Study Guide

Objectives (course unit)

Student
• understands and produces basic instructions and simple questions in Finnish
• provides basic information about oneself and one's daily life
• masters the most basic language skills (eg pronunciation, numbers, greeting, key tenses)
• understands and produces simple descriptions of activities

Content (course unit)

• pronunciation
• letters
• personal pronouns
• greetings
• key question words
• numbers
• key time words
• the most important verbs (and the most important imperfect forms)
• key words of study

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

• The student completes at least some of the required coursework. However, the student may neglect to review the instructions and / or prepare for the coursework.
• The student demonstrates at least minor activity on the course. However, it is difficult for a student to complete coursework independently and smoothly.
• The student is able to demonstrate that he / she masters at least the most important and most recurring course topics and areas of competence. However, students have great difficulty in progressing their studies smoothly and quickly enough.

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

• The student does at least most of the coursework in a smooth and orthodox way.
• The student participates in course work actively and concentrately.
• The student is able to demonstrate adequate and substantial progress in his / her studies. The student masters the main basics of language use in a commendable way.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5) (course unit)

• The student does the course work in a smooth and orthodox way.
• The student participates in course work actively and concentrately. Student is interested in his / her studies and is happy to learn more about the topics he / she is studying.
• The student is able to demonstrate adequate and substantial progress in his / her studies. The student's progress in studies exceeds expectations.

Assessment criteria, pass/fail (course unit)

Failed
• The student does not do the required coursework.
• The student repeatedly shows indifference and disinterest in course work.
• The student is not able to show sufficient progress in their studies.

Location and time

Main campus

Exam schedules

Monday 28 November oral test
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(s).

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

Student workload

Group meetings: 2 x 2 hours per week
Home work: 6 hours per week (may vary individually)

Content scheduling

Introduction to Finnish language
Basics of grammar and pronunciation
Self-introductions
Basics of verb use

Completion alternatives

Not available.

Practical training and working life cooperation

Not available.

International connections

Not available.

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

0-29 % success in all areas of evaluation criteria.

This level of success is demonstrated, for example, by these actions:
- The student is absent from most of the course meetings.
- When the student attends a course meeting, they have problems with several areas of meeting participation (e.g., undisturbed listening, pair work, ability to answer teacher's questions).
- The student takes part in the home work assignments only infrequently and rather unsuccessfully.
- The student might skip the exam, or receives very poor exam results.

If the student fails to showcase progression in their Finnish studies, and participation in the course work, they will not pass the course.

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

30-59 % success in all areas of evaluation criteria.

This level of success is demonstrated, for example, by these actions:
- The student attends at least half of the course meetings.
- The student has problems with one or several areas of meeting participation (e.g., undisturbed listening, pair work, ability to answer teacher's questions).
- The student submit at least half of the home work on time, and showcases at least basic understanding of what they were supposed to do in the assignments.
- Takes part in the exam, and completes at least 1/3 of the exam successfully.

The student will receive the grade 2 in the course when they handle around half of the course work, and shows at least moderately active participation in the course. However, the student might still struggle with the understanding and use of basic Finns.

The student will receive the grade 1 in the course when they can handle around 1/3 of the course work , and show at least some type of participation in the course. However, despite the effort, the student has huge difficulties with the understanding and use of basic Finns.

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

60-89 % success in all areas of evaluation criteria.

This level of success is demonstrated, for example, by these actions:
- The student attends all (or at least almost all) the course meetings.
- The student shows active participation and understanding of topics in the course meetings.
- The student does most of the home work assignments diligently, and submits all (or at least almost all) of them on time.
- The student has at least moderate success in the exam.

To complete the course with the grade 4, the students needs to show solid understanding and use of basic Finnish, active participation in the course, and ability to take care of their own studying.

To complete course with the grade 3, the student needs to show at least elementary understanding and use of basic Finnish, and ability to study in both course and group meetings. However, the student might still have problems with showcasing constant and permanent progression in their Finnish studies.

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

90-100 % success in all areas of evaluation criteria.

This level of success is demonstrated, for example, by these actions:
- The student attends all the course meetings.
- The student shows active participation and understanding of topics in the course meetings.
- The student does all the home work assignments diligently, and submits them on time.
- The student has excellent results in the final exam.

To complete the course with the grade 5, the students needs to show extensive and solid understanding and use of basic Finnish, active participation in the course, and ability to take care of their own studying.