Study Guide

Objectives (course unit)

In this course you will study basics of Finnish language. Estimated level is A1.3.

Objectives
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
• learn to build up their vocabulary
• learn to use the basic grammatical structures of Finnish
• know, use and understand simple spoken and written expressions connected to everyday life.

Content (course unit)

Study book Suomen mestari 1, chapters 1–4, 8:
• alphabet and numbers
• introducing oneself
• telling about one’s family and background
• simple description of things and people
• telling about the weather
• shopping and food
• grammatical structures: basic sentences and questions, verb conjugation (positive and negative verbs), partitive, genitive, KPT-change, I have -structure

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

Students have been able to complete all the assignments acceptably. 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)

Students have been able to complete all the assignments. 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)

Students have been able to complete all the assignments acceptably. 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

We will have 2 double classes every week, on Tuesdays and on Fridays

Exam schedules

Mid-term exam, week 41
Final exam, week 49

Assessment scale

0-5

Teaching methods

Contact classes, conversations, cooperative learning, oral and written exercises and games. Also online material is utilized. All materials have been collected and structured on 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) (the renewed version). 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 2. Also materials made by the teacher and e-materials are used.

Student workload

Group meetings twice a week (2x90 minutes/week), attendance required. A regular and active attendance in lessons is important and also compulsory to pass the course. In addition, much private learning is needed. 5 ECTs course means 5 x 27 hours of 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!
Homework: 6-8 hours per week (may vary individually) and active attitude towards Finnish-speaking society.

Content scheduling

Basic information of Finnish language, pronunciation, vocabulary and phrases, greetings, numbers, time expressions, positive and negative verb conjugation, verb types, question sentences, introducing yourself, telling about your everyday life, simple everyday conversations, shopping in Finnish

Completion alternatives

-

Practical training and working life cooperation

-

Further information

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

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