World Community Case Study: Germany Developed by Lawrence Paska 2006 TOP Fellow http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/socst/grade3/home.html Introduction This case study is designed to help elementary-level teachers and curriculum coordinators use the New York State Education Department (NYSED) online resource guide, World Communities: What Is a Culture?, by showcasing Germany as a model world community for study in the grade 3 classroom. The online teacher resource guide assists educators in selecting and planning instruction on specific world communities. It also provides content background on understanding the meaning of culture from both anthropological and geographical perspectives. Factors to Consider When Selecting World Communities (Grade 3) explores the process of selecting Germany as a world community for classroom study in grade 3, and is based on a chart available in the online resource. http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/socst/grade3/factors.html. Planning Templates for Units completes standards-based questions found on a chart available in the online resource. These questions guide unit and individual lesson plan development to help teachers and students explore Germany according to all five learning standards for social studies. http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/socst/grade3/planning.html. Anthropology: Studying Cultures and Geography: Studying Cultures provide the questions to ask and the approaches to consider when planning instruction on studying Germany from each perspective. These sections connecting the overview questions and essential ideas from the templates available in the online resource to the specific study of German culture. http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/socst/grade3/anthtemp.html and http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/socst/grade3/geotemp.html. Selected Resources recommends books and Web sites that are available for teachers to use in developing instruction on teaching Germany as a world community in grade 3. This list may expand over time to include additional material. http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/socst/grade3/resources.html. This case study is made available to you in recognition of your participation at a NYSED curriculum workshop on World Communities: What Is a Culture? A special thank you to the Goethe-Institut Atlanta for providing many of the instructional resources that were used in creating this case study. Some of these resources will also be provided to you at the conclusion of this workshop, courtesy of the Goethe-Institut. For more information on the Goethe-Institut, and on the Transatlantic Outreach Program (TOP) for social studies educators, please e-mail [email protected], or visit the Web site, www.goethe.de/top. WORLD COMMUNITY CASE STUDY: GERMANY 1 FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN SELECTING GERMANY AS A WORLD COMMUNITY (Grade 3) FACTORS IN MY SCHOOL Ethnic Composition of: Classroom According to the 2000 U.S. census, over 1 in 10 New York State residents identified their first or School/district second ancestries as German – the third largest ancestral group in the state, behind Italian and 1 th th City/town/village Irish. Many Germans immigrated to the United States – particularly in the 18 and 19 centuries – in order to seek economic opportunities and life in a new nation. German settlers moved to Region/State places in New York State and in other states, such as Pennsylvania and in the Midwest region of the United States. Poll the students in your classroom. Which students identify their ancestry as German? What percentage of students in your school building and district claim German ancestry? What percentage of residents in your city, town, or village claim German ancestry? (Hint: Do such New York towns as Hamburg have deep German roots?) What are the roots of your region’s original settlers, and why did they settle there? Germany becomes a relevant world community for study in grade 3 when some of your students claim a German ancestry and / or your community has strong ties to Germany through immigration. 1 Source: 2000 Census of Population of Housing, http://www.empire.state.ny.us/nysdc/census2000/AncestryProfiles/sf3AncestryNYStotal.pdf WORLD COMMUNITY CASE STUDY: GERMANY 2 Representation: One from each continent Europe is represented in the grade 3 curriculum through the selection of Germany as one of the world communities that students will study. Urban, suburban, and rural areas Germany is a nation of 16 states (“Lander”), whose structure and function are similar to the 50 Diverse cultures states of America. Three of the 16 Lander are cities: Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg. Germany’s size (137,821 square miles) is roughly equal to that of the state of Montana (145,388 square miles) Variety of physical regions – meaning there is a great diversity of regions, encompassing urban, suburban, and rural areas. Each type of area is different and helps to paint a broad picture of German culture. Consider beginning with an overview of the German landscape, highlighting the diversity of its geographic regions: North German Plain, Middle German Highlands, Foothills of the Alps, and the Alps. Germany, like the United States, is home to diverse groups of people, and has numerous immigrants from other countries settling within each of these regions. When developing a study of Germany, consider the country’s geographic and human diversity – noting why population centers are located in certain places, and charting the various ethnic groups that make up modern Germany. The resource guide, A Kid Like Me Across the Sea: The Life of a German Child (2005 edition), may provide a start for planning your study of Germany as a world community; it is the source for the following page number references in this section.2 Topic 1, Germany in the World (Lesson 4: What is the landscape of Germany?, pp. 16-24) Topic 2, Cultural Geography of Germany (Lesson 1: Who are the people of Germany?, pp. 25- 31) 2 Blankenship, Glen, Louisa Moffitt, and a Team of U.S. Social Studies Educators. (2005 edition). A Kid Like Me Across the Sea: The Life of a German Child. Bonn: Goethe-Institut, Additional Educational Media. WORLD COMMUNITY CASE STUDY: GERMANY 3 After highlighting Germany’s landscape, select one location in each of these regions to explore Germany’s diversity in greater depth. For urban areas, consider the following: • Berlin, Germany’s capital city, is also the country’s artistic and cultural capital, and is its largest city (with 3.4 million residents). See Topic 4, Political Symbols of Germany for a comparison between the national capitals of Germany and the United States (Lesson 1: What is the capital city of Germany like?, pp. 102-109; Lesson 2: What are some important monuments and buildings in Berlin?, pp. 110-124) • Hamburg is a major manufacturing center, and is Germany’s second largest city (with 1.7 million residents). • Munich is a major communication and advertising center, and Germany’s third largest city (with 1.3 million residents). • Frankfurt, located in the central western state of Hesse, is the nation’s economic and financial center. • Leipzig, a city in the state of Saxony (in the former East Germany), was historically a major trade and cultural center. Topic 3, History of Germany (Lesson 1: What were communities like in Germany long ago?, pp. 81-97) Variety of climate types Students can learn about the relationship between Germany’s climate and Germany’s location in the world to begin understanding how climate affects culture. Topic 1, Germany in the World (Lesson 3: What is the climate like in Germany?, pp. 11-15) Variety of political areas What is German government like? In what ways are its structure and function similar to and different from the United States government? Students can compare the political symbols and leaders in both governments to learn about the importance that symbols, flags, coats of arms, and anthems play in establishing a national identity. Students can then learn about the services provided to German residents, learning about the role that government plays the daily life of Germany. Topic 4, Political Symbols of Germany (Lesson 3: What are some political symbols and who are some of the political leaders of Germany?, pp. 123-131; Lesson 4: What are some community services provided to citizens in Germany, pp. 132-135) WORLD COMMUNITY CASE STUDY: GERMANY 4 Not found elsewhere in NYS social Germany is studied from a historical perspective elsewhere in the NYS social studies core studies core curriculum curriculum. The emphasis in most of these grades is on the contributions that German settlers made to the history and development of the United States; and on the role that Germany played in the history and development of Europe. An in-depth study of Germany as a world community is not found elsewhere in the NYS social studies core curriculum, making this study appropriate for grade 3. According to the framework outlined in the NYS social studies core curriculum, other grade levels or courses can focus instruction on Germany. All page number references below are taken from the NYSED publication, Social Studies Resource Guide with Core Curriculum (1999).3 Grade 1: My Family and Other Families, Now and Long Ago • History of my family (p. 23) • My community and local region (p. 23) Grade 4: Local History and Local Government • Three worlds (Europe, the Americas, Africa) meet in the Americas (p. 28) • The new nation (p. 28) • Industrial growth and expansion (p. 29) Grade 6: The Eastern Hemisphere • History of Eastern Hemisphere nations (pp. 30-31) • Geography of Eastern Hemisphere nations (p. 31) • Economies of Eastern Hemisphere nations (p. 31) • Governments of Eastern Hemisphere nations (pp. 31-32) Grades 7-8 United States and New York State History • Unit Two: European Exploration and Colonization of the Americas (pp.