History: Battle of the Seelow Heights

This is an advanced (CEFR C1/2, IELTS 7.5/8.0) EFL History class about the Battle of the Seelow Heights outside Berlin in April 1945. Using primary and secondary sources (see below), students will answer the question of what caused such high Soviet casualties despite their superiority in numbers. Students will look at images of the event/period and discuss what they see. Next, students will learn the key people, places and time periods involved. Next, they will learn key vocabulary in preparation for a reading activity summarising the event. The students then read each source and answer comprehension questions to confirm their understanding. Students then evaluate the sources for their reliability by analysing the origin, context, perspective of the author, audience, and motive of each. Finally, students answer the question based on what they have learned.