Current Schedule, Assignments & Course Documents (updated: 25 May 2004)
locations further down this page (or just scroll down)
PSU Academic Calendar & Final Exam Schedule for This Quarter
first-year German schedules for earlier quarters
Notes

29 March 2004

The course will cover Kontexte 16-23 or maybe 24, at a rate of one Kontext per week.
Weekly Schedule of Main Activities
Revised 29 March 2004
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(Dates are in the standard international sequence: dd/mm. Links below go to lower in this page. "K" = "Kontext" or chapter of Wie, bitte?

"Kontext Assignments" include the following: initial message to instructor; writing based on graphics and broadcast segment; self-evaluation on Kontext completion; weekly "culture & fun" activity report.

Activities and assignments listed under for a given week begin on Wednesday for MWF classes; the corresponding day for the TR section is Tuesday (NOT Thursday) of that same week. The same principle applies for due dates. As for precise timing on due dates, the day is considered to last until 5pm for work submitted as hard copy, and midnight for work submitted electronically. The "clock" on due dates for assignment revisions and stage 2 of projects starts when your instructor gives / sends your work back to you.)
1 Mo Di Mi Do Fr
29.03 30.03 31.03 01.04 02.04

NOTE:
See above for the standard policy about when activities begin.

Throughout the week: review Kontext from previous quarter, final exams, and final project from previous quarter

Do the introductory assignment, so that we can create our email address books and make sure you are really in the course and know how to use the materials.

start Kontext 16 ("Konditorei"), including the regular Kontext assignment
Start project #1 - If you are new to the course, or if last quarter you did the "Welcoming Kit" project (which is most of you), this will be "Unsere Musik - Our Music". If last quarter you did the music project, then start the "Welcoming Kit" project. If your class last quarter did not finish its second project (most likely the "Welcoming Kit"), return to that project and continue with stage 2 soon.

Last day of class this week: practice listening and reading tests, in preparation for later tests. The practice tests are required but are not graded for real. We're doing this so that when the real tests come, you won't be distracted by encountering a new kind of test.
2 Mo Di Mi Do Fr
05.04 06.04 07.04 08.04 09.04

start Kontext 17 ("Opernkasse"), including the regular Kontext assignment
Basic assignments for preceding Kontext due
Project #1 Stage #1 due
3 Mo Di Mi Do Fr
12.04 13.04 14.04 15.04 16.04

start Kontext 18 ("Altstadt"), including the regular Kontext assignment
Basic assignments for preceding Kontext due
Project #1 Stage #1 due. Project #1 Stage #2 due ONE WEEK after your instructor returns your stage #1 to you.

Last day of class: LISTENING AND READING TESTS #1 (may be conducted outside class)
4 Mo Di Mi Do Fr
19.04 20.04 21.04 22.04 23.04

start Kontext 19 ("Frühstück"), including the regular Kontext assignment
Basic assignments for preceding Kontext due

ORAL AND WRITTEN TESTS #1 (probably last day of class)

start Project #2 "German and My Occupation / Serious Pastime"
5 Mo Di Mi Do Fr
26.04 27.04 28.04 29.04 30.04

start Kontext 20 ("Was empfehlen Sie?"), including the regular Kontext assignment
Basic assignments for preceding Kontext due

Project #2 Stage #1 due. Project #2 Stage #2 due ONE WEEK after your instructor returns your stage #1 to you.
6 Mo Di Mi Do Fr
03.05 04.05 05.05 06.05 07.05

NO new Kontext this week. We need time for reviewing, testinng, and organizing projects and portfolios.
Basic assignments for preceding Kontext due
Wednesday & Friday OR Thursday, depending on your section: LISTENING AND READING TESTS #2 (may be conducted outside class)
7 Mo Di Mi Do Fr
10.05 11.05 12.05 13.05 14.05

Start Kontext 21 ("Dom"), including the regular Kontext assignment
Basic assignments for preceding Kontext due

ORAL AND WRITTEN TESTS #2 (probably last day of class)

Project #2 Stage #1 due. Project #2 Stage #2 due ONE WEEK after your instructor returns your stage 1 to you
8 Mo Di Mi Do Fr
17.05 18.05 19.05 20.05 21.05

Start Kontext 22 ("Geschenke"), including the regular Kontext assignment
Basic assignments for preceding Kontext due

Project #3 Stage #1 due. Project #3 Stage #2 due ONE WEEK after your instructor returns your stage #1 to you.
9 Mo Di Mi Do Fr
24.05 25.05 26.05 27.05 28.05

Start Kontext 23 ("Zoo"), including the regular Kontext assignment
Basic assignments for preceding Kontext due

Begin Project 2, Stage 1 ("Deutsch, mein Studium, mein Beruf - German, My Education, My Occupation"). Stage 1 is due on the final day of class this quarter. On the final exam there may be a section that asks you to make use of your stage 1 knowledge.

Project #3 Stage #1 due. Project #3 Stage #2 due ONE WEEK after your instructor returns your stage 1 to you. Your instructor may choose to have projects presented individually in class.
10 Mo Di Mi Do Fr
31.05 01.06 02.06 03.06 04.06

Maybe: start Kontext 24 ("Abendfahrt auf dem Rhein"), including the regular Kontext assignment
Basic assignments for preceding Kontext due
Mo Di Mi Do Fr
07.06 08.06 09.06 10.06 11.06
0800-0950 Reiling Final 1015-1205 Fischer Final 0800-0950 Bergstrom Final
1230-1420 Pratum Final

Schlußprüfungen - The final examination consists of a writing test,a listening test, a reading test, and an individual oral test. You may take your final with any section, but if you are not taking yours with your own section, please inform both instructors involved.
Basic assignments for preceding Kontext due; all other work due as well - instructors determine how late during finals period they will accept work for grades.
Course Assignments & Documents
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Study Advice and Checklist for Completing a Unit
This is advice about what to do for any Kontext. The Basic Assignment for each Kontext has a completion checklist that is specific to each Kontext.

Introductory Assignments

Assignments for new students:

About Scoring Guides: The course uses the standard 6-level system for performance evaluation. Key features of the learning activity are described with performance profiles at the various levels. If the scoring guide for your activity is available to you while you are doing the activity, you can use it as a recipe to get the grade you want - if you do the learning that produces the results described in the scoring guide.

Course description for current quarter (pdf, 306KB)

Course Description & Initial Syllabus with Assignments 1 & 2 (Fall 2003), 48K Four-page presentation: staffing, materials, calendar, goals, testing & grading, preliminary syllabus, and first TWO assignments. Read this the first quarter you enter first-year German.

Instructors' Scoring Guide for Assignment 1 (pdf)

Instructors' Scoring Guide for Assignment 2 (pdf)

What to Do and Get First Handout (Infoblatt) Part of Assignment #2: how to obtain and organize your materials and begin studying (32K)

Assignment #3 is a questionnaire that checks whether you know how your materials are organized, and what you think about the components of a language-learning program. It was distributed in photocopy form in class. If you haven't done it yet, check with your instructor, or download it, fill it in, and return it. You should also download and consult the Scoring Guide.

Assignment #4 is the response to the video about popular images of language learning. The worksheet was distributed in class. If you missed the class, talk to your instructor.

Assignment #5 uses the "ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines," which are in the photocopy packet and are also available (PDF) from this link. Copy or print the two pages. Read the Guidelines for both reading and speaking. Then, for both reading and speaking, mark three of the individual guidelines to show: 1) what your level of proficiency was when you began German 101; 2) what your level of proficiency is NOW; 3) what level of proficiency you expect to reach at the end of German 103.

Basic Kontext Assignments go to top of page

For each Kontext you will do a set of activities which include:
1) An email report to your instructor, in German, that you are now working on the new Kontext. To it you will add, also in German, one other item of information, of your own choice, that makes the message more human.
2) Short written remarks about some the graphics and sound segments of the Kontext
3) Your self-evalution of your readiness to go on to the next Kontext
Note: Self-evaluations are available ONLY on the WWW version of "Wie, bitte?", or by

selecting this link

Later on the Basic Kontext Assignment will be expanded to include longer personal writing activities, software-based writing and listening tutorials, and culture-learning activities.
Specifications & Scoring Guide for Basic Kontext Assignments
You should begin the Basic Kontext Assignments no later than the day of the first classroom session of each new Kontext. They are due the day of the first classroom session of the following Kontext.
Projects go to top of page

#1 "Unsere Musik / Our Music"

Project Specifications (17.2KB, pdf)

Scoring Guide, (10.3KB, pdf)

#2 "Deutsch und mein Studium und Beruf / German and My Education and Occupation"

Project Specifications for Stage 1 (90KB, pdf)

Tests go to top of page
Tests cover all material through the Kontext that has been completed as the text cycle begins. You can't use just part of a language, so we don't test just part of it. You may take your tests with any section of the course; please notify both instructors if you plan to do that. Some finals are not on the usual days for their sections, or not at the same time of day a their classes.

Writing Test #1 (through Kontext 17), pdf 95KB

Scoring Guide for Writing Test #1, pdf 10KB