8 minute read
Inquiry 2: What do street names communicate about a city’s history and values?
C3 Framework Indicator
D2.His.2.6-8. Classify a series of historical events and developments as examples of change and/or continuity. D2.Civ.2.6-8. Explain specific roles played by citizens. D2.Civ.7.6-8. Apply civic virtues and democratic principles in school and community settings.
Staging the Compelling Question In this inquiry students will learn about Berlin’s Wedding District and colonialism, and how citizens are deconstructing its history.
Supporting Question 1 Supporting Question 2 Supporting Question 3
What is colonialism? How is colonialism represented in Berlin’s street names? What do street names in the Wedding District communicate about Berlin’s history and values?
Formative Performance Task Formative Performance Task Formative Performance Task
Using a world map site students will construct a list of countries under five colonial categories: Great Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, and Germany. Using Google Earth, each group of students will take a virtual field experience through Berlin’s Wedding District and learn about the origins of one of its street names. In groups, students will present the Wedding District street names to class so that others will learn of the streets’ colonial origins.
Featured Sources Featured Sources Featured Sources
Source A: MapChart.Net Create your own custom world map Source B: “Territories colonized by European, American and Japanese powers since 1492.” Source A: Google Earth: Wedding Street StoriesSource B: Google Earth Source C: Newsela Analysis Chart Source A: PowerPoint Presentation
Summative Performance Task Argument: Students will create a postcard addressing the future of Berlin’s streets. Extension 1: Many American cities have streets, schools, and parks named after white supremacists. Research these names and determine what they communicate about your city’s history and values. Extension 2: Students should design a postcard about their city, illustrating its history and values, and present their postcard to the class.
Taking Informed Action
Understand: American cities are reflecting on the names of their landmarks and working to be more representative and inclusive of all its citizens. Assess: Using local history and government websites, research the name of your local city’s streets, parks, schools, and so forth, to determine what they communicate about your city. Act: Students can write to their local government leaders to change the names of some of the city’s landmarks to be more representative and inclusive of its citizens.
COMPELLING QUESTION
What do street names communicate about a city’s history and values?
Target Grade Level: 7th–9th Grade Target Courses: World History, American History
INQUIRY OVERVIEW
In this inquiry students will learn about the term colonialism—what is means, when it was established, and the main countries that used it to expand their power. Students will then analyze the power of colonialism and its effects today.
TEACHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Students in middle grades often do not have a global understanding of colonialism, much less its impacts. In American history courses, student comprehension of colonialism is very much limited to the United States, Great Britain, the thirteen colonies, and the Revolutionary War. The purpose of this lesson is to widen students’ knowledge of the breadth of global colonialism and it wide-ranging effects. The first part of the lesson helps students visualize the impact European colonialism had on the world. Teachers will need to know the major European countries that had colonies and that Germany came in relatively late to the game, and thus the “Scramble for Africa” that occurred in the late 19th century.
Because this lesson takes a deep dive into German colonies, teachers will need to know Germany’s African colonies: German East Africa (this includes present-day Burundi), Rwanda, Tanzania, Southwest Africa (Namibia), Cameroon, and Togo, as well as German colonizers during this period such as Carl Peters.
Teachers will need to know about the work Berlin residents such as Justice and Joshua Kwesi Aikins are doing to rename streets that have been named for events and people during Germany’s colonial period. Students will undoubtedly make connections to the dismantling of confederate statues and renaming of schools, parks, and streets in the United States, so it will be helpful for teachers to have examples in their regions where the same reflection and deconstruction of colonization and white supremacy in public spaces are taking place.
For further background, see:
• Braun, S. (2020, August 28). “Street name change major step in struggle to decolonize Berlin.” Deutsche Welle. https://www.dw.com/en/street-name-change-major-step-in-struggle-to-decolonize-berlin/a-54712751.
SUGGESTED TIME FRAME
Two to three 45-minute class periods
CONCEPT LIST
• Imperialism • Colonialism • Berlin Conference • Inclusivity • Empower • Ethnography • Deconstruction • Decolonization
INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES
• PowerPoint Presentation (Scan QR Code) • “About Carl Peters: Explorer, politician, author (1856–1918) | Biography, Facts, Career, Life.” PeoplePill, https:// peoplepill.com/people/carl-peters. Accessed 28 June 2022. • Ándrei Nacu. (n.d.). “Territories colonized by European, American and Japanese powers since 1492.” https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Colonisation2.gif. Wikipedia Commons. Accessed 28 June 2022. • Braun, Stuart. (2020, August 28). “Street name change major step in struggle to decolonize Berlin.” DW, https://www.dw.com/ en/street-name-change-major-step-in-struggle-to-decolonize-berlin/a-54712751. • Breuer, Rayna. (2019, June 11). “Carl Hagenbeck: The inventor of the modern animal park.” DW, https://www.dw.com/en/carlhagenbeck-the-inventor-of-the-modern-animal-park/a-49106027. • “Carl Peters.” Encyclopedia.com. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/carlpeters. Accessed 28 June 2022. • European Cemeteries Route. (n.d.). “The human zoo.” https://cemeteriesroute.eu/projects/stories/the-human-zoo.aspx.
Accessed 28 June 2022. • Greer-Banks, Cori. (2022, June 28). “Wedding Street stories.” Explore Google Earth, Google. https:// earth.google.com/web/@52.54008335,13.3674462,30.94005456a,11169.53290897d,30y,0h,0t,0r/ data=MikKJwolCiExQmx5MHIyQWFfU2k5TTlmUXJLQVNqMTZVMGNjX0lHTHogAQ. • Grenier, Elizabeth. (2018, May 30). A brief guide to German garden colonies. Deutsche Welle. https://www.dw.com/en/abrief-guide-to-german-garden-colonies/a-39133787. • Izi Travel. (n.d.). Colonial Traces—The African quarter in Berlin-Wedding, Lüderitz Street/Lüderitzstraße. https://izi.travel/ de/0240-luderitz-street-luderitzstrasse/en. • Izi Travel. (n.d.). Colonial Traces—The African quarter in Berlin-Wedding, Swakopmund Street/Swakopmunder Straße. https:// izi.travel/browse/78e280ff-9400-4e50-886c-ef9efb8cc2b6/en. • King, Megan. (2018, March 14). “Why activists want Berlin’s African Quarter renamed.” Culture Trip. https://theculturetrip.com/ europe/germany/berlin/articles/why-activists-want-berlins-afrcian-quarter-renamed/. • Gilbert, Samantha. (2015, June 18). “Ghanastraße—The FemGeniuses.” The FemGeniuses, https://femgeniuses.com/tag/ ghanastrase/. • MapChart. (n.d.). Create your own custom map. https://www.mapchart.net/. Accessed 27 September 2022. • Munzinger, Paul, and Oliver Das. (2016, August 26). “Afrikaviertel in Berlin: Straßen wie zur Kolonialzeit - Gesellschaft.” SZ, https://www.sueddeutsche.de/leben/kolonialgeschichte-wisst-ihr-wie-mohrenstrasse-in-unseren-ohren-klingt-1.3134151. • Pavlovich. (2016). Newsela Analysis Chart. Newsela. https://www.mercerislandschools.org/cms/lib3/WA01001855/Centricity/
Domain/1662/NewsELA%20Analysis%20Chart.pdf. • Stillich, Sven. (2009, April 23). “Erste deutsche Kolonie—DER SPIEGEL.” Spiegel, https://www.spiegel.de/geschichte/erstedeutsche-kolonie-a-948266.html. • Tietz, Tabea. (2017, February 23). “Gustav Nachtigal and the explorations in Africa.” SciHi Blog, http://scihi.org/gustavnachtigal-explorations-africa/. • Town of Holly Springs TV. (August 25, 2017). How streets are named. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=HSn4cRjgACs&t=5s. (2 minutes) • Transatlantic Outreach Program et al. (2022). “Let’s explore modern Germany: German Colonialism.” Goethe-Institut. https:// toponline.org/books/guides_new/lemg_inquiry/ch2/lemg_book_2-2.pdf.
INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITY/HOOK/DISCUSSION
Pick one of these famous streets below
• Bourbon Street in New Orleans • Broadway in New York City • Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles • Wall Street in New York City
What images come to mind? Describe it in your notebook. Let’s watch this YouTube clip on how streets are named.
➤ Source • Town of Holly Springs TV. (August 25, 2017). How streets are named. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=HSn4cRjgACs&t=5s. (2 minutes)
SUPPORTING QUESTION 1
What is colonialism?
➤ Formative Performance Task 1 Using a world map site, students will construct a list of countries under five colonial categories: United Kingdom, France, Spain, Portugal, and Germany.
➤ Featured Sources 1 • Ándrei Nacu. (n.d.). “Territories colonized by European, American and Japanese powers since 1492.” https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Colonisation2.gif. Wikipedia Commons.
Accessed 28 June 2022. • MapChart. (n.d.) Create your own custom map. https://www.mapchart.net/. Accessed 27 September 2022.
SUPPORTING QUESTION 2
➤ Formative Performance Task 2 Using Google Earth: Wedding Street Stories, students will take a virtual field experience through Berlin’s Wedding District and learn about the origins of one of its street names by reading the attached article. Students will be assigned one the following street names to read about:
• Afrikanische Straße—Group 1 • Kleingartenkolonie Klein Afrika—Group 2 • Lüderitzstraße—Group 3 • Petersallee—Group 4 • Nachtigalplatz—Group 5 • Swakopmunder Straße (Swakopmund Street) —Group 6 • Ghanastraße—Group 7 • Volkspark Rehberge—Group 8
Student should complete the Newsela Analysis Chart as they read the article.
➤ Featured Sources 2 • “About Carl Peters: Explorer, politician, author (1856–1918) | Biography, Facts, Career, Life.” PeoplePill. https://peoplepill.com/ people/carl-peters. Accessed 28 June 2022. • European Cemeteries Route. (n.d.). “The human zoo.” https://cemeteriesroute.eu/projects/stories/the-human-zoo.aspx.
Accessed 28 June 2022. • Greer-Banks, Cori. (2022, June 28). “Wedding Street Stories.” Explore Google Earth, Google. https:// earth.google.com/web/@52.54008335,13.3674462,30.94005456a,11169.53290897d,30y,0h,0t,0r/ data=MikKJwolCiExQmx5MHIyQWFfU2k5TTlmUXJLQVNqMTZVMGNjX0lHTHogAQ. • Gilbert, Samantha. (2015, June 18). “Ghanastraße—The FemGeniuses.” The FemGeniuses. https://femgeniuses.com/tag/ ghanastrase/. • Grenier, Elizabeth. (2018, May 30). A brief guide to German garden colonies. Deutsche Welle. https://www.dw.com/en/a-briefguide-to-german-garden-colonies/a-39133787. • Izi Travel. (n.d.). Colonial Traces—The African Quarter in Berlin-Wedding, Lüderitz Street/Lüderitzstraße. https://izi.travel/ de/0240-luderitz-street-luderitzstrasse/en. • Izi Travel. (n.d.). Colonial Traces—The African Quarter in Berlin-Wedding, Swakopmund Street/Swakopmunder Straße. https:// izi.travel/browse/78e280ff-9400-4e50-886c-ef9efb8cc2b6/en. • King, Megan. (2018, March 14). “Why activists want Berlin’s African Quarter Renamed.” Culture Trip. https://theculturetrip.com/ europe/germany/berlin/articles/why-activists-want-berlins-afrcian-quarter-renamed/. • Pavlovich. (2016). Newsela Analysis Chart. Newsela. https://www.mercerislandschools.org/cms/lib3/WA01001855/Centricity/
Domain/1662/NewsELA%20Analysis%20Chart.pdf. • Tietz, Tabea. (2017, February 23). “Gustav Nachtigal and the Explorations in Africa.” SciHi Blog, http://scihi.org/gustavnachtigal-explorations-africa/.
SUPPORTING QUESTION 3
What do street names in the Wedding District communicate about Berlin’s history and values?
➤ Formative Performance Task 3 In groups, students will present a summary and an analysis about their assigned Wedding District street names: where the street is located, its origins, and what they think it says about Berlin’s history and values.
Students can use the PowerPoint presentation provided in the sources below.
➤ Featured Sources 3 PowerPoint Presentation
SUMMATIVE PERFORMANCE TASK
Argument Option (Essay or Presentation)
Construct an argument (e.g., detailed outline, poster, essay) that addresses the compelling question using specific claims and relevant evidence from historical or contemporary sources while acknowledging competing views. Students will create a postcard addressing the future of Berlin’s streets.
Extension Option (Choice of Creative Format instead of Argument)
Extension 1: Many American cities have streets, schools, and parks named after white supremacists. Go on a physical or virtual tour of your cities to identify some prominent street names. Research these names and determine what they communicate about your city’s history and values.
Extension 2: Students should design a postcard about their city, illustrating its history and values, and present their postcard to the class.
Taking Informed Action
Understand: American cities are reflecting on the names of their landmarks and working to be more representative and inclusive of all its citizens.
Assess: Using local history and government websites, research the name of your local city’s streets, parks, schools, and so forth, to determine what they communicate about your city.
Act: Students can write to their local government leaders to change the names of some of the city’s landmarks to be more representative and inclusive of its citizens.
MODIFICATIONS FOR DIFFERENTIATION
• Assigned articles can be prerecorded for auditory learners. • Students can create a poem instead of a postcard.
Cori Lanae Greer-Banks (TOP 1, 2022) teaches Middle School Humanities and Model United Nations at The Exploris School in North Carolina.
