Study Guide

Objectives (course unit)

The student
- will understand teacher’s instructions and simple basic questions
- will understand main points of short, simple texts
- can briefly introduce him/herself, family, living situation and everyday life in spoken and written form
- can cope with simple interaction situations in the classroom and in simple service transaction situations

Content (course unit)

- the basic course vocabulary, including most important time expressions and basic phrases such as greeting, introducing oneself, polite requests and prohibitions.
- alphabets, speech sounds and the associated vocal harmony, word weight and intonation.
- key structures of the language

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

The student has completed all course assignments acceptably. The student knows how to greet another person and ask how they are, introduce him/herself, name a few things and copy the words he/she has learnt. However, the student will find it difficult to engage in even a simple conversation or to be able to form a text which is a few sentences long. The pronunciation of the words will make it difficult to understand the student.

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

The student will study Finnish language actively and will complete course assignments within given timeframes. The student will manage quite well ordinary, everyday discussions when shopping, travelling or visiting someone. The student can write short messages, like emails, text messages or a post card, and he/she pronounces Finnish understandably, even if the influence of student’s mother tongue can be heard or seen in the text structure.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5) (course unit)

The student has a positive and active attitude towards language learning. The student pronounces Finnish clearly and knows how to use appropriate expressions in everyday interaction and is able to form grammatically correct sentences. The student can take part in discussions, by explaining, asking and answering questions and he/she can manage topics studied during the course. The student can write simple descriptions or stories and can use words and expressions learnt during the course in new contexts.

Exam schedules

We will talk about this later on the course.

Assessment methods and criteria

- Final exam (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 Zoom or in a classroom. In addition to that, you will get home work that you need to submit with your group. In the end of the course, we will have an exam.

We practise both speaking, listening, writing, and reading. Furthermore, you will get acquianted with the basic Finnish pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.

Learning materials

We will talk about this later on the course.

Student workload

- Group meetings: 2-3 hours a week.
- Home work: 3-4 hours a week.

Content scheduling

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

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.