, ethical issues, current national and international events. Students also research and prepare their chosen oral discussion issue. Term 5: Revision and further examination practice.