| Home |   Behind Barbed Wire: Midwest POWs in Nazi Germany POW Camps in Nazi Germany Introduction:             This lesson explores POWs Camps in Nazi Germany.  In this lesson, students will have the opportunity to research POWs treatment, health, recreation, and what type of food and supplies were available to them.  Each group of five students will be assigned a specific topic (Health, Food and Supplies, Treatment, Marches, Escape attempts).  The students will then formulate historical questions concerning their topic.  Then each group will research five POW camps on their specific topic.  At the end of the class, each group will compare and contrast each camp concerning their topic.    National Standards:                                                  NCSS-2.1.c   ...guide learners in practicing skills of historical analysis and interpretation, such as compare and contrast, differentiate between historical facts and interpretations, consider multiple perspectives, analyze cause and effect relationships, compare competing historical narratives, recognize the tentative nature of historical interpretations, and hypothesize the influence of the past;   NCSS-2.1.d ...assist the learners in developing historical research capabilities that enable them to formulate historical questions, obtain historical data, question historical data, identify the gaps in available records, place records in context, and construct sound historical interpretations;   Objectives (The condition of the objectives are omitted due to the fact that all classrooms are different): 1)      The students will describe the similarities and the differences between five Nazi Germany POW camps by the end of this lesson. 2)      The students will create questions which are the basis of their research by the end of this lesson. 3)      The students will analyze the importance of historical data concerning their topic by the end of this lesson.   Materials Needed: 1)      A computer lab 2)      Internet Browser 3)      Worksheets (Included)   Procedural Steps 1)      Announcements of due dates, overview of what is going on for the day, and other announcements 2)      Handout worksheet (see attached) 3)      Explain the instructions for the assignment. 4)      Group students into groups of five, and assign the group a topic of research (Health, Food and Supplies, Treatment, Death Marches, Escape attempts) 5)      Have groups come together, and think of questions that they have about their particular research topic.  Have the students write down the questions and bring them to the computer lab. 6)      Convene in the computer lab 7)      Handout the resources worksheet 8)      At the end of the class, ask the students to report verbally on the most common similarity between the POW camps concerning their research topic.  Also have them report on the most common differences between the camps.  Ask them why they think there are similarities or differences.   Jonathan Alt of Des Moines’ Drake University created this lesson (© March 2004). It may be reproduced or modified for educational purposes.