TOP Lessons Magazine: Teach Germany Fall 2021

T O P L e s s on s M a g a z i n e

TOP

TRANSATLANTIC OUTREACH PROGRAM

Teach Germany

Fa l l 2 0 2 1

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Table of Contents TOP Teaching Materials Why are Black Germans Mobilizing? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 To what extent have Black people been integrated into German society? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Guest Worker Programs in the U.S. and Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 History Made Manifest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Spargel - White Asparagus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

TOP Study Tours 2021 Virtual STEM Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 2021 Virtual Social Studies Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

TOP Alumni Network TOP Alumni Mini Grant Announcement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

TOP Film Resources White Asparagus – A German Specialty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Cover Photo: TOP Alumna Angelique Barton meets with Margot Friedlander during her 2019 TOP study tour.

Inside Cover Photo: Margot Friedlander meets with a TOP study tour group in Berlin (2019).

Photo by Bernhard Ludewig Ms. Friedlander, a Holocaust survivor and time witness, turned 100 years young in November 2021! Ms. Friedlander holds a special place with TOP, having shared her personal account and her autobiography, “Try to Make Your Life: A Jewish Girl Hiding in Nazi Berlin,” with many TOP groups that have visited Germany. Most recently, she shared her story with a group of students for TOP’s educational film “The German History Scavenger Hunt: Part 1 (Remembering the Darkest Chapter).”

View the film and Margot’s story here: https://youtu.be/lAuP-166ezQ

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Dear Educator, Dear Friend of TOP,

TOP

TRANSATLANTIC OUTREACH PROGRAM

The entire TOP Team hopes that this newsletter finds you healthy and well. We all know how hard you are working, and we congratulate you on reaching the half-way point of the 2021-2022 school year!

As of the publication of this TOP Lessons Magazine, in late November 2021, Germany is forming a new “stoplight” coalition government - comprised of the Social Democratic, Green, and Free Democratic parties - that will set a new tone with new priorities as any new government does. At the same time, Germany is in the midst of its worst Covid-19 wave to date. A wise Jedi once said, “always in motion is the future.” Despite this unprecedented “motion,” we at TOP are doing everything we can to resume the summer study tours in 2022. Our partners and funders, the Goethe-Institut, Deutsche Bank, Siemens, and especially the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, all have a say in terms of when official delegations to Germany may resume. As always, we will publish updates via our website, www.goethe.de/top, as well as via our social media channels

CONTACT TOP Online: www.goethe.de/top By e-mail: top@goethe.de By phone: 202-847-4700 By postal mail: Transatlantic Outreach Program (TOP) Goethe-Institut Washington 1377 R Street NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20009

@topteachgermany.

SOCIAL MEDIA This Fall 2021 TOP Lessons Magazine is dedicated to the celebration of diversity. It is

@topteachgermany

dedicated to the outgoing German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, who has reminded us time and time again that we must “tear down walls of ignorance and narrow-mindedness.” It is dedicated to Holocaust victim and survivor, Margot Friedlander, who recently celebrated her 100th birthday, and who encourages students with her every breath to “try to make

THE TOP TEAM

your life.” It is dedicated to the educators, all of them women, who authored the inquiry lessons: Holly Fallica, Abra Koch, Jacqueline Littlefield, Shawna Morgan-Ionescu, and Amy Perkins.

Nearly 20 years ago, TOP was founded on the idea that by empowering social studies educators to tell the story of contemporary Germany, they too could awaken in their students new perspectives of their own unique cultures and histories, from the outside looking in. This is what we aim to achieve via intercultural dialogue and exchange. The inquiry lessons contained in this Fall 2021 TOP Lessons Magazine, authored by TOP alumni and 2021 virtual study tour participants, are designed to uncover German history and culture through such topics as the history of guest workers and immigrants, the science behind the cultivation of white asparagus, reckoning with history, and the history of the Afro-German experience. By publishing these inquiry lessons, we aim to provide educators and their students with new perspectives, which will help them shed light on their own unique cultures and histories.

From all of us at TOP, we thank you for reading and we look forward to celebrating 20 Years of TOP with you in 2022.

Be well, stay strong, and take care.

Wood Powell, Managing Director, on behalf of the TOP Team, including Jenny, Lisa, and Anne.

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Dr. Anne Schönhagen Director Language Programs North America Deputy Executive Director Wood Powell Managing Director Jenny Windell Program Manager Lisa Nicolaus Program Officer

2021 VIRTUAL STEM TOUR This past summer, TOP offered virtual study tours for STEM and social studies educators, each comprised of twelve virtual events over four weeks, for a total of 24 events. The 25th and final event was a virtual walk through the Black Forest with a forestry researcher. Additional highlights included complimentary kits from Festo Didactic, a virtual tour of the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, Q&A with Professor Susan Neiman, and a series of professional development workshops led by TOP Alumni. Graduate credit was even awarded to committed participants. To learn more about each of the specific events and to view the recordings online, continue reading and refer to the QR codes.

Virtual STEM Tour Recordings and Passwords

Virtual STEM Tour Program

https://bit.ly/3HxmYIN

https://bit.ly/3Cs8eqR

Transatlantic STEM Educator Discussion Participants received an official welcome to the STEM Virtual Tour by a representative of the German Embassy in Washington. After the welcome, STEM educators from the Wilhelm-Gymnasium in Braunschweig, Germany, and TOP STEM alumni from around the United States engaged in a panel discussion about their experiences teaching STEM virtually over the past year, as well as the outlook for their schools and STEM education moving forward. @ Chris Montgomery on Unsplash

Panelists: Mohamad Barbarji, Kathy Bosiak, Kirstin Bullington, Karl-Philip Gemmer, Tobias Grübel, Brian Phillips, Marina Radewagen, and Kerstin Reinecke. Moderation by Friedrich Frenzel

Workshop: Inspired by Germany Climate Change Loris Chen (TOP 2017) introduced global climate change data and human impacts using the Bremerhaven Klimahaus as a model to help engage students in asking questions and taking local action.

@ Uta Scholl on Unsplash

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Science on Stage Laila Oudray from Science on Stage Europe gave participants insight into the organization’s work. Science on Stage is a network for STEM teachers focusing on the exchange of best-practice teaching ideas. The goal is to improve STEM teaching by supporting educators in their professional development and growth.

@ Gustavo Quepón on Unsplash

Workshop: Optimizing Wind Power and the Energiewende

Dawn Lio on Unsplash

BIONICS4EDUCATION

In this session, participants explored wind energy as an essential component of the Energiewende (transition to sustainable energy in Germany) with presenter and TOP alumna Kirstin Bullington.

Participants then explored activities (virtual and hands-on) to teach wind power principles and engineering design to students of various ages.

Science Is Fun! (Germany too!)

Jo Hecker — a science entertainer, engineer, author, and science journalist — offered an exciting virtual science show. The tour also included a virtual walk through the Phänomenta Museum in Lüdenscheid. Hecker focused on fun experiments like: What happens to (plastic foam) frogs in the pressure cooker? How do valves work and where do we have them installed?

Why do people conduct electricity?

What happens when you plug a pickle into a wall socket? Does a yogurt cup have a memory? How do you blow up a © Jo Hecker balloon that has been tied shut? Can you create “a piece of space” on Earth?

What is the delicious “pizza theorem” all about?

Can heat be made visible? How does the “Egg of Columbus 2.0” work?

Diversity and Equity: Women in Gaming Lena Alter introduced Womenize!, which highlights and documents success stories, connects people, and puts a spotlight Festo is a pioneer in industrial automation, technical education, on the diverse talent that exists within the games industry. The and bionics. In this workshop, participants learned about Festo’s stage belongs to sHeroes! Womenize! is an event series for women activities in bionics and how bionics are used in education to raise and underrepresented people in the games and tech industries, pupils’ interest in technical topics. The participants got to know the including HR and culture managers, decision-makers, institutions, bionic flower and learned how to perform hands-on experiences and multipliers. Womenize! is a community-driven, open-minded, with students even in home-schooling situations. and inclusive event, bringing together emerging talents with Presenters: Jürgen Bleyer and Reinhard Pittschellis of Festo inspiring figures in the games and tech industry, as well as education and research. © Festo Bionic Flower

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Workshop: Earthrise Kim Young (TOP 2018) and Earthrise Education traveled to the Lusatia Region of eastern Germany using satellite imagery. This region was historically an industrial area focused on lignite coal mining; however, with shifts to clean energy, it is experiencing a revitalization as a recreational lake district. Participants explored how to use the Earthrise Education tool to spark inquiry, annotate imagery to gather data, and peer-review data to investigate and take action with students around environmental issues.

Futurium With more than 5000 m² on three floors, the Futurium museum in Berlin is divided into three main areas: Exhibition, Forum, and Lab. The Exhibition area presents various different options for the future in the thinking spaces dealing with humans, nature, and technology.

The content and design of the exhibition are intended to inspire us to develop our own standpoint on contentious topics. The Forum is intended to encourage communal dialogue in a meeting of science, politics, culture, and civil society.

Presenter: Antonia Kapretz

Spargel: Food Science During this TOP virtual tour event, Professor Martin Geyer, head of department horticultural engineering at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy, Potsdam, joined asparagus farmer Jürgen Jakobs and CEO of the Beelitz Asparagus Association Josef Jakobs as they explained the science behind the German cultural phenomena of white asparagus. © Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash

Videos: 2021 TOP STEM Virtual Study Tour: Spargel (Asparagus) — Josef Jakobs Spargelhof: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrRfAHf2_1s

2021 TOP STEM Virtual Study Tour: Spargel (Asparagus) — Cultivation, Harvest, and Production: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-nP76NhH10

2021 TOP STEM Virtual Study Tour: Spargel (Asparagus) — Beelitzer Spargelmuseum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg8bS3X4GD4&t

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Workshop: Solar Energy TOP alumni Mohamad Barbarji and Katherine Mangum highlighted solar energy as they shared engineering design challenges inspired by their experiences in two of Germany›s most sustainable communities: Feldheim and Freiburg. High school educator Barbarji walked participants through a solar town with its own power grid. Mangum offered ideas to get upper elementary students designing, building, and racing their own solar Bächleboot.

© Andreas Gücklhorn on Unsplash

© Nicolas Wurzer on Unsplash

Freiburg Astrid Mayer, a journalist and author, gave a tour of Freiburg that began with an overview of Freiburg’s climate policy as well as the city’s ecological “hotspots.” Of course, the famous Vauban district was discussed. Additional topics of discussion included the energy efficiency of building; adaptation to climate change, such as rainwater management; and unsealing of soils, green roofs, etc. Finally, Mayer and participants discussed the advantages and disadvantages of densification.

Hike Through the Black Forest Many of our study tour groups have traveled with Lena Carlson through Germany. She is a German American who lives in Freiburg and has a master’s degree in forest conservation from the Forest Research Institute of Baden-Württemberg. The tour joined Lena for a live virtual hike through the Black Forest. Famous for its cuckoo clocks and “Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte” (black forest cake), the Black Forest region in southwest Germany is also at the forefront of sustainable forestry and integrated forest conservation practices. The group learned about the Black Forest’s history, regional forestry practices, and environmental pressures, as well as some of the local plant and animal species, all while enjoying the beautiful scenery.

© Nicolas Picard on Unsplash

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2021 VIRTUAL SOCIAL STUDIES TOUR Virtual Social Studies Tour Program

Virtual Social Studies Tour Recordings and Passwords

https://bit.ly/3CHzodH

https://bit.ly/3CuUFXC

Ready. Set. Vote!

TOP’s study tours were kicked off by Professor Wolf Wagner. In a time when elections are highly contested in the U.S. as probably never before in U.S. history, looking at elections in Germany and Canada is a touchy and sensitive task. In the spirit of finding common solutions to common problems, Professor Wolf Wagner offered a preview of the 2021 Bundestag elections while offering historical and cultural understanding about how Germans vote.

Workshop: GIS Participants learned how to use an inquiry-driven lesson framework along with Geographic Information System (GIS) technology (interactive web maps) to help connect their students to field experiences. They explored some possible uses for story maps, walked through an example of a story map including a brief tutorial on how to create one, and discussed what teachers will need to get started using story maps with their students. GIS software is free for K-12 schools.

Presenters: Harris Payne, Nate Larsen, Kyle Tredinnick

Q&A with Susan Neiman How can societies deal with the evil of their own history? Is there anything — politically speaking — that can be learned from the Germans? When Susan Neiman, a young Jewish American, moved to Berlin in the 1980s, many people around her found it incomprehensible. But she stayed in Berlin and experienced how Germans seriously dealt with their own crimes, in the West as well © Dominic Bonfiglio as in the East, albeit in different ways. In 2016, Susan returned to where she had grown up: the American South, where the legacy of slavery still defines the present. Susan Neiman combined personal portraits with philosophical reflection and asked: How should societies deal with the evil of their own history?

© HyoSun Rosy Ko on Unsplash 10 | Fall Newsletter | 2021

Transatlantic Educator Discussion

Workshop: Berlin Wall

Four TOP alumni, along with their German counterparts, discussed strategies and experiences relevant to teaching politically sensitive topics, especially during politically turbulent times.

Participants: Tobias Gruebel, Greg Hill, Padi Kong, Julie Kou, Christine Maier-Fürsich, Eva-Maria Oettinger, Amy Perkins, and Frank Stürmer.

Moderation: Friedrich Frenzel

Public spaces make for convenient canvases. Street artists around the world and throughout history have used shared surfaces to build unity and inspire change. Walls, streets, sidewalks, and road signs bear the imprint of illustrative activists armed with paintbrushes and spray cans. Their creations — murals of George Floyd, Handala, and everything in between — offer observers a vivid representation of the causes and concerns that define an era.

For decades, the Berlin Wall has been one of the most celebrated canvases of artistic expression. TOP alumnae Amy Perkins and Allison Haskins from the Center for European Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill invited teachers to investigate how

Germany Today: Multiculturalism Attendees met with Cindy Adjei and Marcel Saemin Hopp, two of the three authors of “Power of Color — a Podcast about Perspectives, Experiences and Topics of BIPoCs, Stories of Migration and Diverse Communities in the Post-migrant German Society.” The group © Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash addressed topics such as belonging and multiple identities, various forms of racism, experiences of exclusion and discrimination, and the fundamental question of where the German post-migrant society is heading.

Guest Workers It was a quiet, pragmatic agreement — with unforeseen and still-formative consequences for German society today. In a two-page document in October 1961, the Foreign Office in Bonn and the Turkish Embassy regulated the posting of workers from Turkey to Germany in what is called the recruitment agreement.

After the agreements with Italy, Spain, and Greece, Turkish workers © Bundesarchiv could apply for a job in Germany. Joiners and machinists came, farmers and construction workers, unskilled and skilled workers, men and women. Today people of Turkish origin constitute one of the largest ethnic minorities in Germany. The presenters discussed guest workers, their experiences, and those of their children.

Presenters: Dr. Yasar Ayden, Asuman Baran, Dr. Iva Krtalic, Sezin Onay, and Hasan Özgür

© David Bayliss on Unsplash

students can use street art in Berlin and beyond to understand historical context and the resonance/popularity of influential movements in the past and present. Participants learned through doing by creating their own portion of the Berlin Wall.

Berlin Wall Anniversary Dr. Helge Heidemeyer, director of the Gedenkstätte Berlin-Hohenschönhausen, a museum and memorial on the site of the main political prison of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) Ministry of State Security (the Stasi), invited attendees to a discussion about the history and legacy of the Berlin Wall, some sixty years after it was first constructed on August 13, 1961.

Time witness: Klaus-M. von Keussler

© Markus Spiske on Unsplash 11 | Fall Newsletter | 2021

Political Parties Election Research and Explanatory Approaches to Election Research: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Wessels, senior research fellow at the Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB), discussed the state of election research in Germany and important aspects affecting the 2021 German Federal Elections.

© HyoSun Rosy Ko on Unsplash

Workshop: IDM with John Lee This session was a hands-on opportunity to learn about the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards and the Inquiry Design Model (IDM). The distinctive IDM approach to creating curriculum and instructional materials honors teachers’ knowledge and expertise, avoids overprescription, and focuses on the main elements of the instructional design process as envisioned in the Inquiry Arc of the C3 Framework. Participants learned about the IDM blueprint, a one-page representation of the questions, tasks, and sources that define a curricular inquiry, and about how IDM can take shape as a curriculum and assessment system.

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Why are Black Germans mobilizing?

C3 Framework Indicator

D2.His.5.9-12. Analyze how historical contexts shaped and continue to shape people’s perspectives.

D2.Civ.12.9-12. Analyze how people use and challenge local, state, national, and international laws to address a variety of public issues.

Staging the Compelling Question Supporting Question 1 What are the origins of the African/ Black diaspora in Germany?

Formative Performance Task In this Jigsaw activity students will examine the Black diaspora in Germany time periods.

Featured Sources Source A: Black Diaspora in Germany (Handout 1)

Students will learn about the history of Black people in Germany, racism in Germany today, and how activists are working to meet the challenge.

Supporting Question 2 What is life like for Black people in Germany today?

Formative Performance Task Students will view a video and create a T-Chart indicating positive and negative interactions.

Featured Sources Source A: YouTube

Supporting Question 3 How are Black activists working to challenge racism within Germany today?

Formative Performance Task Students will read articles on Black German activism.

Featured Sources Source A: Deutsche Welle Source B: AAIHS.org Source C: Bloomberg.com Source D: Migranttales.com Source E: NYTimes.com

Summative Performance Task

Argument: Construct an argument (e.g., detailed outline, poster, essay) that addresses the compelling question using specific claims and relevant evidence from contemporary sources while acknowledging competing views.

Extension: React to a poem written by Afro-German activist May Ayim.

Taking Informed Action:

Understand: Change can take place when people stand up for what they believe in and advocate for others.

Assess: Research your community to determine organizations that work for positive change.

Act: Contact them and determine how you can help.

Target Grade Level: Grade 10 Target Course(s): European History, Colonialism, Germany Today

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Compelling Question: Why are Black Germans mobilizing?

Inquiry Overview: In this inquiry students will learn about the history of Black people in Germany; investigate the late 19th century and German colonialization in Africa, the Nazi period, and the activism of the 1980s and ’90s. Students will learn about racism in Germany today and how activists are working to meet the challenge.

Teacher Background: On March 5, 2021, the Transatlantic Outreach Program invited Dr. Tiffany Florvil to discuss her latest book, “Mobilizing Black Germany: Afro-German Women and the Making of a Transnational Movement,” with educators. This inquiry offers suggestions for discussing with students some of the issues addressed in this online seminar. The full seminar can be accessed at: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=gWiqDN6MEGY. ➤➤ A Short History of Black People in Germany In 1682, a ship bearing slaves from Africa docked in Hamburg. Twenty-five years later, in 1707, African musicians were employed in Prussian military units, and by 1877 the first of the dreadful Völkerschauen (“ethnographic exhibitions”) were staged in Hamburg and Berlin. Seven years later, in 1884, Germany colonialized Cameroon, Togo, South-West Africa, and the German East Africa. By 1904, the colonies would revolt and Germany would respond with massacres against hundreds of thousands of Herero, Nama, and other African peoples.

Germany lost its colonies as part of the treaty ending World War I. The British and French allies stationed Black soldiers from their own African colonies in Germany, and hundreds of biracial offspring ensued, who were derogatively called the “Rhineland b******s”. Many were either sterilized or interned in concentration camps during the era of National Socialism.

The Nazi era saw the invocation of the Nuremberg Laws “to protect German bloodline and honour,” resulting in all Black Germans and their spouses being stripped of their citizenship. The defeat of Hitler and Nazism ushered in an enormous 400,000-strong Allied occupation force, including Black soldiers. Thousands of biracial children emerged from relationships between the soldiers and German women , and they were met with hostility and referred to as Besatzungskinder (occupation children). Many were adopted by Black American families, but most fell into dilapidated orphanages or were raised by single mothers.

By 1960, owing largely to changes in Britain’s immigration laws, migration routes also changed, with Africans now journeying through Italy, across the Alps, and into Germany and even Scandinavia. The Africans settled into Germany, learned the language, attended university, worked and often prospered, and also married. The roots of today’s Black Germans were set in the soil.1 In the mid-1980s, two Afro-German movements were established: the Initiative of Black Germans (ISD) established networks of meetings and collaboration among Black Germans, and ADEFRA (Black Women in Germany) focused on the empowerment and education of Black women and girls.

Currently, there is no exact count of how many Black people live in Germany, since Germany has not collected information on the ethnic or racial background of its residents since the end of World War II. It is estimated that more than 1 million people of African descent currently live in Germany. In an effort to survey the community, the online survey Afronzensus was taken in the summer of 2020. The results will allow for addressing the rising racial discrimination and structural inequalities in Germany.

Lasana, G. (2016, July 21). A history of black people in Germany. The African Courier. Retrieved from https://www.theafricancourier.de/ special/black-people-in-germany/a-history-of-black-people-in-germany/

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Suggested Time Frame: 3-4 45 min. class periods Concept List: •

Reparations

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Colonialism

•

Afro-Deutsche/Afro-German

•

ISD/Initiative of Black Germans

•

ADEFRA/Black Women in Germany

•

BLM/Black Lives Matter

•

Diaspora

Instructional Resources: Black Diaspora in Germany (Handout 1) May Ayim Unpublished Poem (Handout 2) Afro-Germans During the Holocaust. (n.d.). U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Holocaust Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/afrogermans-during-the-holocaust

Handout 1

https://bit.ly/30HF0as​

Handout 2

https://bit.ly/3nzG7Sg

Afro-Germans. (2021, March 1). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afro-Germans Aitken, D. (2019, October 10). Making visible the invisible: Germany’s Black diaspora, 1880s-1945. Retrieved from https://www.shu.ac.uk/ research/in-action/projects/being-black-in-nazi-germany Chimbelu, C. (2020, April 25). What’s life really like for black people in Germany? Deutsche Welle. Retrieved from https://www.dw.com/en/ whats-life-really-like-for-black-people-in-germany/a-53159443 DW The 77 Percent (2019, September 6). What is the experience of the African diaspora in Germany? | stories of Africans living in Berlin [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HsyUc6lfc4 Florvil, T. (2019, April 01). Rethinking Black History Month in Germany. Black Perspectives. Retrieved from https://www.aaihs.org/ rethinking-black-history-month-in-germany/ Florvil, T. (2020). Mobilizing Black Germany: Afro-German Women and the Making of a Transnational Movement (pp. 177-178). Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.

Florvil, T. (2017, July 10). From ADEFRA to Black Lives Matter: Black women’s activism in Germany. Black Perspectives. Retrieved from https://www.aaihs.org/from-adefra-to-black-lives-matter-black-womens-activism-in-germany/ German Colonial Empire. (n.d.). In New World Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/german_colonial_empire Identity charts. (n.d.). Facing History and Ourselves. Retrieved from https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-strategies/identity-charts Jigsaw. (n.d.). The Teacher Toolkit. Retrieved from https://www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/jigsaw Knight, B. (2020, January 19). Berlin confronts Germany’s colonial past with new initiative. Deutsche Welle. Retrieved from https://www. dw.com/en/berlin-confronts-germanys-colonial-past-with-new-initiative/a-52060881

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Lasana, G. (2016, July 21). A history of black people in Germany. African Courier. Retrieved from https://www.theafricancourier.de/special/ black-people-in-germany/a-history-of-black-people-in-germany/ Look, C. (2020, May 30). Germany’s black minority wants to be counted for the first time. Bloomberg News. Retrieved from https://www. bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-30/germany-s-black-minority-wants-to-be-counted-for-the-first-time Migrant Tales. (2016, December 12). Initiative black people in Germany (ISD): enriching the public discourse by highlighting colonial continuities. Retrieved from https://www.migranttales.net/initiative-black-people-in-germany-isd-enriching-the-publicdiscourse-by-highlighting-colonial-continuities/ Safronova, V. (2020, October 4). Black Germans say it’s time to look inward. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes. com/2020/10/04/style/black-germans-say-its-time-to-look-inward.html

Introductory Activity/Hook/Discussion: Copy and distribute the Starburst identity chart located at: https://www.facinghistory.org/sites/default/files/Starburst_Identity_Chart_0.pdf.

Direct students to write their name in the circle and then at the ends of the arrows pointing outward, write words or phrases that describe what they consider to be key aspects of their identity. At the ends of the arrows pointing inward, write labels others might use to describe them.

This activity will help students visualize the difference between factors that they feel make up their identities (arrows pointing out from the center) versus labels that others place on them (arrows pointing into the center). Because we may agree with some ways that the outside world views us and disagree with others, there may be some overlapping ideas between the two sets of arrows.

Identity charts. (n.d.). Facing History and Ourselves. Retrieved from https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-strategies/ identity-charts

Supporting Question #1: What are the origins of the African/Black diaspora in Germany? ➤➤ Formative Performance Task #1: For this Jigsaw activity, divide the class into groups of 4. This will be the “home group.” Assign each person in the group a time period.

Next, students leave their home group to sit with the other students assigned the same time period, their “expert group.”

Using the guidelines on Black Diaspora in Germany (Handout 1), each expert group should investigate together the assigned time period and decide what and how they should present to their home group.

Students then regroup with their home group. Each student is responsible for teaching what they have learned about the assigned time period to the home group.

•

Black Diaspora in Germany Time Periods

•

Imperial Germany

•

The Weimar Republic

•

Nazi Germany

•

Afro-German Movement

➤➤ Featured Sources #1: Black Diaspora in Germany (Handout 1) Jigsaw. (n.d.). The Teacher Toolkit. Retrieved from https://www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/jigsaw

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Supporting Question #2: What is life like for Black people in Germany today? ➤➤ Formative Performance Task #2: As a class, watch the video What is the experience of the African diaspora in Germany? listed in resources. Using a T-Chart labeled “positive interaction” and “negative interaction,” have students record the responses of the individuals interviewed in the appropriate column. If a response is repeated, they should place a check next to the first entry.

As students share their charts, create a master list of the positive and negative interactions. Ask: What conclusions can be drawn from this chart? ➤➤ Featured Sources #2: DW The 77 Percent (2019, September 6). What is the experience of the African diaspora in Germany? | stories of Africans living in Berlin [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HsyUc6lfc4 (26 min)

Supporting Question #3: How are Black activists working to challenge racism within Germany today? ➤➤ Formative Performance Task #3: Hang chart paper around the room with the following labels: ISD, ADEFRA, Black Lives Matter, Black History Month, Afrozensus, and Other.

Divide the class into six groups and assign one of the articles listed in resources to each group. Each group should read together and discuss the assigned article, noting what group(s) is involved, what changes they are working toward and why, what challenges they face, and how successful they are. Then the group should determine on which chart the information should be recorded. Each group should then select two recorders to post information on the charts.

Once all groups are finished, assign each group a color to record information. The recorders should post the information determined by their group on the appropriate chart. Note: some information might be recorded on more than one chart.

As a class, review the charts to determine how the supporting question is addressed. ➤➤ Featured Sources #3: Knight, B. (2020, January 19). Berlin confronts Germany’s colonial past with new initiative. Deutsche Welle. Retrieved from https://www. dw.com/en/berlin-confronts-germanys-colonial-past-with-new-initiative/a-52060881 Florvil, T. (2017, July 10). From ADEFRA to Black Lives Matter: Black women’s activism in Germany. Black Perspectives. Retrieved from https://www.aaihs.org/from-adefra-to-black-lives-matter-black-womens-activism-in-germany/ Florvil, T. (2019, April 1). Rethinking Black History Month in Germany. Black Perspectives. Retrieved from https://www.aaihs.org/ rethinking-black-history-month-in-germany/ Look, C. (2020, May 30). Germany’s black minority wants to be counted for the first time. Bloomberg News. Retrieved from https://www. bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-30/germany-s-black-minority-wants-to-be-counted-for-the-first-time Migrant Tales. (2016, December 12). Initiative black people in Germany (ISD): enriching the public discourse by highlighting colonial continuities. Retrieved from https://www.migranttales.net/initiative-black-people-in-germany-isd-enriching-the-publicdiscourse-by-highlighting-colonial-continuities/ Safronova, V. (2020, October 4). Black Germans say it’s time to look inward. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes. com/2020/10/04/style/black-germans-say-its-time-to-look-inward.html

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 Summative Performance Task – Argument Option (Essay or Presentation): Why are Black Germans mobilizing?

Construct an argument (e.g., detailed outline, poster, essay) that addresses the compelling question using specific claims and relevant evidence from contemporary sources while acknowledging competing views.

Extension Option (Choice of Creative Format Instead of Argument):

May Ayim was an Afro-German poet, educator, author, and activist known for her pioneering work in the field of Afro-German history.

Write a reaction to her poem in Handout 2 – May Ayim Unpublished Poem.

Taking Informed Action: Understand: Change can take place when people stand up for what they believe in and advocate for others.

Assess: Research your community to determine organizations that work for positive change.

Act: Contact them and determine how you can help.

Modifications for Differentiation:

•

Teachers may want to assign groups with varying reading levels.

•

Articles may be read online, so students can use read-aloud extensions.

Jacqueline Littlefield (TOP 2008) was named the 2016 TOP Fellow of the Year and co-authored the TOP instructional resources “Germany in Focus: Inquiry Edition” and the “TOP Toolkit for Professional Development.”

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To what extent have Black people been integrated into German society?

C3 Framework Indicator

D2.Civ.10.9-12. Analyze the impact and the appropriate roles of personal interests and perspectives on the application of civic virtues, democratic principles, constitutional rights, and human rights.

D2.Geo.7.9-12. Analyze the reciprocal nature of how historical events and the spatial diffusion of ideas, technologies, and cultural practices have influenced migration patterns and the distribution of human population.

D4.6.9-12. Use disciplinary and interdisciplinary lenses to understand the characteristics and causes of local, regional, and global problems; instances of such problems in multiple contexts; and challenges and opportunities faced by those trying to address these problems over time and place.

Staging the Compelling Question Supporting Question 1 How did Black people arrive in Germany?

Formative Performance Task

To what extent have Black people been integrated into German society?

Supporting Question 2 What has been the Afro-German experience?

Formative Performance Task

Students will read historical documents Students will compare and contrast the and summarize when and how Black Afro-German experiences detailed in different sources. people arrived in Germany. They will also map the human migrations.

Featured Sources Source A: Black Central Europe

Featured Sources

Supporting Question 3 What are some of the greatest concerns of AfroGermans today?

Formative Performance Task In Jigsaw groups, students will identify the major issues confronting Afro-Germans today.

Featured Sources

Source A: YouTube

Source A: Deutsche Welle

Source B: YouTube

Source B: CIA World Factbook Source C: YouTube Source D: DW - Germany battles over the N-word Source E: DW - Berlin confronts Germany’s colonial past with new initiative Source F: DW - Germany struggles to face its own police racism Source G: DW - Racial profiling: Germany debating police methods Source H: Bloomberg News Source I: DW- Skulls and bones: A dark secret of German colonialism

Summative Performance Task

Summative Performance Task: Essay: Students will construct a 500-word essay that addresses the compelling question. It should include information from all three supporting questions.

Extension Option: Students can create a Children’s Storybook that addresses the compelling question. It should include information from all three supporting questions.

Taking Informed Action:

Target Grade Level: 11-12

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Understand: Students can research how a minority group in the U.S. has addressed/ confronted various issues.

Assess: Students can identify which strategies have proved successful and compare this to the corresponding Afro-German issue.

Act: Students can write a letter to the German Bundestag.

Compelling Question: To what extent have Black people been integrated into German society?

Inquiry Overview: This lesson plan gives students an overview of Black people in Germany, while exposing students to the complexity and diversity of Afro-German stories and experiences. It also ensures a basic geographical starting point for understanding Black migration to Germany.

Teacher Background Information: Although many students — and teachers — may not be aware, Black people have been a part of German and European society for hundreds of years. Afro-German history and experience within the German context has created both opportunities and challenges.

I strongly suggest the following resources for teachers to gain a sounder understanding of Black people in Germany. This is by no means an exhaustive list.

Black Central Europe. (2021). Black Central Europe [website]. Retrieved from https://blackcentraleurope.com/ About this network. (2021). H-Black Europe. Retrieved from https://networks.h-net.org/ZZ-about-black-europe-ZZ TOP Teach Germany. (2021, March 5). Mobilizing Black Germany: an online seminar with Dr. Tiffany Florvil, March 5, 2021 [Video].

YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWiqDN6MEGY

Suggested Time Frame: 8-9 days if all work is completed in class.

This can be reduced if some activities are assigned as homework.

Instructional Resources: Internet access

Introductory Activity/Hook/Discussion: Teacher should read May Ayim’s poem “afro-german I” to the class. A class discussion about what this poem suggests about acceptance and knowledge of Black people in Germany should follow.

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afro-german I You’re Afro-German?

Oh boy! All the misery there is in the world!

... oh, I see: African and German.

Be glad

An interesting mixture, huh?

You didn’t stay in the bush.

You know: there are people that still think

You wouldn’t be where you are today!

Mulattos won’t get as far in life as whites

I mean, you’re really an intelligent girl, you know.

If you work hard at your studies,

I don’t believe that.

I mean: given the same type of education…

you can help your people in Africa, see: That’s

You‘re pretty lucky you grew up here.

What you’re predestined to do,

With German parents even. Think of that!

I’m sure they’ll listen to you, while people like us –

D’you want to go back some day, hm?

there’s such a difference in cultural levels…

What? You’ve never been in your Dad’s home country?

That’s so sad… Listen, if you ask me: A person’s origin, see, really leaves quite a Mark Take me, I’m from Westphalia,

What do you mean, do something here? What On earth would you want to do here?

Okay, okay, so it’s not all sunshine and roses.

But I think everybody should put their own house in order first!

and I feel that’s where I belong…

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1985 May Ayim. “Blues in Black and White,” pp.14-15 (Translation by Ilse Müller)

Supporting Question #1: How did Black people arrive in Germany? ➤➤ Formative Performance Task #1:

DAY 1-2: Students will need to have access to a computer with internet. They will use the links to Black Central Europe in order to complete the following activity.

In a summary paragraph of 10 sentences or less, students should summarize the time period and what they learned about how Black people arrived in Germany and their experiences there (or white German contact with Black people). Alternatively, the teacher could assign students one of the following, to make sure at least one person is assigned to each era (1850-1914 should have two individuals/ groups assigned, as there are more readings).

1. 1000-1500 a. Emperor Fredrick II rules over a cosmopolitan empire (ca. 1230s) b. Black servants and slave musicians at Frederick II’s court (1239-1240) c. Johannes Dictus Morus (d. 1254) 2. 1500-1750 a. The music theorist and composer Vincente Lusitano b. King Frederick I’s Smoking Party (1709-1710) c. Anton Wilhelm Amo (ca. 1703-1759) 3. 1750-1850 a. Beethoven performs with his friend George Bridgetower, the “Great Mulatto Composer and Lunatic” (1803) b. Abbess Franziska Christine von Pfalz-Sulzbach and Ignatius Fortuna (1772) c. Daniel Botefeur, a German slave trader (1811) 4. 1850-1914 a. An enslaved American Tours Germany (1850s) b. The Berlin Negro colony (1882) c. Will Marion Cook studies music in Germany (1889) d. first Biannual Gathering of Negros in Germany (1895) e. Fears of African Americans in Hamburg (1908) f.

Karl Atiogbe offers a word for his Black brothers (1908)

5. 1914-1945 a. Marie Nejar remembers her childhood in Nazi Germany (2015) b. Kwassi Bruce to the colonial department of the foreign office (1934) c. Founding an African self-help association (1918) 6. 1945-1989 a. I shall never return – a Nigerian student in communist East Germany (1967) b. Black cultural festival, West Berlin (1986) c. German editor finds Jim Crow like Hitler days (1957) (Differentiation for special needs students: Depending on the skill level of your students, assign this as a completely independent research project, or give them a reading such as a Wikipedia page or a section from another source that contains the information requested. As a modification for students with disabilities, highlight for them key passages of the reading.)

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DAY 3: 1. For each era, call on one student/group to share a summary. Students should take notes or use a graphic organizer to record information about each time period.

2. Discussion: What does this information tell you about the Black experience in Germany?

DAY 4: 1. Hand out unlabeled maps of the world to each student. (Maps can be found at the Arizona Geographic Alliance: https://geoalliance. asu.edu/sites/default/files/maps/World-at.pdf ) 2. (5 min) Working with a neighbor and a sheet of scratch paper, have students brainstorm a list of as many countries that Black people migrated to Germany from as they can think of (from the previous assignment).

3. Come back together as a class for a short discussion before labeling the maps together.

4. The maps should: - Color and label Germany and all countries that Black people migrated from (using today’s names of former colonies is acceptable).

- Use lines connecting each origin country to Germany. On the lines, briefly explain what pull factor/s brought Black people to Germany. ➤➤ Featured Sources #1: Ayim, M. afro-german 1. In Ayim, M., & Adams, A. (2003). Blues in Black and White Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press.

Black Central Europe. (2021). Black Central Europe [website]. Retrieved from https://blackcentraleurope.com/ 1000-1500. (n.d.) Black Central Europe. Retrieved from https://blackcentraleurope.com/sources/1000-1500/ 1500-1750. (n.d.) Black Central Europe. Retrieved from https://blackcentraleurope.com/sources/1500-1750/ 1750-1850. (n.d.) Black Central Europe. Retrieved from https://blackcentraleurope.com/sources/1750-1850/ 1850-1914. (n.d.) Black Central Europe. Retrieved from https://blackcentraleurope.com/sources/1850-1914/ 1914-1945. (n.d.) Black Central Europe. Retrieved from https://blackcentraleurope.com/sources/1914-1945/ 1945-1989. (n.d.) Black Central Europe. Retrieved from https://blackcentraleurope.com/sources/1945-1989/ 1989-today. (n.d.) Black Central Europe. Retrieved from https://blackcentraleurope.com/sources/1989-today/

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Supporting Question #2: What has been the Afro-German experience? ➤➤ Formative Performance Task #2: 1. Have students watch “Jennifer Teege, granddaughter of a Nazi war criminal” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIcb_ Uh3ciY and “Afro Germany - being black and German” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcfPVj5qR1E. Students should create a Venn diagram while watching the two videos in order to compare and contrast the Afro-German experiences detailed in each source.

2. After watching the two films, students can be divided into small groups. They should discuss their individual diagrams and create a larger diagram on poster paper.

3. After all groups have created the new diagram, posters should be adhered to the walls. Students should circulate the classroom in order to read all posters. ➤➤ Featured Sources #2: DW Documentary. (2017, March 29). Afro Germany - being black and German | DW documentary [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcfPVj5qR1E DW News. (2013, December 3). Jennifer Teege, granddaughter of a Nazi war criminal | DW English [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIcb_Uh3ciY

Supporting Question #3: What are some of the greatest concerns of Afro-Germans today? ➤➤ Formative Performance Task #3:

DAY 1: Students will understand the demographics of Germany by using the CIA World Factbook to compare the population with that of the USA. While visiting the CIA World Factbook, students should answer the following questions: 1. What is the population of the United States?

2. What is the population of Germany?

3. List the top 7 ethnic groups of the United States and their percentages of the population.

4. List the top 7 ethnic groups of Germany and their percentages of the population.

5. What do you notice about how the United States and Germany define “ethnicity”?

6. What do you notice about the data on the Afro-German/Black German ethnicity? What are the implications?

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DAY 2: Students will complete a Jigsaw as a member of one of six groups. After collecting information and taking notes on their topic, they will return to their group and share what they have learned with peers.

1. Group 1 will read/watch: “‘Always derogatory’? Germany battles over the N-word” at https://www.dw.com/en/alwaysderogatory-germany-battles-over-the-n-word/a-52327824 2. Group 2 will read/watch: “Germany’s Black Minority Wants to be Counted for the First Time” at https://www.bloomberg.com/ news/articles/2020-05-30/germany-s-black-minority-wants-to-be-counted-for-the-first-time and “Afro Census in Germany: Black lives count” at https://www.dw.com/en/afro-census-in-germany-black-lives-count/av-53740117 3. Group 3 will read/watch: “Racial profiling: Germany debating police methods” at https://www.dw.com/en/german-policeracism/a-54090661 4. Group 4 will read/watch: “Berlin confronts Germany’s colonial past with new initiative” at https://www.dw.com/en/berlinconfronts-germanys-colonial-past-with-new-initiative/a-52060881 5. Group 5 will read/watch: “Skulls and bones: a dark secret of German colonialism” at https://www.dw.com/en/skulls-and-bonesa-dark-secret-of-german-colonialism/a-43279594 6. Group 6 will read/watch: “Germany struggles to face its own police racism” at https://www.dw.com/en/germany-struggles-toface-its-own-police-racism/a-53695640 ➤➤ Featured Sources #3: Chaze, E. (2020, June 12). Racism in Germany ‘an issue for society as a whole.’ Deutsche Welle. Retrieved from https://www.dw.com/en/ racism-in-germany-an-issue-for-society-as-a-whole/a-53787641 The World Factbook. (n.d.). Central Intelligence Agency [website]. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook DW Documentary. (2017, March 29). Afro Germany - being black and German | DW Documentary [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcfPVj5qR1E Greb, V. (2020, February 14). ‘Always derogatory’? Germany battles over the N-word. Deutsche Welle. Retrieved from https://www. dw.com/en/always-derogatory-germany-battles-over-the-n-word/a-52327824 Knight, B. (2020, January 19). Berlin confronts Germany’s colonial past with new initiative. Deutsche Welle. Retrieved from https://www. dw.com/en/berlin-confronts-germanys-colonial-past-with-new-initiative/a-52060881 Knight, B. (2020, June 5). Germany struggles to face its own police racism. Deutsche Welle. Retrieved from https://www.dw.com/en/ germany-struggles-to-face-its-own-police-racism/a-53695640 Knight, B. (2020, July 8). Racial profiling: Germany debating police methods. Deutsche Welle. Retrieved from https://www.dw.com/en/ german-police-racism/a-54090661 Look, C. (2021, May 30). Germany’s Black minority wants to be counted for the first time. Bloomberg News. Retrieved from https://www. bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-30/germany-s-black-minority-wants-to-be-counted-for-the-first-time Pelz, D. (2018, April 6). Skulls and bones: a dark secret of German colonialism. Deutsche Welle. Retrieved from https://www.dw.com/en/ skulls-and-bones-a-dark-secret-of-german-colonialism/a-43279594

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 Summative Performance Task Essay: Students will construct a 500-word essay that addresses the compelling question. It should include information from all three supporting questions.

Taking Informed Action: Understand: Students can research how a minority group in the U.S. has addressed/confronted one of the following issues: racial profiling, police brutality, underrepresentation in the U.S. Census, reparations, or renaming of Confederate (or other historically insensitive) spaces.

Assess: Students can identify which strategies have proven successful and compare this to the corresponding Afro-German issue.

Act: Students can write a letter to the German Bundestag explaining their opinions about how the German government can successfully address current concerns and challenges of Afro-Germans.

Extension Option:

Students can create a Children’s Storybook that addresses the compelling question. It should include information from all three supporting questions.

Modifications for Differentiation:

For students requiring differentiation, this activity can easily be accomplished pairing more and less abled students together, allowing them to work in pairs or small groups.

Shawna Morgan-Ionescu (TOP 2011) has taught Social Studies for twenty years, both in the United States and abroad.

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Were guest worker programs in the United States and Germany necessary for maintaining the economies of those countries?

C3 Framework Indicator

D2.Eco.8.9-12. Describe the possible consequences, both intended and unintended, of government policies to improve market outcomes.

Staging the Compelling Question

This inquiry will address the economic and social causes and effects of guest worker programs in the United States and Germany.

Supporting Question 1

Supporting Question 2

What factors led to labor shortages in How did guest workers affect the the U.S. and Germany during and after economies of their host countries, and World War II? how did the programs affect the guest workers?

Supporting Question 3 How have attitudes toward immigrants and policies regarding immigrants evolved in presentday Germany and the United States?

Formative Performance Task

Formative Performance Task

Formative Performance Task

Students will work in groups to create a list of important events leading up to the years of implementation of guest worker programs in the United States and Germany. They will explain at least two historical factors in play in each historical context and why they led to a shortage of labor in the two countries.

Students will work with partners to list effects of guest worker programs on their host countries based on the reading listed below. They will then rank these as positive or negative effects for the economy of the host country.

In pairs, students will brainstorm observations about current attitudes toward immigration in the United States and Germany. Each pair will share in a class discussion.

Featured Sources

Featured Sources

Featured Sources

Source A: YouTube

Source A: BBC News

Source A: Deutsche Welle

Source B: “El Programa Bracero”

Source B: Deutsche Welle

Source C: “Los Gastarbeiter turcos en Alemania, inmigrantes temporarios que eligieron quedarse”

Source C: “Se cumplen 60 años de la llegada de los primeros ‘Gastarbeiter’ a Alemania”

Source B: “Alemania aprueba una polémica ley para agilizar el proceso de deportación de inmigrantes”

Source D: Deutsche Welle

Source D: BBC

Source D: BBC News

Source E: YouTube

Source E: Deutsche Welle

Source E: Deutsche Welle

Source C: CNÑ

Source F: YouTube Summative Performance Task

Argument: Make an argument for or against beginning a guest worker program in the form of a poster, slides presentation, pamphlet, etc. Include details to support your argument from the sources we have addressed in this lesson.

Extension: Students could write a short story from the perspective of a participant in the Bracero or Gastarbeiter programs.

Taking Informed Action:

Target Grade Span: 9-12 Target Course(s): Spanish 4, 5, or AP

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Understand: Research current immigrant worker policies in the United States or Germany.

Assess: Consider how and whether these policies improve upon the Bracero and Gastarbeiter programs.

Act: Write a letter to a representative of your state outlining your support or opposition to the current immigration programs.

Compelling Question: Were guest worker programs in the United States and Germany necessary for maintaining the economies of those countries?

Inquiry Overview: This inquiry will address the economic and social causes and effects of guest worker programs in the United States and Germany.

Teacher Background Information: The Bracero program in the United States was established under the Mexican Farm Labor Agreement with Mexico on August 4, 1942.

The Bracero program was active in the U.S. between 1942 and 1964. Over 4.6 million Mexican workers were admitted to the U.S. during that time to fill agricultural jobs.

A similar program, the Gastarbeiter program, was initiated in Germany in 1955 and lasted until 1973. Facing labor shortages after World War II, Germany signed bilateral recruitment agreements with countries including Italy, Spain, Greece, Morocco, and Turkey. It was a quiet, pragmatic agreement — with unforeseen and still-formative consequences for German society today..

Suggested Time Frame: 4-5 days Instructional Resources: Azteca Noticias. (2019, October 8). Dato Preciso: Programa Bracero [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Vc7sT9c-g_0 Carbajosa, A. (2019, June 7). Alemania aprueba una polémica ley para agilizar el proceso de deportación de inmigrantes. El País.

Retrieved from www.elpais.com/internacional/2019/06/07/actualidad/1559928720_001061.html Desarrollo migratorio. (2021, August 17). Make It in Germany. Retrieved from http://www.make-it-in-germany.com/es/vivir-en-alemania/ conocer-alemania/inmigracion Turkish guest workers transform German society. (2011, October 30). Deutsche Welle. Retrieved from https://www.dw.com/en/turkishguest-workers-transformed-german-society/a-15489210.

DW News. (2011, September 23). The 50th Anniversary of the Turkish-German Guest Worker Treaty | People & Politics [Video]. YouTube.

Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw9NNORIl3Q Fernández Echén, C. (2018). Los Gastarbeiter turcos en Alemania, inmigrantes temporarios que eligieron quedarse. Universidad de Rosario. Retrieved from rephip.unr.edu.ar/handle/2133/13829 (abstract only) Hille, P. (2021, October 5). The German-Turkish Recruitment Agreement 60 years on. Deutsche Welle. Retrieved from https://www. dw.com/en/the-german-turkish-recruitment-agreement-60-years-on/a-59398455 Izurieta, R. (2019, October 10). Actitudes sobre la inmigración en Estados Unidos. CNÑ. Retrieved from www.cnnespanol.cnn. com/2019/10/10/inmigracion-estados-unidos-actitudes-izurieta-roberto Kinkartz, S. (2019, December 17). Alemania necesita inmigrantes cualificados. Deutsche Welle. Retrieved from www.dw.com/es/alemanianecesita-inmigrantes-cualificados/a-51708682 Lanchin, M. (2018, November 24). Los mexicanos a los que Estados Unidos sí les dio la bienvenida. BBC News. Retrieved from www.bbc. com/mundo/noticias-46293650 28 | Fall Newsletter | 2021

McIntosh, K., Nunn, R., & Shambaugh, J. (2018, November 29). Inmigración en Estados Unidos: 7 gráficos que muestran su verdadera dimensión, y su contribución a la economía. BBC News. Retrieved from www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-internacional-46384408 Nájar, A. (2016, October 1). La desconocida historia de los braceros mexicanos que murieron por esperar un empleo en Estados Unidos.

BBC News. Retrieved from www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-37528106 NBC News Learn. (2020, May 1). The Bracero program [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=6Aye9c4SgPw Prieto, M. (2016, February 1). Se cumplen 60 años de la llegada de los primeros ‘Gastarbeiter’ a Alemania. Ser. https://cadenaser.com/ ser/2016/01/02/internacional/1451727495_224552.html El Programa Bracero. (2010, October 9). Apuntes de Demografía. Retrieved from www.apuntesdedemografia.com/2010/10/09/elprograma-bracero

Introductory Activity/Hook/Discussion: Students will be faced with a hypothetical situation: Your country is faced with severe labor shortages due to political and economic factors. What can be done to fill these positions and maintain economic growth? Groups will create ideas about programs and policies that might address labor shortages. We will discuss these ideas in the target language and summarize their ideas in a group writing.

Supporting Question #1: What factors led to labor shortages in the U.S. and Germany during and after World War II? ➤➤ Formative Performance Task #1: Students will work in groups to create a list of important events leading up to the years of implementation of guest worker programs in the United States and Germany. They will explain at least two historical factors in play in each historical context and why they led to a shortage of labor in the two countries. ➤➤ Featured Sources #1: Spanish Sources: El Programa Bracero. (2010, October 9). Apuntes de Demografía. Retrieved from www.apuntesdedemografia.com/2010/10/09/elprograma-bracero Azteca Noticias. (2019, October 8). Dato Preciso: Programa Bracero [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc7sT9c-g_0 Fernández Echén, C. (2018). Los Gastarbeiter turcos en Alemania, inmigrantes temporarios que eligieron quedarse. Universidad de Rosario. Retrieved from rephip.unr.edu.ar/handle/2133/13829 (abstract only) English Sources: Turkish guest workers transform German society. (2011, October 30). Deutsche Welle. Retrieved from https://www.dw.com/en/turkishguest-workers-transformed-german-society/a-15489210 DW News. (2011, September 23). The 50th Anniversary of the Turkish-German Guest Worker Treaty | People & Politics [Video]. YouTube.

Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw9NNORIl3Q NBC News Learn. (2020, May 1). The Bracero Program [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Aye9c4SgPw

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Supporting Question #2: How did guest workers affect the economies of their host countries, and how did the programs affect the guest workers? ➤➤ Formative Performance Task #2: Students will work with partners to list effects of guest worker programs on their host countries based on the readings listed below.

They will then rank these as positive or negative effects for the economy of the host country. Students will work in pairs to create a table showing three effects on workers under the Bracero program and three effects under the Gastarbeiter program. ➤➤ Featured Sources #2: Spanish Sources: Banchón, M. (2021, September 6). Alemania y el tratamiento de la extranjería. Deutsche Welle. Retrieved from www.dw.com/es/alemania-y-eltratamiento-de-la-extranjer%C3%ADa/a-1528396 Lanchin, M. (2018, November 24). Los mexicanos a los que Estados Unidos sí les dio la bienvenida. BBC News. Retrieved from www.bbc.com/ mundo/noticias-46293650 Nájar, A. (2016, October 1). La desconocida historia de los braceros mexicanos que murieron por esperar un empleo en Estados Unidos. BBC News. Retrieved from www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-37528106 Prieto, M. (2016, February 1). Se cumplen 60 años de la llegada de los primeros ‘Gastarbeiter’ a Alemania. Ser. https://cadenaser.com/ ser/2016/01/02/internacional/1451727495_224552.html

English Source: Hille, P. (2021, October 5). The German-Turkish Recruitment Agreement 60 years on. Deutsche Welle. Retrieved from https://www.dw.com/en/ the-german-turkish-recruitment-agreement-60-years-on/a-59398455

Supporting Question #3: How have attitudes toward immigrants and policies regarding immigrants evolved in present-day Germany and the United States? ➤➤ Formative Performance Task #3: In their pairs, students will brainstorm observations about current attitudes toward immigration in the United States and Germany. Each pair will share in a class discussion.

➤➤ Featured Sources #3: Spanish Sources: Carbajosa, A. (2019, June 7). Alemania aprueba una polémica ley para agilizar el proceso de deportación de inmigrantes. El País. Retrieved from www.elpais.com/internacional/2019/06/07/actualidad/1559928720_001061.html Desarrollo migratorio. (2021, August 17). Make It in Germany. Retrieved from http://www.make-it-in-germany.com/es/vivir-en-alemania/ conocer-alemania/inmigracion Izurieta, R. (2019, October 10). Actitudes sobre la inmigración en Estados Unidos. CNN. Retrieved from www.cnnespanol.cnn. com/2019/10/10/inmigracion-estados-unidos-actitudes-izurieta-roberto Kinkartz, S. (2019, December 17). Alemania necesita inmigrantes cualificados. Deutsche Welle. Retrieved from www.dw.com/es/ alemania-necesita-inmigrantes-cualificados/a-51708682 McIntosh, K., Nunn, R., & Shambaugh, J. (2018, November 29). Inmigración en Estados Unidos: 7 gráficos que muestran su verdadera dimensión, y su contribución a la economía. BBC News. Retrieved from www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-internacional-46384408

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English Source: Hille, P. (2021, October 5). The German-Turkish Recruitment Agreement 60 years on. Deutsche Welle. Retrieved from https://www.dw.com/en/ the-german-turkish-recruitment-agreement-60-years-on/a-59398455

 Summative Performance Task – Argument Option (Essay or Presentation): Make an argument for or against beginning a guest worker program in the form of a poster, slide presentation, pamphlet, etc. Include details to support your argument from the sources we have addressed in this lesson.

Extension Option (Choice of Creative Format instead of Argument):

Students could write a short story from the perspective of a participant in the Bracero or Gastarbeiter programs. They will show through the story the experiences of the worker and the challenges faced under these programs.

Taking Informed Action: Understand: Research current immigrant worker policies in the United States or Germany.

Assess: Consider how and whether these policies improve upon the Bracero and Gastarbeiter programs.

Act: Write a letter to a representative of your state outlining your support or opposition to the current immigration programs.

Modifications for Differentiation:

Provide opportunity for group work in all aspects of the activities. During brainstorming exercises, outline guidelines for inclusion and equal acceptance of all ideas. Provide sentence frames for students who need language support in writing elements of the lesson.

Abra Koch is a Spanish teacher at Loveland High School in Loveland, Ohio.

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History Made Manifest Monuments, memorials, and a reckoning with history in the U.S. & Germany Content Area Relevance: U.S. History, World History, Global Issues, Human Geography, Government Grade Level: Grades 9-12; suggestions for modifications provided throughout the lesson Duration: 4 60-minute class periods Author: Amy Perkins, Lakeshore High School in Stevensville, Michigan

Driving Question ●

View in Google Docs https://bit.ly/3nyqdaZ

To what extent do memorials and monuments - their installation, preservation, and removal - reflect a nation’s changing values, priorities, and interpretation of history?

Supporting Questions ●

How and to what extent do nations address the darker aspects (war, oppression, genocide, etc.) of their past?

●

How should symbols, people, and events associated with tragic developments be remembered in the historical narrative and in public spaces?

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What factors should a community or nation contemplate as it considers the preservation, relocation, or destruction of historic monuments and sculptures?

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How can sculptures, monuments, and memorials be reimagined such that they encourage meaningful dialogue and a nuanced understanding of history?

●

How does the United States’ approach to the remembrance/study of slavery, the Civil War, and racial oppression compare with Germany’s approach to the remembrance/study of the Nazi regime, World War II, and anti-Semitism?

Enduring Understanding ●

Monuments and memorials are not simply static representations of historical events and figures; they are also manifestations of a nation’s values, its interpretation of past events, and its ongoing efforts to craft, maintain, and revise the narrative of its complicated, often contested history.

Overview This four-day unit invites students to investigate remembrance culture and consider how a nation’s interpretation of its history is reflected in the memorials and monuments displayed in its public spaces.1 More specifically, students will examine how controversies surrounding monuments, memorials, and statues in the U.S. and Germany reflect changes in citizens’ understanding of their history and their willingness to grapple with the darker chapters of their nation’s past. Just as Germany endeavors to acknowledge the horrors of the Holocaust and memorialize the victims, the United States is beginning to integrate into its national narrative a more thorough analysis of racial oppression (in all its forms) and a thoughtful consideration of how the legacy of slavery still influences the nation today. Both efforts, in Germany and in the United States, are not without controversy. The installation of new Holocaust memorials like the Stolperstein has excited heated debates in Germany, just as the removal of Confederate monuments has provoked violent demonstrations in the United States. Even so, each nation’s attempts to acknowledge the more brutal aspects of history demonstrate how our ever-evolving understanding of the past is made manifest by the erection, maintenance, modification, and removal of historical monuments.

1

Remembrance culture is the interaction of an individual or a society with their past and history. In the strictest sense, Remembrance Culture is all the behavioral configurations and socially approved or acquired manners of a society or group used to keep parts of the past in their consciousness and thus deliberately make it present.

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Students begin the four-day unit with a consideration of monuments, memorials, and sculptures displayed throughout their local community. Then, working in small groups, they determine the most appropriate course of action regarding a curated collection of existing, yet controversial monuments throughout the United States. On Day 2, students build upon their investigation from Day 1 by comparing Americans’ remembrance of the Civil War and Reconstruction eras (as reflected in their monuments and memorials) with Germany’s public remembrance of World War II and the Holocaust. After an introductory discussion, students read one of three recent news articles that spotlight the ways in which Germany and the United States encourage (or avoid) public recognition of tragic events in history. By locating recent debates about Confederate monuments within a global context, students will notice that the United States is not the only nation struggling to come to terms with its problematic past. On Day 3, students will extend their comparative analysis of remembrance culture in the U.S. and Germany by examining how ongoing efforts to memorialize victims of oppression and genocide in both nations have resulted in the construction of new memorials, memorials that have sparked controversy while also enabling progress on the path toward truth and reconciliation. Finally, on Day 4, students will leverage what they have learned about remembrance culture by designing a new memorial or monument that spotlights an important aspect of history that is underrepresented in public spaces.

Learning Objectives ●

Students will be able to identify three or more reasons why memorials, monuments, and statues in the United States have sparked controversy and heated debates.

●

Students will be able to list and describe at least three ways in which the United States and Germany are attempting to use public spaces to memorialize/spotlight the more tragic chapters of their nation’s history.

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Students will be able to synthesize information from news articles, video clips, images, and interactive websites to explain how citizens’ interpretation of the past influences the monuments they erect and, conversely, how the monuments and memorials themselves shape the public’s understanding of their nation’s past.

●

Students will be able to leverage what they have learned by designing and presenting a proposal for a new monument or memorial that commemorates a significant historical event, development, or individual that is currently underrepresented in public spaces within the U.S.

Key Concepts ● ● ● ● ●

Remembrance culture Genocide Anti-Semitism Lynching Contextualization

Lesson Handouts/Materials Day 1 ● ● ●

Day 2 ● ● ●

Day 3 ● ●

Student Handout: Debating Monuments, Memorials and Statues: Weighing the Evidence Google Slide Presentation (slides #2-13) featuring images of historic monuments, statues, & memorials analyzed by students Video clip: “Why Are There SO Many Confederate Monuments?”

Google Slide Presentation (slide #14) featuring an image that juxtaposes the Confederate flag with the flag of the Nazi Regime A collection of three news articles: A comparative analysis of monuments and memorials in Germany and the US Video clip: “World War II and the Nazi era: How Germany deals with its past”

Video clip: “A national memorial confronts the terror of lynching” Station research materials and question sheets for small group analysis

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Teacher Preparation and Instructional Resources This unit’s activities will require students to have access to computers and the internet. The unit will be most effective if students already have experience working in small groups and sharing their ideas in a discussion format. Students will be expected to extract and synthesize information from a variety of sources (images, video clips, news articles, and websites) to develop their own insights and conclusions about remembrance culture in the U.S. and in Germany. Finally, the graphic details shared in this unit about lynching and the Holocaust may be upsetting for young students. Please consider the maturity level and sensitivities of students before introducing this unit to the class.

Teachers will need a projection screen and access to the internet in order to lead the class through the unit. In preparation for Day 1, teachers should print hard copies of “Debating Monuments” (8 copies of page 1, and 1-2 copies of pages 2-18.) For Day 2, teachers should consider printing hard copies of the news articles in advance. However, students can access these articles digitally if necessary.

For Day 3, teachers may opt to print research station question sheets for students. However, these sheets can also be assigned to students digitally. Finally, for Day 4 students may need access to various art supplies, depending on their design ideas for a monument/ memorial. This design element, however, can be done on the computer instead and submitted digitally.

DAY 1 Opening 1. Local relevance: Ask students to identify and describe statues, monuments, and memorials located within their local community. Challenge them to specify the individuals, events and developments each structure commemorates. Record the list of structures on the board. Repeat the process, generating a second list of major monuments and memorials displayed in public spaces throughout their nation. Note that your time is limited, so neither list of monuments and memorial needs to be all-inclusive. A simple sampling of structures is sufficient.

2. Reflection: Invite students to respond to the following question using the think-pair-share approach: “If statues, monuments, and memorials are visible representations of our values/priorities as a community and as a nation, what values/priorities do we appear to hold most dear?” Responses may include veterans, political leaders, and military victories, among others. After students finish discussing their insights with their partners, invite them to share their conclusions with the rest of the class. Record student responses to the question on the board.

3. Ever-evolving symbolism and history: Challenge students to review the list of local and national structures they generated at the start of class. Are any of these monuments the subject of debate today? If so, why? Encourage students to consider how new evidence, recent events, and changes in political discourse often inspire people to reevaluate the appropriateness/symbolism of monuments, memorials, and sculptures erected during earlier eras.

Small Group Analysis & Presentations 4. Small group analysis: Divide students into eight small groups. (Teachers can create fewer groups with more students if they prefer. They just need to determine which structures they would like to use.) Distribute page 1 of Debating Monuments, Memorials and Statues: Weighing the Evidence to each group. Discuss directions with students and answer any questions they have about the assigned task. Then assign a structure (image and text; pages 2-18 of Debating Monuments, Memorials and Statues: Weighing the Evidence) to each group; no two groups should be assigned the same structure. Allow small groups 10-15 minutes to review the structure’s information, reflect on their knowledge of history as it relates to the person/event relevant to the structure, discuss their findings, and make their decision regarding the structure’s fate. They will also need to prepare a short presentation for the class that details both their decision regarding the structure’s fate and their reasons for choosing this option. Images of the structures are already preloaded in a Google Slide Presentation that can be projected onto the front board during group presentations; students need only to share their findings and decision verbally.

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5. Small group presentations: Begin by projecting Slide # 4 onto the front board. As you progress through the images of each structure featured on Slides 4-11, invite the small groups to share with the class their findings, their recommendations, and their justification for the option they chose. Encourage each presentation group to answer followup questions posed by their classmates.

Debriefing 6. Debrief: Facilitate a concluding class discussion of monuments, memorials and statues, challenging students to consider how these public structures influence our understanding of history, reflect the values and beliefs of a community/nation and a historical era, and inspire heated debates among citizens. Use the following questions to guide the discussion: a.

Why are monuments, memorials, and statues that are installed during one era sometimes the subject of heated debates & controversy in a later era?

b.

Which subjects, figures, and historical developments seem to generate the most debate and controversy?

How do you account for this trend?

c.

Which populations and historical events seem to be underrepresented in the monuments, memorials, and statues displayed in public spaces? Why do you think these groups/events do not receive the same attention as others in public spaces?

7. A focus on the Confederacy*: To enrich students’ understanding of the history and symbolism of Confederate monuments, show the 10-minute video “Why Are There SO Many Confederate Monuments?” produced by PBS in 2019. The short video details the political and historical contexts in which Confederate monuments were first dedicated. It also highlights reasons why these structures are so controversial today. Following the video, ask students to share with the class any new information they learned from the video clip.

8.

Written response*: Challenge students to record their thoughts in response to the following prompt. Encourage them to include in their written response references to the small group presentations shared earlier in the class period. Collect student responses at the end of class or at the start of class the next day.

“At the heart of this debate about monuments is the larger question about how and when we decide to commemorate history and whose stories are told… Monuments shape the public narrative of nations. They exemplify the stories we tell ourselves and each other about our collective past. This also brings to light who history belongs to, by highlighting and heroizing some while others are maligned, harmed, or altogether ignored.” ~Source of quotation: “Let’s Talk About It: Controversial Monuments” by Dahlia Fisher – July 10, 2020 Published online by the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage http://www.maltzmuseum.org/blog/lets-talk-about-it-controversial-monuments/

*If time is limited, Steps 7 & 8 can be assigned as independent work, with the written response due for submission at the start of the next day of class.

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DAY 2 Opening 1. Controversial symbols: Begin today’s lesson by inviting students to examine the picture spotlighted on Slide #14 of the Google Slide presentation. Ask them to identify (1) what they believe each symbol represents, (2) how/why these symbols might be connected or appear together, and (3) why the question “Heritage?” appears between the two symbols. Teacher note: For more context, see the National Geographic article How the Confederate battle flag became an enduring symbol of racism and the New York Times editorial How the Swastika Became a Confederate Flag.

A Focused Discussion 2. Reckoning with a difficult past: The U.S. is not the only nation with a difficult history that includes the systematic

oppression, enslavement, and displacement of various human populations. Challenge students to consider the extent to which Germany’s history also includes stories of oppression. Students will likely mention the Holocaust and the rise of the Nazi regime, but they might also acknowledge Germany’s crimes committed against the peoples of Africa during the age of European imperialism. After students identify darker elements of Germany’s history, ask them to consider how Germany today attempts to grapple with this problematic past. In what ways is Germany’s approach to addressing the history of the Holocaust and the Nazi regime different from Americans’ approach to acknowledging the legacy of slavery and the Confederacy?

Students might not know enough about this topic to answer this question with confidence. However, encourage them to share what they do know.

3. Germany and Its History - An introduction: Invite students to consider the U.S.-Germany comparison a bit more closely. Show the 7:50 minute video produced by DW entitled “World War II and the Nazi era: How Germany deals with its past.” As students watch the video, they should consider how Germany’s approach to its wartime history compares/contrasts with what they know about the United States’ approach to its history of the Confederacy and the Civil War. Following the video, briefly discuss with students how the two nations’ approaches to history are similar and different.

4. Small Group Investigation and Discussion: Access the three news articles included in “Articles: A comparative analysis of monuments and memorials in Germany and the US”. Consider the reading levels of your individual students, and use this insight to determine which one of the three articles each student will read. Articles 1 and 2 are a good fit for students with a 9th grade reading level; students with lower reading levels should be assigned article 3. Assign articles to students such that roughly ⅓ of the students is reading article 1, another ⅓ is reading article 2, and the remaining ⅓ is reading article 3. If possible, provide each student with a hard copy of the assigned article so that they can make notes and underline key points.

As students read their assigned article, they should carefully consider the following questions: ●

How does Germany currently address/confront the history of the Holocaust & the Nazi regime?

●

What are some challenges associated with this approach to examining the darker eras of history?

What are some advantages?

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How does Germany’s approach compare to Americans’ remembrance of Civil War history, specifically as it relates to the Confederacy and slavery?

●

Should Americans adopt Germany’s approach to addressing the darker elements of national history? Should Americans consider following Germany’s approach to erecting, preserving, modifying, or removing monuments and memorials that relate to the darker chapters of the national narrative? Explain why or why not.

Once individual students have finished reading their assigned articles, have students form small groups. Each group should consist of 3-5 students: 1-2 students in each group should be prepared to summarize the content of each one of the three articles. Their small group discussion should center on the broader questions listed above (See Slide 16 of Google Slide Presentation).

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Debriefing 5. Debrief: Invite students to share with the entire class new insights they gained from reading the articles and participating in

their small group discussions. After students share their comments, show Slides #4 & 5 (images of Structure A and Structure B). Ask students to revisit their earlier conversation (from the previous day) about these structures. How do they feel about the maintenance and placement of these structures now that they’ve examined Germany’s approach to “dark” history?

DAY 3 Opening 1. A new memorial: Introduce students to the National Memorial to Peace and

Justice and the affiliated Legacy Museum that opened in 2018 in Montgomery, Alabama. The memorial and museum spotlight components of U.S. history that are often omitted from the national narrative. These recently constructed sites are the product of a growing effort to counterbalance the focus on Confederate “heritage” with an emphasis on the legacy of slavery and racial oppression. Show the 7 minute PBS video titled, “A national memorial confronts the terror of lynching.”

2. Written Response: Following the video, instruct students to craft a written response to the prompt detailed below. Allow

students approximately 3-5 minutes to record their thoughtful response on a piece of paper. They should include their names at the top of their paper.

“I want all of us to be free. And I don't think any of us are free, black or white. We are constrained by the smog created by this history and to deal with that, we're going to have to clean the air. We're going to have to talk about some things we haven't talked about before.” (Bryan Stevenson) What “things” does the National Memorial to Peace and Justice and the Legacy Museum challenge us to discuss, and how might this resulting discussion deepen/complicate our understanding of US history and our interpretation of more recent developments involving racial inequality and oppression?

3. Small Group Discussion: Collect students’ written responses and put these responses in a scattered pile at the front of the room. Invite students to grab one of the paper slips with a student response (not their own) and read it silently. After they’ve read the slip, ask the students to find the author of the response they just read and engage the author in a conversation about the memorial and museum.

This activity will not necessarily lead to the formation of pairs, but rather a small group of students exchanging insights. This result is perfectly fine since the main point is to get the students talking with each other, sharing their insights and considering other viewpoints. The teacher should walk around the room and listen attentively to students’ small group discussions.

Comparative Analysis Students will continue their investigation of monuments and memorials by doing a comparative analysis of remembrance culture in Germany and the U.S. Today they will explore three research stations set up within the classroom or made available online. Each station introduces students to a different component of remembrance culture: (1) Plantations and Concentration Camps Confronting a Difficult Past, (2) Memorializing the Victims of Lynching and the Holocaust, and (3) Signs, Stones, and Jars of Soil - Landscapes with a Legacy. Each research station includes news articles, images, informational videos, and links to relevant websites that introduce students to ways in which the U.S. and Germany address the more tragic elements of their nations’ pasts. Since many of the resources are available online, students will need access to a computer and the internet. However, hard copies of the news articles and images can be printed in advance and made available to students if desired. Access station research materials, including assigned news articles here.

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4. Activity Introduction: Briefly introduce the concept of “remembrance culture” to the students and give them an overview of the station research activity. Distribute station question sheets (pages 1-8) to all students and then divide them into smaller groups of 3-4 students. If possible, make hard copies of the news articles (pages 10-26) available to students as they conduct their research. Walk around the classroom, offering assistance to student groups as needed and challenging them to think deeply about the purpose, design, and impact of historical monuments and memorials. Depending on the grade level and ability of students, this station research activity may require more than one class period or additional time outside of class to complete.

Teachers should monitor class time and decide which plan is best for their students.

DAY 4 Students’ analyses yesterday introduced them to ways in which the darker aspects of history are represented and experienced at various sites in the United States and Germany. From decentralized memorials like the Stolpersteine to the historical interpretation of the enslaved person’s experience at the Whitney plantation, visitors within Germany and the U.S. examine the brutal realities of the Holocaust, racial oppression, and lynching. Today students will synthesize what they have learned and use their insights to design a new memorial/monument they believe should be erected in their local community or somewhere in the United States

Opening 1. Student Discussion: Invite students to share with the class their responses to the “Station Summation” questions (page 8) they completed at the end of their station research activity on the previous day. Use the follow questions to guide the class discussion: ●

Which one of the sites you examined most effectively challenged visitors to confront the darker chapters of history? Why did you choose this site?

●

Which groups in Germany and the United States would most likely oppose efforts to expose the more tragic aspects of a nation’s history? Why do you think they would oppose it?

●

Which noteworthy developments, events, or individuals do you think are still generally underrepresented when you consider the various monuments and memorials you’ve seen or studied within the United States?

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2. Think-Pair-Share: Challenge students to read/interpret the following quote from philosopher and scholar Susan Neiman.

Then have them share with their partners how Neiman’s statement connects with the insights they gained through their station research.

“Seen in some light, the differences between German and American racist histories are glaring. Seen in another, what’s important is what the commonalities can teach us about guilt and atonement, memory and oblivion, and the presence of the past in preparing for the future.”

~Susan Neiman

3. Large Group Reflection: Extend the conversation as a class by asking students to respond to the following questions.

These questions will provide a smooth transition to today’s creative assignment. ●

Thoughtfully consider her comparison and conclusion. How can we use historical sites, memorials, and monuments to move past “guilt” and toward “atonement”?

●

“Memory and oblivion”: How can a more reflective, balanced, even critical study of a nation’s past better equip its citizens with the insights and wisdom they need to resolve current problems and plot a more peaceful path forward?

Summative Assessment 4. Student Proposals: Provide students with an overview of the final creative project. This concluding assignment will require them to synthesize what they’ve learned about remembrance culture in the U.S. and Germany, reflect on the content they’ve studied in their Social Studies classes, and consider the different design/execution options (e.g. abstraction, experiential, etc.) represented in the various monuments and memorials they’ve visited or studied so far. Their final task will be to identify one significant development, event, or person they believe is underrepresented among existing monuments/memorials and design a public piece that endeavors to educate visitors about this aspect of history. Students’ final proposals should include the following elements: a.

Statement of Purpose: Identify the event, development, person that will be the focus of the site and explain why this aspect of the national narrative is worthy of recognition and commemoration in a public space.

b.

Design: Provide an overview of the structure’s design and explain why this approach is most appropriate/effective. This overview should be visual (CAD drawing, pencil sketch, clay replica, etc.) and accompanied by a written description.

c.

Location: Identify where you will install/erect the memorial or monument and explain why you chose this specific location.

d.

Funding: Provide a list of prospective donors (organizations, individuals, etc.) you believe will provide the funding necessary to make your vision a reality. Consider groups, foundations, and individuals who share your interests in spotlighting a lesser known, but noteworthy, aspect of U.S. history.

e.

Likely opposition: Identify groups or organizations who might oppose your plans for a new memorial/monument, and briefly explain why you think they might attempt to block your proposal.

Teacher discretion: Depending on the age level of the students and the art supplies available, teachers should determine the deadline and format of student submissions. Ultimately, students’ proposals should be displayed around the classroom, allowing their peers to review their submissions.

Rubric for grading student submissions: A variety of rubrics already exist for similar projects. Teachers may want to revise one of the rubrics from iRubric or this Google Spreadsheet, or they can opt to create an entirely new rubric that better reflects their preferences/priorities.

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Relevant Unit Extensions and Resources Teachers can easily extend this unit on remembrance culture, using students’ investigative findings as a segway to one of the many topics/resources listed below.

Suggestions for unit extensions ●

Critical Race Theory: Investigate recent efforts to ban the teaching of “critical race theory” in K-12 public schools within the United States. This topic relates directly to the nation’s ability/inability to examine the legacy of racial oppression and its relevance to current events/developments. For a concise overview of “critical race theory”, see Education Week’s recent article “What Is Critical Race Theory, and Why Is It Under Attack?” The Washington Post published this additional online resource about persistent housing segregation. The interactive map reveals that although “policies like the Fair Housing Act and the Voting Rights Act were enacted to increase integration, promote equity, combat discrimination and dismantle the lingering legacy of Jim Crow laws”, census records show that some “cities remain deeply segregated — even as the country itself becomes more diverse.” An alternative map by the University of Virginia reveals a similar pattern. Students can also examine the throughline that connects slavery and other historic forms of racial oppression to the present day penal system. For this topic, the Equal Justice Initiative has published several resources online.

●

White nationalism in the United States: Examine the resurgence of white nationalism within the United States by viewing/discussing the PBS FRONTLINE’s Documenting Hate: Charlottesville (full film).

●

Turkey’s Denial (a second international comparison): Analyze Turkey’s persistent refusal to acknowledge the Armenian genocide and the controversy generated by President Biden’s recent public recongition of the Armenian genocide. In contrast to Germany’s intentional and consistent recognition of the crimes committed during the Holocaust, Turkish government officials deny that the Armenians were the victims of a state-coordinated genocide in Anatolia during World War I. For an in-depth instructional unit on this topic, see The Armenian GENOCIDE: Remembrance, Denial, and the Politics of History.

●

Rwanda’s Truth and Reconciliation: Examine Rwanda’s efforts to grapple with its more recent history, namely the 1994 genocide of 800,000 people, and its ongoing commitment to peace. Read “Why Rwanda is held up as a model for reconciliation, 26 years after genocide”

●

Rewriting History-- A Global Phenomenon: This collection of four recent news articles examines how nations throughout the world (China, US, Russia, Germany) approach the teaching of history. As the articles reveal, some nations are actively rewriting their history to promote a more celebratory narrative; meanwhile, others are using history as a reflection point, encouraging citizens to learn from past mistakes.

Additional Resources for Teachers and Students Within the United States ●

Equal Justice Intiative reports, which feature resources on a variety of historical eras and experiences, including (1) the domestic slave trade, focusing on Montgomery, Alabama's history as it became the capital of the domestic slave trade in the south by 1860, (2) the period of Reconstruction after the Civil War, during which the nation abandoned the promise of freedom to millions of formerly enslaved Black people and legally codified racial inequality as white Southerners used violence, mass lynchings, and lawlessness to create a regime of white supremacy, (3) the era of racial terrorism between 1877-1950, defined by more than 4,400 documented cases of racial terror lynching of African Americans and the particular targeting of African American veterans , and (4) the era of segregation that revealed the massive resistance of many white Americans against civil liberties and rights for African Americans. The narratives of racial difference that persisted during these eras created lasting legacies racial inequalities that Americans still face today.

●

For online interactive resources to complement these reports, EJI developed two specialized sites to house its research related to Lynching in America and Segregation in America, both of which provide numerous resources, including interactive maps, personal testimonials from community members impacted by this history, and documentary style reporting. EJI also has a Lynching in America curriculum at the bottom of the page that can be used to help students in classroom settings understand this history more clearly and how it impacts Americans today.

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There are three videos in EJI’s video library made in collaboration with artist Molly Crabapple and narrated by Bryan Stevenson and Tera Duvernay, the Deputy Director of Museum and Memorial Operations, that help explain the US history of racial and economic injustice, and how the legacy of that history has contributed to bias, error, and injustice in the American criminal justice practices today.Scroll down in the video library page and teachers will find "Slavery to Mass Incarceration,” “Reconstruction in America,” and "Racial Terror Lynching in America.” You will also find " Lynching and Racial Violence during Reconstruction, 1865-1876" a graphic animation of the escalation in racial violence during the period of Reconstruction.These and the other videos you see on that page might serve as good starting points in your community for conversations about the legacy of this history.

●

EJI released a video “The Truth About Confederate-Named Schools” that details how the practice of naming schools to honor the architects and defenders of slavery has been part of a broader effort to maintain racial hierarchy in the U.S. EJI has identified more than 240 schools across the U.S. that currently bear the name of a Confederate leader. Simply by going to school, young people are taught to embrace the names, likenesses, and symbols of men who fought a brutal war against the U.S. in order to preserve white supremacy.

●

EJI has an award-winning history of racial injustice calendar which can be used as a tool for learning more about people and events in American history that are critically important but not well known. Print versions of these calendars can also be purchased at the EJI online shop here.

●

EJI has established a partner page with Flipgrid Discovery Library to bring the educational content of our research reports to classrooms across the country. The Flipgrid Discovery Library provides free access for teachers to engage learners with content on racial justice and foster discussion through student-created videos. Using content from the reports, animated videos, and oral history, students are introduced to important vocabulary for identifying and naming injustice and are asked to think critically about how to confront this history.

In Germany ●

For an overview of Germany’s remembrance culture, highlighting the various memorials that recognize the darker aspects of the nation’s history, see “Vibrant Culture of Remembrance: The memory of the crimes committed by the Nazis and of the injustice of the system in the German Democratic Republic is kept alive by numerous memorials.” However, it is worth noting that Germany’s attempts to grapple with its history are often the source of controversy and debate. In many ways, its remembrance culture is still up for negotiation, as Jacob Eder reveals in “The Journey is the Destination: German Politics of Remembrance and Their Contradictions”. Finally, read Washington Post’s recent article, “Germany, a model for coming to terms with its past” offers more valuable insight on the topic.

●

For a primer on Germany’s approach to nationalism and history, see “Knowing Germany's remembrance culture — as a foreigner”. It discusses Germany’s attitude toward the national flag, its military, and education, detailing how the nation’s history has inpsired many Germans to shy way from nationalistic behaviors and encourage more thoughtful, even critical reflection.

●

Germany’s active involvement in two world wars is a focal point in its education and politics today. However, the remembrance of its military dead presents a conundrum: how does a nation mourn the death of its soldiers when the government they defended is guilty of committing horrific war crimes? As the article concludes, “Individual grief at the loss of family members, including millions of soldiers, is real enough. But the memory of the vast numbers of other victims of Germany's wars will always be present too.” See BBC’s “How Germany remembers the world wars.”

●

For a thorough investigation into Germany and its remembrance culture, read “Germans: Race and the Memory of Evil” by Susan Neiman.

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Amy Perkins – 2019 Fellow of the Year Amy Perkins is a globalist, a teacher, a 2013 TOP alumna, and the 2019 TOP Fellow of the Year. She began her professional career as an educator in Perth, Australia, before returning to the United States to complete a master’s degree in American history at the University of Florida. Since 2002 she has taught U.S. and world history at Lakeshore High School in Stevensville, Michigan, and she has traveled the world during her summers off. In 2013 she joined an unforgettable cast of characters for a TOP 6 adventure through central Germany.

The experience transformed her understanding of history and foreign policy.

Since 2013, Amy has challenged her students to venture abroad and insert themselves in global discussions. She has hosted a variety of guest speakers in her classroom, including refugees from Libya and Eritrea, veterans from four foreign wars, a UN War Crimes Tribunal judge, and a member of General Stanley McChrystal’s personal security detail. These guests, among others, have inspired profound student-led conversations about the relevance of history and the need for intelligent, visionary leadership in the world today. In 2017 she leveraged her partnership with TOP to connect her school with students in Bad Hersfeld, Germany. Together, students from the two schools researched the geopolitical importance of the Iron Curtain. Most recently, she started a German American Partnership Program, pairing her high school with Gesamtchschule Hardt in Mönchengladbach, Germany. This reciprocal exchange experience has been the realization of Amy’s lifelong dream: to create meaningful, affordable, authentic international experiences for students that result in lasting memories and lifelong friendships.

In addition to being a TOP alumna and Fellow of the Year, Amy is a fellow at the University of Michigan’s MENA-SEA Teacher Program.

She has served as a delegate for the Society for East Sea, presenting at seminars held in Seoul and Berlin. She has traveled with Qatar Foundation International and the Foreign Policy Research Institute, is a Teacher Consultant for the Michigan Geographic Alliance, and regularly presents at regional and national conferences.

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TOP Alumni Mini-Grant Announcement: 20 Years of Teaching Modern Germany!

In the spirit of celebrating 20 years of teaching contemporary Germany and global competency in North American classrooms, TOP wants to include its over 1,700 study tour Alumni in its anniversary celebrations.

{ Criteria }

{ Eligibility }

The purpose of this Mini-Grant is to give TOP Alumni and their students the opportunity to propose ideas about how they could celebrate 20 years of TOP. Alumni may propose their own idea or work with a class, after school club, or even organize a school-wide project. We encourage projects that involve online, virtual exchanges with German students and are happy to help connect you with a partner teacher.

Mini-Grants are available to all TOP Alumni (past Fellows), including registered and committed 2021 virtual study tour participants, and can be used to support a class, after school club, or school project at any grade level.

Ideas include but are not limited to: •

• •

• • • •

•

Working with a podcast journalist to tell their “TOP story” and what working with the program has meant to them and their teaching career.

Ideas for unique professional development workshop events.

Blogging about/writing about the significance of their experience with TOP, perhaps using Flipgrid or other platforms.

Sharing students’ perspectives about Germany, perhaps using Flipgrid or other platforms.

Sharing unique lessons students have learned about Germany, from the students’ perspectives.

Taking over the TOP social media accounts to offer unique perspective.

Starting a “German” initiative at your school, such as the “Schultüten” or a “A school without racism. A school with courage.”

Technology grants for transatlantic sustainability projects.

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{ Available Funding }

Mini-Grants are typically available in the amount of $500 $2,500 and will be awarded after approval of a project proposal.

Higher amounts may be considered based on proposal merit.

Your proposal should include a detailed budget for the project, with the proposed total project cost falling anywhere within the available range. Funding could be used, for example, to pay for project-specific supplies, local student transportation, classroom equipment for online exchanges, newspaper subscriptions, etc.

All requests for funding must be directly related to what you need to carry out the proposed project with your students. We will not fund: teacher travel without students; basic school supplies such as paper or pencils; food/beverage costs, etc.

{ Application Process }

Proposals should be approximately 2-3 pages in length and provide a title and detailed description of the project, its objectives, activities, learning outcomes, and timeline. Proposals should also include a detailed project budget. All proposals should be submitted as an email attachment to top@goethe.de.

{ Deadlines and Project Period } Proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis. Projects should be completed within the same calendar year in which the grant is distributed.

White Asparagus – A German Specialty During a special TOP Virtual STEM Tour event with Professor Martin Geyer, head of department horticultural engineering at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy, Potsdam, TOP premiered three educational short films featuring Jürgen Jakobs, asparagus farmer and CEO of the Beelitz Asparagus Association Josef Jakobs, and Lisa Heese from the Beelitzer Spargelmuseum (Beelitz Asparagus Museum).

These three short films explain the history, economics, and science behind the German cultural phenomenon that is white asparagus.

They are great for inquisitive students in your social studies or STEM classroom!

To learn more about Spargel, watch the tour appointment “2021 TOP STEM Virtual Study Tour: Spargel (Asparagus)”: https://vimeo.com/569006606​(Password: TOPstem21_june29)

Video 1: 2021 TOP STEM Virtual Study Tour: Spargel (Asparagus) Josef Jakobs Spargelhof Travel with TOP to the Josef Jakobs Spargelhof (asparagus farm) in Beelitz, Germany, to learn about the history of the farm and the importance of white asparagus in Germany’s culinary culture. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrRfAHf2_1s

Video 2: 2021 TOP STEM Virtual Study Tour: Spargel (Asparagus) Cultivation, Harvest, and Production Travel with TOP to the Josef Jakobs Spargelhof (asparagus farm) in Beelitz, Germany, to learn about the cultivation, harvesting, and production of white asparagus. https://youtu.be/L-nP76NhH10

Video 3: 2021 TOP STEM Virtual Study Tour: Spargel (Asparagus) Beelitzer Spargelmuseum Travel with TOP to Beelitz, Germany, to visit the Beelitzer Spargelmuseum (Asparagus Museum of Beelitz) and learn about the cultural importance of white asparagus in the Beelitz region and in Germany as a whole. https://youtu.be/vg8bS3X4GD4

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Spargel — White Asparagus Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS):

Matter and Its Interactions — Covers PS1.A, Structures and Properties of Matter; PS1.B — Chemical Reactions; and the heat components of PS3.A — Definitions of Energy Energy, Forces, and Motion — Covers PS2.A, Forces and Motion; PS2.B, Types of Interactions; PS3.B, Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer; PS3.C, Relationship Between Energy and Forces; and the energy- but not temperature-related components of PS3.A, Definition of Energy PS3.D: Energy in Chemical Processes and Everyday Life LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms

Materials Needed:

Internet access to access the resources Solar power batteries or STEM kits Water/irrigation kit or system

Phenomena: How does energy drive everything around us?

How might climate change impact the growth of crops in Germany?

How can farmers practice sustainability while increasing the growth of their crops?

Explore:

Students will first compare/contrast renewable and nonrenewable energy resources.

Students will learn about how energy drives ecosystems by exploring photosynthesis in plants.

Students will look at data surrounding the investigation of climate change and what climate change is.

Explain:

Farmers can practice sustainability in the growth of their crops by creating an irrigation system which uses solar power to water the Spargel.

Create a Prototype:

Students should research various examples of engineering designs such as irrigation solutions using solar power. After their research, they will sketch out/design a system of their own.

Elaborate:

Understand: In recent years, many parts of the United States have faced drought and wildfires. There are also other phenomena that are caused by climate change.

Assess: Investigate what impacts of climate change are visible in your community.

Act: Students can create a poster or presentation for their class/school on an issue to raise awareness in the community.

Evaluate:

Target Grade Span: Middle (6-8)

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Each investigation ends with students successfully communicating and demonstrating their proposed solution to the Main Problem.

Spargel — White Asparagus Lesson Overview: The main focus of this inquiry is for students to apply the idea of sustainability to contemporary Germany and design a solution to adapting irrigation systems to help the growth and production of white asparagus.

Teacher Background Information: White asparagus, or Spargel, is famous in Germany, but because of recent changes in climate, there has been some struggle in maintaining and producing this valuable crop. One of the more recent struggles includes not enough rainfall to successfully grow Spargel. Students will view the short films by the Transatlantic Outreach Program on asparagus to learn more about the significance of this crop in Germany. The films will also help students understand how this crop is grown and why it is important to German culture.

Students will design and create a prototype of a project-based solution to the drought circumstances seen during recent years in Germany.

Key concepts include: how Spargel grows and utilizes photosynthesis, needs for crop growth such as water or irrigation, the importance of this crop in Germany, and difficulties farmers face relating to climate change.

Problem solving: how can the farmers sustainably increase the irrigation of this crop during warmer, dry months and during harvest season?

How has Germany utilized renewable resources with farming and how does it plan to continue the practice of sustainability in the future?

To learn more about Spargel, watch the “2021 TOP STEM Virtual Study Tour: Spargel (Asparagus)” tour appointment at: https://vimeo. com/569006606 (password: TOPstem21_june29)

Suggested Time Frame: 1 - 2 weeks Resources: Awasthi, P. (2021, March 18). Robotics for kids: Learn how to build a smart irrigation system for free. Tinkerly. https://tinker.ly/how-tobuild-a-smart-irrigation-system-for-free/ ExploreLearning. (n.d.). Growing plants. https://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspDetail&ResourceID=615 Feed the Future. (n.d.). Solar pumps improve irrigation options for farmers. Retrieved from https://horticulture.ucdavis.edu/information/ solar-pumps-improve-irrigation-options-farmers Finio, B. (n.d.). Build an irrigation system. Science Buddies. Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/build-anirrigation-system Hebrank, M. R. (2021, October 12). Bubbling plants experiment to quantify photosynthesis. TeachEngineering. Retrieved from https:// www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/duk_photo_mary_act STEM Education Guide. (2021). What is the engineering design process? [Plus, a free worksheet]. Retrieved from https:// stemeducationguide.com/engineering-design-process-worksheet-and-example/ TeachEngineering. (2020, June 29). Bubbling plants experiment to quantify photosynthesis [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3-16GVWfe0 (2:50) The4Pillars. (2020, June 19). Solar power irrigation system model | Science exhibition model | Surface pump solar irrigation model [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq6AiTGzguA (16:03) Transatlantic Outreach Program. (2021, June 29). 2021 TOP STEM Virtual Study Tour: Spargel (Asparagus) - Cultivation, Harvest, and Production [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-nP76NhH10 (4:34) Transatlantic Outreach Program. (2021, June 29). 2021 TOP STEM Virtual Study Tour: Spargel (Asparagus) - Josef Jakobs Spargelhof [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrRfAHf2_1s&list=PL1neU3w7hWqZJk49H9XoEATcYEhfJyJCw (4:42) Wilderstead. (2020, May 22). Two simple solar powered irrigation systems we use for our off grid greenhouse and gardens [Video].

YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN8_MIauQZk (7:56) 46 | Fall Newsletter | 2021

Next Generation Science Standards: •

Matter and Its Interactions

•

Energy, Forces, and Motion

Key Literacy Connections: Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.1 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.2 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.9

Relevant Domain(s) of Disciplinary Core Ideas: Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Earth and Space Sciences and/or Engineering, Technology and Applications of Science

Science and Engineering Practices: Asking Questions and Defining Problems

Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

Developing and Using Models

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Crosscutting Concepts: Cause and Effect Systems and System Models Energy and Matter Structure and Function Stability and Change

Phenomenon and Main Problem: How can we apply sustainable irrigation to the white asparagus crops in order to help with the growth of this plant during unexpected dry seasons?

How does energy drive everything around us?

How might climate change impact the growth of crops in Germany?

How can farmers practice sustainability while increasing the growth of their crops?

The problem of climate change is significant because in the past, when there were drastic changes in temperature or not enough rainfall, Spargel could not be harvested. This had negative effects on the farmers and the economy. Germany is focused on slowing down climate change by practicing sustainability through the use of renewable resources such as solar power.

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Engage: To connect the issue of climate change and the growth of the famous Spargel, students can design a plan to help the farmers with issues of drought by creating a sustainable irrigation system or design.

Anticipated Guiding Questions: •

Why is Spargel important to German culture?

•

What difficulties are faced with the harvesting of this crop?

•

What is climate change? How might it affect the harvest of crops in Germany?

•

Why is it important to practice sustainability and/or use renewable resources?

•

How do the sustainability practices in Germany impact Germany’s climate and how might they impact the future of farming?

Explore — Gathering Information: First, students will look at how Germany has used renewable resources and practiced sustainability. As a class, discuss the importance of renewable energy and Germany’s adaptations to climate change through the use of rainwater management, unsealing of soils, etc.

Next, students will construct explanations demonstrating how energy and matter enter an ecosystem and how photosynthesis works.

In a Jamboard formative assessment, students will post their thoughts/understandings on how plants, such as asparagus, get the energy they need to grow. Students should then investigate the problem by researching how energy drives ecosystems by exploring photosynthesis in plants and the effects of climate change. ➤➤ Plant Growth Virtual Lab: • https://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspDetail&ResourceID=615 ➤➤ Photosynthesis Lab: • “Where does matter go?” Work with students to understand energy capture, transfer, and loss through the processes of photosynthesis and respiration. This lab will use aquatic plants to demonstrate photosynthesis. ➤➤ “Leaf photosynthesis simulation” lab links below: • https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/duk_photo_mary_act •

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3-16GVWfe0 (2:50)

Students will demonstrate what plants (like white asparagus) need in order to grow by creating a first-word acrostic. Students write the word PHOTOSYNTHESIS vertically and are told to write full sentences building off of each letter. Students will write sentences pertaining to the importance of photosynthesis and how all plants utilize this chemical reaction in order to grow.

Next, students will learn more about the importance of Spargel in Germany by watching the Transatlantic Outreach Program’s video “2021 TOP STEM Virtual Study Tour: Spargel (Asparagus) - Josef Jakobs Spargelhof.”

To learn more about how Spargel is grown, watch the video “2021 TOP STEM Virtual Study Tour: Spargel (Asparagus) - Cultivation, Harvest, and Production.”

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Create a Prototype: Using an Engineering Design Process diagram like the one linked below, small student groups will imagine what they can do to help with the impacts of climate change on Spargel in Germany. They will then plan out the solution, create or draw their prototypes, and share with groups or the class to improve their designs. Engineering Design Process diagrams can be found at various websites, including STEM Education Guide: https://stemeducationguide.com/engineering-design-process-worksheet-and-example/.

Rubric for STEM Design Challenge *Rubric can be altered (made more specific, challenge-based, etc.) based on your STEM Design Challenge.

Criteria

0

1

2

Collaboration

Students did not work collaboratively with others.

Students worked, at times, collaboratively with others.

Students consistently worked collaboratively with others.

Design Process

Students are missing 3 or more steps from their design challenge process.

Students are missing 1-2 steps from their design challenge process.

Students completed all steps to their design challenge process.

Written Conclusion

Students do not have a written conclusion.

Students have a partial written conclusion with some details.

Students have a well written conclusion with details.

Models

Students did not build a model. Students built a model that needed some adjusting.

Students built a model that was successful at the task.

Data

Students collected little to no data.

Students collected all necessary data.

Students collected some data.

Resources: ExploreLearning. (n.d.). Growing plants. Retrieved from https://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource. dspDetail&ResourceID=615 Hebrank, M. R. (2021, October 12). Bubbling plants experiment to quantify photosynthesis. TeachEngineering. Retrieved from https:// www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/duk_photo_mary_act STEM Education Guide. (2021). What is the engineering design process? [Plus, a free worksheet]. Retrieved from https:// stemeducationguide.com/engineering-design-process-worksheet-and-example/ TeachEngineering. (2020, June 29). Bubbling plants experiment to quantify photosynthesis [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3-16GVWfe0 (2:50) Transatlantic Outreach Program. (2021, June 29). 2021 TOP STEM Virtual Study Tour: Spargel (Asparagus) - Cultivation, Harvest, and Production [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-nP76NhH10 (4:34) Transatlantic Outreach Program. (2021, June 29). 2021 TOP STEM Virtual Study Tour: Spargel (Asparagus) - Josef Jakobs Spargelhof [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrRfAHf2_1s&list=PL1neU3w7hWqZJk49H9XoEATcYEhfJyJCw (4:42)

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Explain — Identify Possible Solutions: Energy drives everything around us by allowing us to use devices, technology, heat/air conditioning, transportation, and many other aspects of our daily lives.

Farmers can practice sustainability in the growth of their crops by creating an irrigation system that uses solar power to water the Spargel.

Pros: It will require fewer workers to water the crops and will be energy-efficient.

A solar-powered irrigation system will also be utilized more when there is a drought season and not enough rainfall to water the crops.

Cons: It might be expensive to build and would only be utilized during the spring season when the Spargel grows.

Fewer workers means fewer job opportunities for many relying on the salary.

Extension:

There are other factors that impact the successful growing and harvesting of Spargel, such as foil management (foil keeps the asparagus white). Students could work on solutions to make foil management more sustainable. Or they could explore how renewable energy could be used during the Spargel harvest. How can Germany improve on foil management? Can Germany use renewable energy sources to harvest the crop?

Evaluate: Each investigation ends with students successfully communicating and demonstrating their proposed solution to the Main Problem.

Students will communicate their findings using evidence and reasoning to support their claims or provide specifications to their final design solutions. Allow students to reflect upon and assess (potentially with a rubric) their investigative process.

Students can test and adapt their models while they are creating their prototype. Students can share and ask for feedback from other groups to help improve their models.

Elaborate: Understand — In recent years, many parts of the United States have faced drought and wildfires. There are also other phenomena that are caused by climate change.

Assess — Investigate what impacts of climate change are visible in your community.

Act — Students can create a poster or presentation for their class/school on an issue to raise awareness in the community.

Virtual Exchange: Offer an exchange for students to speak to their counterparts in Germany who go to schools that utilize some of these sustainability practices or even live in homes that have solar panels, green roofs, etc. During the virtual exchange, students can discuss what Spargel tastes like or when it can be eaten in Germany. Students could even compare the German experience of white asparagus to their own experiences with the more accessible green asparagus in North America.

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Career Connection Exploration: After watching the TOP videos on Spargel, students might consider the following career interests: Management — as seen in the TOP video where Josef Jakobs Spargelhof manages the production of Spargel and hiring of workers for his business.

Engineering — designing solutions might be another career connection for students.

Farming — after learning about the importance of food production, students might want to start their own garden or look into the business of farming.

Modifications for Differentiation:

Modifications would include the use of graphic organizers. Students can use their laptops for research and/or help with writing. English language learners can use their devices as well if they need help/modifications during the lesson.

Working in small groups on this project will also provide modifications for students who might struggle with the design process.

Holly Fallica is a 6th and 7th grade science teacher from Calvert County, Maryland. She is currently in her 11th year of teaching. Holly loves to travel, spend time outdoors, and experience the science of the world around us.

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In early 2022, TOP will release new curriculum for middle school classrooms, including STEM classrooms, focused on climate change and sustainability. We have been busy these last few months of 2021, working with filmmakers in Germany, creating custom short films, which will give students added visual and audio depth into the content authored by TOP Alumna Loris Chen. Film locations include Berlin, Feldheim, the Klimahaus in Bremerhaven, and of course, the Wadden Sea (pictured). The films are rather beautiful, and we are exciting to share them with you soon. Stay tuned…

Copyright 2021: Benjamin Büttner, relativ kollektiv Filmproduktion for the Transatlantic Outreach Program 53 | Fall Newsletter | 2021

GERMAN DIGITAL JUNIORUNI THE EDUCATIONAL PROJECT FOR STUDENTS

JUNIORUNI.GOETHE.DE

Project Partners

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TOP

TRANSATLANTIC OUTREACH PROGRAM

Transatlantic Outreach Program (TOP) Goethe-Institut Washington 1377 R Street NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20009 www.goethe.de/top top@goethe.de 202-847-4700

THE TRANSATLANTIC OUTREACH PROGRAM IS A PUBLIC / PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP