7 minute read
Inquiry 7: How do individuals have the power to foster momentous change?
C3 Framework Indicator
D2.His.1.9-12. Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by unique circumstances of time and place as well as broader historical contexts.
D2.His.3.9-12. Use questions generated about individuals and groups to assess how the significance of their actions changes over time and is shaped by the historical context.
Staging The Compelling Question
By examining primary sources from the first meeting and protests in Leipzig, Germany, students will understand the power of small, individualized action to create meaningful change.
Supporting Question 1
Why were residents of the GDR frustrated with their government by September 1989?” What actions did individuals take in Leipzig, Germany, from September to October, 1989? What are the lasting effects of German Reunification after the fall of the GDR?
Supporting Question 2 Supporting Question 3
Formative Performance Task Formative Performance Task Formative Performance Task
Gameboard “Stops” of Hook and Read Gameboard “Stops” of Video and Look Gameboard “Stops” of Extend
Students will use this “Gameboard” to collect and analyze primary and secondary sources to help them understand the three Supporting Questions and the Compelling Question.
Featured Sources Featured Sources Featured Sources
Source A: The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall - Konrad H. Jarausch. (6:25 minutes)
Source B: “St. Nicholas Church in Leipzig 360 Panorama.”
Source C: Sandoval, Amanda. 1989 Revolution: Leipzig, Gameboard. Source A: “St. Nicholas Church in Leipzig 360 Panorama.”
Source B: “How East Germans Peacefully Brought the GDR Regime Down.” Source A: “After Thirty Years, East and West Germans Wonder: How United Are We?”
Summative Performance Task Argument: Students will construct a poster either digitally or on paper that addresses the compelling question using specific claims or relevant evidence from historical or contemporary sources while acknowledging competing views.
Extension: Students will create an individual piece of artwork that represents freedom and democracy with a foundational quote from one of the primary sources in this activity.
Taking Informed Action
Understand: Research a time in our own nation’s democracy where individuals demanded more rights or a greater voice in the government.
Assess: Evaluate the effectiveness of social and/or political changes brought about by these individuals.
Act: Call or email your legislator about an issue that is important to you right now and ask them to take action!
COMPELLING QUESTION
How do individuals have the power to foster momentous change?
Target Grade Level: 9th Grade Target Course: World History
INQUIRY OVERVIEW
By examining primary sources from the first meeting and protests in Leipzig, Germany, students will understand the power of small, individualized action to create meaningful change. They will create a digital gallery that will highlight the importance of bravery at St. Nicholas Church by individuals—many young people, like themselves—who began the revolution that ultimately toppled the Berlin Wall.
TEACHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Most teachers of world history are familiar with the November 9, 1989, Peaceful Revolution in Berlin. However, some may be less familiar with the role of individuals in Leipzig a few months before.
Many textbooks have an abbreviated story of the 1989 revolutions that swept through Europe and crumbled the Iron Curtain. There will undoubtedly be an image of the jubilant crowds on the Berlin Wall in November. However, few explain in detail the work that was done by individuals prior to November 9, 1989, that led to the opening of the border between East and West Berlin. It is an important part of the historical context for students to understand that, in the words of Facing History and Ourselves, “People Make Choices, and Choices Make History.”
Some general background and images about the meeting of October 9, 1989, at the St. Nicholas Church can be found here. Reunification is an important part of contemporary German history and issues today related to politics and economics are still facing many Germans in both the former German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) and former Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, West Germany).
Source
• Bierbach, Maria. “How East Germans Peacefully Brought the GDR Regime Down.” Deutsche Welle, 10 Aug. 2019, www.dw.com/en/how-east-germans-peacefully-brought-the-gdr-regime-down/a-50743302.
SUGGESTED TIME FRAME
Two to three 45-minute class periods
CONCEPT LIST
• Stasi • Iron Curtain • Communism • Reunification
INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES
Students should have access to the internet and this digital Gameboard to examine the historical content surrounding the 1989 Revolution in Germany, which began in Leipzig.
• Baum, Andreas. “St. Nicholas Church in Leipzig 360 Panorama.” 360Cities, 22 Sept. 2013. https://www.360cities.net/image/stnicholas-church-in-leipzig.
• Bierbach, Maria. (August 10, 2019). “How East Germans Peacefully Brought the GDR Regime Down.” Deutsche Welle. www. dw.com/en/how-east-germans-peacefully-brought-the-gdr-regime-down/a-50743302. • Eddy, Melissa. (October 3, 2020). “After Thirty Years, East and West Germans Wonder: How United Are We?” New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2020/10/03/world/europe/east-west-germany-30-anniversary.html. • Jarausch, Konrad H. (August 16, 2017). “The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall - Konrad H. Jarausch.” YouTube, TedEd. https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=A9fQPzZ1-hg. (6:25 minutes) • Sandoval, Amanda. (n.d.). “1989 Revolution: Leipzig, Gameboard.” https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cirgsUBSI9XUHl72h
MB98MHslh9DstoQ7D3nTUFtVwk/edit.
INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITY/HOOK/DISCUSSION
Begin the lesson with a brief think-pair-share, using the question, “Think of a time when you needed to be brave and overcome fear. What held you back, or what pushed you forward into action?”
SUPPORTING QUESTION 1
Formative Performance Task 1
Students will individually use the Gameboard Template (original template by educator Amanda Sandoval) to go at their own pace and gather primary and secondary source information related to the construction of the Berlin Wall and the role that individuals in Leipzig played in sparking the broader revolution that united East and West Germany. Each stop on the Gameboard has a demonstrative task for students to complete. The teacher will act as facilitator and coach as the students work on each step of the Gameboard. This will take one to two class periods, depending on the needs of the class. The board can also be completed for homework. The Extend assignment allows for creativity in demonstration of knowledge and connections to our own democracy in the United States.
For the first supporting question, students will view the TEDEd video on the Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall for historical context and/or review. Then, they will analyze the motivations behind the Leipzig organizers in September and October 1989, and why it was so important to them that the demonstrations remained peaceful. They will complete the first two “stops” on the Gameboard.
➤ Featured Sources 1 • Gameboard
Source for the Hook:
• Jarausch, Konrad H. (August 16, 2017). The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall—Konrad H. Jarausch. YouTube,
TedEd, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9fQPzZ1-hg. (6:25 minutes)
Source for Look:
• Baum, Andreas. “St. Nicholas Church in Leipzig 360 Panorama.” 360Cities, 22 Sept. 2013. https://www.360cities.net/image/st-nicholas-church-in-leipzig. • Sandoval, Amanda. 1989 Revolution: Leipzig, Gameboard. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cirgsUBSI9XU
Hl72hMB98MHslh9DstoQ7D3nTUFtVwk/edit.
SUPPORTING QUESTION 2
➤ Formative Performance Task 2 Students will virtually “meet” two teenaged demonstrators from 1989 through the video interviews and record the most powerful quotes of their experiences that really spoke to them. They will take a virtual tour using 360cities.net and notice the power of a place as they virtually visit the St. Nicholas Church in Leipzig.
➤ Featured Sources 2 • Baum, Andreas. “St. Nicholas Church in Leipzig 360 Panorama.” 360Cities, 22 Sept. 2013, https://www.360cities.net/image/st-nicholas-church-in-leipzig. • Bierbach, Maria. (August 10, 2019). “How East Germans Peacefully Brought the GDR Regime Down.” Deutsche
Welle. www.dw.com/en/how-east-germans-peacefully-brought-the-gdr-regime-down/a-50743302.
SUPPORTING QUESTION 3
➤ Formative Performance Task 3 Using the article, students will analyze one issue facing Germany since reunification (the Economy or the Political Landscape) and connect this to the idea that democracy is a work in progress.
➤ Featured Sources 3 • Eddy, Melissa. (October 3, 2020). “After Thirty Years, East and West Germans Wonder: How United Are We?”
New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2020/10/03/world/europe/east-west-germany-30-anniversary.html.
SUMMATIVE PERFORMANCE TASK
Extension Option (Choice of Creative Format instead of Argument)
After submitting their gameboards to the teacher, students will pull one quote from a specific person mentioned in the sources and write the quote in big letters on a piece of 11 X 17 cardstock. Then, they will use images from the gameboard and historical sources to create a gallery surrounding the quote. Original artwork is best, even if it is stick figures! My students love using watercolors for this extension activity, and I am always impressed with their interpretations of the historical record in artistic or graphic form. When done, they may share their interpretations with the class.
Taking Informed Action
Understand: Research a time in our own nation’s democracy where individuals demanded more rights or a greater voice in the government.
Assess: Evaluate the effectiveness of social and/or political changes brought about by these individuals.
Act: Call or email your legislator about an issue that is important to you right now and ask them to take action!
MODIFICATIONS FOR DIFFERENTIATION
Using Read + Write for Google would be an excellent way for students to view the primary and secondary sources in a readaloud manner for readers that need this accommodation. Alternatively, schools that have Newsela or Achieve 3000 have the option of using articles that have lexicons differentiated for student ability levels. The Extend assignment is suited for all learners and especially for English language learners (ELLs) as it allows for an image-based demonstration of knowledge and connection to a primary source.
Sara Ziemnik (TOP 4, 2022) teaches World History and AP U.S. History at Rocky River High School in Ohio.
