German Upper Intermediate Reading

German Upper Intermediate Reading
Pre-requisite
Successful completion of Lower Intermediate Reading Course, or completed Intensive
Reading Course plus work completed over the summer vacation (Easy Reader Levels A, B &
C), a minimum vocabulary of ca 1800 words including all functional words and including
familiarity with common irregular verbs.
Entry level: B2/C1
Achievement at the end of the academic year: Upon regular attendance, students should be
able to perform at level C1/C2 of the Common European Framework (Reading
Comprehension)
Tutor
Christine Eckhard-Black
Course Content
This course is a continuation of the Lower Intermediate Reading course or for students with
good GCSEs and even A-Levels in German. (ca 500 hours of general instruction in German)
The emphasis is on translating texts from German into English by
• Enlarging passive vocabulary from about 1800 words to 2400 in the first semester
(MT and ½ HT), and beyond by end of TT. Functional words are practised.
• The choice of vocabulary and structures is determined by frequency of use in the
written language and by their relevance for the students.
• The reading is based on an Easy Reader Level D, followed by an unabridged literary
play in the second semester.
• A list of vocabulary is set in each class, word-formation elaborated and tested at the
next meeting.
• Selected grammar points are revised (Reported Speech, Subjunctives, Adjective
Endings, Extended Adjectives.)
• CALL materials are incorporated into the plan.
• The biographical and historical background of the Readers is provided throughout the
course through study of authentic sources.
• In TT, plays are read in roles.
• If possible, videos of the respective titles are obtained and shown to the class.
• Only a very limited amount of time is allocated to German conversation
(e.g. general conversation and Q&A on comprehension, talking about their work and
ambitions), Students are encouraged to take an additional Speaking class to practice
producing German.
Learning Outcomes
The students will progress in their reading ability from near A-level abilities in reading
comprehension of narrative texts to A-level / first year degree level. At the end of the year
they will be able to read and translate unadulterated literary texts with the aid of a dictionary.
They will be familiar with grammatical and idiomatic structures found in narratives and be
able to read works of Literature for pleasure. They will also have had an insight into the
biography of the author and historical background of the text studied.
PTO

Course Texts
MT and first half of HT
Heinrich Böll: Erzählungen ('Easy Reader' Level D, ISBN 9780850486377)
Plus photocopied hand-outs from newspaper articles, biographies and history books provided
by the tutor and weekly vocabulary lists.
Second half of HT and TT
Max Frisch: Biedermann und die Brandstifter, Suhrkamp Verlag
Plus photocopied hand-outs from newspaper articles, biographies and articles by M Frisch
provided by the tutor and weekly vocabulary lists.
Teaching hours
1.25 hours once a week, in addition, students are required to allow 2 hours for revision and
preparation.