Student Behavior Expectations

PARTICIPATE IN GERMAN SEVERAL TIMES DURING EACH CLASS! These are examples of things you can do to participate actively in class. Students who get good participation grades practice and USE their German whenever they can!

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BE PREPARED FOR CLASS! Many different things are involved in being prepared for class. Read through the following list for hints on how to be organized for class and prepared to learn German!

Take your German book home nightly to study and review what was covered in class that day. This can also be done in study hall. It is important to remember that simply doing homework assignments is not the same as "studying" for German. If you finish your assignment, study vocabulary for a few minutes.

Complete your assignments! Follow directions carefully, and finish your work on time. Late homework hurts your grade. On time means before the tardy bell rings!

Come to class mentally prepared to speak & practice German.

Come to class with your papers & materials neatly organized. You will need your notebook every day. ( Click here for Notebook Guidelines). If your notebook is organized, you can count on getting a 100%!

Be on time and bring all your "stuff" every day. Being prepared for class - every day - with all the necessary materials is your responsibility. Most students do a great job at this, and this will earn them a German marks to be turned in for points at the end of each quarter.

If you miss a class, call a classmate to get the assignment . Be sure make-up work gets turned in on time! If you know you are going to be gone for an appointment (or other school activity), you are to get your assignment ahead of time so that it is done when you return.

Get in the habit of asking for and offering help.

KEEP ON TRYING! Learning a foreign language is like learning any other performance skill: it takes time and patience and practice. You make progress all the time, and a positive attitude helps a lot!

Be positive about your ability to learn! Don't get discouraged if you get "stuck" - if you keep on trying, it will "click."

Be positive and polite about your classmates' ability to learn!

Correct yourself when you've mispronounced a word or given a wrong answer. It shows me that you are learning and trying!

Speak clearly and loudly so that everyone can hear you.

Ask for help when you don't understand something. Sometimes it takes several explanations before something sinks in. That happens to ALL students learning a second language! Don't wait until 5 minutes before a test or quiz to say "But I didn't understand this!" You can come in for help before or after school, you can e-mail me or call me on the phone with questions!

DEMONSTRATE A STRONG WORK ETHIC! This is an important one! It shows me that you are a responsible student and that you are taking responsibility for your own learning.

Be ready to start class when the bell rings.

Use any individual time in class appropriately. You should work on German for the entire class period! If you get your assignment done before the bell rings, there are still all sorts of things you can do! Look through some German magazines....Practice vocabulary individually or with a partner....

 Stay on task, whether working alone, with a partner, or in a group. If you finish before time is called, use those extra minutes for extra practice! I don't even mind if you just chat with each other, AS LONG AS you do it "auf Deutsch!"

All work is to be your own. Cheating results in a zero. Some (but not all) examples of cheating:

copying homework when you've been asked to do it individually

giving or receiving test information

looking at someone else's test

having identical or nearly identical sentences in compositions

DO YOUR MAKE-UP WORK, QUIZZES & TESTS ON TIME!

If you are sick and have to miss class, be sure to get your work done and handed in within the time period outlined in the Student Handbook. If you missed a quiz or a test while you were sick, it is your responsibility to get it made up within that same time period before or after school. Work not made-up within the allowable limit will receive zeroes.

If you must miss class for a reason other than being sick (i.e. orthodontist, field trip, athletic event, etc.), you are expected to be prepared for the next day's class, including any tests or quizzes that are scheduled for the day you return.

YUCK! WHY DO WE HAVE TO DO HOMEWORK?!!

Even though most students don't believe it, there really ARE valid reasons for assigning homework! Read on for a list of good reasons:

Homework helps you learn vocabulary. Did you know that you need to see, use and understand a new vocabulary word over 40 times before it becomes internalized?!

Homework helps you reinforce language rules. How often have you tried to do something at home that seemed so simple in class - but you got stuck? Well, at that point, you know that you either need to study the examples and try again or that you need to talk to Frau Branson and get some extra help. If you'd never tried your homework, you might have assumed that you "got it" just because it seemed so simple in class. And if you really DID get it, practicing it will help it become second-nature, a natural response - which is exactly what we're striving for!

Homework gives you a chance to use what you've learned in a new context.

Homework helps what you learn "stick" better. You have to remember and be able to use what we learn in one chapter in order to do well in the next chapter.

Homework is assigned regularly. Most of the time, you'll have a chance to at least start on an assignment in class; that way, if you get stuck, I can help you before you leave class. It's really important to remember that homework is to be completed before you come to class the next day. If you have questions or problems with your assignment, be sure to talk to me first thing in the morning. It is not a good idea to rush into the room and frantically try to finish your assignment before the bell rings or try to finish your assignment as we correct it in class. Both of these tactics totally defeat the purpose of homework; you will not receive credit for work completed in this manner.

 If you finish your assignment in class, you should spend time outside of class memorizing and reviewing vocabulary & structures. Remember that just doing your assignments is not enough to be really successful in a foreign language.

 Vocabulary is to be learned for long-term retention. You need to remember what you have learned from chapter to chapter, and from year to year. Merely listening in class and then cramming for scheduled quizzes will not give you the basis you need for success in this class. You will have to memorize, practice spelling, and review daily.

      Homework is checked frequently and evaluated in a variety of ways including: spot-checking, random collecting, oral responses.If you received help from a friend on an assignment - that's fine, as long as you know you could do it on your own at the end. If you just copy, but you don't have a clue about what you're really doing....that's cheating. Come see me for extra help before you get to that point.

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Last updated 6/24/2006