Sourcework Assignment Pack

Games, Lesson Plans and Worksheets - A self-contained study unit rounded off with the "Mr. Men" joint project with primary students.

Weimar Germany Decision-Making Game - Part 1: 1918-21 [Interactive]
A brand new version of the popular decision making game. Each of the 5 key decision points covers a different issue. By working through the activity and completing the worksheet, students will learn about the diplomatic, economic, social and political problems faced by the Republic, and consider how successfully the Republic dealt with them.

Political Parties in Weimar Germany: Display Task
Useful as an extension or as a homework activity. Students are provided with a diagram of the main political parties in Weimar Germany. They use this as the basis for some propaganda posters for classroom display.

Revolts and Rebellions in the Weimar Republic
The teacher should follow up the computer simulation by going through the worksheet with the students carefully. This PowerPoint Presentation by Richard Fitzsimmons is particularly useful to elaborate on the revolts and rebellions of the period. The second half of the video documentary "Make Germany Pay" is also good to watch at this point if you have it.

Fullscreen Version

Weimar Germany Decision Making Game - Part 2: 1921-29 [Interactive] complete with follow-up factual test.
This simulation is a great way of introducing or revising the issues surrounding Weimar Germany in the years 1921-29. Each of the 7 key decision points covers a different issue. By working through the activity and completing the worksheet, students will learn about the diplomatic, economic, social and political problems faced by the Republic, and consider how successfully the Republic dealt with them. The game is designed to "run itself" with minimal teacher preparation. After completing the game, students should be given this factual test, the answers for which can be obtained using an online presentation (the link to which is in the factual test document).

The Hyperinflation Crisis of 1923
Time should be spent going through the worksheet accompanying the computer simulation once the students have finished it. This PowerPoint presentation is particularly good on the subject of the 1923 crises. I also recommend getting hold of some hyperinflation banknotes, which are cheaply available on Ebay - this photo shows my own collection (I've also bought a Dawes Plan bond, and some Weimar Government bonds!)

Factual Test: The Weimar Republic 1918-33
After students have completed both parts of the computer simulation, their factual recall can be measured using this 25-question test.

The Culture of the Weimar Republic
The positive achievements of the Weimar Republic are easily overlooked. This project encourages students to investigate the cultural vibrancy of the Republic by producing a "virtual tour" around the Berlin of the 1920s. A Fling the Teacher quiz based on it is here. In the past I have also got students to design a mini-exhibition about the Weimar Republic, which is the subject of this blogpost.

The Culture of the Weimar Republic: 3D Gallery Project
Using the 3D Gallery Generator at www.classtools.net, I allocate out different themes to different students. They research one in depth and decide how best to present it as a virtual gallery with 10 exhibits. Here are some samples:
Weimar Music by Freddie | The Architecture of Taut by Kate | Quantum Mechanics by George

Create your own 3D Gallery at www.classtools.net

The Fatal Attraction of Adolf Hitler: Worksheet
At this point, students should turn their attention in more detail to the activities of Adolf Hitler during the Weimar period. This worksheet is designed to accompany the first part of the excellent video documentary "The Fatal Attraction of Adolf Hitler (1989)" (30 mins). Sadly I don't think it's available for sale...

The Rise of Hitler - Complete Lesson Pack
This self-contained workpack is designed to keep students busy for 2-3 hours. It investigates Hitler's rise methodically by examining the period before the Munich Putsch, then the period 1924-28, then the period following the Wall St. Crash. For each, key explanations for Hitler's rise are identified and examined. I use this as the basis for a coursework assignment, and it is suitably thorough yet accessible!

Why did Hitler become Chancellor of Germany? - 1. Skeleton Essay Exercise
In this exercise, students are given three "skeleton essays", each one of which puts forward a different interpretation of Hitler's rise to power. Students read through each interpretation, choose the one they agree with most, and then elaborate on each section using their classroom notes. It provides an accessible way of showing students how the same evidence and factors can be linked in different ways.

Why did Hitler become Chancellor of Germany? - 2. Thinking Skills Exercise
Follows on from the previous worksheet. Students turn their essay into a flowchart highlighting the essential links between the factors and the most important factual information that can be used to substantiate each factor.

Why did Hitler become Chancellor of Germany? - 3. Display Task
The final part of the exercise involves students approaching the question from a completely fresh perspective. Six - rather than three - factors are provided in the form of cards, each one of which contains essential pieces of factual information. Students have to arrange these on sugar paper, establish links between the factors by connecting them with arrows, eliminate those they think are least important, and then writing up their findings as an essay.

The Rise of Hitler - End of Unit Factual Test
To evaluate factual recall, students can then be set this test (30 questions) as a classroom exercise. Personally, I like to get them all playing this Fling the Teacher Quiz for the first 15 minutes of the lesson as "last minute revision". The first person to finish this game successfully gets 10/10, the second person gets 9/10 and so on. Then, they move on to the paper quiz so that by the end of the lesson the teacher has two marks in the markbook for each student!

Interactive Quizzes / Revision Tests

Interactive Quizzes

Fling the Teacher Quiz - Weimar Germany