Study Guide

Objectives (course unit)

Learning outcomes of the 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)

Course contents
• 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)

Satisfactory
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)

Good
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)

Excellent
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

Objectives (course unit)

Learning outcomes of the 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)

Course contents
• 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)

Satisfactory
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)

Good
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)

Excellent
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

During the first and second period on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8.15 - 9.45 in the class room B6-31b: two double lessons per week. The first lesson 30. August.

Exam schedules

Dates of the exams will be discussed in the beginning of the course and they will be marked on Moodle.

Assessment methods and criteria

Continuous assessment based on classwork (activity, presence, completed exercises). To pass the course minimum attendance 80 % is required.

Course grade consists of three parts:
A Mid course written test (listening comprehension + reading comprehension + writing + structure tasks) = 33 % of the course grade
B Oral test in small groups = 33 % of the course grade
C Final test (listening comprehension + reading comprehension + writing + structure tasks) = 33 % of the course grade
Strong class activity can raise course grade at least in borderline cases.

Assessment scale

0-5

Teaching methods

Different methods: contact teaching, study conversation, cooperative learning, oral and written exercises and games. Also online material is utilized. All materials have been collected and structured in Moodle. The idea is to make learning basics of Finnish not only important but also interesting and fun.

Learning materials

Textbook Suomen mestari 1 - Suomen kielen oppikirja aikuisille (by Sonja Gehring & Sanni Heinzmann). You may find the book in the TAMK library, but it is recommended to buy the book, because it will be used also in the spring term in the course Finnish for Foreigners 2. Also materials made by the teacher and e-materials are used - both of them linked in Moodle.

Student workload

Finnish language is so different from the most students' mother tongues which means rather much work to get in communication in Finnish. This time the studying demands time and collaboration. A regular and active attendance in lessons is important and also compulsory to pass the course. But as said, in addition to it much private learning is needed. 5 ECT course means 5 x 27 hours' (135 hours') 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!

Content scheduling

The contents according to course Moodle structure and the textbook.

Completion alternatives

In case you have completed a similar course in another university, please fill in the application form in Pakki and add the necessary documents (transcript of records).

If you have informally accomplished the goals and want to discuss how to show your skill please contact the teacher via email and explain why you think you should be exempted from the course and how you would you like to develop your Finnish skills. It is important to find a higher level course for you.

Practical training and working life cooperation

No.

International connections

The whole group is international!

Further information

The first lesson on Tuesday 30 August at 8.15 in the class room B6-31b.

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. More than 20 % absences from online 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)

Students have an active attitude towards studying Finnish language showing that by completing course tasks according to the schedule. They are able to cope in most common everyday situations: shopping and meeting people. Students are able to write brief texts (e.g. e-mail, text message, and post card) and are able to 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)

Students 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 mostly correct way. 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.