Declamation
They may also compete in the All-School Conversation Competition, Music, Art, Software, Baking, Sports, but cannot be part of a Goethe Bowl team or a Gilbert Bowl team or participate in the Vocabulary Bee. Students who have completed fourth year, but are not in a higher level class are not 4+ participants in the sense of this rule.
First Timer Prizes-A Tradition
New teachers from new programs may be concerned about competing against schools which have a tradition of participation and a lot of savvy on how to win prizes at the Festival. We'd like to encourage every teacher who reads this newsletter to bring students and participate right away. For this reason, we've instituted „first timer¾ prizes - which can only be won by schools participating for the first time or renewing their participation after a hiatus of three years or more. So if you've been thinking about going to the Festival and haven't taken your classes there yet, start your planning now. We'd love to have you.
Goethe Bowl XVII
This year, for the seventeenth time, the Frühlingsfest will include a Goethe Bowl Quiz. The preliminary rounds will be held on Friday afternoon. Schools are matched together by lot in the elimination rounds. If an uneven number of teams enters, one unmatched team, determined by lot, may advance to the Saturday rounds as a "wild card." Schools must field their teams on Friday in the elimination rounds in order to move on to the finals on Saturday.
In this College-Bowl-style quiz, teams of three contestants demonstrate their knowledge of German culture in all its aspects: history, art, geography, music, economics, politics, finance, industry, literature, daily life, customs, law, education, and so on. The prize for this contest is a handsome Wanderpokal, generously donated by the Goethe Institute in Atlanta. Each school may enter only one team, which may consist only of students in category A.
One reference for these facts is the latest edition of Facts About Germany, available from
Hannelore Köhler
German Information Center
950 3rd Av.
New York, NY 10022
(phone: 212-888-9840)
or
Dr. Christa Merkes-Frei
Goethe Institute
400 Colony Square
Atlanta, GA 30361
(phone: (404) 892-2388).
Other sources are used as well. The prize for this contest is a handsome Wanderpokal. The team that has the trophy from 1996 is to bring it to the festival. It becomes the permanent property of a school only after it has won the contest three times.
Ortrun Gilbert Language Bowl
The companion event to the Goethe Bowl is the Ortrun Gilbert Bowl, which focuses on knowledge of the German language. In this College-Bowl-style quiz, questions about the German language are featured, i.e. grammar, vocabulary, reading comprehension, etc. The preliminary rounds will be held on Friday afternoon. Schools are matched together by lot in the elimination rounds. If an uneven number of teams enters, one unmatched team, determined by lot, may advance to the Saturday rounds as a "wild card." Schools must field their teams on Friday in the elimination rounds in order to move on to the finals on Saturday.
The format for this year's Gilbert Bowl remains as in previous years. The questions are drawn from AATG Exams (Levels I-IV) of past years and are flashed up on the screen by a slide projector. Students on each team have 30 seconds to signal for a chance to answer. Once the signal is given, the person who gave it must answer without consultation within 10 seconds. If this answer is incorrect, the other team has 10 seconds to answer or pass. The second team may consult in these 10 seconds. One point is awarded for a correct answer; one point is deducted for an incorrect answer. There is no penalty for passing.
Teams consist of up to 3 students. There are two levels: I/II, Level III/IV. As with the Goethe Bowl, students defined as "experienced speakers" cannot be team members. Schools may field one team in each category.
Entering teams in Goethe, Gilbert, Volleyball, Soccer
There is no absolute prohibition this year requiring choosing between Goethe Bowl and sports, or between the Gilbert Bowl and sports, or between Goethe Bowl and Gilbert Bowl, BUT the persons in charge of each event may at their discretion declare a forfeit if the other matches have been played and a school is unable to field a team for the event in a timely fashion. (Schools may field a team of fewer members and/or may substitute members to avoid forfeiture, and reasonable efforts will be made to get information to the missing team that forfeiture is imminent.)
"Experienced Speaker" Definition (Category B)
The following definition, used for the AATG National Testing Program and approved for Festival use some years ago at a Fall AATG Meeting, determines "experienced speaker" (=Category B) status for competition and prize eligibility.
A student who has:
a) spent more than 2 months in a German-speaking country since the age of 6
OR
b) has attended school in a German-speaking country in which instruction was given in the German language
OR
c) who comes from a household in which at least one person speaks German more than 10% of the time or conducts usual conversation in German
is classified as an "experienced speaker," Category B.
A student to whom the previous conditions do not apply is in Category A.
NB: Participation in a short-term GAPP exchange is NOT regarded as "school attendance" in the sense referred to in b) above.
Students whose native language is German and who have maintained that native fluency are also excluded from the Goethe Bowl and the Dictation and Listening Comprehension contests. Exchange students should serve as judges.
Lounge Areas
Teacher's Lounge
The teacher's lounge will be in an area convenient to the All-School Conversation Contest in the school media center, mezzanine level.
Students' Lounge
The Farragut student hosts are arranging a student lounge/gathering place for visitors. The students' lounge will be open in the evening after the Listening Comprehension/Dictation contests and on Saturday from 10 am until the start of final Goethe Bowl rounds. Among the projected activities/events are:
- Souvenir swap (German-oriented souvenirs)
- Music listening area
- Board games
- "whatever"
TN AATG Meeting
There will be a brief meeting of Tennessee AATG in the Teacher's Lounge area immediately following the Listening Comprehension/Dictation Contests.
Contest Rules and Guidelines
ORTRUN GILBERT MEMORIAL AWARD
This award was established in 1996 in memory and honor of Ortrun Gilbert, charter president of the Tennessee AATG and beloved 'Spottvogelmutter¼ of the organization. The recipient of the award is honored for best carrying on the Ortrun Gilbert tradition of interest/enthusiasm for the German language and culture and of caring service.
Criteria
- Candidate must be a K-12 student enrolled in a German - language course during the academic year in which he/she is nominated.
- Candidate must demonstrate appropriate interest in and/or enthusiasm for German language and culture.
- Candidate participates in the annual Tennessee AATG Spring German Festival.
- Candidate must have a C or better in all German courses he/she has taken.
- Candidate exemplifies his/her strong commitment to caring service by involvement in service to others at home, school, church, neighborhood, or in community organizations.
Recommendation
Any Tennessee (K-12) German teacher or any out-of-state German teacher at the same level who attends the Tennessee AATG Spring German Festival may nominate a student to receive this award. Only one student may be nominated per school in any given year.
The nominating teacher shall write a recommendation of no more than two typewritten pages to explain why his/her nominee should receive the award. The recommendation must contain information that demonstrates how the candidate meets the above criteria, and teachers may also include additional background, if needed, to illustrate the nominee's worthiness of the award.
All nominations must be submitted to the selection committee by March 10, 1997.
Nominations received later than this date cannot be considered for the 1997 award. Send nominations to the chairperson:
Dr. Philip J. Campana
Department of Foreign Languages
Box 5061, Tennessee Tech University
Cookeville, TN 38505.
Selection Committee
The current AATG president will appoint a selection committee of at least three, but no more than five members. Selection committee members should either be college/university German teachers or should not be submitting any nominees for the award in the year they serve. The committee chairperson will share the nominations materials with the other members, and majority vote will determine the nominee selected to receive the award.
Awardees
No student may receive the Ortrun Gilbert Memorial Award more than once. However, schools may have other awardees in later years. A plaque will be presented to the student awardee at the annual Tennessee AATG Spring German Festival. The teacher of the successful candidate will receive a monetary award to be used for teaching materials for his/her German class. The amount of the award shall be $100.
Friday Contests and Activities
- Soccer: (preregistration and arrival by 2 pm required, games will be played 3:30-5:30, weather permitting. The sports fields are located on the map. Teams may include both sexes. Participating teams must have registered by March 17, 1997 please!
- Volleyball: (preregistration and arrival by 2 pm required, games will be played 3:30-5:30, weather permitting. The Auditorium/Gymnasium is located on the map. Teams may include both sexes. Participating teams must have registered by March 17, 1997 please!
- Goethe/Gilbert Bowls, preliminary rounds. Schools must play a preliminary round on Friday (or be chosen as a "wild card") to advance to the Saturday rounds. Opposing schools chosen by lot. If there is an uneven number of participating schools, one school may advance to the final rounds as a "wild card." Otherwise teams may not skip competition rounds to advance in the elimination. Two competition categories: Levels I/II, Levels III/IV. Teams consist of a maximum of three on each side. Team members must be category A (=non-experienced). Participation in Goethe and Gilbert Bowls and sports, which run simultaneously, is permitted, but carries the risk of forfeiture if a school cannot field a team in a timely fashion, in the discretion of the person in charge of each respective event.
Saturday Contests and Activities
- Musical Presentation (Vocal only) Group musicals will be presented Saturday morning in the same time slot as skits. Individual/small group (5 minute time limit). Musical presentations are to be vocal (w/ accompaniment, if desired) of music of strictly German origin, (i.e. not translations of American music into German.) Please indicate how many entries you plan. Supply titles, composers and names of participants, so that the schedule can be made in advance. Please supply this information by March 17, 1997.
Please note: As previously announced, the instrumental category has been eliminated.
- Folk Dancing. The folk dancing competition will be the entertainment highpoint on Saturday between lunch and the Kuchenschlacht in the Main Cafeteria. Please limit presentations to a total of 10 minutes from entrance to exit. Please help by observing the time limit.
- Skits/ Video Presentation. Both are limited to 5 minutes. Skits will be judged on:
| a. German content | b. pronunciation | c. originality |
| d. expression | e. delivery | f. appropriateness of props, plot |
| | | |
| | | |
- Baking. Recipe must be displayed. Entries will be numbered and no names or school names will be shown with entries. Please note new categories:
| 1. Breads | 2. Torten/Cakes | 3. Cookies |
| 4. Decorative Baking | 5. Miscellaneous |
All entries must have been baked by individual(s) registered for the Frühlingsfest.
Entries must not need refrigeration and dishes are to be clearly marked and claimed immediately after the Kuchenschlacht.
- Art Display. Art displays must be clearly related to a German-speaking country and must be made by individual(s) registered for the Frühlingsfest. Inappropriate content matter, e.g. focus on symbols, personages, etc. of the Third Reich, is not acceptable. Please indicate the dimensions for space needed on registration blank. All entries must be accompanied by a 3x5 card stating:
| 1) Title | 2) Artist(s) | 3) School |
Art Categories:
- Group Art
- Individual:
- Poster (22" x 28" only)
- Paintings and Drawings (i.e., pen & ink, charcoal, oil, watercolor)
- Replicas and Models
- Needlework
- Other (if this category is necessary)
The judges have the right to combine categories if there are not enough entries in each.
- Declamation Contest. Schools may enter up to five students at each level of the declamation contest by preregistration on the form provided. Students at any level and in any category are invited to participate. It is suggested that teachers have their own school contests to determine which five students may participate. On Saturday morning, after all have registered, the remaining declamation slots will be made on a first come, first served basis. Students will be grouped in categories A and B as defined above. Judging will be based on the following criteria:
| a. mastery of the text | b. pronunciation | c. intonation |
| d. expression | e. delivery | |
| | | |
| | | |
If final eliminations are necessary, the students who give the best recitations in their respective categories will read extemporaneously a prose passage selected by the judges.
Poems for Declamation Contest. This year all students will recite "Die Welt ein Buch" and also either "Der Werwolf" or "Schlechte Zeit für die Jugend." These poems must be recited from memory.
Der Werwolf
Ein Werwolf eines Nachts entwich
von Weib und Kind und sich begab
an eines Dorfschullehrers Grab
und bat ihn: "Bitte, beuge mich!"
Der Dorfschulmeister stieg hinauf
auf seines Blechschilds Messingknauf
und sprach zum Wolf, der seine Pfoten
geduldig kreuzte vor dem Toten:
"Der Werwolf", sprach der gute Mann,
"Des Weswolfs, Genitiv sodann,
dem Wemwolf, Dativ, wie man's nennt,
den Wenwolf, - damit hat's ein End'".
Dem Werwolf schmeichelten die Fälle,
er rollte seine Augenbälle.
"Indessen", bat er, "füge doch
zur Einzahl auch die Mehrzahl noch!"
Der Dorfschulmeister aber mußte
gestehn, daß er von ihr nichts wußte.
Zwar Wölfe gäb's in großer Schar,
doch "Wer" gäb's nur im Singular.
Der Wolf erhob sich tränenblind -
er hatte ja doch Weib und Kind!!
Doch da er kein Gelehrter eben,
so schied er dankend und ergeben.
Schlechte Zeit für die Jugend
Statt im Gehölz zu spielen mit Gleichaltrigen
Sitzt mein junger Sohn über die Bücher gebückt
Und am liebsten liest er
Über die Betrügereien der Geldleute
Und die Schlächtereien der Generäle.
Wenn er das Wort liest, daß unsere Gesetze
Es den Armen und den Reichen verbieten, unter den Brücken zu schlafen
Höre ich sein glückliches Lachen.
Wenn er entdeckt, daß der Schreiber eines Buches bestochen ist
Leuchtet seine junge Stirn. Ich billige das
Aber ich wollte doch, ich könnte ihm
Eine Jugendzeit bieten, in der er
Ins Gehölz spielen ginge mit Gleichaltrigen.
Die Welt ein Buch
Die Welt, die ist ein Buch; ein jeder eine Letter;
Die Länder sind der Bund; die Zeiten sind die Blätter;
In diesem find't man mehr betört' als kluge Sachen,
In diesem find't man mehr zum Klagen als zum Lachen,
In diesem find't man mehr zu meiden als zu üben,
In diesem find't man mehr zu hassen als zu lieben.
- Extemporaneous Speaking Contest. Schools may enter up to five students at each level of the extemporaneous speaking contest by preregistration. Please send in names by March 17, 1997. On Saturday morning, after all have registered, the remaining extemporaneous speaking slots will be made on a first come, first served basis. Students will be grouped in categories A and B as defined above. Speakers will have 10 minutes preparation time and may use a dictionary or any other printed aids. While speaking, they may refer to a 3x5 card, but they are expected to speak for a maximum of 2 minutes. Students may enter in category A or B as detailed above. Judging will be based on the following criteria:
| a. fluency | b. range of vocabulary | c. correctness of grammar |
| d. variety of sentences | e. pronunciation | f. imagination |
| | | |
| | | |
Students will sign up at registration for the time in which they will speak. Check for conflicts with other contests. A student may enter both the Declamation and Extemporaneous Speaking Contests, but will be eligible for and receive only the higher prize earned.
- Listening Comprehension. All students in all categories are invited to participate. Prizes are awarded at Levels I-IV in categories A and B. The contest consists of 33 definitions read twice in German at moderate conversational speed. Answers are to be given in English. The objects defined are simple everyday things known to all students, e.g., deputy sheriff (Der Helfer eines Sheriffs, der auch einen Stern an seinem Hemd trägt.), elephant, toaster, socks (Das Kleidungsstück zwischen dem Fuß und dem Schuh.), etc. The vocabulary will be taken largely from the basic vocabulary cards used for the vocabulary bee, word derivations based on them (e.g. dreieckig from drei & Ecke), and reasonably close cognates and borrowed words (e.g. Stereo, Statussymbol, Sheriff, Vize Präsident, etc.)
- Dictation. All students in all categories are invited to participate. Students listen to and transcribe from a tape words from a text appropriate to their level. Prizes will be awarded at levels I-IV in categories A and B.
Scheduling for Listening Comprehension and Dictation. The Listening Comprehension Contest is on tape and the Listening Comprehension and Dictation contests are scheduled so that everybody at the same level hears a copy of the same tape at the same time on Friday night.
- Vocabulary Bee (Vokabelwettbewerb). Each school should hold its own vocabulary bee to determine its representatives in the Festival vocabulary bee. There will be a limit of 2 entrants total per school for all levels. (i.e. NOT 2 at Level I and 2 at Level II, etc.) The basic vocabulary list for this contest will be the Vis-Ed vocabulary cards in German, which are widely available in retail stores at reasonable prices. Only Category A (non-experienced) students are eligible.
The vocabulary bee will be modeled on the spelling bee contests annually held at schools all over the country. Time permitting, there will be a warm-up round in which students' mistakes will not eliminate them from the competition.
Vocabulary Bee Rules.
- Students should give nouns with an indication of gender. Concerning genders, it does not matter whether the contestant says "feminine" or "die" so long as the gender itself is correctly indicated.
- All students (including Level I) should indicate the plurals of nouns.
- If, based on the student's pronunciation of the word, the judges are uncertain whether the answer is to be judged correct, the student may be asked to spell the word. Where there seems to be a disagreement between spelling and the pronunciation, the spelled form is the basis for a final decision. Students should spell in the language in which they feel most comfortable.
- In the beginning rounds of competition, students are eliminated from the competition if they miss a word AND if the next contestant gets it right. Judges will not indicate the type of mistake(s) made before the next contestant attempts to answer.
- At the discretion of the moderator, the rules for eliminating contestants may be changed in the final rounds to SUDDEN DEATH ELIMINATION, i.e., students will be eliminated automatically by making a mistake.
- From time to time, the moderator will introduce a "principal parts round." During these rounds, contestants will give the verb infinitive and its other principal parts in the customary order used in his or her school. Thus, if a teacher normally has students learn principal parts in the order: fahren, fuhr, ist gefahren, fährt, this will be accepted as correct, and similarly for: fahren, fährt, fuhr, ist gefahren. Students will have to indicate explicitly verbs which take sein in the perfect, but they may say either hat gemacht or gemacht for verbs which take haben. Both strong and weak verbs will be included in the principal parts rounds. Modal verbs such as können, dürfen, etc. will not be included in the principal parts rounds, though they may be included in regular rounds, where the infinitive form will suffice. ALL STUDENTS AT ALL LEVELS WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR PRINCIPAL PARTS IN PRINCIPAL PARTS ROUNDS.
- Students should normally give their answers in the dictionary entry form, i.e. the form one would find in the dictionary for this word. For example, for "this" either "dieser, diese, dieses" or "dieser" alone would be acceptable, but "diesem" would not be correct. Doubtful cases will be resolved by the judges consulting a reference work at hand.
- All-School Conversation. Depending on the number of available judges and entrants, participants may be limited to speaking to a maximum of 3 judges. Each participant will be given a passport which must be signed by the judge at the end of each round of questioning.
Points will be awarded to each student on the basis of the:
| a) quality of pronunciation | b) fluency | |
| c) complexity of the topics addressed | d) general ability to communicate | |
| | | |
| | | |
At the end of the contest, each school will compile its points for the prizes and submit this material to the judges. Two categories of prizes will be awarded: one for the TOTALÝPOINTS amassed, one for the HIGHESTÝAVERAGE points (total points amassed divided by the number of students attending from that school). Teachers must list the number of students at each level representing their school at the Festival, e.g.
Level I-25 students
Level II-12 students
Level III-9 students
Level IV-3 students
Any student who can say "Guten Tag, wie geht's?" can help his or her school in this contest, so encourage ALL of your students to participate.
Conversation Guidelines
Here are some guidelines, reprinted from the Spottvogel, about what each level could be expected to know:
Level I:
| Grammar | Vocabulary | |
| present tense | hobbies, music, sports | |
| future tense | school and school supplies | |
| present perfect tense | family and friends | |
| prepositions | clothing | |
| possessive adjectives | time, weather | |
| articles: der, ein | colors, numbers | |
| simple sentence word order | birthdays | |
| simple conjunctions | meals | |
| no adjective endings | | |
| can answer specific fact questions | | |
| | | |
Level II:
| all of the above, plus: | | |
| Grammar | Vocabulary | |
| imperfect (simple past tense) | leisure time | |
| beginning subjunctive (möchte, würde) | professions | |
| adjective endings | travel | |
| relative pronouns (a little) | geography | |
| conjunctions | hometown, school | |
| comparative | sports teams | |
| superlative | movies, TV | |
Levels III/IV:
| all of the above, plus: | | |
| Grammar | Tasks, Functions | |
| relative pronouns | can answer "why" questions | |
| passive | can tell a story, relate plans | |
| subjunctives | can express opinion | |
| word order in dependent clauses | can talk of current events | |
| | use more advanced vocabulary | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
- German Web Page Contest. This new contest offers webmasters at all levels an opportunity to showcase their HTML skills, their esthetic sense, and their ability to create a page that effectively presents some aspects of German culture or language. Any student of German K-12 participating in the Tennessee Spring German Festival is eligible to participate in the German Web Page Contest. Group projects are possible, but may be judged in a separate category. Contestants may enter a page whether or not their page is currently up and running on the web. All HTML files and all linked files (graphics, etc.) that are not called up from another URL should be supplied on a disk to the judges. The files should be interpretible with Netscape 3.0 (Mac or Windows) or Microsoft Explorer (version 3.0). Persons planning to use plug-ins other than RealAudio or QuickTime should verify with Dr. Shelton that he has the appropriate plug-ins to evaluate their work (see below for contact information).
Entries will be judged according to :
- quality and quantity of German language and German links provided.
- functionality of the page (quickness to load, accuracy of links, etc.)
- accuracy, quality, richness, and currency of material presented
- esthetics, layout, and design of the page and linked materials (of the author's design)
- the correctness, amount, and quality of the German used by the webmaster(s).
All entries must be received by Friday, March 14, 1997, 4:30 p.m. CST. Send entries to the following address:
Tennessee AATG
German Web Page Contest
Dr. Roy C. Shelton
MTSU Box 458
Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, TN 37132.
Entrants may also submit the html-files to Dr. Shelton by e-mail. A receipt message will verify that the submission has been received. If entrants are also submitting plug-ins, these should be sent on disk to Dr. Shelton, not by e-mail. Details must be obtained from Dr. Shelton. His e-mail address is: rshelton@frank.mtsu.edu.
:phone: 615-898-2282.
- Name Tags
At registration, leave one copy of the special name tags the students have prepared. They will be judged on the basis of appropriateness, art, and overall impression. Size is not a factor, except that the student's name and the name of the school should be clear.
- German Teaching Software Contest
Note this rule change: Submission of source code is no longer required.
All entries must be received by Friday, March 14, 1997, 4:30 p.m. CST. Send entries to the following address:
Tennessee AATG
German Software Contest
Dr. Roy C. Shelton
MTSU Box 458
Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, TN 37132.
Details must be obtained from Dr. Shelton: phone: 615-898-2282.
His e-mail address is: rshelton@frank.mtsu.edu.
GENERAL CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING SOFTWARE FOR TEACHING GERMAN
- The program follows sound educational principles to teach German.
- The German in the program and which the program intends to teach is accurate.
- Program is interesting, creative, and innovative.
- Program is well documented, easy to use, and interactive; on-screen help messages are desirable.
- Program runs free of technical problems.
- Program uses sound, graphics, and color to teach effectively.
- Program takes maximum advantage of the computer's capabilities.
- Program is entirely the original work of the person or persons submitting it for the contest.
SOFTWARE CONTEST GUIDELINES
- Any student of German K-12 participating in the Tennessee Spring German Festival is eligible to participate in the German Software Contest.
- Group projects are possible, but may be judged in a separate category.
- All software programs submitted as entries remain the property of the author or authors, but Tennessee AATG is entitled to duplicate the program as needed for the evaluation process and to retain up to 5 copies of the program for future royalty-free use or display, at its option.
- All programs submitted should run on one of the following microcomputers: Macintosh System 7.x, DOS, Windows 3.1 or better. (Programs for other computers/operating systems can be considered, but clearance must be obtained in advance from Dr. Shelton.)
- All entries must be submitted as follows: Macintosh, DOS, and Windows entries must be submitted on a high density diskette, 3.5 inch diskette.
- Programs must be completely original and contain no copyrighted subroutines requiring royalties.
- Finalists may be subject to interview and should be capable of expressing a complete understanding of the program and its contents.
- An author or group may submit more than one entry, but each entry must be submitted on a separate diskette.
- Each item submitted as an entry should include the name(s) of the author(s), i.e., the entrants should label the diskette and the documentation material and include identification in the program itself.
- Adequate instructions for the user must be included either as on-screen menus or as written documentation. Documentation within the program in the form of notes and comments is encouraged.
- Contestants are urged to keep working copies of their programs as back-ups in case of damage in transit or in the event consultation is necessary.
- Programs that require peripheral support beyond a mouse, SoundBlaster card, 256 colors, and CD-ROM drive, should be cleared beforehand with Dr. Shelton.
- Any .dl1 files that are not part of the standard Windows setup should be submitted with the program itself.
