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German As A Foreign Language

German as a Foreign Language (DaF) instruction is an important pillar of language development at the German Embassy School Addis Ababa (DBSAA). Complementing German Subject Teaching (DFU), DaF instruction begins in kindergarten and continues through Grade 10, helping our non-native German-speaking students improve their German language proficiency. These students make up the majority of our student body.

Methodological and Didactic Approach

DaF instruction at DBSAA closely follows the didactic and methodological principles outlined in the “Framework Curriculum for German as a Foreign Language in German Schools Abroad” and its underlying concepts of language and communication.

Accordingly, our aim is to enable students to communicate and interact appropriately in a variety of situations, both linguistically and interculturally. To achieve this, DBSAA emphasizes cooperative and self-directed learning approaches, as well as individualized and targeted language support.

Furthermore, DBSAA follows the “German as a Foreign Language Portfolio” developed by the Central Agency for German Schools Abroad (ZfA). This approach supports the continuous development of German language skills and makes students' progress visible through the International Comparative Assessments (IVA 0–2) and the German Language Diplomas (DSD I and II).

Students Playing
Curriculum

The ZfA framework curriculum provides the foundation for the competencies and learning outcomes students are expected to achieve.

Based on this framework, our school's internal German as a Foreign Language curriculum establishes a clear progression of learning content, ensuring that language skills are developed systematically and build upon one another.

It also provides guidelines for the proficiency levels students should reach at different grade levels according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

The timing of language assessments and examinations is aligned with the proficiency levels students are expected to achieve at each grade level.

Language Backgrounds of Our Students

At DBSAA, students come from a variety of linguistic backgrounds:

  • German as a Native Language (DaM): Students whose native language is German. These students generally do not require additional support through DaF instruction.

  • German as a Foreign or Second Language (DaF): Students whose native language is not German and who attend DBSAA from kindergarten age. They participate in DaF instruction starting in kindergarten.

  • Students Joining at a Later Stage (Intensive DaF): Students who enroll at DBSAA at a later stage, typically in preschool or primary school and, in exceptional cases, in secondary school. These students have greater language support needs and therefore receive intensive DaF instruction with an increased number of weekly lessons, starting at proficiency level A0.

Every student's language-learning journey is unique. As a result, our students often have individual learning needs that cannot always be fully reflected in the CEFR proficiency descriptors.

To accommodate this diversity, DaF instruction is carefully tailored to the specific needs of each learning group. The professional expertise of our qualified DaF teachers plays an essential role in this process.

Language Assessment and Examinations
Students in Classroom

Individual, regular, and continuous language assessments throughout a student's school career enable us to monitor linguistic development, make progress visible, and identify potential support needs at an early stage.

The results of these assessments are used to plan targeted language support and assign students to appropriate support groups. In this way, an individual language-learning profile is developed for each student at DBSAA.

In addition to ongoing diagnostic assessments, all DBSAA students participate in the following language examinations administered by the Central Agency for German Schools Abroad (ZfA) or the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK):

  • Preschool: International Comparative Assessment 0 (IVA 0) – “Sternschnuppenrallye”

  • Grade 3: International Comparative Assessment 1 (IVA 1) – “Sternespiel”

  • Grade 4: International Comparative Assessment 2 (IVA 2)

  • Grade 8: German Language Diploma Level I (DSD I)

  • Grade 10: German Language Diploma Level II (DSD II)

The effectiveness of our German language concept and targeted language support measures is reflected in the consistently strong performance of DBSAA students in these examinations. Their results are generally above average compared to those of other German schools abroad.

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