DeutschFest 2010: Competition Events for the Minnesota DeutschFest -- Join Us on Friday, May 14th, 2010!

General Information about this German festival for High School students (click on link): http://employees.csbsju.edu/mthamert/DeutschFest%202010/Main%20Page%20DeutschesFest%202010.html

Dear Minnesota German Teachers!

Picture yourself heading to beautiful central Minnesota in the spring to enjoy a day of events, friendly competitions, and renewed connections with teachers and students from all over the state. In the past, this German festival has given teachers and students something to look forward to after a year of study and hard work. Below are the activities your students and you can be involved in. Come join us!

Here are the rubrics for the various competitions at this year's DeutschFest at Saint John's University. Feel free to email me with your questions. It would be great if you could come with a group of students. You can also participate by volunteering to judge one of the categories. Please email us at mthamert@csbsju.edu if you are able to come with a group of students or simply to help judge a category. Thank You!

Mark Thamert and the DeutschFest Team

DeutschFest 2010 --
COMPETITION CATEGORIES AND JUDGING CRITERIA

(Please note: the term “German” used below refers to any and all of the German-speaking countries.)

A. PERFORMANCE (In categories 1 through 5, materials are to be memorized)

1. Commercials Levels 1, 2, 3+

Presentation of any advertisement which markets things “made in Germany.” The slogans can be real or invented and the product may be displayed in the original or in picture or any other mock-up form. Presentation should reflect something characteristically German and/or have intercultural content. Marketing/ advertising props and techniques such as those used in the various media are permissible. Individual presentation or groups of two or more students. Time limit: 2 minutes

Judging criteria:

a. Language proficiency (including pronunciation)
b. Delivery     d. Cultural content
c. Originality   e. Overall effect

2. Grimm for the 2010’s Levels 1, 2, 3+

Enactment of any well-known German fairy tale (Schneewittchen, Tischlein Deck Dich, Rotkäppchen, Dornröschen, etc.) or episode from a fairy tale, applied to modern life or put into a modern setting. Levels I and II may use some English; Levels III and IV, German only. Presentation in groups of two or more students. Time limit: 6-8 minutes
Judging criteria:

a. Language proficiency (including pronunciation)
b. Delivery                 d. Creativity
c. Cultural Content       e. Overall effect

3. Skits Levels 1, 2, 3+
Short humorous episodes with real or imaginary connections to German life. Comical/ satirical events from German political, social and cultural life would be appropriate material for this category. Skits must be invented and are not to be copied from a dramatic source. Presentation in groups of two or more students. Time limit: 4-6 minutes
Judging criteria:

a. Language proficiency (including pronunciation)
b. Delivery            d. Cultural content
c. Originality           e. Overall effect

4. Drama Levels 1, 2, 3+
Staging of a short one-act play or a scene or excerpt from a play. Material from any period may be used, but must be by a recognized German dramatist. Scenes or excerpts must be cohesive enough to allow for presentation outside the context of the whole play. No major props please. Presentation in groups of two or more students. Time limit: 6-8 minutes

Judging criteria:
a. Pronunciation
b. Delivery    d. Cohesiveness of passage
c. Expression      e. Overall dramatic effect

5. Recitation Levels 1, 2, 3+
Passage may be either a poem, a dramatic monologue, or a literary prose selection appropriate for oral presentation. Particular attention should be paid to the accurate rendering of the piece and to the reflection of its emotional content. The student must furnish the judge with a copy of the material to be presented. Individual presentation. Time limit: 2-4 minutes

Judging criteria:
a. Pronunciation      c. Expression
b. Delivery    d. Accuracy of memorization

6. Solo Songs Levels 1, 2, 3+
Performance of a “Lied” or song from the German musical tradition. Selection may be from popular, folk, or classical music.
Time limit: 3-5 minutes
Judging criteria:
a. Pronunciation c. Expression
b. Clarity of enunciation d. Musical quality

7. Chorus open category -- mixed levels
Performance of a song from the German musical tradition or from other traditions translated into German. Selection may be of a popular, folk, or “serious” nature. Each performance should involve some singing in harmony. Performance in groups of four or more students. Time limit: 3-5 minutes
Judging criteria:
a. Pronunciation     c. Expression
b. Clarity of enunciation     d. Musicality

8. Folk Dancing open category -- all levels together

Performance of an authentic German folk dance. Costumes may be worn but are not required. A spokesperson for each group must give a brief presentation in German on such things as the significance of the dance, its salient features, and the region in which it originated. Performance in groups of four or more students. Time limit: 3-5 minutes
Judging criteria:

a. Cultural authenticity      c. Informativeness of oral presentation in English or German
b. Skill of execution      d. Expression of enthusiasm

B. DISPLAY

All displays must be constructed so that they can be exhibited on a table in a format not larger than a space of 3 feet x 3 feet. The method of display is included in the judging criteria.

9. Costumes open category -- all levels together

Each costume must authentically represent a region of one of the German-speaking countries. A picture must be supplied to attest to this authenticity. Costumes are to be handmade and must be modeled by the entrant.
Judging criteria:
a. Authenticity      d. Aesthetic appeal
b. Skill of workmanship    e. Display format and method
c. Informativeness of student commentary

10. Frameable Art Levels 1, 2, 3+

The work may either depict some aspect of German culture (a German landscape, building, cultural event, or portrait) or it may be a copy of a drawing/painting by a well-known German artist. The medium may be water color, oil, charcoal, pencil, “Scherenschnitt,” or any other medium not considered “handicraft.” All works must carry a descriptive title in German.
Judging criteria:
a. Cultural content       c. Artistic merit
b. Skill of workmanship     d. Informativeness of student commentary

11. Models and Sculptures Levels 1, 2, 3+

Models are to be replicas of man-made edifices which once existed or still exist in any of the German-speaking countries. Possibilities include buildings, monuments, vehicles, instruments of some historical or current significance. Work must be original, kits are not permitted. Model may be either an individual or a group project.
Judging criteria:
a. Cultural authenticity         c. Informativeness of student written commentary
b. Skill of workmanship     d. Quality of design

12. Maps Levels 1, 2, 3+

Hand-drawn maps of any or all of the German-speaking countries. Design may be topographical, political, cultural (birthplaces of famous Germans, for example), demographic or economic. Maps should be 12” by 15” or larger, on poster board or other firm surface, and multi-colored. Any suitable medium may be used.

Judging criteria:
a. Geographical accuracy   c. Readability
b. Accuracy of labeling   d. Overall eye-appeal

13. Posters Levels 1, 2, 3+

Hand-designed displays of current or historical events in Germany. The poster must carry a political or social message designed to enthuse and stimulate a viewer to thought or action.
Judging criteria:
a. Clarity of the event      c. Stimulation to action/thought
b. Accuracy of the message        d. Overall eye-appeal

14. Media and Computer Presentations Levels 1, 2, 3+

PowerPoint, video, computer or audio presentation of materials created by one or more students for purposes of learning German. The materials must focus on cultural and grammatical aspects of learning German. This section would also include a demonstration of “how to do something” (for example, a presentation of cooking, à la Julia Child). Entries must be emailed or sent to mthamert@csbsjus.edu by May 7, 2010 (one week before DeutschFest on May 14) .

Judging criteria:
a. Cultural authenticity    c. Language-learning value
b. Grammatical accuracy d. Organization of materials

DeutschFest 2010 Awards

For each of the fourteen categories of competition there will be first, second, and third place awards at each level listed. These awards will be presented to the individual winners before an assembly of the participants. Awards will be in the form of trophies and medals, intended for display in the school; they are intended not just for the individual, but for the German program and the entire school to share in the accomplishments of its students. There will be no cash prizes. This promises to be an exciting opportunity to celebrate achievement in the study of German in Minnesota.

If you have a question or would like to indicate your interest in bringing students or to help judge the event, , please email us at mthamert@csbsju.edu . See you soon!

~~ Mark Thamert and the DeutschFest 2010 Team: Anita Ratwick, John Linnemann,   Rene Meyer-Grimberg, Dave Wilke, Sue Sorheim, Beth Kautz, Jae Cody, and Cheryl Wason

Here are some photos from years past....