Lesson Objectives: The goal in this lesson is to teach about the creation of a united German
state. This lesson will cover chapter 10 section 1 in the students text book. This will be the first
lesson in a series of 5. The completion of his chapter will take approximately 5 days. During this
lesson, students will be lead through the narrative of the German people beginning with
Napoleons expansion into the German territories, and ending with the Franco-Prussian War of
1870.
Students will be able to identify the unique situation by which the German Confederation
was formed.
Students will demonstrate their understanding of Germanys unification through a written
essay.
Students will interpret their understanding of the unification of Germany in essay format.
School Standards: Taken directly from the Homewood High School Grade 9 Social Studies
Learning Targets.
b) I can define nationalism and describe its origins and growth in Europe.
c) I can identify the causes and effects of the revolutions in the Balkans, France, Austria, Russia
and Germany and analyze the effects of nationalism or liberalism in these revolutions.
d) I can identify the key players in and compare and contrast the unification movements of Italy
and Germany.
Pre Instructional Activities: Leading up to this class period this class period, Mrs. Delahay will
cover nationalism in class. This will give the students an introduction to the meaning of
nationalism and lends itself to an introduction into my lesson on the German state.
To begin the class day, I will hand students one note card of a random color and one red note
card. Introducing the students to the topic, I will make it clear that I am Napoleon, the French
Emperor. At this point, I will tell students to place the blue notecard on their desk. The blue
notecard represents independent German States (each row of students will represent one German
speaking territory.) As I conquer territory, students will switch from the blue to the red note
cards on their desks. After I have taken over the whole room or all German territory they will
band together and defeat Napoleon (instructor), and they will establish a unified German
Confederation. This activity will serve a multifaceted purpose. Foremost, this will get the
students involved in the class and it will also give them a brief, fun introduction into the
begin instruction on the unification of the German Confederation, covering the events that we
have just demonstrated during the class period. In this section I will discuss the brief period that
Napoleon ruled over German territories. Next I plan to cover Otto Von Bismarck. In order to
continue encouraging student involvement, I will designate one student to play the role of
Bismarck. I will proceed to cover the content information regarding Otto Von Bismarck, his
political nature, all the while using the selected student as an example. My goal is to discuss the
changes taking place in the German Confederation and Otto Von Bismarcks rise to power.
Following the instruction about Bismarck, I will discuss the changes that Bismarck made in
Prussia and other German states including strengthening the army, declaring war on Denmark,
and the Austro-Prussian War. Finally, I plan to end the lecture portion of this class period
There will be a power point accompanying this lecture in order to direct student note taking and
sheet of paper. On this piece of paper I will ask the students to give me a paragraph of 5-7
After the writing exercise I will hand out the Chapter 10, Section 1 reading guide. This
worksheet will cover the textbook chapter supporting the content presented in the lesson. The
information that the text book provides supports the students understanding of this lesson and
gives students a solid review which will help them prepare for the second day of class. If the
students do not finish this worksheet in class it will be home work. At the end of the unit, this
work will serve as a study support for the exam at the end of the unit.
Formative Evaluation: The formative evaluation of this lesson will come with the written
assignment after the lecture. I will ask students to write the story of the unification of Germany
in their own words in one paragraph. This will force the students to synthesize the information
presented during the class period. Asking the students to recall and translate the class material
will help to solidify their understanding of the lesson content. This will also allow me to see that
students understand the presented material and ensure that the classes are ready to move forward
on day two.
Differentiating Instruction: This lessons presentation is lecture based with an emphasis on
student interaction with the topic. Students can still be supported in several ways. If students are
having a hard time understand the content, a graphic organizer could easily be made to assist
students in note taking and the organizing the presented material. Students could also be given a
map of German territory during this period, in order to help them visualize the area of land that
will be discussed. There will also be a power point that students may have copies of if there is
the need for students to follow along with the lecture. The formative assessment for this lesson
will be easily adjusted depending on student needs. Students who have a firm understanding for
the content will be expected to give a better narrative response in their writing at the end of the
class period. Students with learning disabilities will be accommodated depending on their needs
will allow students to review the information form the class period and will allow students to
think about information they may not understand and ask questions in a safe environment.
Students will also be reminded that they have homework to do for the next day of class.
Resources: The textbook used for this class is the Prentice Hall World History From 1500-
Present. The Chapter used in this lesson is Chapter 10, and this lesson specifically focuses on
section 1.