Bridging the gap to year 12 with Weimar and Nazi Germany

Bridging the gap to year 12 with

Weimar and Nazi Germany

Ian [email protected]

Alexis [email protected]

Resources

Sample assessment tasks, student responses, and learning activities have been made available in the DropBox account.

Email [email protected] for access to the sample learning tasks discussed in this session

mailto:[email protected]

Challenges of Year 12 History

What did you find

most challenging

about History:

Revolutions this year?

(John Monash 2012)

“Writing an essay within the time frame… It is also hard to structure the response in Section A Part B

and Section B Part A - visual / source analysis. I also found it hard to link significance and effects to events as well as

memorising the multiple dates…”“Keeping on top of revision and making sure I understand the

events properly… It’s also really difficult to remember

historiography and bullets for evidence. I’m still finding it hard to

remember the timelines and statistics for the two revolutions.”

What did you find most challenging

about History: Revolutions this

year? (CGGS 2013)

Challenges of Year 12 History

Writing to time limits

Staying up to date

with revision notes

Memorising dates

Managing the

information overload!

Memorising

historians’ views

Memorising

historians’ views

Year 12 Assessment While we want to focus on good history

teaching, we also need to keep in mind that part of our job is to help students attain the strongest possible results in VCE.

The weight of Year 12

assessment falls on high-

order questions

Synthesis

Evaluation

Analysis

Application

Comprehension

Recall

Links to Year 10 Study of Weimar and Nazi Germany can

supplement the existing Australian Curriculum content, adding engaging and rigorous material.

•Inter-war years between World War I and World War II, including the Treaty of Versailles, the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression

Overview

•An overview of the causes and course of World War II•An examination of significant events of World War II, including the Holocaust

World War II

Links to VCE 20th Century

• New political ideas about social and economic order

• Methods used to establish and legitimise new ideas

• Conflict which resulted from attempts to implement new ideas

Crisis and Conflict • Experience of different social

groups or classes• Factors influencing change in social

life• Groups who sought to effect

change in social life• Media representations of change in

social life

Social Life• Examples of cultural leaders or

movements• Responses to cultural leaders or

movements• Relationship between cultural

movements and their historical contexts

Cultural Life

Study of Weimar and Nazi Germany can satisfy all three outcomes Unit 1 Twentieth Century History.

Why Modern Germany? Easy to implement

Engaging and popular subject matter – high student interest

Extensive resources Content similarity to VCE History: Revolutions

Collapse of Weimar Republic = study of revolutionary ideas, leaders, movements and events

Nazi Germany = evaluation of creation of a new society by revolutionary movement

Extensive opportunities for students to debate causes, predict outcomes, and speculate about alternatives – good historical teaching!

Goals of the unit1.Generate interest in continuing the

study of history through to Year 12 2.Help students develop useful study

and revision skills for managing large volume of content in VCE History: Revolutions

3.Acclimatise students to the style of assessment used in Year 12

4.Build historical analysis and writing skills to a level suitable for Year 12 assessment

Unit OutlineMain Content1. German Revolution (1918)2. Treaty of Versailles (1919)3. Political/economic crises of Weimar Republic (1919-

33)4. Origins and rise of the Nazi Party (1919-33)5. Creation of the dictatorship and police state (1933-4)6. Changes in everyday life in Nazi Germany (1933-39)7. Path to war in Europe (1933-39)8. The Holocaust (1941-45)Assessment9. Test 1 - Revolutions-style Extended Response10.Test 2 – Revolutions-style Source Analysis11.Formal research essay

Extended Response questionsExample: Using three or four main points, explain how

Lenin’s ‘April Theses’ contributed to a revolutionary situation in Russia up to and including October 1917. (2013 exam)

Assesses: Knowledge Ability to make causational links Ability to analyse historical processesChallenges students encounter in Year 12: Students write either one sentence per point

(low extreme) or an entire essay (high extreme)

Students unaccustomed to providing specific evidence

Students unaccustomed to analysing historical processes

Extended Response questions

The best…answers usually successfully signposted with ‘firstly’, ‘secondly’ and ‘thirdly’, which set up an excellent structure for the answer and gave events in chronological order. Many students commenced their answer with a brief contention that touched on their main points and this was also an excellent way to begin a response. The most successful responses used accurate, specific historical terms and included dates, places and names.VCAA Assessment Report, 2013 VCE History: Revolutions Exam

Adapted questions1. Using three or four main points, explain

the events which allowed Hitler to become Chancellor of Germany in 1933. Provide evidence to support your answer. (Easy)

2. Using three or four points, explain how the Great Depression contributed to the rise of the Nazis between 1929 and 1933. Provide evidence to support your answer. (Medium)

3. Using three or four points, explain how Hitler used his powers as Chancellor from January 1933 onwards to become a dictator by the end of 1934. Provide evidence to support your answer. (Challenging)

Extended Response strategiesBasics: Aim to have 4 points. Use the space that is provided. Going over the

page means that you are writing too much. Your answers must consist of –

Accurate and precise knowledge of context+

Use of evidence+

Ability to make a judgment – “Explain the importance of…”

=Evaluation

Source: Elisabeth Morgan

Extended Response strategiesTeach students to identify and select

relevant information (highlighting, note-taking, mindmapping)

Emphasise causation and outcomes (timelines are helpful)

Emphasise regular planning and writing practice

Provide many sample questions and responses

Activity 1: Timeline

1. Create a timeline of events leading up to the creation of Hitler’s dictatorship

2. Explain how each event contributed to the creation of Hitler’s dictatorship

3. Which four were the most important? Justify your answer.

Activity 2: Fill in the grid With a partner, fill in the cause-effect-

significance grid. Ensure that the ‘significance’ column helps explain why Hitler was able to become dictator in 1934.Event Cause Effect Significanc

e

Treaty of Versailles

Munich Putsch

Great Depression

Reichstag Fire Decree

Activity 3: Peer review Prior to teaching students the structure of

Part A responses I gave them a sample.

The sample was presented in a Google doc. with a series of questions to answer.

As a class, students shared their thoughts and opinions on the document. They were able to work on the one document at the same time and see all

responses.

It allowed the more passive students to have a voice and share.

Annotating Student Responses Using Google Docs.

Google Docs peer review Students were given the following questions:

1.What do you notice about the style of question? Identify the key words and/or phrases.

2.Comment on the structure of the student's response. Are there any common features?

3.Identify things you think the student has done well.

4.Identify things that you think the student can improve on.

5.Assign the student a mark out of 10. Students were given an assessment rubric

to assist them in completing number 5.

Google Docs peer review This task generated a highly valuable

discussion: Students had a good understanding of what

was expected of them in this particular style of response.

The class recognised the importance of identifying the key terms of the question, for example, ‘explain’ and the need to use a variety of specific evidence including dates, events, leaders / people, ideologies, figures and statistics etc.

More importantly, they identified the structure of the response (cause → event → effect) and acknowledged the need to PLAN!

The Treaty of Versailles, known as the ‘Diktat’ was signed on 28 June 1919, and was resented by most Germans for its unduly harsh terms. Firstly, Germany was forced to pay 132 billion gold marks in reparations to the victorious allied nations over 50 years. Germany’s economy had already been devastated by WWI, and the additional burden of these payments magnified Germany’s economic issues. In 1923, Germany could not afford to pay anymore and so the French occupied the Ruhr – an industrial region of Germany. The loss is productivity was a major setback for Germany and hyperinflation ensued. Secondly, Clause 231, known as the ‘war guilt clause’ greatly humiliated Germany and damaged the citizens’ national pride….

Sample response

Signpost

phrases

Specific factual evidenc

e

Analysis of

significance

Source Analysis

A. Identify two groups that are depicted in the representation. (2 marks)B. Identify two ways in which the artist emphasises the revolutionary

endeavour of the Party members in the representation. (2 marks)C. By referring to parts of the representation and using your own knowledge,

explain the political challenges facing the Chinese Communist Party by 1968. (6 marks)

D. Evaluate to what extent this representation provides an accurate depiction of the challenges facing the Chinese Communist Party in the consolidation of the new society. In your response, refer to parts of the representation and to different views of the Revolution. (20 marks)

Unknown artist ‘The traitor Liu Shaoqi must forever be expelled from the Party!’ November 1968 (2013 exam)

Teaching analytical skills How to work with and assess

understanding of sources: Provide scaffolds for working with

sources Assessment should rely on questions of

graduated complexity per Bloom’s – sources are not just for reading comprehension!

Assessment should require students to synthesise own knowledge with information presented in sources - this is good historical practice!

Source Analysis part c. questionsTypical example: By quoting from the source and using

your own knowledge, explain how the Wuchang Uprising contributed to Revolution of 1911. (2013 exam)

Assesses: Knowledge Ability to contextualise and interpret the

source Ability to synthesise evidence from source

and own knowledgeChallenges students encounter in Year 12: Students have difficulty synthesising -

they are confident in EITHER discussing the source OR their own knowledge.

Source Analysis part c. questions

The extraction of information from sources and analysis in order to draw conclusions…is a very challenging part of the paper… The strongest responses showed comprehension of the main idea depicted in the source and were able to add detailed factual knowledge, containing dates and names… Many students did not add their own factual information and just explained what the image showed about the particular event or period in the Revolution.VCAA Assessment Report, 2013 VCE History: Revolutions Exam

Source Analysis part d. questionsTypical example: Evaluate to what extent this extract presents a

complete depiction of the circumstances that led to the collapse of the Qing Dynasty in 1911.

Assesses: Ability to compare and contrast perspectives of the past Ability to synthesise evidence from the source with own

knowledge Ability to sustain original judgments with evidenceChallenges students encounter in Year 12: Students rely on simplistic judgments (e.g. ‘this is

biased’) Students have difficulty sustaining original arguments

with factual evidence or elements of the source

Source Analysis part c. questions

The most successful students showed an understanding of a historical viewpoint... They compared it with their own view and supported their view with factual information and ideas from the source… Weaker responses struggled to place the source in its historical context… They tended to give descriptions of the source’s content [and] resorted to highly generalised discussion such as ‘this is biased because…’ Weaker answers were not well supported with factual evidence.VCAA Assessment Report, 2013 VCE History: Revolutions Exam

Source Analysis part d. strategies Emphasise that all sources are potentially

useful, but that no single source can ever provide a complete depiction

Teach students to identify the medium (journalism, propaganda, historical) and then discuss the audience and purpose of source (to persuade? to inform?)

Teach students to move beyond simplistic identification of primary/secondary sources and commentary on bias

More sophisticated evaluationsConcep

tGuiding question

Sample prompt

Accuracy

Are all of the details in this source correct and true?

This source correctly shows…This source offers the misleading belief that…

Reliability

Is this source balanced, fair and trustworthy?

This source offers a balanced appraisal of…This source is essentially misleading propaganda…

Complete-ness

Does this source tell us everything? What is missing?

This source provides a good overview of…This source overlooks the importance of…

Evaluating merits of sourcesBenefits Limitations

Accurate account Contains errors

Balanced perspective Narrow or distorted perspective

Intended to inform or educate

Propaganda – intended to mislead

Provides a valid or plausible explanation

Provides a poorly supported or unpersuasive explanation

Covers all relevant points

Selective - omits important and relevant

information

Provides direct insight Lacks hindsight

Scaffolded evaluation

How is this helpful in

understanding the

Nazis’ rise to power?

What other key

information do I need to explain the

Nazis’ rise to power?

Source Analysis sample

A.Identify two features of the image which suggest that Hitler had become a dictator by the end of 1934.

B.Identify two features of the image which suggest that Germans were forced to accept Nazi ideas and beliefs after Hitler came to power.

“I Shouldn't Be Surprised if Hitler Wins Der Election”

Cartoon by David Low which was published in the Evening Standard on 27 Mar 1936


C.Explain how Hitler transformed Germany from a democracy into a dictatorship. Refer to parts of the cartoon and use facts from your own knowledge to support your response.




D.How useful is this source in helping historians understand German society by August 1934? Discuss whether the source is reliable and accurate, and refer to parts of the cartoon and facts from your own knowledge to support your response.



Research skills Teach students practical research skills –

there is not the luxury of time to do these in year 12 Give students an orientation of school/local

library and introduce to librarians Recognising reliable sources (annotated

bibliographies will help) Advanced google search functions Highlighting and note-taking strategies

(prevents regurgitation of large slabs of text) Referencing – footnoting and bibliographies

(will help in other subjects and beyond school)

Research assignmentEssay Questions1. Evaluate the impact of Nazi policy on one social

group of your choice in Germany between 1933 and 1939.

2. Evaluate to what degree the Nazis were successful in achieving their aims in one area of cultural life of your choice between 1933 and 1939.

3. Evaluate the role of one institution or group in maintaining Nazi control over German society between 1933 and 1939.

Suggested topics for discussion The experience of young people The experience of German Jews Suppression of religious freedom and Reich Church The role of the Gestapo in controlling the

population Nazi Cinema (e.g. Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of

the Will) Aryan Art and ‘Degenerate art’ exhibitions Many other choices…

Final Thoughts Coordinate with your school’s Year 12

History teacher(s) Set common, shared goals and

expectations, such as: Weekly reading and revision notes Separate question/answer booklets for

assessment Set rigorous, challenging assessments

in common formats …not dioramas! Use appropriate rubrics / criteria sheets

Recommended resources AlphaHistory.com Many GCSE texts from the UK, such as:

Ben Walsh GCSE Modern World History 2nd ed Steve Waugh Essential Modern World History Dale Banham & Christopher Culpin Germany

1919-1945 for SHP GCSE Tony Barta Nazi Germany: Understanding the Third

Reich Greg Lacey & Keith Shephard, Germany 1918-

1945: A Study in Depth Several good documentaries:

Fatal Attraction of Adolf Hitler (BBC, 1989) Nazis: A Warning from History series (BBC, 2007)

Documents

Bridging the gap to year 12 with Weimar and Nazi Germany