TELL THE STORY OF THE NIGHT OF THE LONG KNIVES

The Second World War is well studied and much written about. Countless films and novels have been based on it and documentaries lay bare its horrors. Yet there is one famous, or infamous, event which is, perhaps, less known: the night of the long knives. Do your research to discover what exactly happened on this night and why, and then write a short essay.

The purposes of the activity:

·         To provide practice with past tenses and narrative structures

·         To provide the opportunity to improve command of the language and competency in writing

·         To provide an introduction to research based writing and all the skills it requires: note taking, annotating, paraphrasing and summarizing.

·         To provide brief insight into an important historical event

Time line: Hitler consolidates power

·         http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/germany/hitlerconsolidaterev_print.shtml

Familiarize yourself with the topic

·         “The night of the long knives” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mci4fAV1Wto

Reading material to annotate:

·         “World War 2 in Europe; The Night of the Long Knives” http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/roehm.htm

·         “Knight of the long knives” http://alphahistory.com/nazigermany/the-night-of-the-long-knives/ 

Documentary to watch

“Night of the long knives - Hitler’s murderous coup” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BAEeXamUaU