Herr Johnston's Website
Study Tips For Learning German
The American Council of Foreign Language Teachers (ACTFL) strongly recommends that all students studying any language should devote at least twenty minutes every day to reviewing vocabulary and grammar, after the daily homework has been completed. If no specific homework assignment was given for a particular day, then it is even more important to review past and current material.

Many Extra Credit Opportunities

 Study Tips from Advanced Language Students

 Study Tips from Herr Johnston

 Grades

 Qualities of “A“, “B”, “C”, “D”, and “F” Students

 The "10 Commandments“ of German (and a few more)

Many Extra Credit Opportunities
I provide a plethora of opportunities for my students to earn extra credit points in my German classes. These opportunities enable you to earn extra points, but more importantly, learn more German.

1. Students may play my vocabulary and grammar games for extra points. These games are located    on the Computer Games page on this website. Students will receive a 1/2 point per game that is    played and the results emailed to me. They may earn a maximum of 2 points per day and 10 points    each week.

2. Students who write each new vocabulary word seven times and turn it into me, before a vocabulary    test, will receive 5 extra points.

3. Students may earn extra points by making their own flash cards. I suggest, however, that they buy    the cards that I have created. All of the vocabulary words have been neatly typed and checked for    errors. Some students make mistakes when copying the words from the vocabulary sheet onto the    cards and end up learning the incorrect spelling of a particular German word. (One sheet of    flashcards has 21 vocabulary words and costs .25¢. The .25¢ covers my costs for card stock paper    and printing. If any student cannot afford to pay for the cards, I am more than willing to work out    some kind of deal.)

4. If a student sees a German film or play, attends a German classical music concert, reads a    German story, or does anything related to German, they may write a reaction paper for me and will    earn extra points depending on the event and quality of the paper submitted. All students need to    get my approval for the activity before they start.

5. Any student who creates games or activities, to teach or review vocabulary or grammar, which I    have not done before will receive 15 extra credit points per activity.

6. Students who draw or cut out pictures that represent our vocabulary words will receive 2 points. I    need to be able to use them for my visual flashcards, so the pictures cannot be small.



Study Tips from Advanced Language Students
The following list is from students who were in advanced classes of Spanish, German, French, and Japanese.

Tips for Class Time
  • Pay attention in class.
  • Don’t be afraid to ask questions!
  • Listen to the questions that other students ask.
  • Always bring all the supplies you will need. Vocabulary
  • Take the time to study the vocabulary words.
  • Learn the correct pronunciation from the very beginning.
  • Have someone quiz you on the gender of a word: masculine, feminine, or neuter.
  • Make a list of new words that you learn. Review the list often.
  • Make small flashcards that you can always carry with you.
  • Say the word to yourself as you write it.
  • Hang the list of vocabulary that you are studying above the sink in the bathroom.
  • Paste a reading text on a sheet of paper. Write the words you do not know on one side.
  • Invest in a good German-English, English-German dictionary. Verbs
  • Make a reference chart of the correct conjugation of each verb you learn.
  • Write down the conjugation of verbs several times.
  • Practice conjugating the verb to yourself. Homework
  • Always read the lesson before you do the homework.
  • Read all of the explanations in the book carefully.
  • Take a break from what you are studying when your mind gets cluttered.
  • Never fall behind. Always keep up.
  • Always speak outloud (when you are alone) when you are doing your homework.
  • Try and complete homework with someone from the class. Tests
  • Prepare for a test with another student studying the same language.
  • Always go with your first instinct about an answer.
  • Never wait until the last minute to study. Speaking
  • Speak as much as possible. Do not worry about the mistakes.
  • Participate as much as possible in speaking in class.
  • Practice speaking in complete sentences.
  • Read outloud to yourself.
  • Think of phrases that you might use with your friends/family, at school or at work.
  • Carry on a converstion in your head.
  • Speak with other students from your class. General Tips
  • Study with other students in the same language when possible.
  • Study a little every day.
  • Do not study something just once. Review it often.
  • Go to class every day. You will pick things up just sitting there.
  • Do not expect to learn something the first time you hear or read it.
  • Do not get frustrated too quickly. Relax. Ask many questions.
  • Never give up.
  • Do not be too hard on yourself. Have fun.
  • Avoid the need to translate everything into English.
  • Write down everything you can in the language you are studying.
  • Go over what was covered in class when you are fresh.
  • Learning a language can be overwhelming at times. Be patient.
  • Practice, practice, practice.
  • Be positive, you can speak another language, with effort.



    Study Tips from Herr Johnston
    Learning any language is very much like learning to play a sport or a musical instrument. In order to become a competent athlete or musician, you must invest time into practicing. I suggest that you practice or study for a MINIMUM of 20 minutes every day. It is far better to spend smaller amounts of time over many days practicing than to spend a larger amount of time during one day in order to try and “cram” all of the information into your head. These 20 minutes are not to be included in the time that it takes you to complete a homework assignment. Cramming may work for a single test, but the information will not stay with you over a long period of time. It is just like anything else, the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it.

    Make sure you have a good quality 3-ring notebook! Always keep your notebook organized. You will receive many handouts in this class. The handouts will contain vocabulary information, grammar information, and practice exercises. You will need to keep all of these handouts. All of the handouts will be hole punched for your convenience. All you have to do is put it in your notebook. If I took the time to type some information or photocopy something, then it is important. I will only give you one copy of a handout. If you lose any thing I give you, you will need to photocopy it yourself from one of your classmates. At the beginning of each school year, each teacher is given a photocopy account. When my photocopy account is empty, you will have to copy materials from the overhead projector. Therefore, I do not give multiple copies to students who are careless or wasteful!

    Always come prepared to class with your textbook, notebook, paper, and a pen.

    Use flashcards to learn vocabulary. I have already created flashcards (on sheets of cardstock paper) for you. All you have to do is buy them, cut them up, and use them. They are only .10¢ a page. Each page contains twenty-one words. What a bargain! That is less than 1/2¢ per word. I will also give you the flashcard sheets on regular paper for free and you can make as many sets as you wish.

    Find a partner in your German class or in one of the other classes to help you practice. It will not only help you, but it will also help the other person as well.

    Write each new vocabulary word seven times each. As you write the vocabulary word in German, say it out loud in German and its meaning in English. If you cannot remember the word after writing all of the vocabulary words seven times, then maybe you should write them ten times. Do this as many times as you need. This will help with the memorization and spelling. You will receive extra credit if you do this. The words must be hand-written and not printed from a computer.

    Use the computer games that I have created and can be found in the Computer Games section of this web site.

    Practice reading out loud to yourself, a classmate, or a “special” friend. This will greatly help your pronunciation and reinforce other things discussed in class. I have many small texts that would be helpful to you, just ask me for any of them.



    Grades
    Here are the definitions for the letter grades for your Glencoe High School transcript:
    A = Superior - Student's work merits special recognition
    B = Above average - Student's work goes beyond meeting course requirements
    C = Average - Student's work meets course requirements
    D = Below average - Student's work minimumally fulfills course requirements
    F = Failing - Student's work does not meet minimum course requirements

    IMPORTANT: Oregon universities no longer accept a grade of "D" for a core high school class.

    Do NOT come to me several weeks before the end of the semester and say "Herr Johnston, I have to have an "A" in your class", or worse yet, "Herr Johnston, I had better have an "A" in your class!"

    If you think that you are deserving of a particular grade, look at the grade description above and see if it matches your knowledge and performance for the class. For example, if you think you deserve an "A" for the semester, ask yourself, "Do I have a superior level of knowledge of German for this class?"; "Has my performance been outstanding and above expected performance and ability?"; "Does my performance or knowledge merit special recognition?". If you can honestly say that does and you do not have an "A", then come speak with me. If, however, you cannot honestly say that it does, then make a specific plan to do better next semester.

    Many students incorrectly assume that, because they try hard, they are entitled to a particular grade. Let me make it perfectly clear, this is not the case for three main reasons. 1) It is impossible for any teacher to accurately measure the amount of effort applied by a student. The only way that teachers have to measure effort is by the amount and quality of homework assignments submitted and by the quality of work produced on examinations. 2) Students should not be rewarded only for effort. Would you want a someone to operate on you if they had flunked out of medical school, even though they tried their absolute best? Political candidates win office based on how many votes they earn, not on how hard they try or because they are a really nice person or come from a good family. 3) You either have the ability to do the work or you do not.

    If your semester grade, in any of your classes, is so critically important, for whatever reason, then you should be concerned with your progress for the entire eighteen weeks of the semester and not just the last two weeks.



    Qualities of "A", "B", "C", "D", and "F" Students
    An “A” student:
    1. consistantly does more than required.
    2. is always alert and takes an active part in class discussions.
    3. has unusual dependibility in understanding and complying with assignments.
    4. is prompt, neat, and thorough in all work.
    5. knows how to use books and other resources.
    6. has iniative and orgininality when faced with new problems.
    7. has enthusiasm and interest in the work.
    8. has ability to apply ideas gained in study to everyday life.

    A ”B” student:
    1. frequently does more than is required.
    2. is unusually alert to what is going on in class.
    3. careful in complying with assignments.
    4. eager to take on new work and profits from criticism.
    5. is prompt, neat, and thorough in all work.
    6. has the ability to apply general principals of the course.

    A ”C” student:
    1. does what is required.
    2. willing to apply him/herself in class and take part in activities.
    3. reasonably attentive to assignments.
    4. daily work is sometimes limited by a lack of personal interest.
    5. reasonably prompt and thorough in all work.
    6. has the ability to retain collectively the general principals of the course.

    A ”D” student:
    1. attendance is often irregular.
    2. supplies and materials for work are sometimes lacking.
    3. frequently “misunderstands” assignments.
    4. apparent inability to understand instructions and corrections.
    5. careless preparation of assignments.
    6. sometimes late with work.
    7. may occassionally be a disturbance to the classroom process.

    A ”F” student:
    1. is usually listless and inattentive in class.
    2. does less than required work.
    3. supplies and materials for work are sometimes lacking.
    4. usually late with work.
    5. often absent from class, due to either excused or unexcused absences.
    6. may often be a disturbance to the classroom process.
    7. seldom knows anything beyond what has been assigned.



     The Ten Commandments of German
    Remember, these are commandments not suggestions!

    1. Thou shalt always be prepared!

    2. Thou shalt not use “ist” and “an infinitive” to form the present tense. (Er ist trinken.)

    3. Thou shalt not pronounce ß as the English letter B.

    4. Thou shalt not add "der, die or das" to an English word and call it German.

    5. Thou shall not add “en” to the end of an English verb and call it German.

    6. Thou shalt remember thy vowel sounds and say them wholly.

    7. Verbs shall always agree with thy subjects.

    8. Thou shall not umlaut, when in doubt.

    9. Thou shalt never use Wer (Who) for the English question word of Where.

    10. Thou shalt pronounce ALL vowels in a word, especialy at the end of the word.

    11. Thou shalt remember that “die” is pronounced like “dee”!

    12. Not "nicht ein," but "kein"

    Remember: WWJD – What Would Johnston Do? Do all homework, review material every day, and study for tests!