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.
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 |
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.