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competitive_activities_and_rules.pdf
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*based on University of Alabama German Day & Texas State German Contests  
Competitive Activities and Rules 
  • When selecting events, please note the levels at which students can compete and the number of students that can be entered per level.  For your convenience, the downloadable version of this information has a space for you to write in/have students sign up for each event.
  • Be aware that level events may be combined if registration for that event is low and in some cases levels 3 and 4 are one category.
  • Some categories have the addition of the level 'Advantaged'.  This category is for students who have either lived/studied in Germany for at least a year and/or have at least one relative at home who speaks German.  If a category has less than 5 Advantaged entries, CGD reserves the right to combine those students with the Level 3/4 category.
  • Please refer to the judging page so that you and your students know how they are to be critiqued and judged.
  • If a student is found to be competing at a lower level than he/she is enrolled in, that student may be disqualified from said event.
  • A student cannot win more than one recognition in a single event.  For example, if a student submits 2 entries in Photo Essay, only one of them can be judged.
Oral Events

1.  Dialogue  Presentations 
(LEVELS 1, 2, 3/4)
ENTRY LIMITS:  SCHOOL MAY SEND 3 TEAMS OF TWO STUDENTS PER GERMAN LEVEL.
This is to be a one - two minute dialog in German between two students based on
Free time activities.

LEVEL 1 – Students tell each other about their favorite free time activity.  Must be a minimum of 1 minute presentation.
LEVEL 2 – Students tell each other about their favorite free time activity and try to convince each other why their favorite is the best.  Must be between 1-2 minutes.
LEVEL 3/4 – Students tell each other about a free time activity they did in the past, and what effect that has had on their lives. Must be a minimum of 2 minutes.

2. Poetry/Prose Memory 
(LEVELS 1, 2, 3/4)
ENTRY LIMITS:  EACH SCHOOL MAY SEND 3 STUDENTS PER GERMAN LEVEL.

Length and Time Limits:
Level 1:  16-24 lines OR 1-2 min.
Level 2:  20-32 lines OR 1.5-2.5 min.
Levels 3 & 4:  24-46 lines OR 2-3 min.
​
The selection must be by a German-speaking author, i.e., originally published in German.  It may not be a translation from a non-German speaking author, even if it has been published, but it may be by a non-German who writes in German, e.g., Kishon. The piece selected must meet the requirements listed above.

Poetry/Prose Memory is dramatic interpretation, but without costumes and props.  The contestant may use one chair and may move during the presentation.  The title of the selection and the author must be listed along with the name of the student performing it on the alphabetical student list at the time of registration.  At least two copies of the selection must be presented to the judges at the contest.  The poem must be the one provided for the corresponding level.  Poems must be recited from memory and with expressiveness.  Poetry/Prose Memory selections may not be used as Poetry/Prose Reading selections or vice versa by the same person.

See MATERIALS for sample poetry.  

3. POETRY/PROSE READING 
(LEVELS 1, 2, 3/4)
ENTRY LIMITS:  EACH SCHOOL MAY SEND 3 STUDENTS PER GERMAN LEVEL.

Length and Time Limits:
Level 1:  16-24 lines OR 1-2 min.
Level 2:  20-32 lines OR 1.5-2.5 min.
Levels 3 & 4:  24-46 ​lines OR 2-3 min.

The selection must be by a German-speaking author, i.e., originally published in German.  It may not be a translation from a non-German speaking author, even if it has been published, but it may be by a non-German who writes in German, e.g., Kishon. Piece may be edited to fit time or line limits (see above).  Poetry/Prose Reading is judged on the basis of reading and not on any interpretation by the contestant, other than the use of voice changes, eye contact, facial expressions, and some use of hands.  No props or costumes may be used.  The contestant may not walk around.  The title of the selection and the author must be listed along with the name of the student performing it on the alphabetical student list at the time of registration.  At least two copies of the selection must be presented to the judges at the contest.  Poetry/Prose Reading selections may not be used as Poetry/Prose Memory selections or vice versa by the same person.

See MATERIALS for sample poetry.  

4. Extemporaneous Speaking (LEVELS 1, 2, 3/4)
ENTRY LIMITS:  EACH SCHOOL MAY SEND 3 STUDENTS PER GERMAN LEVEL.

Time Limits:
Levels 1-2: 1-3 minutes
Levels 3-4: 2-4 minutes

The contestant will draw a topic at the beginning of his/her time slot.  The topics will not be technical and will pertain to daily life.  Different contestants will receive different topics, but the topics will be of approximately equal difficulty.  After drawing a topic, the contestant will have a maximum of 10 minutes to prepare.  He/she may write during this time, but no books or dictionaries may be used in preparation, and NO notes, even those made during the preparation period, may be used in the speech. 

5. Extemporaneous Reading (LEVELS 1, 2)
ENTRY LIMITS:  EACH SCHOOL MAY SEND 3 STUDENTS PER GERMAN LEVEL, ONLY LEVELS 1 AND 2


Time Limits:  Up to 1 minute preparation time plus 2 minutes to read the piece to judges

The contestant will receive a copy of a prose piece that he/she has never seen before.  The contestant may look at the prose for up to 1 minute before reading it for the judges.  Contestants then have 2 minutes to read aloud the prose selection .  The judges will stop the contestant after 2 minutes, regardless of how far he/she has read into the selection.

6. Individual Song Presentation (LEVELS 1, 2, 3/4, Advantaged)
ENTRY LIMITS:  EACH SCHOOL MAY SEND 3 STUDENTS PER GERMAN LEVEL.

Students may sing a German song of their choice, but the song must be sung from memory. Students may sing a cappella or use accompanying music, however, the accompaniment may not be a recording where the words are being sung. Accompaniment with words, however faint, will disqualify the singer. A CD player/MP3 hook-up will be available for use.

7. Group Song Presentation 
(Any level combination)
ENTRY LIMITS:  EACH SCHOOL MAY SEND 3 TEAMS.  THE SIZE OF THE TEAMS IS NOT LIMITED. ONE PERSON FROM EACH TEAM IS TO SIGN IN BY SCHOOL AND TEAM NUMBER (1 OR 2) AT THE COMPETITION.  ONLY ONE MEMBER OF THE GROUP MAY BE A STUDENT NOT CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN A GERMAN CLASS.

Students may sing a German song of their choice, but the song must be sung from memory. Students may sing a Capella or use accompanying music, however, the accompaniment may not be a recording where the words are being sung. Accompaniment with words, however faint, will disqualify the singers.  
A CD player/MP3 hook-up will be available for use.


8. Classical Instrument Performance
ENTRY LIMITS:  EACH SCHOOL MAY SEND ONE ENSEMBLE, 2-6 MUSICIANS or ONE INDIVIDUAL PERFORMER;  UP TO TWO MEMBERS OF AN ENSEMBLE WITH 4 OR MORE PERFORMERS MAY BE  STUDENTS WHO HAVE NEVER BEEN ENROLLED IN GERMAN.  

Time Limits: 5 – 10 minutes, with a 30-second grace period
The piece(s) must be by a German-speaking composer and be a recognized work of music, e.g., Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, or a modern composer. Music may be classical or contemporary and groups may do medleys of songs. No electric instruments, other than one electric keyboard, are allowed. No music stands will be provided at the contest site. Attire is part of the judging criteria. If a non-German student is included in the ensemble, this information must be given to the judges.  Two copies of the sheet music must be provided for the judges. 

9. Skits (LEVELS 1, 2, 3/4/Advantaged)
ENTRY LIMITS:  ONE SKIT PER LEVEL, LEVELS 1, 2, 3/4.  THERE MUST BE A MINIMUM OF 3 PERFORMERS WITH SPEAKING PARTS, NO MAXIMUM.  IF INCLUDING AN ADVANTAGED SPEAKER WITH LEVEL 3/4, THE ADVANTAGED SPEAKER MUST NOT PLAY THE MAIN ROLE. ONE PERSON IS TO SIGN IN, BY SCHOOL, FOR THE ENTIRE CAST.

Time Limits:  Levels 1 & 2: 4-8 minutes                                 Levels 3 & 4, 7-10 minutes

Contestants have a 30-second grace period (under or over), plus a maximum of 3 minutes to set up.  If it is a mixed-level skit, then it must be entered on the level of the most-advanced cast member.  If advantaged speakers are included in a level 3/4 skit, this information must be given to the judges.  Skits may be written by the class, the teacher, German-speaking authors, or others.  Skits may be from fairy tales.  Good pronunciation and grammatically-correct German are most important in the judging.  Costumes and props may be added for flavor and effect, but are not required.  Two copies of the script must be provided for the judges.  Excerpts from the skit may not be reused in other categories by the same cast member. 

10. Spelling Bee (LEVELS 1, 2, 3/4)
ENTRY LIMITS:  EACH SCHOOL MAY SEND 6 STUDENTS PER GERMAN LEVEL.

The words for each of the levels will be chosen from the lists provided (see MATERIALS). Students will be using a microphone while spelling.
1. Words must be spelled using the standard German alphabet.
2. Capital letters must be called out as such (“großes A”, “großes S”). Misspellings will be called for a word that must be capitalized if the student fails to indicate capitalization. Words that are normally not capitalized will be considered misspelled if they are falsely capitalized.
3. Student must indicate Umlaut by saying “a-Umlaut”, “o-Umlaut”, “großes ü-Umlaut” etc. for ä, ö, Ü etc.
4. “ß” must be pronounced “ess-tsett” without exception. Words that must be spelled with “ß” will be called if spelled “ss” instead. We will follow the German Spelling Reform.
5. After the moderator has presented the word for spelling, the student has 20 seconds to respond. If the student is unable to spell the word within 20 seconds the word is considered misspelled.
6. Students must give their response by saying the word, spelling it, then repeating the word, as follows: Moderator: Wie schreibt man “Sonne”? Student: Sonne, großes S, o, n, n, e Sonne.
Students may ask the moderator to repeat the question by saying:”Wiederholen Sie, bitte!” They may correct themselves while spelling, either by clearly correcting an individual letter or by starting over. Once a word has been said the second time by the student, the spelling will be considered finished and judged as such.
7. The competition will be conducted in rounds. Each speller remaining in the spelling bee at the start of a round will spell one word in the round.
8. Upon missing the spelling of a word, a speller immediately drops out of the competition. The next word on the moderator’s list is given to the next student, unless there are only two spellers remaining.
9. When the number of students is reduced to two, the elimination procedure changes. At that point, when one student misspells a word, the other student will be given an opportunity to spell that same word. If the second student spells that word correctly, plus the next word on the pronouncer’s list, then the second student will be declared the winner.
10. If one of the last two students misspells a word and the other student, after correcting the error, misspells the new word, then the misspelled new word will be referred to the other student. If this other student then succeeds in correcting the error and spells the next word on the list, then he or she shall be declared the winner.
11. If both students misspell the same word, both will continue in the competition, and the one who first misspelled the word will be given a new word to spell.
12. The winner is not the winner until he or she corrects the misspelling of the other speller and then correctly spells the next word on the list. (Scripps National Spelling Bee Rules, Option B).
13. In case all words from the provided lists have been used, the moderator will present new words to be spelled from an additional list in the order provided until a winner has been established.
14. The judges are in complete control of the competition. Their decision will be final on all questions.

Word Lists: See MATERIALS


11. PASS AUF!
ENTRY LIMITS:  EACH SCHOOL MAY SEND ONE NOVICE TEAM AND ONE VARSITY TEAM.  
A Varsity team must be made of members who have previously competed in Pass auf! at CGD.  If you need to cancel or add a team after registration PLEASE let the organizers know, as the competition brackets are set up in advance. 

ABRIDGED RULES (SEE MATERIALS PAGE FOR COMPLETE RULES):
One novice and one varsity team per school, competing in separate tournaments. Novice teams consist only of students in who have never competed in Pass auf! before. A team may consist of up to seven players, with no advantaged speakers. However, only up to five players may compete in a given round. Two teams play head-to-head in each game. A game consists of 25 questions – five questions from each of the following categories: Arts and Letters, Erdkunde, Grammar, History and Politics, and Odds and Ends. In each category there will be questions valued at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 points, depending upon difficulty. From the time that a question is read for the first time, the teams have 30 seconds in which to signal. After signaling, a team has 30 seconds to confer before beginning to give the answer.  If a team gives a correct answer, it receives the points designated for the question. If the team’s answer is not accepted by the moderator, the moderator will reread the question for the opposing team. It then has 30 seconds to signal whether it wants to try to answer the question. After it signals, it has 30 seconds in which to answer.

Written Events

1. Dictation 
(LEVELS 1, 2, 3/4)
ENTRY LIMITS:  EACH SCHOOL MAY SEND 6 STUDENTS PER GERMAN LEVEL.

Students will receive a preprinted paragraph where certain words are missing. The paragraph will be read first at normal speed (listen), then a second time slowly and with pauses, so that the words may be filled in (write), and a third and final time to check answers (check).

2. Reading Comprehension 
(LEVELS 1, 2, 3/4)
ENTRY LIMITS:  EACH SCHOOL MAY SEND 6 STUDENTS PER GERMAN LEVEL.

Students receive a German text to read from which they answer multiple-choice, true-false, or fill-in questions.

3. Geography 
(LEVELS 1, 2, 3/4, Advantaged)
ENTRY LIMITS:  EACH SCHOOL MAY SEND 6 STUDENTS PER GERMAN LEVEL.

Students will be asked to answer multiple-choice, true-false, or fill-in questions in English about the German speaking cities below.

For information on Köln, Salzburg and Luzern, please see MATERIALS.

LEVEL 1 – Köln
LEVEL 2 – Salzburg
LEVEL 3/4/Advantaged (even years) – Luzern
LEVEL 3/4/Advantaged (odd years) - Bodensee


4.  Grammar (LEVELS 1, 2, 3/4)
ENTRY LIMITS:  EACH SCHOOL MAY SEND 6 STUDENTS PER GERMAN LEVEL.

Level 1, Level 2, Level 3/4. Multiple-choice test. See description of Culture test for the sources to be used. Add: Any texts or books you may have.

5.  Culture (LEVELS 1, 2, 3/4, Advantaged)
ENTRY LIMITS:  EACH SCHOOL MAY SEND 6 STUDENTS PER GERMAN LEVEL.

RULES:
Level 1, Level 2, Level 3/4. Multiple-choice test. All materials will be taken from AMSCO: Level One (Erstes Buch); AMSCO: Level Two (1985);  Deutsch Aktuell (I, II and III) and any or all sources listed under the Pass auf! category. The level 3/4 tests will be in German.


Visual/Artistic Events

All Visual/Artistic projects must be delivered upon-arrival at the school for judging.  Display Rooms to be announced.


1. Poster Design (LEVELS 1, 2, 3/4, Advantaged)
ENTRY LIMIT:  EACH SCHOOL MAY SUBMIT 1 POSTER PER GERMAN LEVEL.  THIS MAY BE A GROUP OR INDIVIDUAL PROJECT, WITH NO MORE THAN 2 PEOPLE CREDITED FOR THE WORK ON A POSTER.

Size Limit:  One piece of poster board, 22″ by 26″

The poster may be about any German related topic.  There must be at least 10 different German words on the poster, or at least 10 words forming a complete German sentence or phrase.  Posters must be made by hand-drawing and/or with hand-made extras.  No computer-made posters will be accepted.

2. T-Shirt Design Competition (LEVELS 1, 2, 3/4, Advantaged)
ENTRY LIMIT:  EACH SCHOOL MAY SUBMIT 1 T-SHIRT DESIGN PER GERMAN LEVEL.

The design must be on regular 8 1/2 x 11″ paper and include both an image and text that gives encouragement to study German.  All designs must include the German level, school, and the students’ names on the back of each entry.

3. Children’s Book 
(LEVELS 1, 2, 3/4, Advantaged)
ENTRY LIMIT:  EACH SCHOOL MAY SUBMIT 1 CHILDREN’S BOOK PER GERMAN LEVEL.  NO MORE THAN TWO STUDENTS MAY BE CREDITED FOR THE WORK ON EACH BOOK.

Length:
LEVEL 1: 4-6 pages.

LEVEL 2: 7-10 pages.
LEVEL 3/4: 11-15 pages.
ADVANTAGED:  11-15 pages.


Write a children's story related to family or home life in Germany (the family could be human, make believe or animal!).  Be culturally correct where applicable.  Please include the German level, school, and student(s) name(s) on the inside of the front cover.

4. Photo Essay  (LEVELS 1, 2, 3/4, Advantaged)
ENTRY LIMIT:   EACH SCHOOL MAY SUBMIT 3 PHOTO ESSAYs PER GERMAN LEVEL:  MAY BE AN INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP PROJECT, WITH NO MORE THAN 2 STUDENTS CREDITED FOR THE WORK. PHOTO LIMITS: 10 - 20 PHOTOS.

Photos must be originals taken by the contestant(s).  Photos may be either black-and-white or color, or a combination of both.  Any size photo is acceptable.  Photos must be mounted on only ONE sheet of poster board (22" by 26").  The photos may be on any topic related to the study of German and be accompanied by a narrative story in German.  The story should be written on the poster board next to or under each of the pictures.

5. Original Models 

ENTRY LIMITS:  ONE MODEL PER SCHOOL; MAY BE AN INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP PROJECT. SPENDING LIMIT: $45.00 MAX

An original model is a re-creation of a specific object or structure that exists or existed in any German-speaking country or is/was German-Coloradan. Contestants must build all projects from scratch.  No kits.  The model must be clearly named, e.g. Kölner Dom, Brandenburger Tor, Bavarian Battle Helmet, etc and it should include a backdrop or diorama.  Project should include some form of documentation as to how the original structure/object looked, from various angles if possible.  Documentation should include appropriate citation of sources.  Photos of the various stages of construction would also be helpful to the judges in determining if the project was actually constructed by the contestant(s).  Receipts for expenses must also be included in the documentation. 

6. Gingerbread House 

ENTRY LIMITS:  THREE HOUSES EACH STYLE, PER SCHOOL (MAY BE AN INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP PROJECT). STYLES: NON-TRADTIONAL & TRADITIONAL. SPENDING LIMIT: $45.00 MAX.

Length and width of primary structure:  minimum 9" per dimension, maximum 24" per dimension; height: 24" max. (Measurements will be made from wall to wall with a 1/2" variance.)  Length and width of base: maximum 36” per dimension.
There are two categories, in which each school may enter:  traditional houses (like the Hänsel and Gretel house) and non-traditional houses (such as tree houses, shoe houses, castles, churches, etc.).  Contestant(s) must build all houses from scratch.  No kits.  Use any recipe.  The entire entry must be edible, except for the base.  The primary house or structure must have a roof on it.  Photos of the actual building of the house would be helpful to the judges in determining if the house was actually built by the contestant(s). Receipts for expenses must also be included in the documentation.

7. Needlework 

ENTRY LIMITS:  TWO ENTRIES PER SCHOOL: MAY BE AN INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP PROJECT - ENTRIES MUST BE SUBMITTED BY 2 SEPARATE CONTESTANTS OR GROUPS OF CONTESTANTS. SPENDING LIMIT: $45.00 MAX.

Only crochet, knitting, hooked rugs, embroidery, needlepoint, cross-stitch, or quilting are allowed.  May be related to any topic relating to the German-speaking countries, such as symbols, places, folk traditions, music, sports, famous individuals, etc.   Needlework should include some brief form of documentation either depicting an image that was replicated and/or the German relevance.  Documentation should include appr9.opriate citation of sources.  Receipts for expenses must also be included in the documentation.

8. Traditional German Dance

ENTRY LIMITS:  ONE ENTRY PER SCHOOL: MINIMUM 8 DANCERS, NO MAXIMUM; ONLY 16 AT A TIME.

Each school must perform at a minimum the Rehberger Landler and may perform an optional second dance.  One of the optional dances can be the d'Hammerschmiedsg'selln or one other (details to be posted).  The group must provide the following items (3 copies each) for the judges:  A list of the dancers’ names, documentation of any optional dance (if performed).  Points will be deducted   from “authenticity” if no documentation is provided.  Dancers must also provide their own music.  Costuming is encouraged, but not required.

Music and dance notation for the Rehberger Landler can be accessed in this shared folder.  

Music and dance notation for d'Hammerschmiedsg'selln can be accessed in this shared folder.  There are many examples of the dance available on Youtube, and because there are different variations of the dance, any are acceptable.

We are starting ‘small’ so that participating schools can build their dance repertoire and costuming.  We hope that this category will grow to include 4-5 dances per school group.  I
nterested in having a team, but need some help?  Contact Amy Flynn (303-982-8939 or aflynn@jeffco.k12.co.us) to obtain additional dance training.

9. Cooking: Entrees
ENTREE ENTRY LIMITS:   THREE ENTRIES PER SCHOOL.
SIDE DISH ENTRY LIMITS:   THREE ENTRIES PER SCHOOL.
DESSERT ENTRY LIMITS:    THREE ENTRIES PER SCHOOL.

The dishes must come from authentic Germanic recipes.  A copy of the recipe must be included with the dish along with its source.  The source may be a traditional family recipe handed down in the family.  Points will be given for presentation.  Pictures of the student making the dish are recommended.  There will be no refrigeration available and there will be no means to keep food warm.

Food must be in place for judging by 9:00 am and dishes must be picked up by 12:30 pm. Any dishes not picked up at the end of the day will be discarded at the discretion of the site director.


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