A Night Divided centers on the plight of twelve year old Gerta who is separated from half of her family in 1965 due to the Berlin Wall. It is a fast-paced, thrilling novel that will keep students on the edge of their seat while they gain a deeper understanding of the Cold War and a greater empathy for those that lived through it on all sides.
There are many vocabulary terms and allusions present in the novel A Night Divided that would be helpful for students to preview. These will aid in overall comprehension of the book and an understanding of the time period. This storyboard features key terms along with definitions and illustrations.
Storyboard Text
THE BERLIN WALL
THE COLD WAR
The Berlin Wall was built as a barrier to separate East and West Berlin. At first it was a barbed wire fence erected August 12-13, 1961. It was later built into a solid wall 12 feet high and 4 feet wide guarded by the "Grenzers."
The Cold War was a long period of tension after World War II between the democratic governments of Western countries and the communist governments of Eastern countries. the two main "superpowers" the U.S. and the USSR (Russia) lead the conflict. In Germany, the East was controlled by the USSR and the West by the U.S., Great Britain, and France.
STASI
"If I cannot speak what I think, then it's a crime just to be me!"
A NIGHT DIVIDEDTerms and Allusions
GRENZERS (GRENZTRUPPEN)
The Stasi, or the "Ministry for State Security", was the official state security service of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany, GDR). It was an intelligence and secret police agency that was extremely repressive to its citizens.
Grenztruppen, nicknamed Grenzers, were the border police that stood guard along the Berlin Wall.