AS and A2 Level lesson ideas

The suggested lesson plans are written with AS and Advanced level GCE students in mind.

• Edexcel AS GCE 8264: Unit 1 - The Seeds of Evil
• AQA AS GCE 5041: Module 3 - Germany c1925-1938
• OCR Advanced GCE 7835: Germany 1919-45

Prior knowledge of the Weimar period and the ideology of the Nazi party is assumed. These lessons should not be used as an introduction to the topic.

Focus

The nature of the footage in the film The Double Headed Eagle and the role and intent of the director in its selection

Aims

• To enable students to examine how a director uses original footage to create a documentary and to analyse its effectiveness as an entire film.
• To explore particular themes, eg songs and music, in order to appreciate the intentions of the original filmmakers and the attitudes and values of the time.

Lesson 1 and 2

Length: 2 hours

Aim

To introduce the film and objectives in studying it

Resources

• TV and video player
• Video of The Double Headed Eagle
• Photocopies of video sleeve

Suggested approach

• Introduce the film and the overall objectives of forthcoming lessons.
• Ask students to read the notes on the video sleeve.
• Discuss
• Becker's intentions
• Students' expectations of film
• The advantages and disadvantages of having no commentary in such a film.
• Watch the film (90 minutes). It may be necessary to watch it in two parts with a brief discussion after each part.
• Discuss students' immediate responses to film.

Lesson 3

Aim

To assess types of film used and their comparative usefulness as historical evidence

Resources

• TV and video player
• Video of The Double Headed Eagle

Suggested approach

Ask students to list the types of film used in the documentary. These should include clips from feature films; handheld camera shots of Nazi rallies and speeches; news footage of street scenes etc.

Discuss:

• Why did Becker choose these types of film?
• How do the different types of film help us understand life in Germany in the 1920s and 30s?
• Who do you think the filmmakers at the time were and why did they make their films?
• What kind of technology did they have available? (Cine-cameras and 16mm and 8mm film)
• How does Becker use these films to tell his story?

Points to consider:

• Over 1000 films were viewed, then 30 hours of film footage was selected and adapted for the final film.
• These films could be said to represent views from the time. Many were made by onlookers or people involved in the events so we are seeing things as they saw them; they can make events more realistic - 'like you were there'.
• They provide variety for the viewer and offer contrasting points of view, eg home movies of Nazis are different to official films.
• They give us insights into German culture and Nazi culture, eg pictures of Brownshirts on a merry-go-round, Josephine Baker on stage.
• They tell a story.
• The filmmakers could have been Nazis and their opponents; journalists; visitors to Germany; commercial filmmakers.
• The films are organised into chapters and have subtitles to provide us with the context. They chart the rise of the Nazis but also give us a wider view of German society. Becker also uses music to tell the story and set the scene. This makes the film quite atmospheric and there are contrasting styles of music just as there are different types of film.

 Activity

• Ask students in pairs or small groups to choose one type of film identified above to examine, and to produce an oral or written presentation on the style, purpose, value and meaning of these films.
• Students could use freeze frame technique as part of presentation (bearing in mind that you need a good quality video player, with a frame stop feature, to do this effectively). They could also be encouraged to use PowerPoint.
• Finally, as a whole class, discuss the value of the types of film used.

Lesson 4

Aim

To analyses and evaluate the use of song and music in the film

Resources

• TV and video player
• Video of The Double Headed Eagle

In advance, you should select several clips where song and music are used in the film.

For example:

• The film of the boy singing the Nazi song and his father making him sing the Internationale instead. [1.17-1.18]
• Berlin - City of the 1920s featuring scenes of middle class city life and Josephine Baker. [27.47-33.24]
• KPD demonstrations and anti-Nazi songs. [52.27-54.36]
• Song of the unemployed. [59.45-1.01.39]

Suggested approach

Watch each short film in turn and discuss the following questions:

• How would you explain the significance of this film?
• How is music significant here?
• Is this effective as a piece of evidence on politics at the time? In what ways?

Questions for further discussion

• The first clip could be used for a deeper discussion about the role of political opposition to the Nazis and the way young people were attracted by the Nazis, ie the role of the Hitler Youth. The film highlights the political conflicts that arose in some families, and the way the Nazis manipulated the innocence of children, who probably didn't understand the significance of their actions.
• Discuss the importance of music in the film.
• What types of music do we hear in the film?
• How much can we learn from the music about the values and attitudes of the time? (eg middle class values compared to Nazi party values; political music compared to popular music.)
• What was the intention of the director in selecting films that contain music of the time or in dubbing music on to the films?
• Students could be asked to find out more about the music of Kurt Weill.

Points to consider

• Some of the music is intrinsic to the original films and some has been chosen by Becker.
• There are many types of music in the film:
• Traditional German music, counterposed with American jazz played in the clubs;
• Popular songs that express the values and aspirations of the middle classes in the twenties;
• Militaristic music at the Nazi rallies and the anti-Nazi demonstrations.
• The music used in many of the scenes is sombre and may have been selected because of the serious nature of the events, such as the economic collapse, or to alert us to a more sinister time.

Lesson 5

Aim

To examine first and final scenes of The Double Headed Eagle and evaluate their significance for the director and the audience

Resources

• TV and video player
• Video of The Double Headed Eagle

Suggested approach

Watch the first film: Inaugural speech of Hitler and victory parade [3.16-15.48]

Watch the final film: Book burning [1:25.25-1:27.35]

Ask students to compare these two films and discuss:

• Why did the director select them?
• How are they similar and different?
• How does our prior knowledge give these two scenes added significance?

Points to consider

• Joseph Goebbels plays a key role in both of these films. In the first he is introducing Hitler as the new Chancellor; in the second he is explaining the importance of the book burning and announcing the start of a new era. Both films are from the same year. In both films, the anti-Semitism of the Nazis is clear. Goebbels refers to the Jewish press in the first and Jewish intellectualism in the second. Both events have the typical Nazi characteristics: military music, huge parades of Brownshirts, swastikas etc.
• Knowledge of the imminent persecution of the Jews - the Nuremburg laws, Kristallnacht etc, and the eventual genocide of Jewish people - give these films added significance.
• References to November 1918 bring to mind the Nazi's future refusal to obey the Treaty of Versailles.
• The continuing importance of Goebbels to the success of the NSDAP could also be noted.
• Plenary

Assess the overall value of Becker's film as an historical document on the rise of the Nazis to power.