AATG News

Deborah Page, University of Cincinnati, American Association of Teachers of German Representative

Ohio AATG Fall Conference and Meeting

The annual conference and meeting of the Ohio American Association of the Teachers of German will be November 7-8, 2014, at the Hyatt Place Worthington, the same location as the past two years.  First time attendees receive free registration!  As a special incentive, the chapter will be offering Saturday’s lunch at no cost to those who register by October 30.  The registration information was sent out over the OFLA listserv, as well as the AATG listserv.

The program will begin Friday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. with a “Meet-and-Greet, followed by the business meeting, where we will consider by-laws amendments, hold elections, approve the budget, and discuss the other business of the chapter.  There will be an exciting and full program with something for all levels of instruction.  Mohamed Esa, president of the national AATG and professor of German at McDaniel College in Maryland will present “Von Grimm bis Rammstein:  Märchen im Deutschunterricht.” This presentation will include an extensive handout, as well as the possibility of obtaining the video clips and other materials used in the presentation.  Dr. Esa will introduce the topic Friday evening, continue on Saturday morning, and conclude early in the afternoon.  The second major presentation will be given by Anka Fehling, Beraterin für Deutschunterricht from the Chicago office of the Zentralstelle für Auslandsschulwesen (ZfA).  She will speak on two topics: 1) Ünterstützungsangebote der ZfA-Beraterin für Deutschunterricht in Ohio and 2) Land des Umbruchs – Schullaufbahnen in Deutschland heute.

We have received a favorable group rate for the hotel rooms.  Single rooms will be $99 and double rooms will be $109.  To make reservations within the group block:

1) call 1-888-HyattHP (888-492-8847) and ask for AATG Ohio Foreign Language Group and reference the group code G-AATG.
or
2) book online with the following link: http://www.columbusworthington.place.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html?corp_id=G-AATG

Call for Nominations

The chapter will hold elections at the fall meeting for the positions listed below.  Please contact Debbie Page (deborah.page@uc.edu) if you would like to place your name in nomination.

1) Second Vice President
This position carries a six-year commitment (2 years as Second Vice President, 2 years as the First Vice President and 2 years as the President) that allows you develop your leadership skills in a friendly and supportive environment.

2) First Vice President
This position carries a four-year commitment (2 years as the First Vice President and 2 years as the President) and also allows you develop your leadership skills in a friendly and supportive environment for a shorter time commitment.

2015 National German Exam Registration

The National German Exam is one way to honor student performance with Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards, and an array of prizes including the AATG/PAD Study Trip Award.  This year it is easier to register students online.  You can upload your student roster when registering.

The fee remains $5.00 per student.  The format includes multiple choice, matching and true/false items.  There are no text completion questions for 2015.  The test is composed 100 items divided into two sections.  Each section is 40 minutes long.

The online exam needs to be given between December 1, 2014 and February 2, 2015.  Note that the test is completely online, and students will need access to a computer or tablet with internet access.  There are two free practice exams for each level.

You can get additional information, including a tutorial on how to register, the hardware and software requirements, important dates, and a FAQ on the AATG website under the Student Programs tab at www.aatg.org.  Ohio students have traditionally done very well in these exams.  They are an excellent opportunity to showcase your program at spring awards ceremonies and to provide standardized verification of the amount of German learned for your discussions with administrators.