Study Guide

Objectives (course unit)

The course provides the basics of the Finnish language (estimated level A2.1) building up the knowledge and use of Finnish language in simple everyday situations.

After completing the course, the students will be able to:
• pronounce Finnish quite well
• understand phrases and the highest frequency vocabulary related to areas of most immediate personal relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local area)
• catch the main point in short, clear, simple messages and announcements
• read very short, simple texts
• find specific, predictable information in simple everyday material such as
advertisements, prospectuses, menus and timetables and understand short simple
personal letters
• participate in a conversation asking and responding to questions about topics studied in
the course
• use their Finnish out of a classroom
• use a series of phrases and sentences to describe in simple terms their family and other
people, living conditions, educational background and their present or most recent job
• write short, simple texts related to everyday topics.
 

Content (course unit)

• study book Suomen mestari 1, chapters 5 - 7 and 9, moreover free time, health, past
tenses, passive voice

o structural exercises
o pronunciation exercises
o vocabulary 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 tell about few of the achieved course contents, but their expression stays limited: both spoken and written language is partly hard to understand. It is difficult for them to take part to a simple discussion. Also their incomplete pronunciation may cause difficulties to understand their 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 course tasks according to the schedule. They are able to cope in everyday conversations related to topics studied in the course. Students can write short texts about their home, travelling or work. They can pronounce Finnish clearly enough. Students are able to use typical grammatic structures e.g. local cases and past tenses in simple sentences.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5) (course unit)

Students have been able to complete all the assignments acceptably and attended contact lessons at least 80 %. Students have a positive and active attitude towards learning language. They can pronounce Finnish distinctively. They manage quite well in everyday conversations related to topics studied in the course. They can write simple texts quite correctly and recombine words and phrases into new sentences so that used typical grammatic structures are almost correct. They understand the importance of good Finnish language skills to get a job in Finland.

Location and time

See the Finnish info.

Exam schedules

The mid exam: 20.2. at 11-1 PM
The speaking exam: 14.3. at 11-1 PM and 21.3. at 11-1 PM
The final exam: one of the final weeks of April (information will be updated later)

Assessment methods and criteria

The course performance is evaluated based on the following course work:
- written mid exam (weight 25 %)
- speaking exam (weight 15 %)
- written final exam (weight 60 %)

In the written exam, you will have exercises related to, for example, vocabulary, grammar, and listening comprehension. In the spoken exam, your performance will be evaluated based on the following categories: pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, fluency, and speech comprehension.

Assessment scale

0-5

Teaching methods

During the course, you will have
- course meetings
- homework
- two written exams
- one spoken exam

To pass the course, you need to have active engagement both in the classes and the home work. The classes will support your learning but to avoid the risk of failing, you should use the language outside the classes as well.

Learning materials

See the Finnish info.

Student workload

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

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).