Alcuin Languages home study and correspondence courses are unique in combining traditional teaching methods with a modern format
Easy to use language courses - enjoyable language learning.
Learn German with Alcuin Languages
1) Entertaining illustrated stories
We all like a story - it helps to make sense of what’s going on around us in the world.
We all like an illustrated story even more, especially when we’re struggling to make sense of what’s going on around us in the world and everyone else is speaking a foreign language! That’s when a picture really does tell a thousand stories and that’s why we write our courses as comic-book style stories.
For example, in Level One we meet our hero, Thomas, just after he’s moved to a new town. The first thing he needs to do is find somewhere to live, so our first story is about how he goes looking for a flat in town. The stories then follow him as he buys food, gets some transport, meets the neighbours, makes friends, looks for a job and finds he has a rival for the affections of the beautiful young woman who is his new neighbour.
2) Clear explanations in English
There’s a lot of mystique around language learning. Sometimes it’s treated as a mysterious talent that only a few people have; but that’s just not true.
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Everyone is born with the same talent for language learning and everyone can continue to learn languages after childhood has finished if they are motivated to learn and if they get clear explanations about how to do it.
Our courses explain to you exactly how your new language works – in English.
The rules and patterns that underlie your new language are demystified for you.
Once you understand them you'll find that you can start to use them to make up your own sentences and say exactly what you want to say.
3) Full audio to bring the stories to life
When you're learning a new language as an adult or teenager, you need to hear your new language being spoken clearly and slowly by native speakers. It also helps if you can see what's being spoken about and what the words look like when they're written down. That’s where the double audio CD that accompanies each level of the course comes into play. Each story has been acted out for you on audio by a team of native speakers.
After the story, all the new words which have been introduced in it are spoken for you, first in English so that you know what the word means, then in the new language, so that you can learn to connect the new word with its meaning.
Following each new word you hear there’s a space for you to repeat the new word out loud. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you can remember the words when you do this!
4) Plenty of opportunity to practise
Practice makes perfect and Alcuin Languages gives you plenty of opportunity to do just that. After you've been given an explanation in English, it's your turn to get some practice and there are worksheets full of exercises to let you practise those rules and patterns.
5) Home Study Courses and Correspondence Courses
Our courses put you in charge of when and where you learn.
You can use the course at any time you choose. You set the pace!
With Alcuin Languages there’s
– no need to commit yourself to attending a class at a fixed time
– no need to wait for the slowest member of the class to catch up
– no need to struggle to keep up with the quickest member of the class
– no embarrassing attempts to pronounce a foreign word while everyone else is listening.
– and you can study wherever you happen to be. You don’t even need to have a computer with you
6) The marking system
People differ in their learning needs and styles.
Some people like to be guided along the way - Others prefer to learn independently.
Some people need a certificate to demonstrate what they’ve learned - Others don’t.
That's why we offer a choice of alternative marking systems to our students.
6a) Mark-it-yourself Option - (The basic option)
We send you the complete Study Pack and you work through it at your own pace. When you have completed the worksheets in each lesson, use the Answer Book in your Study Pack to mark them yourself. There's no test and no certificate.
6b) Marking Service Option
If you want extra, specialist support, add the Marking Service Option. We send you a set of pre-paid envelopes instead of an Answer Book. When you have completed the worksheets for each lesson, send them to us for marking by our language experts, and they will guide you through the lessons. There's no test and no certificate.
6c) Certificate Option
If you need or want a certificate to demonstrate your new abilities, add the Certificate Option. At the end of each level you send us the final test paper for our experts to mark. The test paper covers all the aspects of what you’ve learned in that Level of the course. Meet the required standard and earn a Certificate.
If you want, you can add both the Marking Service Option and the Certificate Option - or neither. It's up to you.
7) Active learning
We provide everything you need to learn a new language - stories, explanations, audio, practice and monitoring: all in a home study or correspondence course format. But there's one, extra, added ingredient which is needed to make it a success - you!
We ask you to accept the challenge of becoming an active participant in your own learning.
You use the tools you are given to decode the stories.
You practise the vocabulary.
You read the explanations of the rules and patterns of the language
You complete the exercises in the worksheets.
And at the end of each level you can also have the opportunity to earn a Certificate of Achievement.
