jbauer@elsd.org
Herzlich Willkommen! (Welcome!)
I'm Dr. Jeff Bauer, the German teacher. Here are my expectations for the German classes:
German One is an introductory course designed for basic communication skills in everyday circumstances, for example, how to change money in a bank, how to go grocery shopping, how to accept an invitation to a social gathering.
Each student who successfully completes this course will be able to function in German-speaking Europe in everyday settings.
Grading is simple: Your report card will reflect a percentage expression of the total number of points which you have earned divided by the total number of points that were possible in the nine weeks grading period. That means that class participation, class preparedness, etc., are all factored equally into your grade. Homework is intended as a preparation for class and therefore counts as part of your class participation grade. An optional oral exam for extra credit is given at the end of each grading period.
CLASS PARTICIPATION IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT in my class, because, of all the four skills associated with foreign language acquisition (listening, speaking, reading and writing) I focus on speaking the most. Speaking is ACTIVE (as is writing). The more you can produce on your own, the better your foreign language skills will be.
You need to come to class with a positive attitude (a smile), your German book, a notebook, and a writing utensil. If you bring these items and you do as directed, you will succeed!
German Two is a continuation of German One (above). You will learn more fluency in a wider variety of settings and situations, for example, how to discuss what you did while you were on vacation. Same class expectations apply. By now, you are used to German instruction in my classroom, so no real changes in classroom management or classroom climate are necessary.
German Three (Pre-AP) is a continuation of German Two. Here, you will learn still more fluency in a wider variety of settings and situations than in German Two, for example, how to express yourself in more complicated and hypothetical situations such as the expression of unfulfillable wishes. This course prepares you for AP German 4.
Upon completion of this course, you will be able to express yourself in more elaborate settings. Conversation will be freer and more fluent, as will writing. This course is intended to roughly correspond to the 6th or 9th credit proficiency level at most colleges and universities, meaning that, upon successful completion, you should be able to test out of one or two levels of German at college.
Classroom management items are the same as above.
German Four (AP) focuses more on writing, but all four foreign language skills will be addressed.
The goal of the course is to prepare for the college or university placement exam, which is scaled according to percentage. Upon successful completion of German Four at Hughesville, and depending on the chosen university, many students can completely test out of the 12th credit proficiency level (Quite a few have!), and gain AP credit, thus saving tuition money or freeing up the university schedule for other courses (I hope higher levels of German)!
VIEL GLÜCK!!!
If you have any questions, the best way to contact me is via e-mail. I check it several times a day, so I will get back to you more quickly than if you phone me here at the high school. However, I make every attempt to promptly respond to phone messages as well!
Tschüß!
Dr. JPB
