Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.

Nazi Germany was the backdrop of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The Nazi party used the games for propaganda whilst hiding its racist and militaristic campaign. The following activities seek to encourage historical inquiry and interpretation, through exploring the Games using De Bono's ‘Thinking Hats' (1985).

To start the session, children can be shown a picture of the Olympic rings and be asked to discuss their ideas on what they think they symbolise. This can be linked to citizenship education when they compare their initial ideas to their thoughts of the Olympic symbol incorporated into the picture with the Nazi swastika (pictured left). This then introduces the focus of the lesson - the 1936 Berlin Olympics...