Lesson plan (English)
Topic: The Longing for Power. The Unification of Germany.
Target group
7th‑grade students of elementary school
Core curriculum
XXIII. Europe and the world in the second half of the 19th and early 20th century. Pupil:
1) describes the political situation in Europe in the second half of the 19th century, including the unification processes of Italy and Germany.
General aim of education
The student will learn and describe the unification process of Germany against the background of the political situation in Europe in the 19th century.
Key competences
communication in foreign languages;
digital competence;
learning to learn.
Criteria for success
The student will learn:
to describe the stages of Germany’s unification;
to indicate the places associated with the process of German unification, as well as what were the borders of the German and North German Confederations;
to explain the plans of Otto von Bismarck and how did he implement them.
Methods/techniques
expository
talk.
activating
discussion.
programmed
with computer;
with e‑textbook.
practical
exercices concerned.
Forms of work
individual activity;
activity in pairs;
activity in groups;
collective activity.
Teaching aids
e‑textbook;
notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;
interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers.
Lesson plan overview
Before classes
The teacher asks to repeat the information from the previous lesson. He also recommends to collect illustrations, photos, drawings, symbols, press clippings associated with the subject of the planned lesson.
Introduction
The teacher states the subject of the lesson, explains the aim of the lesson and together with students determines the success criteria to be achieved.
Students perform the first part of Task 1. They analyze the map presenting the reunification of Germany in 1866‑71. They find on the map the borders of the German Union from 1815. Next, the teacher introduces the students to the history of establishing the Customs Union of 1834 as a stage of unifying Germany.
Realization
The teacher introduces the students to the issue of military reform of the 1860s. and the figure of Otto von Bismarck. He briefly discusses the so‑called Great and Small Germany. He refers to the times of the Spring of Nations and discusses Bismarck's plans. Students perform Exercise 1. They become acquainted with Bismarck's speech fragment from 1862 and outline the correct answers. The teacher makes sure that the task has been correctly completed and provides feedback.
Then the students carry out the Task 2. They analyze the numbers of the great powers in 1816‑1880 and on this basis, with the help of the teacher, formulate the most important conclusions.
The teacher, using the resources contained in the e‑textbook or other sources, discusses the reasons for the war with Denmark and Austria, and their political consequences. Then the students perform the second part of the Task 1. They analyze the map presenting the unification of Germany in 1866‑71. They mention the territories annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in the years 1864‑1866. They point to the southern border of the North German Union from 1866. They name countries that are not part of the North German Union.
The teacher introduces the students to the causes of the outbreak of the Franco‑Prussian war of 1870. Students search on the internet for information about the conditions of peace that ended the war. Then they perform Exercise 2 and Exercise 3. They first match the appropriate elements of the thesis and inference, then they arrange the puzzle and analyze the picture from those times.
Summary
Students carry out Task 3. They listen to the recording and try to note down / remember the goals of Bismarck's policy before and after the reunification of Germany and the principles that he followed. They point to the weaknesses and strengths of his concept and its implementation. If there is enough time, the teacher notes their suggestions on the board. For this purpose, he uses a SWOT analysis scheme. In the alternative version, he asks students to complete the SWOT sheet at home.
Homework
The teacher suggests the execution of Task 4. Students try to find answers to the questions: What could the two statesmen accuse each other of? Did they have common grounds? Using a postcard from the era, students design a dialogue scene between Bismarck and captured Napoleon III.
The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson
Terms
Kulturkampf – polityka Bismarcka w latach 1871‑1878, zmierzająca do ograniczenia wpływów Kościoła Katolickiego w II Rzeszy i w Prusach.
II Rzesza Niemiecka – historyczne określenie cesarstwa Hohenzollernów (1871–1918). II Rzesza była państwem związkowym (22 państwa, 3 wolne miasta i Alzacja‑Lotaryngia — jako „kraj Rzeszy”). Na czele państwa stał król Prus z tytułem cesarza niemieckiego. Austria pozostała poza zjednoczonymi Niemcami
Kanclerz – urząd; szef rządu II Rzeszy.
Związek Północnoniemiecki – związek państw utworzony przez Prusy w 1867, po wojnie austriacko‑pruskiej i rozwiązaniu Związku Niemieckiego.
Texts and recordings
The Longing for Power. The Unification of Germany.
Rivalry for leadership among the German states existed between Austria and Prussia. Both states sought to unify Germany under their hegemony. After the Prussian victory over Denmark (1864) and Austria (1866), the unification of part of the German states as the North German Confederation under the leadership of Prussia took place (1866‑1867). In 1870, the French‑Prussian war erupted, resulting in Prussian victory and the unification of all German lands. In 1871, the German Empire was proclaimed. Wilhelm I became the Emperor, and Otto von Bismarck became the first Chancellor.