July 19, 2016
Greetings to parents and students of both new and returning students to the German program here at FHS:
I’m so excited you have chosen to learn German. While learning the language, we will also explore both the culture and history of the more than 200 million people who speak this language around the world. Students who have been in this program over the years have gone on to study, live and work in German-speaking countries and they began that journey in WL107 at FHS.
Learning a language is both a fun and a challenging adventure. Students will need to learn new words for everything they know in order to communicate. It is a growing process as they adjust to hearing the German language, and they will be speaking, writing, reading, and listening to an entirely new vocabulary. For some, to whom learning and test-taking has come very naturally over the years, they may struggle for the first time in school and need to stretch their learning style in order to acquire this wonderful language.
I have put together this FAQ sheet in order to help you prepare for your first day of class and understand both my role and yours in learning a language throughout the year.
What do students need to bring to class every day?
In order to be successful, students need to have their materials available every day. This includes the textbook, the workbook, and a journal for levels 1 – 3. Every student is given a workbook; however, we ask for a donation of $10 if students wish to write directly in the workbook, and that can be paid at Student Accounts. Then students may just tear out the chapter in which we are currently working and bring those pages in the journal. A journal needs to be a solid spiral notebook or 3-ring binder. We often exceed 100 pages, so a bigger notebook is recommended or a student may begin a new one at semester.
For levels 1 through 3 we use the series Deutsch Aktuell published by EMC publishing.
AP materials will be discussed on the first day of class, but a German specific notebook is recommended.
What are the classroom and teacher expectations?
I run a structured program and do my best to be consistent and articulate with rules, expectations and assignments.
I teach from bell-to-bell, so students are expected to be on time to class. Participation points, given to students the first day of class, will be deducted if students are tardy, missing materials, or excessively off-task. In addition, as stated above, students need to have all materials with them and their homework completed if they wish to be able to fully participate in and comprehend the day’s activities.
So as not to interfere with the learning process, cell phones are to be turned off and in students’ backpacks throughout the class period. In addition, please know, I do follow the school dress code policy and will send students to the office if I see an infraction.
What is the journal?
The journal is a spiral notebook or three-ring binder used all year in class. It is a tool used to help students receive the notes for each chapter in an organized, structured format. When we finish a chapter in class, students will create the title page for that unit and submit the journal the day we take the test. All notes (vocabulary words, grammatical concepts, cultural information) will always be presented to and written by each student on the right-hand side of the notebook. Directly opposite that, on the left-hand side, will be the activities that allow students to practice the information given on the right.
How are grades calculated?
There are three primary sources in each chapter that comprise a student’s grade: the workbook, the journal and the chapter test. While working on the chapter, daily homework is stamped in both the workbook and the journal and then on test day both are turned in and graded for credit. These two items are process grades, graded for completion and thoroughness. The test is graded for accuracy. Since this is a language being learned, spelling and sentence structure does count because it all contributes to communication. In addition, there will be a listening component and a speaking component to each test. Each chapter lasts approximately 3-4 weeks. During that time, there may be some other smaller textbook assignments or a video activity completed, but the bulk of the unit comes from the journal, workbook, and test. Each semester there will be one project created also. Everything is given a point value and total points are used in this class.
How do students and parents know what the daily assignments are?
I work hard to empower students to be active participants in their learning process. Instruction in class will always end with enough time to write down and review the homework assignments together in case there are questions. I spend time writing it down on the board and reviewing each of the activities so that students understand the expectation of the assignment. While I encourage students to use their PAWSports to write down assignments, I know that some prefer to write it on the left-hand side of the journal where they will be doing the assignment.
Please understand, with 5 subjects that I teach and prep for every day, I will not be spending time inputting everything on this webpage. Please ask to see your child’s PAWSport or journal for daily assignments.
How often will grades be inputted to PowerSchool?
Since the course operates in units that last approximately 3-4 weeks before everything is submitted, grades will be inputted at each grading period required by the school (progress reports, quarter grades and semester grades).
However, parents, please know that I provide students with grade sheets that they will keep in their journal so they can then monitor their scores when I return graded assignments. When I hand back papers, I always write down what assignments they are and give them a few moments to add them to the sheet. In addition, feel free to look at your child’s journal and workbook. If they are completing their workbook and journal activities on time, they will receive a stamp next to the assignment in the workbook or at the top of the left-hand page of the journal. That stamp means they are on track to receive full credit. If, however, it is not completed when due, they may complete it for partial credit that will be calculated when they submit it on test day.
What additional tools and resources are available to study?
I am a big fan of flashcards since students need to learn a large volume of vocabulary. Flashcards are portable, physically manipulative and can be color coordinated if that helps the process. The act of writing out the word on one side and the definition on the other helps input it to memory. As students then study from them, they can move them around into “know well,” “needs more work,” or “sort-of-have” piles. Because, like many languages, nouns in German have gender, students can color code the cards to reflect the gender or part of speech of each word.
For the students who wish to work online, there are programs such as Quizlet where students can run a search for our textbook and find chapter flashcards to participate in a variety of activities in order to practice the words.
In addition, kids who begin using as many of the words as they can when interacting with their friends in the class, on campus, or when texting help strengthen their vocabulary and usage. Utilizing PAWS to work in groups or with me is also a great time to practice the vocabulary.
The office also will have a list of tutors comprised of older students who can also be hired.
What are some classroom needs?
I do my best to make sure everything is available for kids to be on task and successful in class. However, when cold and allergy season hit, we go through at least three boxes of Kleenex in a week and the school does not provide tissues, hand sanitizer or wipes. I always graciously welcome anything that helps keep the room as clean and healthy as possible, and I thank you in advance if you are able to contribute a box of tissue, hand sanitizer or wipes toward that end.