East and West- a short history 

1945 - May 7th Germany surrenders unconditionally
           The winning allies split Germany into 4 zones: Russia in the
           East & France, England and the USA in the West
1949- March: the three Western powers merge to make West
          Germany into one country: The Federal Republic of Germany
          October: The Soviet zone becomes the
          German Democratic Republic
          Berlin was separated into 4 sections
1961- borders were closed in the night of August 13th by the
          Russians to stop migration to the West
1989- November 9th: An East German broadcast announces that the
          boarders are open, the wall is coming down
1990- October 3rd: Germany is officially reunited as one!
Activating Prior knowledge & a brief history of events
German reading (very simplified) & Vendiagram for multiple activities
Life in the DDR (GRD) what was it like? Read & Share
Where was the picture taken? Reasoning.
(adapted from www.chronicdermauer.de)
Final assignment for the unit. Choose your medium to present your newly found knowledge.

Extension Assignment:
Research East German products on the web and list them with their West German counter part.

Walled In!

For more information on what it meant to be "walled in" in East Berlin and East Germany, watch the video below. The 10 minute video explains really well how the wall and boarders functioned and who was involved in keeping people contained in the East. If you watch this video at home be sure to mention it in class. Inform your classmates of the new and interesting facts that you learned.
Picture
Occupational Zones in Germany 1946

Enrichment

There are many useful websites about the separation and reunification of Germany, as well as: