Study Guide

Objectives (course unit)

The course provides the basics of the Finnish language (estimated level A1.2)

After completing the course, the students will be able to:
• pronounce Finnish quite correctly
• understand and use short and simply structured expressions that concern basic
situations related to everyday life (introducing oneself and one’s family, simple shopping and food)
• learn to build up their vocabulary
• learn to use the basic structure of Finnish
• know, use and understand simple spoken and written expressions connected to
everyday life.

Content (course unit)

• study book Suomen mestari 1, chapters 1–4, 8:
o pronunciation exercises
o vocabulary exercises
o structural exercises
o conversational and drama exercises
o listening comprehension exercises
o reading comprehension exercises
o written exercises.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1-2) (course unit)

Students have been able to complete all the assignments acceptably and attended contact lessons at least 80 %. They can exchange greetings/farewells, introduce oneself and name a few objects. It is hard for them to attend a simple conversation or create a short text. Their pronunciation causes difficulties to understand meanings of produced speech.

Assessment criteria, good (3-4) (course unit)

Students have been able to complete all the assignments acceptably and attended contact lessons at least 80 %. Students have an active attitude towards studying Finnish language showing that by completing tasks according to the schedule. They are able to cope in the most common simple everyday situations. Students can use typical grammatical structures e.g. basic verb conjugation, possessive structure and partitive in simple sentences. They can write brief texts and pronounce Finnish quite clearly.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5) (course unit)

Students have been able to complete all the assignments acceptably and attended contact lessons at least 80 %. They have a positive and active attitude towards learning language. They can pronounce Finnish distinctively and are able to use suitable and varied expressions in everyday situations using grammar almost correctly. Students can participate in a conversation asking and responding to questions about topics studied in the course. They can write simple texts and recombine words and phrases into new sentences.

Location and time

Zoom (till the end of September). From October onwards contact classes.

Exam schedules

Mid-term exam Wednesday, October 11th 2023
Final exam Friday, December 8th 2023

Assessment methods and criteria

Continuous assessment based on classwork (activity, presence, completed exercises). To pass the course, active attendance is required.

Course grade consists of four parts:
A Mid course written exam (listening comprehension + reading comprehension + writing + structure tasks)
B Oral exam in small groups
C Final exam (listening comprehension + reading comprehension + writing + structure tasks)
D Class activity
Strong class activity can raise course grade and is expected for grade 5.

Assessment scale

0-5

Teaching methods

Thia course is aimed specially for those students who haven´t been able to arrive in Finland at the beginning of their studies. Thus we will start the course online. We´re practising communication, so cameras on if you star on Zoom! Course platform used is Moodle. Later (at the beginning of October) when everyone/most of the students are in Tampere we will move to contact tuition at the campus.
The course consists of various excercises and concentrates on everyday communication. Methods:
o pronunciation exercises
o vocabulary exercises
o structural exercises
o conversational and drama exercises
o listening comprehension exercises
o reading comprehension exercises
o written exercises.the end of the course, we will have an exam in oral and written skills.

Learning materials

Coursebook Suomen mestari 1 uudistettu (=renewed edition), chapters 1-4 +8 and teacher's materials.

Student workload

Group meetings twice a week (2x90 minutes/week), attendance required. A regular and active attendance in lessons is important and also compulsory to pass the course. In addition, much private learning is needed. 5 ECTs course means 5 x 27 hours of work! To build up one's motivation is very important: to find useful, fun and creative ways to learn, use and understand Finnish. So have Finnish as a hobby also in your free time!
Homework: 6-8 hours per week (may vary individually) and active attitude towards Finnish-speaking society.

Content scheduling

Basic information of Finnish language, pronunciation, vocabulary and phrases, greetings, numbers, time expressions, positive and negative verb conjugation, verb types, question sentences, introducing yourself, telling about your everyday life, simple everyday conversations, shopping

Completion alternatives

Not available

Practical training and working life cooperation

Not available.

Assessment criteria - fail (0) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

Uncompleted assignments, great difficulties to understand and produce the simplest basic phrases and expressions. Absences from lessons.

Assessment criteria - satisfactory (1-2) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

Students have been able to complete all the assignments acceptably. They can exchange greetings/farewells, introduce oneself, name a few objects and copy some words that she/he has learned. It is hard for them to attend a simple conversation or create a short text. Their pronunciation causes difficulties to understand meanings of produced speech.

Assessment criteria - good (3-4) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

The student has an active attitude towards studying Finnish language showing that by completing course tasks according to the schedule. They attend the classes regularly. They are able to cope in most common everyday situations: shopping and meeting people. The student able to write brief texts (e.g. e-mail, text message, and post card) and can pronounce Finnish clearly enough. Students' mother tongue may have an effect in pronunciation and/or sentence structure, but it doesn’t cause big problems to understand the meaning of messages.

Assessment criteria - excellent (5) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

The student has a positive and active attitude towards learning Finnish and is genuinely interested in Finnish culture, and brings it up by comparing Finnish culture to his/her own. They have attended the course regularly (80% of the classes). They can pronounce Finnish distinctively and is able to use suitable and varied expressions in everyday situations using grammar almost correctly. The student is able to write brief texts in Finnish, which are mostly correct.

Objectives (course unit)

The course provides the basics of the Finnish language (estimated level A1.2)

After completing the course, the students will be able to:
• pronounce Finnish quite correctly
• understand and use short and simply structured expressions that concern basic
situations related to everyday life (introducing oneself and one’s family, simple shopping and food)
• learn to build up their vocabulary
• learn to use the basic structure of Finnish
• know, use and understand simple spoken and written expressions connected to
everyday life.

Content (course unit)

• study book Suomen mestari 1, chapters 1–4, 8:
o pronunciation exercises
o vocabulary exercises
o structural exercises
o conversational and drama exercises
o listening comprehension exercises
o reading comprehension exercises
o written exercises.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1-2) (course unit)

Students have been able to complete all the assignments acceptably and attended contact lessons at least 80 %. They can exchange greetings/farewells, introduce oneself and name a few objects. It is hard for them to attend a simple conversation or create a short text. Their pronunciation causes difficulties to understand meanings of produced speech.

Assessment criteria, good (3-4) (course unit)

Students have been able to complete all the assignments acceptably and attended contact lessons at least 80 %. Students have an active attitude towards studying Finnish language showing that by completing tasks according to the schedule. They are able to cope in the most common simple everyday situations. Students can use typical grammatical structures e.g. basic verb conjugation, possessive structure and partitive in simple sentences. They can write brief texts and pronounce Finnish quite clearly.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5) (course unit)

Students have been able to complete all the assignments acceptably and attended contact lessons at least 80 %. They have a positive and active attitude towards learning language. They can pronounce Finnish distinctively and are able to use suitable and varied expressions in everyday situations using grammar almost correctly. Students can participate in a conversation asking and responding to questions about topics studied in the course. They can write simple texts and recombine words and phrases into new sentences.

Location and time

The course meetings will take place in TAMK on Wednesdays and Friday at 9.30-11.00 AM. The meeting places will be added in the calendar in the beginning of the autumn.

Exam schedules

The final exam will take place on the 13th of December.

The renewal exams will be held in the winter 2024.

Assessment methods and criteria

- The final exam (weight 75 %)
* listening and grammar exercises
* evaluation basis: exam points
- The course assignments and general course work (25 %)
* evaluation basis: active participation in the course meetings and success in the course assignments

Additionally, you are required to attend 80 % of the course meeting time to pass the course.

Assessment scale

0-5

Teaching methods

- Classroom meetings.
- Independent work.
- Course assignments.
- Final exam.

Learning materials

- the study book (Suomen mestari 1, chapters 1-4)
- material from the teacher

Student workload

- 2 x 1,5 h of classroom work in a week
- 1,5-3 h of independent work in a week

Content scheduling

We will discuss this in the beginning of the course.

Completion alternatives

Not available.

Practical training and working life cooperation

Not available.

International connections

Not available.

Further information

If you are not certain if this is the right course for you, please, contact the Finnish language counsellor Ella Hakala (ella.hakala@tuni.fi).

Assessment criteria - fail (0) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

Student can fail the course for one or both of the following reasons:
- Student receives less than 38 % of the maximum points in the final exam, and can not compensate for the exam result with the overall course work.
- Student misses more than 20 % of the classroom time (either by being absent or unavailable in the classroom meetings).

Assessment criteria - satisfactory (1-2) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

Grade 1 in the final exam:
- 38-49 % of the maximum points

Grade 2 in the final exam:
- 50-61 % of the maximum points

Grade 1 criteria for overall work:
Student
- has at least a rudimentary participation in the course work
- shows recurring inability to take part in the general classroom discussions
- keeps submitting assignments after deadline
- has missing assignments and/or a low performance in the course assignments
- meets the attendance requirement

Grade 2 criteria for overall work:
Student
- has at least a rudimentary participation in the course work
- shows occasional inability to take part in the general classroom discussions
- submits the course assignments on time
- has a low performance in the course assignments
- meets the attendance requirement

Your final grade will depend on your exam results and overall course work. For example, if your final exam grade is somewhere between 1 and 2, your overall work in the course can determine whether your final grade is 1 or 2.

Assessment criteria - good (3-4) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

Grade 3 in the final exam:
- 62-76 % of the maximum points

Grade 4 in the final exam:
- 77-88 % of the maximum points

Grade 3 criteria for overall work:
Student
- has mostly an active and focused participation in the course work
- is able to take part in the general classroom discussions when needed but might struggle with individual topics
- submits the course assignments on time
- has a solid performance in the course assignments
- meets the attendance requirements

Grade 4 criteria for overall work:
Student
- has an active and focused participation in the course work
- is able to take part in the general classroom discussions when needed
- submits the course assignments on time
- has a great performance in the course assignments
- meets the attendance requirements

Your final grade will depend on your exam results and overall course work. For example, if your final exam grade is somewhere between 3 and 4, your overall work in the course can determine whether your final grade is 3 or 4.

Assessment criteria - excellent (5) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

The grade 5 in the final exam:
- 89-100 % success in the final exams

Grade 5 criteria for the overall work:
Student
- has active and focused participation in the course work
- is able to take part in the general classroom discussions when needed
- submits the course assignments on time
- has a great or excellent performance in the course assignments
- meets the attendance requirements

Your final grade will depend on your exam results and overall course work. For example, if your final exam grade is somewhere between 4 and 5, your overall work in the course can determine whether your final grade is 4 or 5.

Objectives (course unit)

The course provides the basics of the Finnish language (estimated level A1.2)

After completing the course, the students will be able to:
• pronounce Finnish quite correctly
• understand and use short and simply structured expressions that concern basic
situations related to everyday life (introducing oneself and one’s family, simple shopping and food)
• learn to build up their vocabulary
• learn to use the basic structure of Finnish
• know, use and understand simple spoken and written expressions connected to
everyday life.

Content (course unit)

• study book Suomen mestari 1, chapters 1–4, 8:
o pronunciation exercises
o vocabulary exercises
o structural exercises
o conversational and drama exercises
o listening comprehension exercises
o reading comprehension exercises
o written exercises.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1-2) (course unit)

Students have been able to complete all the assignments acceptably and attended contact lessons at least 80 %. They can exchange greetings/farewells, introduce oneself and name a few objects. It is hard for them to attend a simple conversation or create a short text. Their pronunciation causes difficulties to understand meanings of produced speech.

Assessment criteria, good (3-4) (course unit)

Students have been able to complete all the assignments acceptably and attended contact lessons at least 80 %. Students have an active attitude towards studying Finnish language showing that by completing tasks according to the schedule. They are able to cope in the most common simple everyday situations. Students can use typical grammatical structures e.g. basic verb conjugation, possessive structure and partitive in simple sentences. They can write brief texts and pronounce Finnish quite clearly.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5) (course unit)

Students have been able to complete all the assignments acceptably and attended contact lessons at least 80 %. They have a positive and active attitude towards learning language. They can pronounce Finnish distinctively and are able to use suitable and varied expressions in everyday situations using grammar almost correctly. Students can participate in a conversation asking and responding to questions about topics studied in the course. They can write simple texts and recombine words and phrases into new sentences.

Location and time

The course meetings will take place in TAMK on Mondays 12.15-1.45 PM and Thursdays at 9.30-11.00 AM. The meeting places will be added in the calendar in the beginning of the autumn.

Exam schedules

The final exam will take place on the 11th of December.

The renewal exams will be held in the winter 2024.

Assessment methods and criteria

- The final exam (weight 75 %)
* listening and grammar exercises
* evaluation basis: exam points
- The course assignments and general course work (25 %)
* evaluation basis: active participation in the course meetings and success in the course assignments

Additionally, you are required to attend 80 % of the course meeting time to pass the course.

Assessment scale

0-5

Teaching methods

- Classroom meetings.
- Independent work.
- Course assignments.
- Final exam.

Learning materials

- the study book (Suomen mestari 1, chapters 1-4)
- material from the teacher

Student workload

- 2 x 1,5 h of classroom work in a week
- 1,5-3 h of independent work in a week

Content scheduling

We will discuss this in the beginning of the course.

Completion alternatives

Not available.

Practical training and working life cooperation

Not available.

International connections

Not available.

Further information

If you are not certain if this is the right course for you, please, contact the Finnish language counsellor Ella Hakala (ella.hakala@tuni.fi).

Assessment criteria - fail (0) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

Student can fail the course for one or both of the following reasons:
- Student receives less than 38 % of the maximum points in the final exam, and can not compensate for the exam result with the overall course work.
- Student misses more than 20 % of the classroom time (either by being absent or unavailable in the classroom meetings).

Assessment criteria - satisfactory (1-2) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

Grade 1 in the final exam:
- 38-49 % of the maximum points

Grade 2 in the final exam:
- 50-61 % of the maximum points

Grade 1 criteria for overall work:
Student
- has at least a rudimentary participation in the course work
- shows recurring inability to take part in the general classroom discussions
- keeps submitting assignments after deadline
- has missing assignments and/or a low performance in the course assignments
- meets the attendance requirement

Grade 2 criteria for overall work:
Student
- has at least a rudimentary participation in the course work
- shows occasional inability to take part in the general classroom discussions
- submits the course assignments on time
- has a low performance in the course assignments
- meets the attendance requirement

Your final grade will depend on your exam results and overall course work. For example, if your final exam grade is somewhere between 1 and 2, your overall work in the course can determine whether your final grade is 1 or 2.

Assessment criteria - good (3-4) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

Grade 3 in the final exam:
- 62-76 % of the maximum points

Grade 4 in the final exam:
- 77-88 % of the maximum points

Grade 3 criteria for overall work:
Student
- has mostly an active and focused participation in the course work
- is able to take part in the general classroom discussions when needed but might struggle with individual topics
- submits the course assignments on time
- has a solid performance in the course assignments
- meets the attendance requirements

Grade 4 criteria for overall work:
Student
- has an active and focused participation in the course work
- is able to take part in the general classroom discussions when needed
- submits the course assignments on time
- has a great performance in the course assignments
- meets the attendance requirements

Your final grade will depend on your exam results and overall course work. For example, if your final exam grade is somewhere between 3 and 4, your overall work in the course can determine whether your final grade is 3 or 4.

Assessment criteria - excellent (5) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

The grade 5 in the final exam:
- 89-100 % success in the final exams

Grade 5 criteria for the overall work:
Student
- has active and focused participation in the course work
- is able to take part in the general classroom discussions when needed
- submits the course assignments on time
- has a great or excellent performance in the course assignments
- meets the attendance requirements

Your final grade will depend on your exam results and overall course work. For example, if your final exam grade is somewhere between 4 and 5, your overall work in the course can determine whether your final grade is 4 or 5.

Objectives (course unit)

The course provides the basics of the Finnish language (estimated level A1.2)

After completing the course, the students will be able to:
• pronounce Finnish quite correctly
• understand and use short and simply structured expressions that concern basic
situations related to everyday life (introducing oneself and one’s family, simple shopping and food)
• learn to build up their vocabulary
• learn to use the basic structure of Finnish
• know, use and understand simple spoken and written expressions connected to
everyday life.

Content (course unit)

• study book Suomen mestari 1, chapters 1–4, 8:
o pronunciation exercises
o vocabulary exercises
o structural exercises
o conversational and drama exercises
o listening comprehension exercises
o reading comprehension exercises
o written exercises.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1-2) (course unit)

Students have been able to complete all the assignments acceptably and attended contact lessons at least 80 %. They can exchange greetings/farewells, introduce oneself and name a few objects. It is hard for them to attend a simple conversation or create a short text. Their pronunciation causes difficulties to understand meanings of produced speech.

Assessment criteria, good (3-4) (course unit)

Students have been able to complete all the assignments acceptably and attended contact lessons at least 80 %. Students have an active attitude towards studying Finnish language showing that by completing tasks according to the schedule. They are able to cope in the most common simple everyday situations. Students can use typical grammatical structures e.g. basic verb conjugation, possessive structure and partitive in simple sentences. They can write brief texts and pronounce Finnish quite clearly.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5) (course unit)

Students have been able to complete all the assignments acceptably and attended contact lessons at least 80 %. They have a positive and active attitude towards learning language. They can pronounce Finnish distinctively and are able to use suitable and varied expressions in everyday situations using grammar almost correctly. Students can participate in a conversation asking and responding to questions about topics studied in the course. They can write simple texts and recombine words and phrases into new sentences.

Location and time

TAMK main campus

Exam schedules

Monday 5 December written test

Assessment methods and criteria

Final tests (60 % weight on the evaluation)
Home work (25 % weight on the evaluation)
Meeting participation (15 % weight on the evaluation)

Notice that the evaluation criteria below are general descriptions of different student profiles, and will be elaborated in the orientation meeting.

Assessment scale

0-5

Teaching methods

We will have course meetings in a classroom. In addition to that, you will get home work that you need to submit. In the end of the course, we will have an exam in oral and written skills.

We practice speaking, listening, writing and reading. Furthermore, you will get acquainted with the basics of Finnish pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.

Learning materials

Coursebook Suomen mestari 1 and teacher's material

Student workload

ECTs course means 5 x 27 hours of work.
Group meetings twice a week.
Home work: 6-8 hours per week (may vary individually) and active attitude towards Finnish-speaking society.

Content scheduling

Basic information of Finnish language, pronunciation, greetings, numbers, time expressions, positive and negative verb conjugation, verb types, question sentences, nationalities, simple declensions, everyday vocabulary e.g.
• How is Finnish pronounced?
• Why do I need to pay attention to how words are written?
• How to make simple statements, ask questions and answer them?
• How to write short messages in Finnish?
• What to say in situations like shopping, travelling in Finland?
• How to be polite, and build up small talk in Finnish?

Completion alternatives

Not available

Practical training and working life cooperation

Not available.

Assessment criteria - fail (0) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

Uncompleted assignments, big difficulties to understand and produce the simplest basic phrases and expressions.

Assessment criteria - satisfactory (1-2) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

The student has completed all the assignments acceptably and attended contact lessons at least 80 %. The student is able to tell a few things about oneself in Finnish comprehensively. The student recognises typical grammatic structures like possessive structure, verb types and partitive.

Assessment criteria - good (3-4) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

The student has an active attitude towards studying Finnish language and culture showing that by completing written tasks according to the schedule. The student is able to use the typical grammatic structures like possessive structure, verb types and partitive in simple sentences. He/she is able to cope in most common everyday situations like introducing and shopping and tell simple things about his/her day, family, spare time etc. The student is able to write brief messages (e.g. e-mail, text message, and post card) in Finnish and is able to pronounce Finnish clearly enough.

Assessment criteria - excellent (5) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

The student has a positive and active attitude towards learning Finnish and is genuinely interested in Finnish culture, and brings it up by comparing Finnish culture to his/her own. He/she can pronounce Finnish distinctively and is able to use suitable and varied expressions in everyday situations using grammar almost correctly. The student is able to write brief texts in Finnish, which are mostly correct.

Objectives (course unit)

The course provides the basics of the Finnish language (estimated level A1.2)

After completing the course, the students will be able to:
• pronounce Finnish quite correctly
• understand and use short and simply structured expressions that concern basic
situations related to everyday life (introducing oneself and one’s family, simple shopping and food)
• learn to build up their vocabulary
• learn to use the basic structure of Finnish
• know, use and understand simple spoken and written expressions connected to
everyday life.

Content (course unit)

• study book Suomen mestari 1, chapters 1–4, 8:
o pronunciation exercises
o vocabulary exercises
o structural exercises
o conversational and drama exercises
o listening comprehension exercises
o reading comprehension exercises
o written exercises.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1-2) (course unit)

Students have been able to complete all the assignments acceptably and attended contact lessons at least 80 %. They can exchange greetings/farewells, introduce oneself and name a few objects. It is hard for them to attend a simple conversation or create a short text. Their pronunciation causes difficulties to understand meanings of produced speech.

Assessment criteria, good (3-4) (course unit)

Students have been able to complete all the assignments acceptably and attended contact lessons at least 80 %. Students have an active attitude towards studying Finnish language showing that by completing tasks according to the schedule. They are able to cope in the most common simple everyday situations. Students can use typical grammatical structures e.g. basic verb conjugation, possessive structure and partitive in simple sentences. They can write brief texts and pronounce Finnish quite clearly.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5) (course unit)

Students have been able to complete all the assignments acceptably and attended contact lessons at least 80 %. They have a positive and active attitude towards learning language. They can pronounce Finnish distinctively and are able to use suitable and varied expressions in everyday situations using grammar almost correctly. Students can participate in a conversation asking and responding to questions about topics studied in the course. They can write simple texts and recombine words and phrases into new sentences.

Assessment scale

0-5