Finnish 2 (A1.3-A2.1) (5 cr)

Objective

On completion of the course, the student will understand simple and clearly spoken Finnish in very familiar everyday situations. The student will be able to tell briefly about their background, home and daily routines and understand very short texts about familiar topics. The student’s communication skills will correspond to the skill level A1 as defined by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Content

• Oral and written communication in everyday contexts: home and leisure time, spending time with friends, travelling, work and profession
• Grammatical structures, for example locative cases, the most common noun types, using the object, expressing opinion and recognising past tense
• Basic features of spoken Finnish and the Finnish way of life

Materials

Gehring, Sonja & Heinzmann, Sanni: Suomen mestari 1, Finn Lectura. The renewed edition (2020 or newer), chapters 6 – 9. Available also as an electronic copy.

Teaching methods

This course will include a variety of methodologies, such as lectures, discussions, individual and group work, flipped learning and Wordwall-exercises.

Exam schedules

Vocabulary tests every 3 weeks. Oral and written exam are held in end of the course. The exact dates to be announced on the first lesson.

Resit will be in the beginning of the next semester, if not announced otherwise.

Student workload

- 5 credit course = 135 hours of work
- 45 hours work during the contact / online classes
- 90 hours independent work

Evaluation scale

0-5

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

The student has achieved the course objectives to a satisfactory level and is able to
• reply to questions on a familiar topic in a simple conversation
• compose simple texts concerning the everyday life
• understand the main points of texts concerning familiar topics
• recognise basic features of colloquial Finnish and the Finnish way of life.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

The student has achieved the course objectives well, yet the knowledge and skills need improvement in some areas. The student is able to
• communicate understandably in a simple conversation concerning familiar topics and might even further the conversation for example by asking questions
• understand the main points of short texts concerning the everyday life and can conclude some details from the context
• compose simple and understandable texts on familiar topics
• apply basic grammatical structures when instructed
• understand basic features of colloquial Finnish and of the Finnish way of life.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

The student has achieved the objectives of the course with excellent marks and is able to
• participate both as a listener and as a speaker in simple conversations when the topics concern familiar everyday situations
• understand short texts concerning the everyday life and can conclude also details from the context
• compose understandable texts on familiar topics
• apply the learnt grammatical structures to new words and expressions
• pay attention to pronunciation
• understand and show interest in basic features of colloquial Finnish and the Finnish way of life.

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

The student has achieved the course objectives to a satisfactory level and is able to
• reply to questions on a familiar topic in a simple conversation
• compose simple texts concerning the everyday life
• understand the main points of texts concerning familiar topics
• recognise basic features of colloquial Finnish and the Finnish way of life.

Assessment methods and criteria

- Active participation in lectures.
- Attendance 80 % of the lectures
- Passing grade for the vocabulary tests, the oral exam and the final exam.

Qualifications

Previous knowledge of Finnish at least on the A1.2 level, e.g. the course Finnish 1 (A1.2) or the chapters 1-5 of the text book Suomen mestari 1.

Further information

Starting level: A1.2/A1.3
Target level: A1.3/A2.1