Topic: Basins

Supplementary material for use in lessons in the group of natural sciences (nature, biology, chemistry, geography, physics), additional classes, science clubs. It can serve as a resource for expanding knowledge, preparing students for science competitions.

Target group

5th‑grade students of elementary school

Core Curriculum

Grade V (geography)
II. Landscapes of Poland: High Tatras (Tatra Mountains), uplands (Upland Krakowsko‑Częstochowska), lowlands (Masovian Lowland), lake (Masurian Lake District), seaside (Pobrzeże Słowińskie), metropolitan (Warsaw), urban‑industrial (Silesian Upland), agricultural (Wyżyna Lublin). Pupil:

1) indicates the geographical location of Poland on the map;
2) presents the main features of Polish landscapes and shows their diversity;
3) recognizes Polish landscapes in descriptions as well as films and illustrations;

General aim of education

Pupils characterize the landscape of kotlin.

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• indicate on the map the location of submontable foothills;

• characterize the climatic conditions in the valleys;

• discuss the importance of logs for the economy and tourism.

Methods/techniques

• expository

  • talk.

• activating

  • discussion.

• 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;

• outline of the map of Poland from the previous lesson, glue, tape, scissors, cards.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

• Before the lesson, the teacher asks students to look in colorful magazines, the Internet and their own collections of photos about the valleys. One of them must concern a city lying in the basins.

Introduction

• The teacher explains the aim of the lesson and together with students determines the success criteria to be achieved.

Realization

• The teacher displays the students' ranking of the players (group and teacher symbols) after subsequent competitions concerning the geographical areas.

• Each group receives the work of other teams from the previous lesson. The groups recognize and record what the pictures / illustrations of the indicated geographical region show. The card marked with the symbol selected earlier is given to the teacher who will compare it with the authors' answers.

• The students describe the location of the basins.

• The teacher asks students to read the abstract themselves, paying particular attention to the illustrations.

• Teams receive their projects. Students mark the basin areas and make a collage of photos..

• Participants familiarize themselves with the content presented in the interactive illustration. Then the teacher discusses the issues with the students.

Summary

• The teacher asks students to carry out the recommended interactive exercise themselves.

Homework

• Develop a lap book containing issues learned during the lesson and bring your work to the next class.

• Listen to the abstract recording at home. Pay attention to pronunciation, accent and intonation. Learn to pronounce the words learned during the lesson.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Basins

A basin is a large, bowl‑shaped depression in the surface of the land, surrounded by elevations on all sides. In Poland, basins are situated between the uplands and the mountains; some basins are surrounded on all sides. The largest basin is the Sandomierz Basin situated between the Małopolska and Lublin Uplands and the Carpathian Mountains. The Oświęcim Basin, situated to the south of Krakow, is much smaller.

The climate of the basins is warmer and milder than the climate of the hills surrounding them. The Sandomierz Basin even belongs to the warmest regions of our country. The annual rainfall in the basins is lower than in the neighbouring mountains, but it is still higher than in the lowlands.
The bottoms of the basins are usually flat, typically with rivers flowing through them. As a result, the soils of the basins are fertile. Due to these factors and favourable topographic conditions, agriculture is an important branch of the economy there.

The Polish foothill basins have many natural resources. In the Oświęcim Basin, there are rich deposits of hard coal. In the Sandomierz Basin, there are rock salt deposits (Wieliczka and Bochnia), sulfur deposits (Tarnobrzeg, Grzybów), as well as small amounts of natural gas and crude oil.

The basins are a perfect starting point for hiking trips to the mountains and uplands surrounding them. In addition, important transport routes run through every basin, making it much easier to transport passengers and goods. This is due to their flat terrain and the fact that they enable one to travel between mountain chains without having to climb them.
In each basin there is one or several larger towns providing supplies, transport and accommodation for tourists. For example, in the Oświęcim Basin, there is Oświęcim, Pszczyna and Czechowice‑Dziedzice. All these towns are near the Western Beskids. The town of Nowy Targ may be a good starting point for trips to the Tatra Mountains, the Pieniny, the Gorce Mountains and the massif of Babia Góra.

A very important point on the tourist map of this region is the city of Krakow, situated in a narrow connection of two basins, called the Krakow Gate. The city has excellent transport connections (airport, motorway, railway lines) and an extensive accommodation base. The city attracts many tourists from Poland and abroad. Krakow was once the capital of Poland, therefore it has a large number of magnificent historical heritage sites, including: the Wawel Hill with its castle, Old Town with the Market Square and the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice) and dozens of centuries‑old houses and churches (including St. Mary's Church with the famous altar of Veit Stoss (Polish: Wit Stwosz).

• Basins are flat depressions in the surface of the land, surrounded by uplands or mountains.

• The largest Polish basins are the Sandomierz Basin and the Oświęcim Basin.

• From the towns located in the basins, you can go on many attractive trips to the uplands or the mountains.

basin, Krakow, salt, sulfur