St. Joseph's First Annual German-American Day Celebration

A WebQuest for High School German

Designed by

Leslie Gustafson
leslie.winall@sjsd.k12.mo.us


 

Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | Teacher Page


Introduction

In 1983, President Reagan proclaimed October 6 as German-American Day; his purpose was to honor the many contributions of German immigrants to the life and culture of the United States. Missouri has her own rich German heritage, and various cities' celebrations throughout the year- Oktoberfest, Weihnachtsmarkt, and Maifest, just to name a few- show that German culture is alive and well in our state! 

As late as 1900, even St. Joseph had a German newspaper, a German bank- there was even a German school in Kansas City! You think St. Joe should join other cities across the state and country in celebrating this unique heritage. Your goal is to create a proposal requesting that City Council declare October 6 as German-American Day in St. Joseph. It will take a strong argument to win them over, so make sure to be extra convincing!
 


The Task

You will work in a group of three students, each playing a role, for this task. Your team will be trying to convince City Council that St. Joseph should celebrate German-American Day, so you will begin by researching the importance of Germans in the United States. Your proposal will include: 

  • recognizing famous German-Americans, especially those from Missouri
  • examples of how other cities have celebrated their German roots
  • possibilities for entertainment and exhibits at the St. Joe event
In your specific roles, you will complete this research using various websites and decide what information you will include in your proposal. After researching the different items individually, you will come together in your group to assemble the final proposal, which you will display creatively and colorfully on a poster.
 


The Process

Step 1
First, you'll be assigned to a team of 3 students. Decide who will research famous German-Americans, German celebrations in the US, and ideas for the St. Joe celebration

Step 2
Once you've picked a role to play, follow the appropriate link below to find all of the necessary information and worksheet that you will complete.

Famous German-Americans

German Celebrations in the US

Ideas for the St. Joe G-A Day

Step 3
Meet with your group members and present your research. Make final decisions in each area of the proposal, based on the requirements of each individual assignments (For example: What two German celebrations will you present in your proposal?). Choose one group member to record these decisions.

Step 4
Create a poster of your proposal. You must include:

  • Your findings from the three areas of research, clearly labeled
  • At least five pictures; they may be hand-drawn or from the web. If you choose pictures from the Internet, you must cite the site where you found the picture.
  • a title for your proposal
The poster must be colorful, easy to read, and visually appealing!

Step 5
Present your proposal to the class. Each member will explain the area of the proposal for which they are responsible. You should also choose one group member to introduce the proposal and one member to conclude the presentation. Don't forget to ask for questions!


Evaluation
 
Beginning

1

 Developing

2

 Accomplished

3

 Exemplary

4

 Score
 
 
 

Content

 
Only one or two areas researched with minimal information given; worksheet questions partially completed
All three areas researched, but with minimal information given and worksheets only partially complete
All three areas researched and worksheets completed
All three areas researched and worksheets completed; work indicates extensive effort and exceeds the minimum requirement
  
 
 
 

Poster




 
Only one or two areas addressed in minimal detail; less than five pictures; poster is difficult to read and in black and white; no citations given
All three areas addressed. bit in minimal detail; five pictures, but no citations given; no color and difficult to read
All three areas addressed; five pictures with citations, information is easy to read and poster is colorful and visually appealing
All three areas addressed clearly; pictures and information exceed minimum requirement; poster demonstrates outstanding creativity
  
 
 
 
 
 

Presentation


 
 

 
No introduction or conclusion; speakers are difficult to understand and/or hard to follow; no evidence of rehearsal
Somewhat clear and understandable;
proposal not fully addressed
Presentation is interesting and easy to follow, with logical organization (introduction and conclusion)
Presentation is highly engaging and demonstrates obvious rehearsal by group members
  
 
 
 

Individual

 
Did not meet expectations of individual research; difficulty staying on-task and/or distracted classmates from their work
Stayed mostly on-task; did some research and participated minimally in group discussion
Met research expectations and participated fully in group discussion/
presentation
Exceeded research expectations and encouraged fellow classmates
  

Conclusion

Gute Leistung! City Council was very impressed with your proposals and is taking them under serious consideration. They were quite surprised at the influence of German-Americans on so many aspects of our culture! Did you realize that so many famous "Americans" are actually German-American?! What is your impression of the various German celebrations across the US? What purpose do they serve? Do you think a German celebration in St. Joseph would be a success? Why or why not?


Credits & References

Please see individual worksheets, found under "Process, Step 2," for relevant references. This WebQuest is based on a template found at http://www.education.missouriwestern.edu/te/lesson-template1.htm.
 


Teacher Page

The main objectives of this WebQuest were for students to familiarize themselves with well-known German-Americans and also to find and evaluate celebrations of German heritage in Missouri and across the country [National Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Standard 2.2- Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the culture studied; Standard 1.3- Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics].

Beginning students carry out the tasks in English, but advanced students might be asked to present their proposals in German.

The WebQuest should take two full 80-minute class periods, plus additional time for presentations.

As a possible extracurricular extension, students might attend a German celebration as a school group or receive extra credit for attending one with their family and reporting back to the class about it.