Norwegian A and Norwegian B
At Birralee we offer two Norwegian language programmes from Year 1 to Year 10. This is needed, as we need to cater for the full range of students, from native Norwegian speakers all the way to the children who have just arrived in Norway.
Both programmes follow the Cambridge Language Curriculum. Norwegian A is of a similar level as the Norwegian language programme taught in local Norwegian schools. Norwegian B is designed for students who have just arrived in Norway.
Both programmes are equally important and prioritised as it is the school’s aim to provide a quality offer in the subject of Norwegian to both children who are new to Norway, as well as to those who have been in Norway for a longer period of time.
English as the primary language of instruction
The main difference between Birralee and Norwegian schools is that English is the primary language of instruction, whereas in Norwegian schools the primary language of instruction is Norwegian. The primary language of instruction means that at Birralee all subjects, except Norwegian and Spanish, are taught in English, whereas the opposite is the case in Norwegian schools.
Many grammar concepts will be taught in English and Norwegian lessons at the same time which means that concepts are reinforced. At a local Norwegian school, this will of course be done the other way around. We therefore have more English lessons than Norwegian lessons compared to a Norwegian school.
Year 1-10 | Birralee (in 60 minutes) | Norwegian School (in 60 minutes) |
Norwegian | 1140 | 1770 |
English | 1482 | 588 |
Combined Language Classes (Eng + Nor) | 2622 | 2328 |
We offer 294 hours (352 lessons) more of English and Norwegian combined than the average Norwegian school from Years 1 to 10.
Results Norwegian A students
Our Norwegian A students generally score above average in the National Tests in Reading in Norwegian. This is an impressive result considering that their main language of instruction during the school day is not Norwegian. The reading they normally do during the school day is in English and not in Norwegian.
Reading in Norwegian 2024-2025 | National Average | Birralee Average |
Year 5 | 49 | 49 |
Year 8 | 49 | 50 |
Year 9 | 53 | 60 |
50,3 | 53 |
Our Norwegian A students also sit an Oral Exam in Norwegian at the end of Year 10 with an external examiner. The results are equally as impressive as the National Test results.
Results Oral Exam in Norwegian | NorwayNorsk. 10. årstrinn muntlig (Grading scale 1-6) | Birralee, Oral Exam Norwegian(Grading scale 1-6) |
2023-2024 | 4,3 | 4,7 |
2022-2023 | 4,3 | 4,3 |
2021-2022 | 4,4 | 4,8 |
4,3 | 4,6 |
Children who are new to Norway
The importance of learning Norwegian
At Birralee, we believe that it is very important that our international students learn Norwegian. There are many advantages in learning the language of the host country. Learning Norwegian will:
improve the students’ everyday interactions with Norwegians,
give our students a deeper and more profound understanding of Norwegian culture,
open up new opportunities for study and work if they intend to stay in Norway for a longer time.
As a result of this, we put a significant amount of resources in both of our Norwegian programmes.
Organisation Norwegian B
The purpose of Norwegian B is to teach students Norwegian and to prepare them to join the Norwegian A programme. Depending on what is best for the students at any given point during their learning journey, Norwegian B students will either work in small groups or join the rest of the class in Norwegian A.
Of our 290 students, currently 75 students are enrolled in our Norwegian B programme.
How long does it take to learn Norwegian?
The time it takes a student to learn Norwegian is very individual. There is also a difference between the time it takes to acquire everyday language skills vs more profound language skills. According to research (Cummins 2017), second language learners achieve a good enough fluency in everyday language after two years of exposure, but it can take at least five years to learn a language that can be used as an effective tool.
At Birralee, we have success stories of children who move to Norwegian A after only two to three years, but there are also students who need considerably more time before they are ready to join Norwegian A.
How long it takes before a student becomes competent in Norwegian depends on a number of factors that are mutually dependent:
1. Their motivation to learn Norwegian
2. Their ability/talent to learn new languages (including having a growth mindset)
3. Their exposure to Norwegian outside of school:
Do they read Norwegian books at home?
Do they watch Norwegian television?
Do they join a Norwegian sports team or another after school activity in Norwegian?(NB There is no shortage of after school activities in Trondheim to sign up to where the spoken language is Norwegian!)
How can parents support their child in learning Norwegian?
If your child’s learning Norwegian is important to you, then please think about how you can influence the three points above at home.
Are you motivated to learn Norwegian yourself?
Are you learning together with your child?
Do you encourage your child to join a local team or leisure activity where they are more exposed to Norwegian?
Do you lead by example and try to speak Norwegian in shops etc?
High School for our Norwegian A and B students
A significant number of both our Norwegian A and B students choose the two year high school programme which is delivered in English at the neighbouring Katedralskole after graduating from Birralee. Students need an A or B in English, Mathematics and Science, as well as a school reference in order to apply for this.
Many of our students also apply for the standard three year high school courses in Norwegian. The general feedback we get from former Birralee students, who are not native Norwegian speakers, is that they spent some of their first year of high school developing their subject specific vocabulary in Norwegian. They report that they have plenty of time to do this as a large amount of the content and skills they learn in the first year of high school are repetition of what they learned at Birralee in our Cambridge IGCSE programme (Years 9 and 10).
Ja, vi elsker dette landet...
Our Team of Norwegian Teachers 2024-2025
We are fortunate to have an excellent team of Norwegian teachers at our school. They are dedicated and passionate about your child’s progress in Norwegian. You are always welcome to contact them to discuss your child’s progress in Norwegian. They are also more than happy to provide suggestions on how you can further support your child’s progress in Norwegian at home.
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