Houstonfest

News and Updates

Important Dates

Mar. 5, 2010: Houstonfest Scholarship applications due

Mar. 10, 2010: Gail Cope Scholarship applications due

Jan. x, 2011: Early-bird registration ($8) must be postmarked and online registration must be submitted by 11:59 p.m.

Jan. x, 2011: Regular registration ($10) must be postmarked and online registration must be submitted by 11:59 p.m.

Feb. 5, 2011: Houstonfest, Lanier Middle School, Houston

Feb. x, 2011: State early-bird registration due (submit online registration and mail payment; payment must arrive by Feb. x)

Feb. x, 2011: State regular registration due

Feb. 26, 2011: Texas State German Contest, University of Texas at Austin

Rules: Written Testing Events

Note for all contestants in written testing:

You are responsible for bringing as many No. 2 pencils as you may need to take these tests. If you forget to bring your own pencils, you may buy one at the contest for $.25. Scantron answer sheets will be used for all tests except Spelling.

Tips on preparing for the written tests

Culture:

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

Grammar:

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

Listening Comprehension:

Two entries per school per level: Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Level 4. Multiple-choice, scantron test. Listen to recorded items in German and answer questions about the content of the information you heard. Levels 1 and 2 take the same test and Levels 3 and 4 take the same test, but they are ranked separately for each level.

Reading Comprehension:

Three entries per school per level: Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Level 4. Multiple-choice, scantron test. The test will consist of questions about a series of short readings. Questions will generally be in German.

Spelling:

Two entries per school per level: Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Level 4. Levels 1 and 2 take the same test and Levels 3 and 4 take the same test, but they are ranked separately for each level. A series of words will be called out in German (the speaker will say the word, its part of speech, a sentence using the word, and the word again). The words will probably be recorded, not called live. Contestants write the called words on their answer sheets. Spelling (including umlauts) and capitalization (nouns capitalized, other parts of speech not capitalized) must be perfect in order to receive credit for a given item. Spelling lists are based on the glossaries in the back of all German textbooks.

Vocabulary:

Three entries per school per level: Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Level 4. Multiple-choice, scantron test. Vocabulary will be taken from approved textbooks on the appropriate level. The test will consist mostly of items in which you choose the correct English meaning for a given German word, but other formats are possible as well.