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Life Behind the Berlin Wall
Format: Streaming | Download
Length: 19:38
Grade Level: 7-12+
Closed Captioned: English | French | German | Polish | Portuguese | Romanian | Russian | Slovak | Spanish | Ukrainian | Vietnamese
Would you be willing to risk it all for a better life?


Take a country and its capital city. Cut them in half. Build a wall through the middle of the capital to keep the parts - and the people - separated.

Now install a command economy on one side and a free market on the other.

Which side will provide a better life for its people?

Following World War II, Germany and its capital, Berlin, were divided exactly like that. What was the result of this economic experiment?

Learn from people who lived on both sides of the Berlin Wall about how vastly different life was from one side to the other and discover why people were willing to risk their lives to escape East Berlin.



What's Included in a Lesson:

Discover the comprehensive resources included in our Life Behind the Berlin Wall lesson:

  1. Student video viewing guide (with a note-taking section and 4 thematic questions)
  2. Video Lesson
  3. Lesson activity one
  4. Online formative assessment
  5. Lesson activity two

Our carefully designed lesson components work together to create an engaging and immersive learning experience, promoting critical thinking, and academic growth. From thought-provoking preview questions and informative video lessons to interactive activities and assessments, each element supports your students' understanding of key concepts and encourages meaningful discussions. Explore the richness of our Virtual International Field Trip lessons and inspire your students to embark on an exciting educational adventure that will broaden their perspectives and ignite their curiosity.

Lesson Presentation:

Select the preferred format for your lesson plan and access the interactive content designed to enrich your teaching experience.

Lesson Resources:

Our comprehensive Lesson Resources section includes an Educator How-To-Use Guide, providing step-by-step instructions and strategies for seamless lesson implementation. Engage your students with the Student Viewing Guide, which focuses their attention on key concepts and promotes active learning during the video lesson. Extend the learning experience with Lesson Activity One and Lesson Activity Two, offering interactive exercises that reinforce understanding and encourage critical thinking. With these carefully crafted resources at your fingertips, you'll have everything you need to create a dynamic and immersive educational journey for your students.

Online Formative Assessment:

Each lesson has an 11-question formative assessment, ten multiple choice questions, and one written response that will test your students' general understanding of the video. This can be done in class with technology or issued for homework.

Life Behind the Berlin Wall Video Quiz

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