Comprehension Activities

for Draußen vor der Tür:

Grade 12


     Both of the rereading tasks below presume a German class with at least one year of preparatory work.  They address the prologue to "Draußen vor der Tür" since a class at this level is fully capable of reading the play as a whole.  Both tasks are intended as follow-up comprehension activities, after pre-reading and initial reading phases.

     Identify the Standards applied in each activity and discuss the appropriateness of the tasks that follow for a Grade 12 level with at least one year of German. Then contribute your thoughts to the Brainstorming Forum below, or, if you do not wish to brainstorm, go directly to the Hints on the exercises. After you complete this exercise, go to Unit 7.


Exercise A:
Grade 12

     Students are told to read the prologue for the way different figures in the scene describe Beckmann.  Each figure should be identified for its particular characteristics as well (name, job, characteristics or functions, for example:

die Person

Wie er/sie Beckmann beschreibt

Beerdigungsunternehmer, rülpst mehrere Male

hat Soldatenmantel an, hat eine Bürste auf dem Kopf

Elbe (ein Fluß in Hamburg), keine junge Frau, stinkt nach Öl und Fisch

sechs Jahre Soldat, hat ein schlimmes Bein


Exercise B:
Grade 12

     Students reread in preparation for rewriting th prologue for an American version of the play that might be staged for a German-speaking audience in the United States.  Instead of coming home to Hamburg from Stalingrad in 1947, Beckmann will be returning to Chicago from Desert Storm in 1991.

     To prepare for this modified version of the play students will be asked to make up comparisons about 1) with whom Beckmann will be talking, 2) what Beckmann looks like, 3) what Beckmann talks about with other figures when the time and place have changed.

Example:

BECKMANNS TAT

DEUTSCHLAND, 1947

USA, 1991

Beckmann spricht . . .

mit der Elbe, mit dem Anderen

mit dem Michigansee, mit dem Anderen

Beckmanns Aussehen

hat einen Soldatenmantel an, hat ein schlimmes Bein

Beckmann ist eine Frau, trägt Feldkleid, leidet unter Hustenanfälle

Beckmann spricht über

Hunger, sein besetztes Bett

ihre mysteriöse Krankheit und husten, die Regierung, Probleme mit ihrem Manne


BRAINSTORMING

     Identify the sets of Standards applied and discuss the appropriateness of the tasks for a student at the Grade 12 level with at least two years of German.

 HINTS