German for Beginners

Deutsch fr Anfnger

GN1511 (A17), Sections 01 & 02

Konstanz Hafen mit Emporia

Prof: Elisabeth Solbakken

Email: esolbakken@wpi.edu
Sprechstunde: Tuesday 9:30-10, Thursday 12-12:30
office:
ph.:

TEXTS (available in WPI bookstore)

Dollenmayer & Hansen. Neue Horizonte, 8th edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2013. (one copy also
on reserve at Gordon Library circulation desk). No previous edition is acceptable.

Crocker, Dollenmayer & Hansen. Student Activities Manual for Neue Horizonte, 8th edition. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 2013.

Zorach, English Grammar for Students of German (on reserve in Gordon Library).

OBJECTIVES

By the end of this term you will be able to introduce yourself in German, talk about your personal
interests and college life, and comprehend simple reading texts. You will learn about cultural
differences between the German-speaking countries and North America. Grammatically, you will be
able to speak in the present tense, use the nominative and accusative cases appropriately, and construct
sentences in the affirmative, negative, and interrogative form. You will learn how to pronounce German
correctly. You will also be able to understand classroom instructions and ask class-related questions in
German.

QUIZZES, TESTS, ORAL INTERVIEW

There will be a vocabulary quiz and a chapter test for each chapter covered, the last test will be
cumulative. There will also be a brief individual oral interview at the end of the term in which you will
display your speaking and listening comprehension skills.

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HOMEWORK

Homework consists of the following three components:

SAM Workbook: Please bring your Student Activities Manual to class every day. In general, we
will review at least one of the previous nights exercises, which is to be completed at home prior to
class. Some of these exercises are part of an audio program that you will access via
www.cengage.com/german, using the password-protected account that accompanies your textbook.
You can also access the audio program via http://academics.wellesley.edu/German/Neue8Audio/.
(Username: GermanStudent / Password: Berlin1989). On the day of each chapter exam, you will be
required to submit the SAM Workbook. In order to receive credit, the SAM must show evidence
that you have checked your answers using the answer keys on the Cengage website (corrections
must be in a different color ink).
Graded homework assignments: These are individual writing assignments that must be turned in
on a separate sheet of paper. If you type, please double-space; if you write by hand, please write on
every other line and leave a wide margin for your professors comments. If you require more than
two sheets, please staple them.
Deutschheft: The Deutschheft is a personal composition notebook - A4 sizes are too bulky and
heavy for your professor to carry - that will accompany you through the rest of your German
courses at WPI. In it, you will write exercises from the textbook. Please buy the composition
notebook at the WPI bookstore. As with the SAM, you are expected to correct the exercises in a
different color using the online answer key (on Canvas / Cengage). I will collect them on the day of
the chapter test.

CONVERSATION SESSIONS

You are expected to attend at least four supplementary conversation sessions in the course of the term,
conducted by our TAs. These will be scheduled during the first or second week of class. The completion
of these sessions makes up 5% of your overall grade. Do NOT wait until the end of the term because
you should not go more than once a week.

CHANGES TO THE SYLLABUS

This syllabus is subject to change. A. Please check Canvas and your emails regularly.

BREAKDOWN OF GRADES

participation (includes attendance) 25%

four chapter tests, chapter 4 is cumulative 30%
vocabulary quizzes 15%
graded homework assignments (mini-essays) 10%
ungraded homework assignments (SAM/Deutschheft) 10%
oral interview 5%
conversation sessions 5%

% grade
97-100 A+ 80-82 B-
93-96 A 70-79 C
90-93 A- 60-69 D
87-89 B+ 59 and less F
83-86 B

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Participation is graded according to the following guidelines:

A: You participate actively in free conversation without waiting to be called on. You have
prepared the reading and grammar exercises well at home. You pose and answer
questions in German and do not resort to English unless absolutely necessary.
B: You wait to be called on in free conversation, but then respond. You have prepared the
reading and grammar exercises at home. You pose and answer questions in German and
do not resort to English unless absolutely necessary.
C: You wait to be called on in free conversation and sometimes are unable to respond. You
have not prepared well and only sometimes answer correctly. You rely on English and
are reluctant to participate in German.

Note on attendance:

Regular attendance is vitally important to your success in learning a new language. You are allowed
three absences during the course of the term. Note that this includes absence due to illness. Each
additional absence over three will lower your class participation grade by one letter. It is your
responsibility to make up the work for classes you miss and to be prepared for the next class. If you are
going to be absent for a quiz or test, you must let your instructor know this ahead of time and arrange to
take it at another time. You may not make up quizzes and tests if you do not inform your instructor
ahead of time of your anticipated absence. Keep track of your absences.

Note on a grade of NR:

In the event that you receive an NR for this course, you should be aware that you may not take the
following course in the language sequence, GN 1512, for credit toward the Humanities and Arts
requirement until you have passed GN 1511.

Note on mobile devices:

Mobile devices are accepted in the classroom solely for the purpose of looking up class-related
materials such as vocabulary. Sounds should be turned off and you should wait checking messages until
your professor has ended the class. If you are expecting an emergency call, please let your professor
know in advance.

ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY

You must write exams by yourself. (no notes, no books, no laptops, no phones are permitted). You may
not use a translation program/software (e.g. Google Translate) for any assignments, dictionaries are
permitted. You may not consult anyone except your instructor for assistance with graded writing
assignments. Violations of any point in this policy will result in an automatic NR for the course.

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STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

If you are a student with a disability and believe you may need accommodations in this class, you are
encouraged to contact the Disability Services Office (DSO), as soon as possible to ensure that such
accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. The DSO is located in 124 Daniels Hall, (508) 831-4908,
disabilityservices@wpi.edu.

If you feel stressed out, feel homesick, or have adjustment problems you can contact the Student Counseling and
Development Center located on 157 West Street, (508) 831-5540, sdcc@wpi.edu. Youre also welcome to reach
out to me if you ever feel the need to talk things over.

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 LEHRPLAN
Mo = Montag Monday
Di = Dienstag Tuesday
Mi = Mittwoch Wednesday
Do = Donnerstag Thursday
Fr = Freitag Friday
NH = Neue Horizonte, 8th edition
SAM = Student Activities Manual

Do, den 24.08. Einfhrung, Tag 1

1. Familiarize yourself with course components: syllabus, course website, Cengage website,
and textbook (p. xiv-xvi).
2. NH 4-9. Learn by heart the phrases in the light-blue boxes.
3. SAM 183-190. Review class material from day one and listen to The Sounds of German.

Fr, den 25.08. Einfhrung, Tag 2

1. NH 10-13, 15. Lesen (read).

2. NH 14, 19. Wortschatz lesen (learn the vocabulary). Listen to words online and say them
aloud. Note: the plural form of each noun is shown in abbreviated form following its
singular: der Herr, -en = der Herr (gentleman), die Herren (gentlemen); der Morgen, -- =
der Morgen (morning), die Morgen (mornings).
3. NH 18. Dialoge hren (listen to dialogs).
4. SAM 191. Fragen zu den Dialogen.
Mo, den 28.08 Vokabelquiz. Kapitel 1: Einfhrung

1. NH 19. Wortschatz lernen.

2. NH 22-27. Lesen. Learn forms of sein by heart. Learn nouns on margin of p. 27 by heart.
3. SAM 3-5 (bungen A-E), 191-194.

Di, den 29.08. Einfhrung in Grammatik 2

1. NH 19. Wortschatz wiederholen (review the vocab).

2. NH 26-27. bungen 7, 10 in das Deutschheft schreiben (write exercises 7, 10 in your
Deutschheft).
3. NH 28-33. Lesen.
4. SAM 6-7 (bungen F-I).

Do, den 31.08. Grammatik

1. NH 30-33. bungen 13, 16, and 18 in das Deutschheft schreiben (even-numbered sentences
only).
2. NH 34. Tipps zum Vokabelnlernen lesen. Also: say aloud the words in Leicht zu merken.
3. SAM 8-9 (bung J).

Fr, den 01.09. Vokabelquiz. Einfhrung in das Lesestck

1. NH 35. Wortschatz 2 lernen.

2. NH 36. Lesen.
3. NH 38. Write exercise D2 on a separate sheet of paper. This is a graded homework
assignment due on Tuesday, the 5th of September.
Mo, den 04.09. unterrichtsfrei (no classes)

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Di, den 05.09. Lesestck, essay due

1. Study for the Prfung on Thursday.

2. NH 40-41. Lesen.
3. SAM 195.
4. Bring SAM and Deutschheft to next class.
Do, den 07.09. Prfung Kapitel 1 (Chapter 1 Exam)

1. NH 45. Wortschatz 1 lernen. NB: Verbs in parentheses are the 3rd-person singular
conjugations of irregular verbs.
2. SAM 197-198. Fragen zu den Dialogen, Hren Sie gut zu!, bung zur Aussprache.
3. NH 47. Das Gedicht lesen (read the poem). Also listen to it online and repeat it yourself.

Fr, den 08.09. Einfhrung in Kapitel 2

1. NH 45. Wortschatz 1 wiederholen.

2. NH 48-54. Lesen. Memorize accusative personal pronouns and irregular forms of haben and
wissen.
3. SAM 11-13 (bungen A-E), 198-199.

Mo, den 11.09. Grammatik

1. NH 45. Wortschatz 1 wiederholen.

2. NH 53. bung 10 in das Deutschheft schreiben..
3. NH 54-57. Lesen. Learn possessive adjectives by heart. Learn how to form cardinal
numbers.
4. SAM 14-18 (bungen F-M).

Di, den 12.09. Grammatik

1. Wortschatz 1 + Kardinalzahlen + Possessivadjektive wiederholen.

2. NH 58. Tipps lesen. Say aloud the words in Leicht zu merken.
3. SAM 19-20.

Do, den 14.09. Vokabelquiz, Einfhrung in das Lesestck

1. NH 59. Wortschatz 2 lernen.

2. NH 60. Lesen. Also listen to it online.
3. NH 61. bung D ins Deutschheft schreiben.
4. Graded writing assignment: Find a photo of a family (online/magazine/personal photo, etc.)
and write a postcard about the family. Instructions are on NH 61, Schreibtipp. Due on
Dienstag, den 19. September.
Fr, den 15.09. Lesestck

1. Study for the Prfung Kapitel 2.

2. SAM 200. Diktat.
3. Bring SAM and Deutschheft am Montag.

Mo, den 18.09. Prfung Kapitel 2, Einfhrung in Kapitel 3

1. NH 69. Wortschatz 1 lernen.

2. NH 68. Dialoge hren.
3. SAM 201-202.
4. Finish writing your postcard and bring it to class am Dienstag.

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Di, den 19.09. Dialoge, Variationen, Lyrik, Grammatik, postcard due

1. NH 69. Wortschatz wiederholen.

2. NH 72-80. Lesen.
3. SAM 21-23 (bungen A-D), SAM 203.

Do, den 21.09. Grammatik: the predicate, modal verbs, stem-vowel changes

1. NH 69. Wortschatz wiederholen.

2. NH 76. bung 4 ins Deutschheft schreiben.
3. NH 81-85. Lesen.
4. SAM 23-25 (bungen E-H), SAM 204.

Fr, den 22.09. Negation, Indefinite pronoun man

1. NH 69. Wortschatz wiederholen.

2. NH 86. Tipps lesen. Say aloud the words in Leicht zu merken.
Mo, den 25.09. Vokabelquiz, Einfhrung in das Lesestck.

1. NH 87. Wortschatz 2 lernen.

2. NH 88-89. Das Lesestck lesen. Then listen to it online.
3. SAM 26-28.

Di, den 26.09. Lesestck, Selected bungen

1. NH 90. Schreibtipp lesen. Then write the exercise Schreiben wir in your Deutschheft.
2. NH 91-92. Wortschatz lernen. These words will be on the Prfung.
3. NH 94. Lesen.

Do, den 28.09. bungen und Aktivitten

1. Study for the Prfung Kapitel 3.

2. Take-home worksheets.

Fr, den 29.09. Wiederholung

1. Study for the Prfung Kapitel 3.

2. Bring SAM and Deutschheft am Montag.

Mo, den 02.10. Prfung Kapitel 3, Einfhrung in Kapitel 4

1. NH 99. Wortschatz lernen.

2. NH 102-110. Lesen. Learn the list of prepositions with the accusative case by heart.
3. SAM 29, 207-208.

Di, den 03.10. Dialoge, Variationen, Lyrik, Grammatik

1. NH 99. Wortschatz wiederholen.

2. SAM 209-210.
3. NH 111-115. Lesen. Learn the present tense of werden and mgen by heart.
4. SAM 30-33 (bungen C-F).

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Do, den 05.10. Grammatik

1. NH 114. bung 26 ins Deutschheft schreiben.

2. NH 116-117. Tipps lesen. Say words aloud in Leicht zu merken.
3. SAM 33-34.
4. Graded writing assignment: NH 121. Read the Schreibtipp and write an essay (ca. 150-
250 words) on the Fantasiefrage Tacitus modern. It is due am Dienstag, den 10.
Oktober.

Fr, den 06.10. Vokabelquiz, Einfhrung in das Lesestck

1. NH 117. Wortschatz 2 lernen.

2. NH 118-119. Lesestck lesen. Also listen to it online.
3. NH 122. Vokabeln im Alltag lesen.

Mo, den 09.10. Lesestck, bungen

1. NH 124. Almanach lesen.

2. Graded writing assignment: bring to class am Dienstag.
Di, den 10.10. bungen, essay due

1. Study for the Prfung Kapitel 4. Exam includes vocabulary in Wortschatz 2 (NH 117), and
it is cumulative. You can use the Zusammenfassung und Wiederholung (Summary and
Review), SAM 41-56, to review the grammar and some vocabulary of chapters 1-4. It
includes a self-correcting Test Your Progress (SAM 52-56 answers on SAM 337). Note:
This includes chapter 5 as well.
2. SAM 211.
3. SAM 41-56.
4. Bring SAM and Deutschheft to final class.

Do, den 12.10. Prfung Kapitel 4