Faculty

TEACHER Click to Enlarge Photograph	CLASS DESCRIPTION	TEXTBOOK
Bill Ziegler	Getting Around in German Imagine a classroom as restaurant, train station or marketplace. Imagine a desk as a table in a restaurant, a ticket counter in a train station, a shop in a marketplace. Grammar is discovered on a menu, on a schedule, on a cabbage cart. The focus: German-learning environments for the student with a deadline. Text: German-English Bilingual Visual Dictionary. Bring along a three-ring binder and a set of divider tabs. There are a great many handouts, and this organization permits quick reference to previous topics. By April you will have amassed a textbook.	Web Site
Christopher Zeigler German for Beginners I	German for Beginners (Three Levels) This course is designed for students who want to learn German from the ground up. The class is taught over a three-year period by our beginning German instructors, who progress through the course with their students before starting a new three-year rotation. This is a text-based course (text includes a CD for home practice!) that covers all four language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. All fundamental grammatical concepts are covered except the passive voice, the subjunctive mood, and relative clauses (the last three chapters of the text), which are covered in the intermediate courses. If you are new to the Tri-State School but have had some German before, you may join the course "in progress" in the second or third year. Here's an approximate list of main grammar points covered in each of the years to help you decide which level is best suited to your needs. Note: There will be some overlap between the end of one year and the beginning of the next. Also, the amount of material covered in any one year is dependent on the make-up of that year's class. Beginners I The German Alphabet Pronunciation Present Tense of Regular and Irregular Verbs Nominative and Accusative Case Nouns Nominative Case Pronouns Basic Sentence Structure Present Tense of Haben and Sein Beginners II Dative Case Nouns Simple Past Tense of Haben and Sein Present Perfect Tense Subordinating Conjunctions Modal Auxiliaries Accusative and Dative Case Pronouns Two-way Prepositions Imperatives Der and Ein Words Separable Prefix Verbs Genitive Case Beginners III Adjective Endings Reflexive Verbs Prepositional Infinitives Verbal Idioms Da- and Wo-Compounds Simple Past, Past Perfect, and Future Tenses Comparison of Adjectives and Adverbs	Wie Geht's?
Randy Gudvangen German for Beginners II
Melanie Sari German for Beginners III
Kirsten Auch Intermediate I: Beginner Conversation	Intermediate I The Intermediate I class is divided into grammar and beginner conversation components and is taught by two teachers (Kirsten Auch and Brett Siereveld). Students will attend one hour of grammar (based on skill level) and one hour of beginner conversation each week. Students with more German experience behind them should attend the first hour of grammar; those with less, the second. Attend the beginner conversation course for your other hour of instruction. (Each hour of beginner conversation covers the same material. The beginner conversation hour focuses on speaking, speaking, speaking. It also covers listening comprehension, expanding vocabulary exercises, guided speaking, oral drills and pronunciation exercises. Und nicht vergessen: Übung macht den Meister!	German in Review
Brett Siereveld Intermediate I: Grammar Review and Expansion	It may not surprise you that this class focuses on the grammar of written and spoken German. Building on the structures learned in Beginner German, this class rounds out your abilities by introducing you to the passive voice, the subjunctive mood, and the use of relative clauses, as well as by reinforcing the principles of case and the fundamentals of conjugation. If it has been years since you've had a good parse, this may well be the class for you!!	German in Review
Alan Shropshire Intermediate Conversational German	Intermediate Conversational German This year we will work with the second part of the book (starting with Chapter 30). Emphasis will be placed on learning new vocabulary from the text by incorporating it into speeches and class conversations. Grammar will continue to emphasize mastery of verb forms with other grammar areas to include use of Relative Pronouns, Passive Voice, Da/Wo compounds and the Genitive. Practical use of the Subjunctive in everyday speaking will also be addressed.	Berliner Platz III (includes 2 accompanying CDs)
Ingrid Thomas	Intermediate Conversation The class offers an opportunity to increase your knowledge of the German language and culture, by improving your ability to understand spoken and written German and learning to speak in German. We use current articles, short stories, videos, student reports, and some grammar review to practice reading and listening skills and as a source of subjects for conversation and for learning about various aspects of German culture and everyday life. As an intermediate class, sessions are conducted mostly in German and taught by a native German speaker.
Hilde Mulbury Advanced Conversation with Guidance in English	Class description coming soon.
Christa Bauke Deutsch Heute	Current events oriented conversation for native German-speakers and Advanced Students with near fluency in German. All conversation is conducted in German.	Deutsch Heute
Christel Leuker Klasse I	This class is for pre-school children, aged between 4 and 6 years. Using pictures and picture books, the children learn to speak words and sentences in German. Likewise, the language study is supported with the singing of numerous children's songs, movement games and party games.
Evi Washburn Beginning Reading and Writing (First Grade +)	Children must have completed Kindergarten, so that they are able to follow the writing and reading tasks. I pull my materials from a variety of online sources, starting with the correct pronunciation of the German alphabet as well as with Umlauts. We also work on different parts of speech (nouns, verbs etc.) and how to identify them. This is done on a basic level. We do a lot of interactive games to learn other things, such as how to address different types of people when meeting them. We also integrate German celebrations throughout the year into our weekly activities. Many times this is done by doing specific German crafts, songs, games etc.
Daniela Henderson Children 7-9 years old (Basic)	Class description coming soon.
Dr. Wilhelm Kossenjans Children 10-15 (Advanced)	This course is for children from grades 5 on who are interested in learning German. The course focuses on formation of complete and grammatically correct sentences in spoken and written German. It is, therefore, essential that the children have good knowledge of basic English grammar. Children will learn basic sentence structure, sentence components, tenses, conjugation, declination. etc. Correct pronunciation and vocabulary are also emphasized. Some instruction is given in German to facilitate understanding and comprehension of the spoken German. .
Anneliese Forbes Children up to 15 years old (Intermediate/Advanced)