What is the high school curriculum like?
Do you want to know exactly what your child is going to do at high school? The curriculum at the Gymnasium provides information about the requirements, which subjects are planned and which topics the teachers deal with. You can find more exciting information about the curriculum at the Gymnasium here.
High School Curriculum: What’s in it?
The curriculum at the Gymnasium defines the core content for teaching in the individual subjects. The rough course of your child’s school years at the Gymnasium is also specified in the curriculum, for example which subjects should be taught in which grade, which subjects your child may also choose or how many hours of teaching per week should be invested in a subject.
The grammar school curriculum is different in each state. This is because schooling is the responsibility of individual state governments. So the responsible Ministry of Education is developing its own curriculum, which is intended to set the educational standards in the federal state. The individual schools must align the teaching according to this curriculum and ensure that all topics and content in the subjects are covered.
The Conference of Ministers of Education, at which the ministers of education from all federal states meet, has set some educational standards so that the students have roughly the same level of knowledge nationwide at the end of their school days at the Gymnasium. How exactly the curricula are designed is subject to the sovereignty of the individual federal states, but a certain level must be guaranteed. After all, the curriculum at the grammar school is intended to guarantee that the students at all schools are prepared for the Abitur and the demands of the universities.
General goals and content in the curriculum for high school
Central learning goals, which are part of the grammar school curriculum, are on the one hand the acquisition of in-depth general knowledge, and on the other hand different basic attitudes and work attitudes, for example personal responsibility, independence, goal-oriented work, group work, teamwork and interdisciplinary thinking. The curriculum at the Gymnasium should also be based on the age and developmental level of the students and adapt the topics and content of the lessons accordingly.
The curriculum for grammar schools in most federal states now provides for eight years of grammar school. You can find out more about this topic in our article “G8: Shortening of school days”read. The first two years at Gymnasium, i.e. the fifth and sixth grade, are referred to as the probationary stage. During this time, it should be checked whether the child can meet the requirements of the Gymnasium and whether the type of school is suitable. This is followed by middle school from sixth to ninth grade. The upper level comprises the last three years of high school and is divided into an orientation phase and a qualification phase. This last phase, i.e. the eleventh and twelfth grades, is the most important time on the way to the Abitur, because all grades achieved during this time are added up and already make up part of the Abitur grade
Possible high school diplomas
- Hauptschule certificate : This certificate is awarded to students who leave high school after the ninth grade.
- High school diploma or intermediate school certificate : Students who leave Gymnasium after the tenth grade have achieved this degree.
- Fachhochschulreife or Fachabitur: After the eleventh grade, students do the Fachhochschulreife, which is colloquially called Fachabitur and which entitles them to study at universities of applied sciences.
- General higher education entrance qualification or Abitur: After twelve years of school and passing the Abitur examination, high school students achieve the highest possible school-leaving qualification in Germany.
Subjects in the high school curriculum
The curriculum at the Gymnasium provides for various compulsory and elective subjects that can or even have to be taught in schools. The main subjects German , Mathematics and English are compulsory for all students at the Gymnasium . There are also various scientific and artistic subjects, foreign languages, social sciences and physical education, which is also compulsory for all grades. Majors are usually taught around five hours a week, while minors take two hours each week. According to the syllabus, these subjects can be offered at grammar schools:
- Science subjects in the grammar school curriculum: biology, chemistry, physics, technology, computer science
- Social science subjects in the grammar school curriculum: religion, geography, history, politics, economics, philosophy, social studies, ethics, pedagogy
- Foreign languages in the high school curriculum : Latin , French, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Japanese, Russian, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch
- Artistic subjects in the grammar school curriculum: art, textile design, music, performing arts
Secondary school children are required to learn a second foreign language, usually French or Latin, which is chosen in sixth grade. In the eighth grade, students choose an additional subject that allows them to focus on an area of their choice. In the upper school, your child can largely put together their timetable themselves, choose subjects from all areas and set individual priorities.