I take my history students to Berlin on a residential trip after they complete this preparatory task based on selected video clips. The following Google maps illustrate the division of Berlin during the Cold War, and the clear outline of the Berlin Wall (with inner/outer walls marked, and the death strip inbetween). Zoom in for details of individual sites and multimedia resources. The trip was run as a joint Humanities project: the Geographers also had a range of specialist experiences lined up which can be explored on Matt Podbury's GeographyPods website.

After the trip, students use what they have learned to complete a unit of study on Communist East Germany. This concludes with an essay on the subject "Analyse the impact of the Cold War upon one state you have studied" as part of their preparation for IB History Paper 2 Essa As a revision exercise, they will now compare and contrast this experience with that of the United States by reviewing their work on the McCarthyite Red Scare.

 Google Map Itinerary - click here to open in fullscreen view:

Video Clips used in the preparatory task (taken from the superb series by Matt Frei)

Walking Tour 1 | student handout: Berlin overview | student workpack

This first walking tour took place on a Sunday afternoon and aims to provide an overview of some of the main sites and events in Berlin's history. 

Walking Tour 2 | student workpack

This walking tour took place on Monday morning. We caught a tube to Mohrenstrasse station and then walked to the other sites. We then caught a train to Sachsenhausen concentration camp for a guided tour before returning back to the hotel.

Walking Tour 3 | student workpack

This walking tour took place on Tuesday morning. We explored the open air museum at Bernauer Strasse, then went to The Mall for a lunchtime break (with students having the option to check out other sites in the area at their own pace). We then had a guided tour at the Story of Berlin (we got off the tube near the Gedachtniskirche and walked there).

"Then and Now" photographs

As an added dimension to the trip, I obtained a range of historical photos of key sites in Berlin, then challenged students to recreate them. I then uploaded these to ActiveHistory to share with the students.