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IB German SL Curriculum
Introduction:
The Language B program is a foreign language learning program designed for study at
both higher and standard levels by students with some previous experience of learning
the language. The main focus of the program is on language acquisition and
development. This program meets the needs of IB students who have already studied
the German language. Language B course gives the students the opportunity to reach
a high degree of competence in a language and explore the cultures using the
language. The aim of this course is to enable well-informed, lively discussion in the
target language and to develop students' ability to work and study on their own
initiative.
Nature of the subject:

The nature of language B for HL and SL differ in the level of difficulty of texts and the
number of types of texts that students are expected to write. This course will offer
students maximum communication and interaction opportunities in the four language
skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing through the exploration of a wide
range of Germanic texts from the wide world of German speakers. Students will
develop spontaneous aural expressions related to daily life and Germanic culture.
They will develop an awareness of global, cultural, social, and political issues. The
course will allow students to reach a fluency level in writing and speaking.
Students will explore a variety of authentic texts and media that will provide an in-
context grammar review. They will be able to communicate effectively in a number of
situations and within the culture where the language is spoken.
In the context of language B the successful use of language consists of demonstrating
competence in the three areas of language, cultural interaction and message.
Course Pre Requisites:

Language B SL: This course is for a student who has 2 to 5 years experience of the
target language.
Language B HL: This course is for a student who has 4 to 5 years experience of the
target language.
Course Credits:
Students are graded from points 7 to 1 with a minimum 4 points to pass in the subject.
Students are awarded with a Certificate or Diploma, depending on the number of
subject and A1 choices made.

Aims & Objectives:
To:
Develop the ability to communicate accurately and effectively in speech and
in writing within a range of contexts,
Develop the ability to understand and respond to the language demands of
transactional and social contexts,
Provide students with a sound linguistic base for further study, work, and
leisure,
Offer insights into the culture of the countries where the language is
spoken, and
Provide the opportunity for enjoyment, creativity, and intellectual
stimulation. By the end of the language B course HL candidates are expected to demonstrate an ability to: • Communicate clearly and effectively in a wide range of situations. • Make detailed descriptions and express their opinions with accuracy. • Understand and analyze moderately complex written and spoken material. • Assess subtleties of the language in a wide range of forms, styles and registers. • Show an awareness of the culture related to the target language. By the end of the language B course SL candidates are expected to demonstrate an ability to: • Communicate clearly and effectively in a range of situations. • Make detailed descriptions and express their opinions with accuracy. • Understand and analyze written and spoken material of average difficulty. • Assess some subtleties of the language in a range of forms, styles and • Show an awareness of some elements of the culture related to the target
Expectations from students:
• The students will be expected to take responsibility for their own actions, do their own work, and be prepared with the brain in the learning, listening, participating mode. • Students are expected to come prepared to class, with textbooks and notes for • Students are expected to keep their notes in a file, and their assignments and documentation up to date in their folder • Students are expected to make full use of White Board/ICT to support their
Textbooks and Material:

German: Zeitgeist, Brennpunkt.
Besides the textbooks mentioned above, a lot of reference materials such as
dictionaries, internet articles, short films and documentaries are used in the classes.
Syllabus Outline:

Language
The presentation, explanation and review of grammatical structures and vocabulary should be integrated into the course. The four primary language skills to be developed in an integrated way are: The balance between these four language skills should be appropriate to the needs of the students, but none should be neglected. Competence in each of the primary language skills will involve an understanding of three interrelated areas: • Language - understanding ideas and how they are organized in order to • Message- selecting language appropriate to a particular cultural and social • Cultural Interaction - handling the language system accurately. Language skills should be developed through the use of a wide range of texts or material, which should be selected in view of their communicative purpose. Listening - A range of spoken texts to be used to develop listening skills and
Strategies.
Speaking – A range of interactive situations that enable the use of the spoken
language for a variety of communicative purposes.
Reading - Different types of texts that serve particular communicative purposes. Texts
at HL and SL differ in their level of difficulty and complexity. Eighteen different types
have been identified.
Writing - Different types of texts that serve different communicative purposes. Eight
have been identified at SL.
Cultural Awareness
Texts should be used as a means of exploring aspects of the culture(s) related to the language studied. The study of cultural aspects is not an end in itself. However, by exposing students to a range of texts with different communicative purposes, they should be made aware of how culture may influence the language. Texts for the Academic year 2011-2012:
Language skills should be developed through the use of a wide range of texts
and material.
Teachers and students are encouraged to choose their own texts—written,
spoken, literary or non-literary.
Since the purpose of learning a language B is to communicate in that language, texts should be considered in view of their communicative purpose, that is, the apparent intentions of the author when communicating to the audience and how these intentions are reflected in the choice of language. Texts for listening or reading tasks should therefore be selected according to the aim of the author and the type of language that has been used. Similarly, speaking and writing tasks should address a specific audience and have clearly identifiable aims. To this end, students should be taught how to communicate according to a specific purpose by selecting appropriate language and presenting ideas in a convincing manner. Texts may serve a range of communicative purposes such as describing or explaining, telling a story or presenting an argument. Within each communicative purpose there may be a different level of personal involvement. For example, a description may aim at providing information in an objective way or it may aim at affecting the reader through evocation. Depending on the aim of the description, the language will be different. Types of text have been divided according to the particular communicative purpose that they serve and are described further on. Listening
Within the context of language B, listening and speaking should form an integral part of the syllabus and internal assessment. Since listening skills are internally assessed, no specific list of texts has been identified for listening purposes. However, teachers may wish to refer to the section entitled “descriptions of types of texts that serve particular communicative purposes” and adapt it to the study of spoken texts, if deemed appropriate. Materials used should be authentic. The following is a list of suggested sources of spoken material and their possible communicative purposes. Speaking
In the context of language B, spoken language is interactive, spontaneous and in response to a specific situation. Teachers may wish to refer to the section entitled “descriptions of types of texts that serve particular communicative purposes” in order to help them identify the varieties of the language. Students should be taught how to select language appropriate to a situation and present ideas in a coherent and convincing manner. The following is a list of possible conversational situations and their communicative purposes. A number of types of texts that serve a particular communicative purpose have been identified and are listed below. Since the ability to understand language is generally expected to be greater than the ability to produce language, the range of texts selected for reading tasks is wider than for writing tasks. The level of difficulty and complexity of the texts should be different at higher level and standard level, and should reflect the differences in the language B objectives regarding the range of vocabulary and written forms of the language. At higher level, the range of texts should include some of a literary nature. Higher level students should also be taught how to analyse the communicative purpose of the texts. Students should be taught how to recognize the communicative purpose of the texts and how to respond appropriately to the texts . Please note that for teaching purposes the following list is not exclusive and teachers may wish to expose students to a wider range of texts. However, texts included in the text-handling paper (paper 1) will be taken from this list. Some of the texts identified for reading tasks can also be used for writing tasks and will be assessed in the written response (paper 1, section B) and the written production (paper 2). The number of types of texts for writing tasks is larger for higher level students than for standard level students. Standard level students should be taught how to produce texts that serve the
following communicative purposes.
Assessment Outline:
Assessment component Weighting
External assessment 70%
Paper 1 (1 hour 30 minutes): Receptive skills
Text-handling exercises on four written texts, based on the core.
25%
Paper 2 (1 hour 30 minutes): Written productive skills
One writing exercise of 250–400 words from a choice of five,
based on the options.
25%
Written assignment: Receptive and written productive skills
Intertextual reading followed by a written exercise of 300–400
words plus a 100-word
rationale, based on the core.
20%
Internal assessment
Internally assessed by the teacher and externally moderated by
the IB. 30%
Individual oral (8–10 minutes)
Based on the options: 15 minutes’ preparation time and a 10-
minute (maximum)
presentation and discussion with the teacher.
20%
Interactive oral activity
Based on the core: Three classroom activities assessed by the
teacher.

Source: http://www.lis.ac.in/IB_German_SL_Curriculum_1_.pdf