In June I’ll be taking part in an intensive 2 week Dutch Summer School, normally held in Amsterdam this year due to COVID19 the event has moved online!
The summer school is a program of 30 taught academic hours mixed with an additional 30 hours of self-study. In a nutshell, the teaching is a mixture of face-to-face (on Zoom) classes along with pre-recorded online courses, practical exercises, and ‘Het Lesboek’. The homework is done pre-session to prepare you for class.
This week I’ll be recapping on some basic Dutch Grammar, retaking the first 20 lessons from 1000 Most Common Words in Dutch and watching the first 5 episodes of ‘Heb je Zin?’.
Preparing for Online Lessons
If you are attending the Dutch Summer School you will need a webcam (most, if not all devices come with these nowadays). A microphone and speakers. A headset will help eliminate background noise. If possible a hardwired internet connection will help reduce lag. When using Zoom it is always a good idea to clear your cookies and press Ctrl, Alt and Delete, go to ‘Task Manager‘ and see what programs are running in the background that you don’t actually need.
Learn Some Basic Dutch Grammar
Don’t wait until you start the summer school, get to grips with some basic Dutch grammar first of all. You can then put into practice in the digital classroom what you have learned (with support from a professional teacher).
Learn at least 100-500 words prior to starting at the Summer School
If you are at the A0 (complete beginner) level you will need to learn at least 500 words. Knowing a few words will not only make you feel a little more confident with the course materials you will also be able to focus on the pronunciation of the word during class and start to build meaningful conversations.
| CEFR Level | Vocabulary (Words) | Hours |
| A0 (Complete Beginner) | 0 - 500 | 0-60 |
| A1 (Beginner) | 500 | 60-100 |
| A2 (Elementary) | 501-1250 | 180-200 |
| B1 (Lower Intermediate) | 1251-2250 | 350 - 400 |
| B2 (Upper Intermediate) | 2251-3500 | 500 - 650 |
| C1 (Advanced) | 3501+ | 700+ |
Chances are that if you speak English you already know a few words in Dutch!
| de arm | the arm | de bank | the bank |
| de hand | the hand | de sport | the sport |
Het Lesboek: Nederlands
Check out ‘Het Lesboek’ that you should be sent at least 2 weeks before the summer school. Make sure you read the preparation chapter and familiarise yourself with the first lesson and the types of activity you will be doing.
If you are taking part or thinking of taking part in an intensive Dutch course I wish you ‘Veel Succes!’
Tot Zeins!
Good luck for the summer school!! What a shame that you can’t have the offline experience, but this sounds like lots of fun either way.
Thank you Kerstin. I have to say still very enjoyable (and I get to study in the comfort of my unicorn slippers,lol)!