German II 2008-2009 Instructor: Ian Dommer, osb Office – Room 304B Phone – 2502 E-mail- idommer@csbsju.edu Text : Kraft, Wolfgang S. Deutsch Aktuell II. EMC Paradigm Publishing, Saint Paul, MN, 2004 and associated workbooks, CDs, transparencies, etc. Web site: http://www.employees.csbsju.edu/idommer/DeutschII.htm Course Description: Second year German builds on the skills learned in German I and continues to stress the spoken language as well as listening comprehension. Reading and writing of level appropriate material is included with a continuation of the fundamentals of grammar. Since course materials are centered on the lives of a group of German-speaking teenagers and their families, many aspects of traditional culture and everyday life are also explored. Course Objective: To lay the foundation for students to become effective communicators using the German language. Primary focus will be on the following areas: · Listening. The goal is to develop listening skills so that the student can distinguish between sounds used in English and German, understand simple greetings, idiomatic expressions and questions, short passages, as well as combinations of previously learned material. They will learn to use context, structural clues and associated vocabulary to intelligently guess at meaning. · Speaking. Students will learn pronunciation that will be easily understood by native German speakers. They will develop the ability to begin to express personal ideas, describe and explain situations, feelings, needs and desires. · Reading. Students will read skill appropriate material aloud with comprehensible pronunciation and intonation. They will read silently to understand, without word-for-word translation. They will learn to make effective use of dictionaries and glossaries. · Writing. Students will write short texts using correct grammatical structures and vocabulary. Some of the writing will be in a workbook and some will be from the textbook. Some assignments may be submitted electronically. · Culture. Students will investigate a wide variety of cultural themes in German-speaking countries so as to develop an awareness and appreciation of the life and cultures found in these countries and to be able to compare them to their own native cultures. Grading: Basically, I use the grading system found in the handbook. The only change is that you will earn an A if your average is 3.85 or higher. Your final grade will be based on these categories: Exams, graded assignments and presentations-45%, Homework/quizzes-35%, Participation-20%. A note about participation: Your active and positive participation will have an effect on your grade. Every progress report I will give you a grade for participation which reflects my judgment of your participation. I will use three grades, A, C, & F for participation. You will get an A if you participate in discussion, have your homework done on time, and are a positive influence. You will get a C if there are minor infractions of classroom decorum or late or a small amount of missing work. An F will indicate multiple infractions of classroom decorum or major disciplinary problems, lots of missing work or I have had to dismiss you from the class. A note about daily homework. There will be written homework on most days. Typically it will be due in class the day after it is assigned, e.g. if page 14 is assigned on Monday it would typically be due on Tuesday. This homework is designed to give you practice with the grammatical structures and vocabulary. If the homework is finished on time you will get 3 points, if it is one day late you will get 2 points and if it is two days late you will get 1 point. After that you will get no credit. If you miss more than four assignments in the course of the semester it will be impossible for you to get an A in the class. General Expectations 1. Be in class on time. I will consider you late if you are not in your seat by the time I finish taking roll. (That does not take very long!) 2. If you are late, just take your seat with a minimum of fuss and bother. See me at the end of class to explain your tardiness. (See the handbook for consequences of being tardy) 3. Assignments are due on the day they are due. This means that they are to be finished by the beginning of the class period on the due date unless other arrangements have been made. 4. If you are absent, you must turn in any assignments that were due while you were absent on the day you return. If you can’t find me you can leave the assignment with Lori in the main office. If you are absent for several days and need extra time to make up your work, see me to make the appropriate arrangements. 5. If you miss an exam or quiz, you must see me the first day that you are back in school to arrange a time to make it up. A. NOTE: Any missing assignments will count as Fs on progress reports and grade reports. You have been warned. 6. Always bring your class materials, any text we are studying, notebook and a writing implement to class. 7. You are expected to be cooperative in class. Listen to me or whoever has the floor. Civility and courtesy are expected 8. Never throw anything away. If there is ever a dispute about a grade etc. you will need documentation to demonstrate that I made a mistake. Without documentation, my records will be presumed to be correct. I make every effort to make sure that is the case. Do not delete electronic assignments until you have received your final grade. Course Expectations: A. Reading. You are expected to do all of the assigned reading. I will feel free to quiz you at any time I feel it is necessary. B. Homework. Homework is to be turned in on time. It has to be in a legible format, either neatly handwritten in ink or word processed. (If writing by hand, do not double space; double spacing is only for word processed work.) Materials needed for class You should have the following materials for class: · A notebook for taking notes in class · A folder to hold hand-outs, returned quizzes and tests and homework · A pen, blue or black ink. I prefer homework to be done in ink.
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