Language programme of basic education in the City of Kuopio
A1 language
Pupils start studying an A1 language in grade 1. English is offered as the A1 language in all schools. In addition, Kalevala School also offers German as the A1 language. An A1 German group can be set up if there are at least 12 pupils who have selected this language. Those who have selected German as their A1 language will be offered an opportunity to study English as their A2 language from grade 4 onwards.
A2 language
Pupils can study German, French or Russian as a free-choice A2 language starting in grade 4. For those studying German as their A1 language, the A2 language is English. An A2 group can be set up if there are at least 12 pupils who have selected this language. An A2 group studying English can be set up even if the number of pupils is smaller than this.
Taking an A2 language increases the pupil’s total number of lesson hours in grades 4 to 7 by two. In grades 8 to 9, an A2 language is one of the pupil’s optional subjects, but if the pupil studies a B2 language, the A2 language increases their total number of lesson hours. A B2 language is one of the pupil’s optional subjects and thus included in the pupil’s total number of lesson hours. If the pupil is studying an A2 language, they cannot choose Latin studies starting in grade 7.
In grades 7 to 9, the A1 and A2 language groups of different schools can be amalgamated if necessary. A pupil may have to go to another school to attend classes in their A2 language if instruction cannot be provided in their own school. If there are not enough pupils in the school to make up an A2 language group, the pupils studying the A2 syllabus in a language are amalgamated with the group studying the A1 syllabus of the language in question.
The A2 language selection is permanent, and the pupil studies this language until the final stage of basic education. A pupil cannot drop out of A2 language studies during basic education without a weighty reason. If it turns out at the end of grade 6 that the free-choice A2 language has proven to be overwhelmingly difficult for the pupil, their academic success is poor or studying is otherwise stressful, the pupil can drop the language.
B1 language
A pupil start learning Swedish as a B1 language in grade 6 of comprehensive school.
B2 language
Pupils start studying a B2 language in grade 8. At Hatsala Classical School, pupils can start learning Latin as their B2 language in grade 7. As (free-choice) B2 language can be offered German, French, Spanish and Russian, depending on the school’s language programme. Schools may additionally offer short language courses where the syllabus is shorter than the B syllabus. The schools work together to form B2 language groups.
Latin
Instruction in Latin is only provided at Hatsala Classical School. Latin (B2 language) is comparable to an A2 language in grade 7, which is why a pupil who started learning an A2 language in grade 4 cannot choose Latin. The goal of the instruction in Latin is to guide the pupil to study the history, culture and mythology of the Greco-Roman world and to make observations on their impact on Western and, in particular, European and Finnish culture.
Language programme (in Finnish)
Studying A1 syllabus in German at Kalevala School (in Finnish)
Learning Latin (B2 language) at Hatsala Classical School (in Finnish)