Finnish for Foreigners (5 cr)

Objectives (course unit)

After successful completion of the course students will be able to pronounce Finnish quite correctly, understand and use short and simply-structured Finnish expressions that concern some of the most common matters and situations related to everyday life (introducing oneself and one’s family, telling the time, buying and paying, timetables, asking and answering, possessing, place and location, food and menu, location and moving, working, asking and telling a way, commanding and requesting…). They will also be able to describe some of the most important things about themselves, their families and the immediate surroundings, and to understand descriptions of such topics.

Content (course unit)

- basics of the Finnish language

- structural exercises

- pronunciation exercises

- conversational and drama exercises

- listening comprehension exercises

- reading comprehension exercises
- written exercises.

Location and time

On Fridays 12.15 - 14.45 in the class room 40011. The first meeting the 8th of September.

Exam schedules

The final written exam (grade 0 - 5) on the 1st of December. Retake on the 8th of December. Oral exams (passed/failed) earlier: will be announced later on.

Evaluation methods and criteria

Continuous assessment based on classwork (activity, presence, completed exercises) and the final examination. One personal blog text of Finnish culture. To pass the course minimum attendance 80 % is required.

Assessment scale

0-5

Teaching methods

contact teaching, study conversation, cooperative learning, exercises, portfolio, video made by a student, drama exercises, exam, e-learning

Learning materials

Textbook with audio: SUN SUOMI - Finnish for beginners (by Kristiina Kuparinen, Terhi Tapaninen & Karoliina Kuisma). Materials made by the teacher and e-materials - both of them linked on course-Tabula.

Student workload

Contact lessons 42 hrs: 3 hrs every Friday in autumn semester. Net based / independent learning 2 credits. Much independent work is needed to learn the basics properly! To build up one's motivation is very important: to find useful, fun and creative ways to learn, use and understand Finnish.

Content scheduling

The contents according to the course-Tabula structure and the textbook.

Completion alternatives

No.

Practical training and working life cooperation

No.

International connections

The whole group is international!
Finnish students available as assistant teachers!

Further information

The first contact lesson 8.9. at 12.15 in the class room 40011: welcome!

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

Absences more than 20 % and/or uncompleted assignments.

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

A student has completed all the assignments acceptably and attended at least 80 % of the contact lessons. She/he can exchange greetings/farewells, introduce oneself, name a few objects and copy some words that she/he has learned.

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

A student has an active attitude towards studying Finnish language and culture showing that by completing written tasks according to the schedule. She/he is able to cope in most common everyday situations: shopping, travelling, and visiting people. A 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. Student’s mother tongue has an effect in pronunciation and/or sentence structure.

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

A student has a positive and active attitude towards learning language and she/he is genuinely interested in Finnish culture, and brings it up by comparing Finnish to her/his own culture. She/he can pronounce Finnish distinctively and is able to use suitable and varied expressions in everyday situations using grammar mostly correct way. A student can participate in a conversation asking and responding to questions about topics studied in the course. She/he can write simple descriptions or stories and recombine words and phrases into new sentenses.