Unifying German History
An Internet WebQuest on The Reunification of Germany

created by Liesel
West Chester University

Introduction | The Task | The Process & Resources | Conclusion | HyperText Dictionary


Introduction

Where were you when the World Trade Towers fell? You may remember how you felt when you heard the news, but do you remember which fell first? Which plane went down when and where? Studies show that often times, memories, even those most vivid are inaccurate with regards to factual occurances. How much more so would inaccuracies exist for something only heard second hand?

Now imagine that one morning you woke to find that a wall had gone up dividing the eastern United States from the western states -- St. Louis has a wall dividing down the middle -- no longer does the Mississippi divide Illinois from Missouri, but East United States from West. California is now in a different country!

This very thing happened in Germany in the 1960's. Berlin became a divided city, separated by the infamous Berlin wall. Today the wall is history, but the facts that surround it's beginnings and demise still exist on the Internet.

In the following WebQuest, you will use the power of teamwork and the abundant resources on the Internet to learn all about Reunification of Germany. Each person on your team will learn one piece of the puzzle and then you will come together to get a better understanding of the topic and provide a web resource for future fact seekers.



The Quest

How did the Berlin Wall and the Division of Germany effect the German people? Did the Fall of the Berlin Wall and the Reunification of Germany create a happy ending for the nation and its people?
The task for the group is to compile information and create a webpage to act as a factual and user friendly mecca for all things regarding the Creation and Fall of the Berlin Wall.



The Process and Resources

In this WebQuest you will be working together with a group of students in class. Each group will answer the Task or Quest(ion). As a member of the group you will explore Webpages from people all over the world who care about Reunification of Germany. Because these are real Webpages we're tapping into, not things made just for schools, the reading level might challenge you. Feel free to use an online German dictionary or one in your classroom.

You'll begin with everyone in your group getting some background before dividing into roles where people on your team become experts on one part of the topic.

Phase 1 - Background: Something for Everyone

Use the Internet information linked below to answer the basic questions of who? what? where? when? why? and how? Be creative in exploring the information so that you answer these questions as fully and insightfully as you can. Who did the Berlin wall effect? What countries were influential in it's creation and destruction? How did it effect the German people.

Phase 2 - Looking Deeper from Different Perspectives

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Individuals or pairs from your larger WebQuest team will explore one of the roles below.

2. Read through the files linked to your group. If you print out the files, underline the passages that you feel are the most important. If you look at the files on the computer, copy sections you feel are important by dragging the mouse across the passage and copying / pasting it into a word processor or other writing software.

3. Note: Remember to write down or copy/paste the URL of the file you take the passage from so you can quickly go back to it if you need to to prove your point.

4. Be prepared to focus what you've learned into one main opinion that answers the Big Quest(ion) or Task based on what you have learned from the links for your role.

Experts on Politics leading to the Berlin Wall

Use the Internet information linked below to answer these questions specifically related to Experts on Politics leading to the Berlin Wall:

1. What series of events precipitated the building of the Berlin Wall?

2. What countries were influential in the events surrounding the Berlin Wall?

3. What was the initial response to the building of the Berlin Wall by the German people and the world community.

4. Develop a list of 10 unique vocabulary word to do with the Berlin Wall. For verbs, give all conjugations of the word, including past, present and future.

5. Find 3 additional Web pages to serve as informational resources to answer your questions.

Experts on Life in the DDR

Use the Internet information linked below to answer these questions specifically related to Experts on Life in the DDR:

1. What was everyday life like in the DDR as opposed to everyday life for someone in the west?

2. What political ideas were key to life in the DDR?

3. How did the political atmosphere in the DDR effect art, religion and free thinking?

4. Develop a list of 10 unique vocabulary word to do with the Berlin Wall. For verbs, give all conjugations of the word, including past, present and future.

5. Find 3 additional Web pages to serve as informational resources to answer your questions.

Experts on the Fall of the Berlin Wall

Use the Internet information linked below to answer these questions specifically related to Experts on the Fall of the Berlin Wall:

1. What events both Political and Cultural led to the Fall of the Berlin wall?

2. What was the cultural atmosphere when the wall fell? Were people excited or apprehensive?

3. Develop a list of 10 unique vocabulary word to do with the Berlin Wall. For verbs, give all conjugations of the word, including past, present and future.

4. Find 3 additional Web pages to serve as informational resources to answer your questions.

Experts on the Reunification of Germany

Use the Internet information linked below to answer these questions specifically related to Experts on the Reunification of Germany:

1. What political and cultural events led to the Reunification of Germany?

2. What immediate tasks needed to be accomplished to Reunify Germany?

3. What problems have developed during and following the Reunification of Germany? What solutions have begun to be implemented to fix these problems?

4. Develop a list of 10 unique vocabulary word to do with the Berlin Wall. For verbs, give all conjugations of the word, including past, present and future.

5. Find 3 additional Web pages to serve as informational resources to answer your questions.

Phase 3 - Debating, Discussing, and Reaching Consensus

You have all learned about a different part of Reunification of Germany. Now group members come back to the larger WebQuest team (the entire class) with expertise gained by searching from one perspective. You must all now answer the Task / Quest(ion) as a group. Each of you will bring a certain viewpoint to the answer: some of you will agree and others disagree. Use information, pictures, movies, facts, opinions, etc. from the Webpages you explored to convince your teammates that your viewpoint is important and should be part of your team's answer to the Task / Quest(ion). Your WebQuest team should write out an answer that everyone on the team can live with.

Each individual team should write out/design a section of the Reunification Website/page. As a larger group you will decide how to incorporate each of the these sections into the larger design.

Phase 4 - Real World Feedback

You and your teammates have learned a lot by dividing up into different roles. Now's the time to put your learning into a letter you'll send out for real world feedback. Together you will write a letter that contains opinions, information, and perspectives that you've gained. Here's the process:

1. Begin your letter with a statement of who you are and why you are writing your message to this particular person or organization.

2. Give background information that shows you understand the topic.

STATE THE TASK / QUEST(ION) AND YOUR GROUP'S ANSWER.

3. Each person in your group should write a paragraph that gives two good reasons supporting the group's opinion. Make sure to be specific in both the information (like where you got it from on the Web) and the reasoning (why the information proves your group's point).

4. Have each person on the team proofread the message. Use correct letter format and make sure you have correctly addressed the email message. Use the link below to make contact. Send your message and make sure your teacher gets a copy.

Your Contact is: Frau Tarquini - Chat Room with German Speakers



Conclusion

Do you know the date the Berlin Wall 'fell'? More importantly have you gained a sense of how the Berlin Wall and division of Germany effected the German people? You all know quite a bit more than you did before beginning the webquest and thanks to your hard work, others will have a valuable resource for learning:

You should be proud of yourselves! How can you use what you've learned to see beyond the black and white of a topic and into the grayer areas? What other parts of the Reunification of Germany could still be explored? Remember, learning never stops.


created by Filamentality Content by Liesel, lieselmarie@comcast.net
http://www.kn.sbc.com/wired/fil/pages/webreunificli.html
Last revised Sat Mar 27 7:34:56 US/Pacific 2004