German 202
Spring 2009Mrs. K. Thompson
Office: Holloway Hall 331 Class: MWF 2 - 2:50 pm CH 106
Hours: and by appointment.
German 202 is an “enhanced “ course; that is, a course that might traditionally be offered for 3 credit hours, but which, within the context of both the newly reformed German program and the Fulton School’s overall curriculum reform initiative, is being offered here in a 4-credit context. The main purpose of the Fulton reform and the courses in it is to engage students more in the individual courses they take and, as a result, provided students with a deeper – and often more active- learning experience and encounter with the subject at hand. All “enhanced” 4 – credit courses in the Fulton School will require significantly more – and sometimes different – work than they might ( or used to) require as 3-credit courses. For more information on the Fulton reform and “enhanced” courses, and what both mean to you, as a student, please visit the Fulton reform student website at http:
Texts:*Wie Geht’s 8th ed. by Sevin, Sevin and Bean
* Quia Online Workbook for Wie Geht’s 8th. Ed. - ( Im Sprachlabor Etc.)
**English Grammar for Students of German
**How to be a Successful Language Learner
* Schaum’s Outline Series German Grammar
*Das Raetsel Vom Waldsee by H. Walbruk
* Required texts** Recommended texts
Objectives and Procedures: The purpose of this course is to complete and refine the student’s knowledge and skills of the fundamentals of German Grammar. The greatest emphasis will be on speaking and writing structurally and grammatically sound German. The student’s knowledge of German culture will also be further expandedand will become an essential part of the enhancement portion of this expandedcourse.
Performance Objectives:
1.To continue to refine our use of the spoken language by enlarging the student’s vocabulary and continuing our work on intonation and fluency in daily work and especially in games.
2.To increase and round off your knowledge of German grammar. We hope to finish the text.
3.To improve and expand your writing skills through your written daily work.
4.To synthesize your knowledge of German grammar through the writing of a short paper.
5.To improve the student’s speaking skills through an Immersion Weekend.
6. To continue your understanding of German culture by exploring the lives of several German
Authors and to explore the lives of several important German Americans.
Daily Grades and Tests: Each student will be given two daily grades. One will be based on his/her oral communication and participation in class, the other on his/her completion of daily assignments. There will be a number of major tests which will encompass the material discussed in one or two chapters. Any additional materials covered in class will also be one of these major tests, (such as lectures and special reports.)
Language Lab: Your text package provides you with all of the materials you will need to complete all of the listening and speaking drills and exercises for this course. In the library you will find a back- up of these materials as well as a number of computers for you to use if you do not have access to a computer anywhere else. You are required to use these materials as they are designed to improve your vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar skills. You need not use them at any fixed time but rather at your convience, however all work relating to a given chapter must be submitted prior to the test on that chapter. You will need to use the CD’s and the Quia online workbook to complete much of the homework assigned to you. Quia assignment deadlines will be at midnight the night before a test. Once the deadline date has been entered into the computer it will not be reopened. Please make sure that all of your work is submitted ontime and that all of your exercises are complete. Quia exercises have the weight of a test and can make the difference between an A or a B etc. Quia assignments make up roughly 60% of your home work grade.
In the event that you should experience a total mechanical meltdown and cannot access your Quia account I have placed a workbook, CD’s and a videotape on reserve in the library. You may use these to complete your assignments on time. Please photocopy the pages you need and submit the photocopies for a grade. These exercises are more difficult and should only be used for emergency situations until you can access Quia again. PLEASE NOTE EVERYONE MUST HAVE THEIR OWN QUIA PASSWORD CARD. If you bought a used book you will have to order one. Look inside of your text for the phone number. If you have been in one of my other German grammar courses your card is still good.
CD’s you will need for this semester:
The CD’s for Kapitel
(NOTE: The exercises in your textbook with a headset beside them require the use of the CD that you bought with your book. If you bought a used book there may not be a CD in the book. If that is the case you will have to ask a classmate to make a copy of their CD for you. I do not have additional copies of this CD.)The balance of your homework will consist of Quia assignments and exercises assigned from the text, the enhancement papers for your culture notebook and exercises in Schaum,
the reading of the mystery and preparation of your 5 minute speeches.
Final Exam: The final exam will be given on
Class Attendance: Three excused absences will be permitted. It is this instructor=s opinion that the nature of this course is such that excessive absences will almost certainly have an adverse effect on a student’s grade.
Attendance and its effect on Final Grade:
AFTER 6 ABSENCES:B- OPTIMUM
AFTER 9 ABSENCES:C- OPTIMUM
AFTER 12 ABSENCES:D- OPTIMUM
Grading System: Grades are based on the following scale: A=100-90%, B=89-80%, C=79-70%,
D=69-60%, F=59%-below (of the total number of points in the course.)
Immersion Weekend: This overnight experience will be required of all students in this class. Details will be forthcoming and although it will be a very taxing experience, it will also be a great deal of fun. The exercise will be evaluated and receive a test grade. In the event that you chose not to participate in this activity an alternative project will be assigned by the instructor. This project will be completed in German and will be much more difficult. Past projects have included a research paper 8 pages in length that is well researched and documented on a topic of my choosing. Such a paper will have to have footnotes and a bibliography with at least one German source and will have to be typed. It will be graded on mechanics and content. No rough draft will be submitted just final copies will be turned in within 2 weeks after the Immersion Weekend or an “F” will be recorded for this activity.
Special Reports: At various times special reports may be assigned to students. These reports and/or little projects will be given grades as well. (Infomercials in German)A further special report as mentioned above will be presented to the class and will consist of information the student has explored in his/her research of the various topics for his/her culture portfolio.
WAC
Homework, dictations and compositions will be assigned with “Writing Across the Curriculum’ in mind. The transfer of writing skills from one language to another enhances the ability to write well in both English and German. Evaluation of written assignments will be based on both form and content.
Papers: One longer paper will be written during the course of this semester. The length of this paper will be no less than 3 pages and no longer than 5. The paper will be on a topic chosen by the instructor. The entire class will write on the same topic. A first draft will be submitted before mid-term break. The instructor will underline the errors and return them to the student who will make the corrections, and then set up an appointment with the instructor to discuss the errors and corrections. The final draft will be submitted for a grade during the 12th week of the semester. All final drafts must be typed.
Make-up Policy: All students are expected to make up the exams. All exams will be made up before the final exam is given. They will all be made up on the same day at a time and place to be stated later. Make-up exams will not be the same as those given in class and they will, in all probability be more difficult.
Procedure:
Toward the beginning of the semester, assignments will be made from the Schaum Outline Series ofGerman Grammar. Students will work independently on the assigned units. As each unit is completed it will be graded and the next unit will be assigned. These unit assignments will give the student additional written practice using the points of grammar covered during this semester ( such as the subjunctive mood, the use of relative clauses and the passive voice. Secondly , since there is a great deal of cultural material in our text that we normally would not have time to cover, each student will be required to create a culture portfolio. In this portfolio will be gathered a series of 1-3 page papers on the topics listed below. All topics may be researched on the internet and must be in the form of a paper in English. Toward the end of the semester these portfolios will be collected and graded and I will pick a topic from each portfolio for the student to present to the class as a 5-minute oral presentation. The topics to be covered are listed below. The short German mystery Das Raetsel Vom Waldsee, well be read by the student outside of class and the test on its contents will be given as part of the final.
Chapter 11
1)Schaum assignment #1
2)Read biographies and reading selections by Lessing and Jung in chapter 11 in Wie Geht’s and do further research on the internet for your portfolio
3)Research two famous German Americans from the list provided by the instructor
Chapter 12
1)Schaum assignment
2)Read biographies and reading selections on and by Aysel Oezakin and do further research on the internet.
3)Research two famous German Americans from the list provided
Chapter 13
1)Schaum assignment
2)Read biographies and reading selections on and byChristine Noestlinger and do further research on the internet.
3)Research two famous German Americans from the list provided
Chapter 14
1)Schaum assignment
2)Read biographies and reading selections on and by Wolfgang Bochert
and do further research on the internet.
3) Research two famous German Americansfrom the list provided
Chapter 15
1)Read the mystery Das Raetsel Vom Waldsee
2)Read biographies and reading selections on and by Franz Kafka and Erich Kaestner and do further research on the internet
3)Research two famous German Americans from the list provided.
TENTATIVE WEEKLY SCHEDULE FOR GERMAN 202
SCHEDULE MAY BE CHANGED TO BETTER MEET THE NEEDS OF THE CLASS
Week 1 Review Kapitel 11
Week 2 Kapitel 11
Test on Kapitel 11
Week 3 Kapitel 12
Kapitel 11 enhancements and Kap. 11 Schaum assignment
Week 4 Kapitel 12
Infomercials
Week 5 Kapitel 12
Kap. 12 Schaum assignment
Week 6 Kapitel 12
Kapitel 12 enhancements
Kapitel 12 test
Week 7 Kapitel 13
Kapitel 13 Schaum assignment
Week 8 Kapitel 13
Kapitel 13 enhancements
Week 9 Kapitel 13 test
Immersion Weekend
Week 10 Kapitel 14
Kapitel 14 Schaum assignment
Week 11 Kapitel 14
Kapitel 14 enhancements
Week 12 Kapitel 14
Kapitel 14 Test
Read assign mystery
Week 13 Kapitel 15
Assign mystery
Kapitel 15 enhancements
Week 14 Kapitel 15
Oral reports on portfolio
Week 15 Final Exam given at date and time listed in the final exam schedule.
Grading Scale for the course
Your total grade will consist of the following percentages.
25% Enhancement assignments (this includes your portfolio, presentation on the portfolio and the work assigned in Schaum)
50% Tests on chapters in Wie Geht’s and and the Immersion Weekend and your paper
20% quizzes and non enhancement homework ( this includes Quia assignments both written and listening and all homework assigned in class to be turned in, your infomercials)
5% Attendance and class participation
DETERMINERS
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CASE / GenderMASC / FEM / NEUT / PLURALS
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INDEFINITE ARTICLE = ( ) AND ( )
CASE / GenderMASC / FEM / NEUT / PLURALS
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ACCUSATIVE
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