University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
Hebrew 201 Syllabus
4 credits - Fall 2014
Monday and Wednesday 2:00-3:50, CRT B-84
Instructor: Yael Gal- Ben Yitschak E-mail:
Office Hours:Tuesday / Thursday 2:00-3:00 and by appointment.
Location: Curtin 822.Office phone: 414-229-6875
Welcome back to the Hebrew program and best wishes for a wonderful and enjoyable second semester!
Course Description and Objectives:
Modern Hebrew second yearstudents will develop the necessary skills for active use of the Hebrew language in all its aspects (speaking, reading, writing and listening), while simultaneously deepen their understanding of Hebrew culture and Israeli society.
We will continue working on our reading and listening comprehension, vocabulary enrichment, oral expression and grammar. The emphasis of the instruction is on enabling students to develop basic communicative skills in standard Modern Hebrew.
Speaking and communicative are essential components of our class. Class will be conducted for the most part in Hebrew in order to provide a concentrated, immersive environment that accustoms students to the language.
In addition, students will use multimedia resources to watch and listen to Israeli news articles, skits and programs. They will continue to develop computer skills in Hebrew.
At the beginning of every class we start with warm-up conversations and review. Group, pair work and role-play would provide with you an opportunity to use and integrate your newly acquired skills of Hebrew and “bring it to life”.
Learning outcomes:
It is expected that by completion of Hebrew 202, students will be able to:
• Engage in communicative exchanges in a variety of situations
• Read (including out loud) Hebrew passages and other texts, at beginning to intermediate level, with increasing comprehension.
• Listen to and understand, at beginning to intermediate level directions, texts and conversations. Students will be able to increasingly comprehend information in context.
• Read Hebrew passages and dialogues with increasing fluency and improved pronunciation.
• Write short compositions (dialogues, letters, paragraphs, journal entries).
• Identify and demonstrate ability to utilize the following parts of speech: nouns, pronouns, adjectives, regular and irregular verbs, adverbs, prepositions, infinitives and possessives.
•Utilize the Internet to reinforce reading, pronunciation and vocabulary skills, and to learn more about Israeli society and culture.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the basic aspects of Israeli and Hebrew culture and have a basic understanding of - and appreciation for - diversity in Israel society.
Required Textbook:
Brandeis Modern Hebrew (2005 edition with a CD) by VarditRingvald, BonitPorath, YaronPeleg, Esther Shorr and Sara Hascal. – Please bring the book to every class.
Using the CD reinforces correct pronunciation, helps develop listening skills and supplies the correct vowel sounds necessary for reading the text.
The textbooks have been ordered for purchase through the UWM bookstore and can also be found at various on-line retailers.
You may wish to consider acquiring a good Hebrew-English/English-Hebrew dictionary.
Recommended: RavMilon –The Multi Dictionary - Edna Lauden and LioraWeinbach.
Can be purchased on line or through Israel Connection:
On line dictionary:
Student Expectations:
Attendance: Attendance at all classes’ sessions is required to provide for maximum exposure to the language and is essential to student achievement. A successful learning of any language is acquired step by step and requires daily learning and practicing. Therefore, students should make every effort not to miss class. Attendance is taken daily. If for any reason you cannot attend a class, please notify me in advance, via phone or e-mail. It is your responsibility to obtain any notes from a classmate, complete homework and be prepared for the next class.
You are expected to come to every class on time and not to leave early. If you must leave class early for one reason or another, please inform me at the beginning of class. The class time that you will miss by being late or leaving early, will be detracted from you attendance (e.g., leaving class 15 minutes early 5 times will equal absence of one 75-minute class).
You are allowed 3 absences throughout the semester. After that, you will lose points for not attending. Students with 10 or more absences will automatically FAIL the course.
Here is how it lays out:
1-3 absences: 15%7 absences: 3%
4 absences: 13%8 and more absences0
5 absences: 10%
6 absences: 6%
Classroom Participation:
Class participation is an important part of this course and will reflect the student’s daily preparation and active participation in class discussions and activities. You will be encouraged to speak Hebrew and respond to class exercises as much as possible. Although not every student enjoys speaking in class, all students will be expected to participate regularly. Don’t be afraid or too shy. Mistakes, omissions, errors and mispronunciation are a natural part of learning another language. You are free to make mistakes- by doing so, you will progress.
Assignments:
Home assignments support material studied in class and, at times, introduce new concepts. This is your opportunity to practice. Reviewing new vocabulary and grammatical patterns nightly is important; language learning requires consistency and is inherently cumulative. Daily assignments will include: reading, textbook exercises, writing short compositions and journal entries with new vocabulary, preparing flashcards and listening to the CD (in your textbook). Homework is due on the day after it is assigned unless otherwise instructed and will be checked daily to ensure completion.
Not all homework needs to be turned in: some of it we will go over together in class. At any time, however, the instructor may ask students to turn in homework assignments, and this work will count toward the homework grade. If students wish to turn in additional homework to get more feedback, the work will be corrected and returned, but not graded. Students may submit corrections of their homework to raise the grade.
Assignments must be neat and legible, doubled-spaced and written in pencil. Please include the date, your name, assignment’s title or page number. If you wish, you may use Word-processing to type in Hebrew.
Using Hebrew on the computer: To download Hebrew fonts onto your Windows® at home, please search “Hebrew XP”, “Hebrew Vista” or “Hebrew Windows 7”) on Google.com or Yahoo.com and go to the first website ( Hebrew letter stickers or keyboards are also available online. If you use a Mac please see the attached sheet.
Unit Tests, Oral presentation and Final Exam:
Tests:
There will be 3 tests of equal weight in the Semester. Tests are a means of measuring the students’ understanding of the studied material. Tests must be taken on the scheduled date.
There will be no make- up tests. In case of an excused absence due to illness, emergency (with proper documentation) or observance of a religious holiday, you will be allowed to make up the missed test. Made up tests must be completed within a week’s time.
Oral Presentation:
Each student is expected to prepare an oral presentation (approx.5 minutes) in Hebrew. The oral presentation will be based on the topics learned in class. Be creative and use visual aids (PowerPoint, prepare a movie clip, write a song, do a puppet show, etc). All presentations must be accompanied by a written script in Hebrew of the material presented.
Final Exam:
There will be a final examination. It will be cumulative, covering all the material we have learned in the semester. Further instructions will be given closer to the end of the semester.
The final exam will be given onTuesday, December 16th at 12:30-2:30 p.m.
Students should keep a copy of each graded assignment. This is very useful if for any reason an instructor’s records get lost or if students have a question about calculation of grades. Protect yourself and keep your work. Students should also keep a copy of this syllabus.
Extra Credit:
Extra credit assignments may be made at the instructor’s discretion and will be available to the entire class; they will not be made on an individual basis. The assignment should reflect exposure to Modern Hebrew language, literature and to Israeli culture such as attending a lecture about Israel, poetry reading or watching an Israeli movie. The instructor will inform students of such opportunities and what is expected of them to do following the event (e.g. writing a short composition or reflection about the event they attended).
No extra credit assignments will be accepted after final exam and after final course grades have been submitted.
Grading Scale:
The final grade will be determined in the following manner:
Attendance and Participation 15%
Homework assignments 25%
Tests 30%
Oral Presentation 10%
Final Exam 20%
Grade ranges:
93% and up A 80%-82%B-67%-69% D+
90%-92%A-77%-79%C+63%-66% D
87%- 89%B+73%- 76%C60%- 62% D-
83%-86%B70%- 72%C-59% and below F
Additional Points:
In case of academic misconduct, such as plagiarism, copying someone’s homework, cheating on tests or exams, using Google Translate to write compositions and journal entries, doing an assignment for another student or having someone else do your assignment , the offending student will be penalized in accordance with the policy of UWM.
The University Policy about these issues and others (e.g., students called to active military duty, discriminatory conduct, incompletes, etc.) can be found at:
If you need special accommodations in order to meet any of the requirements of this course, please contact me as soon as possible. Students who have a Visa from the Student Accessibility Center should give it to me as soon as possible
Religious Observances: Students will be allowed to complete examinations or other requirements that are missed because of a religious observance.
I’m very excited to be your Hebrew instructor. It is my privilege and responsibility to make this an optimal learning environment. I will help you increase and strengthen your Hebrew knowledge and skills. Please come to class with any questions you may have and I will try to answer them and clarify any difficulties you may encounter. I will also be available to assist you outside of class during my office hours or by appointment. Please do not delay. If you have any questions or concerns come and see me, or e-mail me your questions or concerns.
You must use your uwm.edu email address in order to receive information regarding this class
Jewish Studies Major/Minor:
This course is part of the Jewish Studies major and minor. The major offers two tracks: Hebrew Studies and Jewish Cultural Studies (which does not require Hebrew language). With its combination of core courses and electives, the Jewish Studies program allows students to create a course of study that can focus on religion, culture, Israel, Holocaust, media, or immigration. A dynamic and innovative major, Jewish Studies prepares students to work in our multicultural world.
For more information on the Jewish Studies major and minor, please the coordinator, Dr. Rachel N. Baum, ; 229-5156.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
November 26 -30, 2014: Thanksgiving Break
December 10, 2014: Last Day of Class
December16 ,2014: Final Exam
CALENDAR
WEEK ONE - WEEK THREE
Unit 7 – Review/ Seasons and Clothes – pages 283- 328
In unit 7 you will discuss weather and seasons. You will shop for clothes and describe what people wear.
Grammar: Future tense ,שלמים, ל"ה, ע"ו, ע"י construct form, the verb “to be“ in future tense and conditional sentences – “If”
Test #1- Unit 7
WEEK FOUR – WEEK SEVEN
Unit 8 – Traveling and Fun – pages 329-384
Review of unit 8 and continue to discuss ways to travel, destinations and travel buddies. You will get and provide travel information, talk about your favorite sports, send and get mail and describe trips you took and sites you visited.
Grammar: Impersonal speech, Pi’el verbs (Regular- present, past, future), prepositions /עםאת
Test # 2- Unit8
WEEK EIGHT – WEEK ELEVENTH
Unit 9: Healthy Soul in a Healthy Body - pages 385- 435
In unit 9 you will learn to describe the human body parts, health habits and what to say and do when you are visiting the doctor’s office. You will be able to describe people (physical appearance) and tell the doctor how you feel, complain about pain and seek medical help.
Grammar: Construct form, Hif’il verbs (Regular- present, past, future), causative verbs, prepositions, expressions: in order to, I have pains.
Test # 3 – unit 9
WEEK TWELVE- WEEK FOURTEEN
Unit 10: People and places: Daily Schedule – pages 437-493
In unit 10 you will learn about people and places in the immediate surroundings and about professions. You will name different professions and be able to give simple descriptions about people and places in the present and past tense. You will compare people and places using the comparative forms of adjectives.
Grammar: When, patterns of names of professions, Hitpa’el verbs ( Regular- present, past, future), The verb “To Be” in possessive sentences, prepositions, more than, less than, the most.
WEEK FIFTEEN
Oral presentations and review for the final exam.
Prepare an oral presentation (approx. 5 minutes), use visual aids and hand in your written script in Hebrew.
Note that your presentation cannot be read from your written paper or from any other written source.
Choose one topic out of the following four topics:
- Places to travel in Israel - Finding a place to live, furnishing it, and shopping for food.
- Compare between two cities/countries.
- You are a theater critic. Tell your readers/listeners about a play we have read this semester and give your recommendations.
- Choose one of the stories/poem/plays we have read this semester and describe the literary devices. Explain their dramatic function.
- This syllabus may be modified at the discretion of the instructor. Changes will be discussed in class and/or via email.