News and Updates
Houstonfest Scholarships -
winners posted!
Scholarships at State
Special Rules and Procedures for the 2021 Remote Contest
Teacher-to-Teacher Tips
Tips for Pair Discussion
Photo Gallery
2014
Arrival at Heights High School
Lunch options
Plays will be performed at Houstonfest
Daily log of changes to
state-qualifier list
Important Dates
Sat., Mar. 6, 2021:
State online awards ceremony
posted. Also,
Houstonfest Scholarship
applications due.
Fri., Mar. 12, 2021:
Gail Cope
Scholarship applications due.
Fri., April 30, 2021:
Gail Cope Teacher Grant applications due.
The rest of this will be updated for 2022 some time soon:
Sat., Jan. 16, 2021: Regular deadline to submit registration
spreadsheet in order to pay regular price of $10/student (payment does not have
to be mailed until 1/25).
Mon., Jan. 25, 2021: Final deadline to submit registration spreadsheet
for late price of $12/student and deadline to postmark payment.
Wed., Feb. 3, 2021,
8:00 p.m.: Deadline to submit changes (adds,
drops, substitutions). After this point, no more additions or
substitutions will be allowed.
Sat., Feb. 6, 2021:
Houstonfest (100% remote): some events conducted
"live" (online) that day, all others submitted digitally by 9:00 a.m.
Thur., Feb. 11, 2021:
Houstonfest online awards show emailed to teachers.
Wed., Feb. 17, 2021:
State online registration due by 11:59 p.m.
for "early bird" price of
$10/student (payment does not have to be mailed yet). Also, deadline to apply for the
Mary El-Beheri Memorial Scholarship.
Mon., Feb. 22, 2021: State online registration due by 11:59 p.m. at
regular price of
$12/student. Also, entries for
promotional video contest
due to State director Jennifer Christianson by 8:00 p.m. and deadline to
postmark payment.
Sat., Feb. 27, 2021: Texas State German
Contest (100% remote): some events conducted "live" (online) that day, all
others submitted digitally by 9:00 a.m.
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Rules:
Research Paper
Below are the "normal" rules
for Houstonfest in a non-pandemic year. To preserve a record of the normal
rules, alterations to the rules for the 2021 remote contest will not be
reflected here but rather documented at this link: Special
Rules and Procedures for the 2021 Remote Contest.
Entry Limit:
1 research paper per school, with 1-2 authors
Length Limits:
minimum 700 words, maximum 1000 words, not including title page and Works Cited
Write a research paper in English on an interesting German-Texan
cultural and/or historical topic. The topic should not be commonly known: a
particular person, family, place, building, business, area, group, settlement,
organization, church, tradition, activity, practice, etc. The paper should
contribute to a greater understanding of German-Texan history and/or culture.
The entry must be typed and double-spaced and have internal documentation with
proper in-text citation and a Works Cited page, as per MLA (Modern Language
Association) guidelines. Follow the rules in the latest MLA Style Sheet, paying
special attention to rules for entering Internet sources. Use at least three
sources, at least two of which must be non-Internet. Digitally-archived
sources originally published in hard copy may be counted as non-Internet
sources. Sources should include primary sources
and secondary
sources.
Primary sources are evidence in the form of artifacts, photos, letters,
interviews, music, charts, illustrations, etc. with a direct connection to the
era being studied. They may be
personally documented by the contestant(s) (photos taken, interviews recorded)
or found in personal collections, archives, libraries, museums, etc.
Secondary sources
are documents that discuss or analyze primary sources and topics -- primarily
other academic work. The contestant's teacher must e-mail a copy of the paper,
including the Works Cited, in a Microsoft Word-compatible format to the regional
director or his designee by 11:59 p.m. on the Tuesday before the regional contest. Specific submission instructions will be inserted here. All entries
will be checked for plagiarism via turnitin.com or a similar service. On the
day of contest, submit the following in a sealed 9×12 envelope to the designated
room by 9:00 a.m.: (1) a hard copy of the paper and Works Cited with a title
page including the name(s) of the contestant(s), the name of the teacher, the
school and city, and the title of the paper (note that even though MLA Style
does not call for a title page, we ask for one); (2) a USB drive (labeled with name)
that contains only the paper itself, the Works Cited, any visual material, and
any digital recordings used as primary sources. All materials submitted will be
returned on the afternoon of contest, but do not include irreplaceable items in
your submission.
Download critique
sheet.
Read about
scholarships for the winners of the
Research Paper contest at State!
Help with MLA Style:
Purdue University MLA Formatting and Style Guide
Note: The judges will have an actual copy of the
new edition of the
MLA Handbook (8th edition, 2016).
If you use online "cheat sheets" that claim to summarize MLA rules, such
as the one linked above, rather than referring to the actual MLA
Handbook, you do so at your own risk. Make sure that any
website you are using is based on the new 8th edition from 2016. |
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When is the next Houstonfest?
Saturday,
February 5, 2022 Where
is Houstonfest?
Due to COVID-19, the 2021 contest was conducted entirely REMOTELY. We hope to be
back at our usual venue, Heights High School in Houston, in 2022.
Link to Texas
State German Contest
Texas
State German Contest on Facebook |