Elementary Czech Language & Culture

Course code:                              CZE 100/1

Term and year:                          Fall 2026

Day and Time:                            Wednesday, 8:00-10:45 AM

Instructor:                                 Mgr. Ilona Floriánová Šaršonová

Instructor contact:                              ilona.florianova@aauni.edu

Consultation hours:                   Wednesday, 10:45 to 11:00 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 or Prague Castle and for the purchase of auxiliary study materials.

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, asking 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 demonstrate an ability 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, talking about daily routine.  

●     Interact in a simple way provided the other person is prepared to repeat or rephrase things at a 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 MyLearning

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 in small groups, pair work and role plays. They will include visits to monuments, trips to interesting places or sights in Prague.

5.   Course Schedule

6.   Course Requirements and Assessment (with estimated workloads)

*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 MyLearning or on paper as specified for each of them on MyLearning.

Assessment breakdown

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 MyLearning.

Assessment breakdown

Video projects + Two presentations

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

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 MyLearning.

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 MyLearning.

Assessment breakdown

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 required to attend at least two thirds of classes to complete the course.