Lesson plan (English)
Topic: Poland as a granary of Europe
Target group
5th‑grade students of elementary school
Core curriculum
IX. „Golden Age” in Poland against the European background. Pupil:
describes the model of Polish economic life in the 16th century, taking into account the economic activity of Polish nobility and the role of peasants.
General aim of education
The student will find out why Poland was once called the granary of Europe.
Key competences
communication in foreign languages;
digital competence;
learning to learn.
Criteria for success
The student will learn:
to describe what granges were and their rapid development in the 16th century;
to explain what serfdom was and the consequences of its increase;
to list the most important Polish export products in the 16th and 17th centuries;
to characterize the significance of the Vistula River and the port of Gdansk for the Polish‑Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 16th century.
Methods/techniques
activating
discussion.
expository
talk.
programmed
with computer;
with e‑textbook.
practical
exercices concerned.
Forms of work
individual activity;
activity in pairs;
activity in groups;
collective activity.
Teaching aids
e‑textbook;
notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;
interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers.
Lesson plan overview
Before classes
The teacher asks pupils to remind themselves what the peasants' farm looked like in the Middle Ages and what their duties were.
Introduction
The teacher gives the topic, the goals of the lesson in a language understandable for the student, and the criteria of success.
Introducing students to the topic, the teacher asks them about requirements for efficient trade with other countries in the olden times. Students should answer: goods, ports and transport.
The teacher explains to the students that efficient trade in the Middle Ages depended mainly on transport and seaports, thanks to which goods were sent to the farthest places. After defeating the Teutonic Order, Poland gained access to the sea thanks to the port in Gdansk.
Realization
The teacher explains to the students why from the end of the 15th century, the manorial and serfdom economy has developed. He explains what economic dualism was and what its consequences were for Europe and Poland. Then he explains to the students why Polish noblemen focused on the production of grain and the development of farms. Students perform **Exercise 1**. The teacher makes sure that the task has been correctly completed and provides feedback.
The increase in demand for food in Western Europe went in pair with an increase in its price, and thus an increasing demand for Polish grain. Polish landowners did not want to receive tributes from the peasant as for the possibility of cultivating the land, as they did in the past, but they demanded that they do more and more work. The teacher explains how serfdom was calculated. Students carry **Task 1**.
The teacher explains the importance of water trade routes, which were used to flow grain to seaports, primarily the port of Gdansk. Students carry out **Task 2**, then **Exercise 2**. The teacher makes sure that the task has been correctly completed and provides feedback.
The teacher asks the students, starting the discussion, which does the saying „window to the world” mean and whether such a phrase can be attributed to Gdańsk. If so, why? Students perform **Task 3** and **Exercise 3**. The teacher makes sure that the tasks have been correctly completed and provides feedback.
About Poland in the 16th and 17th centuries, it was said that it is the granary of Europe – the teacher asks the students if they already know where this statement came from. But grain was not the only product that was exported from Poland. Students carry out **Exercise 4**. The teacher makes sure that the task has been correctly completed and provides feedback.
Summary
Summing up the lesson, the teacher asks the students the question - what were the consequences of the Polish nobility's decision to focus only on the production of grain and the related enlargement of farms and arable fields. Then he begins the discussion about the consequences of such a choice.
Homework
The teacher tasks willing students with homework: The development of the economy focused on the production of grain had an impact on each of the social groups – peasants, burghers and nobles, and even on royalty. Try to find out what changed and what led to the development of the farm economy for each of these groups..
The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson
Terms
Folwark – duże gospodarstwo rolne, którego celem była masowa uprawa zboża przeznaczonego na sprzedaż. Upowszechnił się w XVI wieku. Wykorzystywano w nim pańszczyźnianą pracę chłopów.
Pańszczyzna – forma renty feudalnej (świadczenia chłopów na rzecz swoich panów) polegająca na obowiązkowej i bezpłatnej pracy na gruntach należących do pana (właściciela).
Sukmana – długie, wierzchnie, męskie okrycie noszone przede wszystkim przez chłopów. Była strojem codziennym, rzadko barwionym, najczęściej występująca w kolorach wełny, szarym, brązowym lub burym.
Szkuta – śródlądowy statek z płaskim dnem przystosowany do spławiania towarów po płytkich rzekach. Mogła pomieścić nawet do 100 ton produktów, przede wszystkim zboża.
Flisak – osoba zajmująca się rzecznym spławianiem towarów (flisem). Najczęściej byli to chłopi zamieszkujący wsie znajdujące się nad rzekami, dla których było to dodatkowe, sezonowe zajęcie. Z biegiem czasu i powiększeniem się grupy flisaków utworzyli oni własną organizację za wzór cechu miejskiego.
Spichlerz – budynek do przechowywania ziaren zbóż, zarówno luzem jak i w workach. Charakteryzował się stromymi dachami, trójkątnym szczytem i niewielkimi oknami.
Żuraw – duży dźwig, np. portowy, o specjalnym zastosowaniu, służący m.in. do załadunku towarów na statki i stawiania ich masztów. Jednym z najsłynniejszych jest Brama Żuraw w Gdańsku zbudowany w 1444 roku.
Texts and recordings
Poland as a granary of Europe
At the end of the fifteenth century in Europe there was a huge demand for grain (local economies switched to other tracks, eg in England they dealt mainly with sheep grazing and drapery). Polish and Lithuanian nobility came against these needs. There were granges created, which were large farm buildings producing for sale. They were managed by the lord of the village. Peasants from the countryside were the work force on the farm, where the cash and agricultural produce for them were replaced with serfdom (rent, labor). The grain was floated through the Vistula River to Gdansk and transported later to Europe. The nobility was enriched by grain trade. For the earned money they imported luxury goods from distant countries, invested in the expansion of estates and culture.