Teaching GCSE History: Germany 1919 – 1945
Although few of you will find this a difficult topic to resource, you may welcome the variety of interesting approaches, designed to fit the current curriculum, whether it is the enquiry into the Gestapo or the ground-breaking lessons on Battalion 101; why did they shoot?
This covers the war years which were often given short shrift in earlier textbooks. Other short smart tasks allow students to explain certain paradoxes. Why did Hitler turn on his former chum Rohm? Why was Hitler able to reverse the fortunes of the Nazi party so quickly after their disappointment in the November 1932 elections?
Outstanding Lessons and Smart Tasks
Teaching Germany 1919-45
Hodder produce some of the best GCSE books on Germany whether for the Modern World and for the SHP Depth…
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SMART TASK: Was the Weimar Republic doomed from the start? A glass half empty?
The lesson starts with a glass of water which you have filled to roughly half way. Students have to say…
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SMART TASK: How successful was Nazi policy towards women and families?
This short task was designed to combat the tendency many students have to simply describe rather than evaluate the policy. …
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Why was Hitler able to consolidate his position in power between January 1933 and August 1934? Smart Task KS4
This smart task works as a starter. Students are given 7 reasons why Hitler came to power. In just 5…
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Hitler’s propaganda: the cult of leader. Reading internal clues. KS3 & 4 Smart Task
The aim of this short task is to encourage students to look really closely at images for what is there,…
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Why did Germany lose the Battle of Britain?
If Britain was only a few days away from defeat in August 1940 how on earth did she win the…
Read MoreMarket place: Why I didn’t oppose Hitler.
To help pupils to understand why so few people opposed Hitler in the 1930s the use of this market place…
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SMART TASK Key Stage 4: Why was Rohm murdered?
If Ernst Rohm was one of Hitler’s closest allies, as you can see in this photo, why then did he…
Read MoreTreaty of Versailles: could it possibly be to blame for the Weimar Republic’s defeat nearly 14 years later?
This SMART task revolves around 6 slides on one PowerPoint presentation. It comes as a penultimate activity prior to students…
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SMART TASK: Weighing up the evidence for who caused the Reichstag Fire
This task follows a more open-ended investigation of written sources on the Reichstag Fire. Most of you will already do…
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SMART TASK Key Stage 4: Working out what the election posters tell us about Who Voted Nazi
This simple task engages students in thinking for themselves why people voted for Hitler in the 1930s. It uses the…
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SMART TASK Key Stage 4: Germany 1920-23; problems facing Weimar
This activity was designed for more able students working towards a Modern World History GCSE in Year 10. It leads…
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Was Leni Riefenstahl’s ‘Triumph of the Will’ a Documentary or Propaganda?
This Y10 lesson provides a very good balance between thought and activity. Having discussed the differences between a propaganda film…
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What were the main threats facing the Weimar Republic?
Students often fail to look carefully at ALL parts of a cartoon, photograph or poster. To help them to take…
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How much did the Gestapo really control people’s lives in Hitler’s Germany?
This enquiry-based lesson acquaints students with a live political controversy using an excerpt from ‘The Nazis: a warning from history’ video to…
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Did all Germans benefit equally from life under the Nazi regime 1933-45?
This GCSE lesson , which could also work at AS level, uses two principal activities, known as ‘market place’ and…
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Battalion 101. Why did they shoot? A history mystery
This lesson could be used as part of a Year 9 course or with the Germany module of Y10/11 SHP…
Read MoreSMART TASK: Germany 1933-34 Revision Quickie
Which factors played their part in establishing Nazi dictatorship in 1933-4? You need to be logged in to view this…
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