News and Updates
Changes and updates for 2024 (new!)
Contest
Promo Video #1 (students from one school tell why they
love contest)
Contest Promo
Video #2 (one student tells why she loves contest)
Teacher-to-Teacher Tips
"Texas State German Contest at 40" newsletter
series (full of tips for contest prep and Pass auf!
study material)
Houstonfest Scholarships
Scholarships at State
State Promo Video Contest
Tips for Pair Discussion
Arrival at Heights High School
Lunch options
Daily log of changes to
state-qualifier list
Photo Gallery
Important Dates
Tue., Jan. 16, 2024, 11:59
p.m.: Houstonfest registration
spreadsheet due for regular price of $12/student (payment does not have
to be mailed until 1/22).
Mon., Jan. 22, 2024, 11:59
p.m.: Houstonfest registration spreadsheet
due
for late price of $15/student. Deadline to postmark Houstonfest payment.
Sat., Jan. 27, 2024, 9:00 a.m.:
Submission of entries in the 7 virtual Houstonfest events due (get link to
Google Form from your teacher).
Tue., Jan. 30, 2024, 11:59 p.m.: Remote
judging of the 7 virtual Houstonfest events ends.
Wed., Jan. 31, 2024, 9:00 p.m.:
Houstonfest changes (adds,
drops, substitutions) due. After this point, no more changes will be allowed.
Sat., Feb. 3, 2024:
Houstonfest,
Heights High School, Houston.
Fri., Feb. 9, 2024, 11:59 p.m.: State
online registration due for "early bird" price of $12/student (payment does not
have to be mailed until 2/14).
Wed., Feb. 14, 2024, 11:59 p.m.: State
online registration due
for
regular price of
$15/student. Deadline to postmark State payment.
Sat., Feb. 17, 2024, 9:00 a.m.:
Submission of entries in the 7 virtual State events due (get link to
Google Form from your teacher). Also,
Mary El-Beheri Memorial Scholarship
applications due.
Mon., Feb. 19, 2024, 8:00 p.m.:
Entries in
promotional video contest
due to State director.
Tue., Feb. 20, 2024, 11:59 p.m.: Remote
judging of the 7 virtual State events ends.
Sat., Feb. 24, 2024:
Texas State German Contest, Texas State
University, San Marcos.
Sat., Mar. 2, 2024, 11:59 p.m.:
Houstonfest Scholarship applications due.
Sun., Mar. 10, 2024:
Gail Cope
State Scholarship applications due.
Tue., April 30, 2024:
Gail Cope Teacher Grant applications due.
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Rules: Pass
auf!
Pass auf! Study Guide
Pass auf! Vocabulary List
for Erdkunde
Video of a Sample
Game
New:
Theme for 2024:
UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Intangible Heritage Elements in
Austria, Germany, and Switzerland (see more at Rule 7
below). Here are two links to get you
started:
World Heritage Sites,
Intangible Heritage Elements. Note: you may also see information on the
UNESCO website about Biosphere Preserves and Global Geoparks, but those two
UNESCO lists are NOT included in the special topic.
Novice Schedule
Varsity Schedule
-
A Varsity
team consists of up to 7 students who are in any level of German, with
the exception of Advantaged Speakers and exchange students from
German-speaking countries. A school may enter 1 Varsity team.
-
A Novice team
consists of up to 7 German I and German II students who have never played in
a regional or state Pass auf! competition. A school may enter 1
Novice team. Novice teams do not advance to State.
-
Only 5
students may play at a time. A
team may begin playing with fewer than 5 players and players may be added
after the game begins, if the team notifies the moderator before the game
begins that players will be coming late. At no time may more than 5
team members participate during a game. Once a team starts playing,
players may leave to go to other contests, but they may not be replaced.
Alternates will be considered as spectators and may not observe unless the
game is open for spectators. Spectators may not communicate in any way with
the teams that are playing.
-
Spectators are allowed only during the final game. They are not allowed in any other games at any of
the contests.
-
There will be no changes to times of Pass auf! games in a contest.
Teams may be eliminated if they are more than 5 minutes late to a
scheduled game.
-
Each team must
designate a captain. This is the only person from whom an answer
may be accepted. In certain instances, the captain may designate one of
the team members to give an answer. This must be done verbally and it must
be acknowledged by the moderator before the answer may be accepted. If
someone other than the captain or designee should give an answer, it will
not be acknowledged by the moderator. In this instance, the appropriate
person on the team must begin to give the answer before the allotted time
expires.
-
Each game
consists of a round of 25 questions from the following broad
categories: History & Politics, Arts & Letters, Odds & Ends, and Erdkunde. There
will be 5 questions from each of those 4 categories (5 × 4 = 20) plus an
additional 5 questions from 1 of the categories to round out the 25
questions.
Questions in the broad
categories of History & Politics, Arts & Letters, and Odds & Ends will be
grouped in subcategories within each round. Subcategories will include
but not be limited to the following:
History & Politics:
early German history (beginnings through the Folk Migrations), the Middle
Ages, the Reformation, the 17th and 18th Centuries, the 19th Century,
the post-WWII
period, German-American history, Texas-German history, government,
the European Union, political parties, current events, etc.
Arts & Letters:
literature, fairy tales and folk tales, drama and cinema, philosophy
and
theology, music and composers, art, architecture, scientists, inventors,
etc.
Odds & Ends:
holidays, food, games, sports, education, folk festivals,
customs and traditions, travel vocabulary, communication,
idioms, language functions, vocabulary, days/months/seasons, etc.
For each
category or subcategory in a round there will be questions valued at 10, 20,
30, 40, and 50 points, depending upon difficulty. Erdkunde questions
will be asked in German and must be answered in German. Each year a theme
will be announced, and during that year there will be at least one 50-point
question related to that theme asked in each round. Other questions related
to the theme may also appear in the rounds.
The theme for 2024 is
UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Intangible Heritage Elements in Austria,
Germany, and Switzerland.
-
The questions
will be read by the moderator in order as printed. The category and point
value for each question will be stated before the question is read.
-
After the
question is read for the first time, the teams have up to 30 seconds in
which to signal. They may confer during this time. If there is no signal
within the 30-second period, the question is passed. To expedite the game,
teams may elect to pass a question before the 30-second period expires.
-
If a team
signals while a question is being read, the moderator will stop immediately
and may not complete the question or give any additional information or
answer any questions.
-
After signaling,
the team has 30 seconds to begin giving an answer. It may confer during
this time, but once the team starts giving an answer, it may not pause in
order to gain more time. The first attempt by a team will be considered the
answer -- a team may not start over once it has begun to answer a question. In any case, the determination of whether or not to accept an answer lies
with the moderator and not with the players, assistants, or spectators.
-
If the signaling
team gives an incorrect answer or if it fails to answer the question in the
time given, the moderator will repeat the question for the other team. The
other team has 30 seconds to decide whether they want to try giving an
answer or to pass. After deciding to attempt the question, the team has 30
seconds to begin giving an answer.
-
If a team gives
a correct answer, it will receive the designated points, but no points will
be deducted for failing to give a correct answer.
-
Appropriate
behavior is expected of all players and spectators. No interruptions will
be tolerated while a team is attempting to answer a question. Clarification
of rules may be addressed to the moderator between questions, before the
game, or after the game, but never while a question is in play.
-
Any challenge to
a question or ruling by the moderator must be made immediately following the
question or decision that is being challenged or before the game is declared
finished. The judgment of the moderator is final.
-
Should the
moderator misread a question, give the answer before the other team has a
chance to answer, etc., a replacement question from the same category and
the same point value will be read.
-
If the
score is tied after the round of questions is completed, the moderator will
then select tie breakers from the alternate set of questions.
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When is the next Houstonfest?
Saturday,
February 3, 2024 Where
is Houstonfest?
Heights High School
413 E. 13th Street, Houston, TX
77008
Link to Texas State German Contest
Texas
State German Contest on Facebook
Texas
State German Contest 40th Anniversary Facebook Group |