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ELEMENTARY CZECH LANGUAGE & CULTURE - CZE100/HSS100/1 Spring 2025
Course
Ilona Florianova Sarsonova
About
Elementary Czech Language & Culture
Course code: CZE 100
Term and year: Spring 25
Day and Time: Tuesday and Thursday, 8:15-9:30 AM
Instructor: Mgr. Ilona FloriánováŠaršonová
Instructor contact: ilona.florianova@aauni.edu
Consultation hours: Thursdays, 9:30 to 10:00 AM
Art fee: 800 CZK
Art fees for this course will be used to cover: entrance fees to selected monuments in Prague - Old Town Hall, National Theater, Prague Castle and for the purchase of auxiliary study materials.
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Credits US/ECTS |
3/6 |
Level |
Introductory |
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Length |
15 weeks |
Pre-requisite |
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Contact hours |
42 hours |
Course type |
Bachelor Elective |
1. Course Description
This course is designed to develop students' practical knowledge of the Czech language, enable them to function and feel comfortable in everyday situations, and facilitate a degree of integration into Czech culture and society while in Prague. Students will learn how to ask for directions, order in restaurants, ask about goods in stores, introduce themselves, arrange meetings and invitations, and express their opinions.The course is focused on correct pronunciation and acquisition of relevant vocabulary and phraseology. Grammatical topics are introduced and used as tools enabling the use of Czech in simple conversational situations.The course also includes topics related to Czech culture as a basic introduction to Czech society and customs.As part of the course, two excursions to historically interesting places in Prague and a visit to a cafe and a supermarket are planned. At the end of this semester, students will reach the Level A1.1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
2. Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
● Understand familiar words and very basic phrases, concerning themselves; their family and immediate surroundings when people speak slowly and clearly.
● Use a vocabulary focused on exchanging personal information, shopping, ordering in a restaurant, asking for directions, time management of life.
● Interact in a simple way provided the other person is prepared to repeat or rephrase things at slower rate of speech and help them formulate what they are trying to say. They can ask and answer simple questions in areas of immediate need or on very familiar topics.
● Understand and master the basic communication strategies of Czech speakers, develop elementary speaking, listening and writing skills, engage in elementary conversation.
● Use simple phrases and sentences to describe where they live and people they know.
3. Reading Material
Required Materials
● The handouts from the Textbook for Elementary Czech I prepared by the instructor and, in printed form, handed out in class
● Some additional material will be taken from the various textbooks which will be provided during the course / distributed in class or posted on NEO
Recommended Materials
● Česky Krok Za Krokem 1, by Lída Holá (https://www.czechstepbystep.cz/detail-ucebnice/ckzk1)
● For self-learning
https://www.czechclass101.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/slowczech
4. Teaching methodology
Classes will combine frontline teaching with interactive tasks, cooperative learning insmall groups, pair work and role plays. They will include site visits, a trip to an important city or monument within the Czech Republic.
5. Course Schedule
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Date |
Class Agenda |
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Session 1 Thursday, Jan 30 |
Topic: Who I Am? Description: to be, personal pronouns Reading: Assignments/deadlines: practicing new vocabulary for the next class |
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Session 2 Tuesday, Feb 4 |
Topic: How Are You? Description: to have, numbers 0-200 Reading: Assignments/deadlines: first video until February 13 |
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Session 3 Thursday, Feb 6 |
Topic: In a Restaurant Description: food, adjectives, colors Reading: Assignments/deadlines: practicing new vocabulary for the next class |
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Session 4 Tuesday, |
Topic: Field Trip to a Café Description: ordering in real Reading: Assignments/deadlines: |
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Session 5 Thursday, |
Topic: In a Store Description: genders, the accusative Reading: Assignments/deadlines: second video project until next class |
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Session 6 Tuesday, |
Topic: Activities Description: verbs in the present regular, parts of day Reading: Assignments/deadlines: practicing new vocabulary for the next class |
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Session 7 Thursday, |
Topic: My Week Description: irregular verbs, days in week Reading: Assignments/deadlines: practicing new vocabulary for the next class |
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Session 8 Tuesday, Feb 25 |
Topic: Places in Prague Description: the locative Reading: Assignments/deadlines: |
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Session 9 Thursday, |
Topic: My hobby Description: to like in Czech Reading: Assignments/deadlines: |
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Session 10 Tuesday, Mar 4 |
Topic: What Will You Do…? Description: the future I. Reading: Assignments/deadlines: practicing new vocabulary for the next class |
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Session 11 Thursday, Mar 6 |
Topic: Where Are You Going? Description: the future of motion verbs Reading: Assignments/deadlines: practicing new vocabulary for the next class |
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Session 12 Tuesday, |
Topic: What Did You Do Last Week? Description: the past I Reading: Assignments/deadlines: practicing new vocabulary for the next class |
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Session 13 Thursday, |
Topic: My Plans for the Break Description: names of European countries Reading: Assignments/deadlines: My travel diary – in the present tense, |
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Session 14 Tuesday, |
Topic: Review Before the Midterm Description: review all the grammar and topic of the first half of the semester Reading: Assignments/deadlines: |
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Session 15 Thursday, Mar 20 |
The Midterm Exam |
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Session 16, Tuesday, Mar 25 |
Midterm Break |
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Session 17 Thursday, |
Midterm Break |
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Session 18 Tuesday, |
Topic: What Did You Do Last Week? Description: the past I Reading: Assignments/deadlines: convert your break diary into the past tense, |
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Session 19 Thursday, |
Topic: What Did You Do Last Week? Description: the past II Reading: Assignments/deadlines: convert your break diary into the past tense, |
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Session 20 Tuesday, |
Topic: Karel IV., the Czech King Description: a short look into Czech history Reading: Assignments/deadlines: |
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Session 21 Thursday, Apr 10 |
Topic: Field Trip - Oldtown Hall Description: Reading: anyinformation (in English) about the field trip location Assignments/deadlines: |
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Session 22 Tuesday, Apr 15 |
Topic: Who is/was that? Description: description of people Reading: Assignments/deadlines: describe one famous person so that it is clear who it is, until April 23 |
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Session 23 Thursday, Apr 17 |
Topic: My Family I. Description: possessive pronouns Reading: Assignments/deadlines: prepare a presentation about your family, until next class |
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Session 24 Tuesday, Apr 22 |
Topic: My Family II. Description: student´s presentations Reading: Assignments/deadlines: |
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Session 25 Tuesday, Apr 24 |
Topic: How Was My Semester Description: review of tenses for the final presentations Reading: Assignments/deadlines: |
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Session 26 Thursday, Apr 29 |
Topic: My life in Prague and at home Description: comparative and superlative Reading: Assignments/deadlines: |
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Session 27 Tuesday, |
Topic: Field trip – Prague Castle Description: Reading: any information (in English) about the field trip location |
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Session 28 Tuesday, |
Topic: Big Review before the Final Exams Description: questions for the final oral exam, comprehension, practicing correct pronunciation, construction of answers Reading: Assignments/deadlines: script of the final presentation |
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Session 29 Thursday, May 15 |
Final Exam – Presentations I. |
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Session 30 Tuesday, |
Final Exam - Oral |
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6. Course Requirements and Assessment (with estimated workloads)
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Assignment |
Workload (hours) |
Weight in Final Grade |
Evaluated Course Specific Learning Outcomes |
Evaluated Institutional Learning Outcomes* |
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Class Participation + Homework |
60 |
20 % |
● Understand and master the basic communication strategies of Czech speakers, develop elementary speaking, listening and writing skills, engage in elementary conversation. ● Interact in a simple way provided the other person is prepared to repeat or rephrase things at slower rate of speech and help them formulate what they are trying to say. They can ask and answer simple questions in areas of immediate need or on very familiar topics. |
1,2,3 |
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Video projects |
20 |
10 % |
● Understand familiar words and very basic phrases, concerning themselves; their family and immediate surroundings when people speak slowly and clearly. ● Use a vocabulary focused on exchanging personal information, shopping, ordering in a restaurant, asking for directions, time management of life. |
1,2,3 |
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Quizzes |
10 |
10 % |
● Understand and master the basic communication strategies of Czech speakers, develop elementary speaking, listening and writing skills, engage in elementary conversation. ● Use a vocabulary focused on exchanging personal information, shopping, ordering in a restaurant, asking for directions, time management of life. |
1,2,3 |
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Two presentation |
20 |
10 % |
● Use simple phrases and sentences to describe where they live and people they know. ● Use a vocabulary focused on exchanging personal information, shopping, ordering in a restaurant, asking for directions, time management of life. |
1,2,3 |
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Midterm exam test |
20 |
20 % |
● Understand and master the basic communication strategies of Czech speakers, develop elementary speaking, listening and writing skills, engage in elementary conversation. ● Use a vocabulary focused on exchanging personal information, shopping, ordering in a restaurant, asking for directions, time management of life. |
1,2,3 |
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Final exam Presentation Oral exam |
20 |
30 % (15 +15) |
● Use a vocabulary focused on exchanging personal information, shopping, ordering in a restaurant, asking for directions, time management of life. ● Understand and master the basic communication strategies of Czech speakers, develop elementary speaking, listening and writing skills, engage in elementary conversation. ● Use simple phrases and sentences to describe where they live and people they know. |
1,2,3 |
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TOTAL |
150 |
100% |
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*1 = Critical Thinking; 2 = Effective Communication; 3 = Effective and Responsible Action
7. Detailed description of the assignments
Class Participation + Homework
Students need to come to the class on time prepared. They do not leave the class unless they have a serious reason. Students need to show they are paying attention, demonstrate interest in the material and support their classmates with questions/comments about their work and the class in general.
Homework assignments provide opportunities to practice covered course material. Students should expect short homework assignment for each class. Homework assignments may include exercises from the course materials, and other short assignments that would be delivered either via NEO or on paper as specified for each of them on NEO.
Assessment breakdown
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Assessed area |
Percentage |
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Active participation and presence in class |
50 |
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Careful preparation and elaboration of all assigned tasks |
50 |
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100 |
Midterm and + Quizzes
Students take one graded half-semester quiz testing topics and grammar (covered in the first half of the semester) and two small quizzes in which
their mastery of vocabulary, grammar, use of language structures will be assessed. Detailed information about all quizzes will be discussed in class in advance and posted on NEO.
Assessment breakdown
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Assessed area |
Percentage |
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Demonstrating knowledge of concepts and essential issues, in listening, reading and writing |
50 |
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Applying acquired language skills, in writing |
50 |
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100 |
Video projects + Two presentation
Students will demonstrate their ability to present short mini-dialogue videos in Czech using practical phrases and role playing in everyday situations -
The ability to use the learned knowledge to present the given topic in an interesting and comprehensible form for classmates is evaluated.
Assessment breakdown
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Assessed area |
Percentage |
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Present the topic in an interesting way |
25 |
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Appropriate and imaginative use of limited vocabulary so that classmates can understand |
50 |
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Pay attention to the correct pronunciation |
25 |
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100 |
Final exam (Presentation + Oral exam)
As a final project, students present a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the main topics discussed in class – information about the student, his family, studying in Prague, plans for the future and more. The ability to use the learned knowledge to present the given topic in an interesting and comprehensible form for classmates is evaluated. Detailed instructions and will be discussed in class and provided on NEO.
The oral exam assesses the students' ability to communicate in Czech, to understand the question and to demonstrate knowledge of the basic communication strategy of Czech speakers in the answer. The form of the exam is collective - students ask and answer each other. Detailed instructions will be discussed in class and posted on NEO.
Assessment breakdown
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Assessed area |
Percentage |
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Present the topic/answer in an interesting way |
25 |
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Appropriate and imaginative use of limited vocabulary so that classmates can understand |
50 |
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Pay attention to the correct pronunciation |
25 |
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100 |
G 8. General Requirements and School Policies
General requirements
All coursework is governed by AAU’s academic rules.Students are expected to be familiar with the academic rules in the Academic Codex and Student Handbook and to maintain the highest standards of honesty and academic integrity in their work. Please see the AAU intranet for a summary of key policies regarding coursework.
Course specific requirements
Students are not required to attend at least two thirds of classes to complete the course.
Prepared by: Ilona FloriánováŠaršonová
Date: 2024-11-27
Approved by: Andrew Giarelli
Date: Dec. 5, 2024