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.