Exercise B, Grade 12 :

Concept Building with a Cultural Comparison


     The teacher wants to prepare students for the significant issues in Draußen vor der Tür by comparing in German the difficulties faced by Germany and the United States after WW II.  The students are asked "welche Probleme hatten die Menschen?"  Two columns of answers are listed on a blackboard or overhead transparency.

Deutschland

die Vereinigten Staaten

Hunger haben

kein Hunger, viel zu essen (nicht alles)

viele Männer ohne Beine, Arme, verwundet, viele Tote (3,5 Millionen Soldaten tot; 1,25 Millionen verloren)

weniger verwundete Männer, weniger Tote (235 000 Soldaten tot)

Häuser, Möbel zerstört

alles unzerstört

Zivilbevölkerung getötet

keine Bomben in den Vereinigten Staaten

viele Flüchtlinge

keine Flüchtlinge

     After the chart is sketched out, students are asked to summarize these differences and think about what impact these differences might have on the lives of Germans and Americans living at that time.

 Exercise A
 Grade 12 Exercise Introduction and Brainstorming
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