Deutsch 106  Course Goals and Instructions

Please note: 100-level language courses cannot be taken on a pass/fail basis if the courses are being used to satisfy a requirement or as prerequisites of a course used to satisfy a requirement.

GENERAL INFORMATION	MATERIALS	GRADING
Academic Honesty Attendance Classroom Courtesy Course Goals & Methodology Extra Practice Opportunities Final Exam Late arrival / Early departure Preparation/Participation  Syllabus Testing Web Activities Workbook	REQUIRED: Deutsch heute  Moeller/Liedloff et al 8th edition Must include in-text audio cd Workbook to Deutsch heute Access to web CD player	Quizzes: 15% Class participation: 15% Midterm written exam with listening comprehension: 15%  In-class compositions (2): 20% Writing Workshop Assignments (2): 10% Speaking activity:  10% Final written exam: 15% A      93 - 99 A-     90 - 92 B+    87 - 89 B      83 - 86 B-     80 - 82 etc.

COURSE GOALS AND METHODOLOGY

German 106 is not based on lectures, on the completion of drills, or on translation activities. Instead, students actively participate, using German to complete a variety of meaningful and authentic tasks. Many of these tasks require students to interact creatively with a partner or within small groups. Much of the class is conducted in German.
The objectives for German 106 are to

•  increase expression (speaking and writing) and comprehension (listening and reading) skills in German by communicative interaction.
•  learn intermediate grammar topics: present perfect tense, 2-way prepositions, adjective endings and comparisons, reflexive verbs, genitive case.
•  expand vocabulary.
• increase awareness of and appreciation for Germany and Switzerland.

FINAL EXAM WEEK

The specific date and time for the final exam will be announced in the course of the semester. It is not possible to schedule an alternate date or time for a final exam. If you miss the final exam, no make-up will be given unless you can document that the exam was missed due to an emergency (e.g. severe illness, accident, death in the family). It is not possible to schedule an alternate final exam in order to accommodate travel plans.
Students can view their individual exam schedule on their UDSIS student page. Please do NOT plan to travel during exam week. If you have three exams on the same day, you may ask your instructors to allow you to take their exam on an alternate day/time. If you have an exam conflict (more than one exam on the same day and time), notify your instructors. One of them must give you an alternate exam day/time during final exam week. 

ATTENDANCE

Attendance is very important in a language course, for skills are developed through daily use. You are expected to attend every class. Unexcused absences will lower your final grade.
Successful completion of German 106 presupposes 56 hours of direct contact with the German language, in much the same way that a lab course or any skill-licensing course presupposes a predetermined number of contact hours.
Nevertheless the first four absences will not be held against you.*  Do not bring in a written excuse for these first four absences.  (The only exception to this is if the absence occurs on a day when a test, quiz, composition, or other evaluation is scheduled.  On those days you must bring written documentation such as a letter from your physician or from the dean of your college.  No such excuses will be accepted one calendar week (seven days) beyond the day on which the absence occurred.
After four absences for whatever reason (e.g. illness, religious holidays, etc.) your final grade will be lowered by 1% for each additional absence. This excludes absences after the fifth which are due to religious holidays, illness, accidents, or other exceptional circumstances. Such absences must be reported promptly and will require written documentation such as a letter from your physician. No such excuses will be accepted one calendar week (seven days) beyond the day on which the absence occurred.
There are no make-ups of any kind for work missed due to unexcused absences or late arrivals.
Please note: if a student misses the final exam, no make-up will be given unless the student can document that the exam was missed due to an emergency (e.g. severe illness, accident, death in the family).

*During the Winter session, one absence = 50 minutes of class time.

LATE ARRIVAL TO CLASS/ EARLY DEPARTURE FROM CLASS

Students arriving late to class or departing early from class miss valuable instruction. Your instructor will inform you of the consequences of too many tardy arrivals and/or early departures. Normally there is no valid excuse for late arrival or early departure.

CLASSROOM COURTESY

The following practices provide a classroom atmosphere conducive to learning and will allow each student to benefit from the full 50 minutes of every class session.

1. Be on time. Please be seated and ready to work at the starting time for each class.
2. No meals. Please finish any food or drink before entering the classroom. Dispose of wrappers and bottles before being seated.
3. No cell phones. Please turn cell phones off and keep them in back packs or pockets for the entire time you are in the classroom.
4. No private conversations.  Please refrain from conducting private conversations during the class period. This includes time spent in partner or group activities.
5. Raise your hand. Please wait until the instructor acknowledges you before asking or answering questions. Make every effort to communicate in German.
6. Excuse yourself. In case it is unavoidable to leave class early, please notify the instructor prior to class. Come a few minutes early that day. Such instances should be rare.
7. Remain seated, with books and notebooks open, until the instructor announces class is over. Do not zip up book bags or otherwise prepare to leave before this moment.
8. Refrain from leaving the classroom for drinks of water, finding tissues, and other non-essential purposes.
9. If leaving the room is truly necessary, just leave quietly without asking for permission. Such instances should be rare. Return to class quickly and quietly. 
10. Find a buddy. Exchange e-mails and phone numbers with a reliable student. If you have to miss a class, this is the person you should ask about any missed work.

PREPARATION FOR CLASS AND CLASS PARTICIPATION

Most of the work you do in this class will involve communicative partner activities.  Coming to class well-prepared and participating are integral parts of this course.

Expected behavior for a student receiving the grade
    A for participation/participation : is always punctual, does not leave early, remains in classroom during the entire 50 minutes, shows high level of preparation, enthusiastically participates in all class activities, uses German almost exclusively, asks questions, volunteers relevant information.
B for participation/participation : is rarely tardy (once or twice during the semester), does not leave early, remains in classroom during the entire 50 minutes, is regularly prepared, answers when asked, willingly participates and makes a conscious effort to use German.
C for participation/participation : is sometimes tardy (three or four times during the semester), does not leave early, remains in classroom during the entire 50 minutes, is sometimes prepared but inconsistent, answers when called upon, uses German when required but lapses into English when not reminded, volunteers inconsistently.
D for participation/participation : is often tardy, leaves early (even once), leaves the room during class time, is rarely prepared for class, sometimes forgets to bring materials, is often unable to answer
and rarely volunteers, hardly answers in German.
F for participation/participation : is often tardy, leaves early, leaves the room during class time, has excessive absences, is not prepared for class, often forgets to bring materials, does not answer when called upon, and does not speak German.

Your preparation/participation is evaluated on the following positive contributions to the class:

· completion of daily homework

· on-task behavior in partner and group activities

· progress in the ‘skill of communication’

· alertness

· punctuality

· regular use of new vocabulary and grammar

· grammatically accurate answers

· phonetically correct answers

· volunteering to answer and ask questions

· constant use of German in the classroom

Syllabus:

The German 106 syllabus is available on-line. You will not receive a paper copy. You will need to use the on-line syllabus daily in order to make use of the links and to keep abreast of any changes. The syllabus shows what you must do before coming to class each day, as well as the themes and partner activities your instructors will cover with the class. Individual instructors may vary these activities slightly. Examples of homework include: preparing reading selections, learning vocabulary, writing paragraphs and text exercises, and listening to audio files. You will not receive a separate grade for these assignments. They will be evaluated as part of the class preparation and participation grade. You may also turn in web activities. The dates for these assignments are indicated on the syllabus and can count towards your class participation grade.

Academic Honesty:

All work must be prepared only by you. You are not permitted to get help from anyone but your present instructor(s). Please inform yourself of the university guidelines on cheating and plagiarism found in the Student Guide to University Policies.

TESTING

The midterm exam will be written in class, and may include a listening comprehension portion.  The final exam will be written during final exam week. Quizzes are given throughout the semester.  The dates are in the syllabus; any changes will be announced by your instructor.

WORKBOOK

The workbook/lab manual is divided into four parts:
1. Workbook (pages 1 - 117) Used in class on days indicated on the syllabus, and at instructor's discretion.
2. Lab Manual (pages 121 - 169) The Lab Manual section provides the answer sheets to the listening comprehension activities of the Deutsch heute audio files.
3. Self tests with answer keys (pages 173 - 197) Student use before each chapter test is strongly recommended.

WEB ACTIVITIES

The dates for web search activities are indicated on the syllabus. Always begin with the web activities site which provides you with some vocabulary and instructions for completing the search. Be sure to look ahead on the syllabus and to budget your time in order to avoid last-minute problems with computers and printers. Web sites change often: please notify your instructor(s) of any URL or other changes. This work can count as part of your preparation/participation grade.

EXTRA PRACTICE OPPORTUNITIES

The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures Media Center is located in 210 Smith Hall. All the work stations are equipped with a variety of materials in German which offer students extra practice opportunities at all levels. In addition, you can view German language films from the extensive library. The Media Center attendants can assist you in finding and using appropriate materials.               About the Media Center... 
The Foreign Language Media Center is a multimedia aided
                       instructional facility associated with the Department of
                       Foreign Languages and Literatures that is designed to
                       support second language acquisition at the University of
                       Delaware. It features a 41 seat multimedia classroom and a
                       32 seat computer-based self-access learning center used for
                      everything from video viewing to complete Web and
                       CD-ROM based multimedia presentations. The goal of the
                      Media Center is to bring the foreign language learning
                       experience to life through technology.