open high? (1 Viewer)

[sooverit]

hi, i'm doing open high german continuers for the hsc in 06. just wondering if anyone else was doing open high?
if so, do you find you do practically nothing until just before exams...? or maybe thats just me with my expert procrastination and unorganisational skills..haha
also, do you find it hard to study, just because we get so many resources and im never sure what exactly to study.

 

[elisabeth]

I wouldn't worry, I did German cont. through Open High last year and I was exactly like that too. In fact, I was probably worse than you... because I didn't even finish all my cover pages! Mr Keevil was a bit of a softie, never really told me off and so I fell further and further behind. But I wouldn't worry - obviously I'm not trying to encourage you to procrastinate, but I didn't even finish the course (by about 6 cover pages) and I topped the class and went on to get 98 in the HSC

I reasoned with myself that I was learning German in other ways - constantly listening to German music on my iPod, watching German movies and looking up random words to increase the vocab. Also make sure you know your grammar and you'll be fine - after all, you can look up words you need in your dictionary during exams, so it doesn't matter if you don't have an exceptional vocabulary - as long as you have solid grammar and varied phrases, you can nail it. It's pretty easy. (I'm on a year long exchange in Germany now, back in year 12 again - and their year 12 English class does things like translate the original American constitution for fun in the lesson! Really, we have it easy!!)

 

[sooverit]

thanks for that, i have my first big assessment on friday, its worth 40%!!
yeah i think i learn in a similar way to you, i watch german movies and speak german to my parents who, conveniently, are german
i think i struggle the most with grammer, as i have grown up doing it inuitively, and its very hard learning specific rules and cases etc, when i have always just guessed....but i'm not too concerned, most of the assessment is understanding and comprehending german and responding in english anyway so thats handy!
i know what you mean about open high teachers being softies, mine is so nice and helpful

 

[elisabeth]

I would still get yourself a grammar book and start going through it. You'll obviously have the advantage of a more natural fluency and probably a larger vocabulary, but in the exam we've all got dictionaries so the non-native speakers, who have struggled with but nailed the grammar - often have an advantage. I mean, not too many people do in depth studies on the grammar of their native language. So even if it's not as neccessary for this exam, it will be in the upcoming ones and you'll want to do really well in those, since with such heavy weightings, you can't afford to mess them up.

Anyway, good luck again! Which teacher do you have, btw?

 

[sooverit]

i have Michael Urricher, he is so lovely, very understanding and helpful
thanks for the tip, i know i have to work on grammer, its just so hard to get motivated to study something as fun as german grammer....haha.
i really need to work more consistently with german, i find if i haven't done any german work in a while it takes me a lot longer to "get back into it." its just very easy to neglect when i have other exams on at school...
i'll get back to work now, practicing speaking for my oral!

 

[Steffijam]

I'm doing German Continuers through the Open High School too, although I have Mrs Fritsche. I'm so behind in my work...and we're got Trials this week...ahhh!

 

[kleenex]

ive got christa shes really nto helpfull at all - her concept of explaining somthign is to repeat what it says in the book
dont worry i got a tutor and she told me that kids from the open high school are pushed so hard to be perfect taht we always end up being way better than anyone so dotn worry about being behind and gettign stuff a bti wrong we're way ahead of everyone else in the state good luck next week at speaking peace out guys