Topic: Who rules here? Government in the Third Republic of Poland

Target group

8th‑grade students of elementary school

Core curriculum

XLI. The birth of the Third Polish Republic. Pupil:

1. describes the key political changes in 1989‑1997;

2. characterizes socio‑political, economic and cultural changes of the 90s

General aim of education

Students get acquainted with the structure of government in the Republic of Poland

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• to define how power is separated in a democratic state;

• to describe what the functions of the Sejm, the Senate, the President, the Government and the Council of Ministers are;

• to indicate what the bodies of legislature, executive and judiciary are;

• to explain what the fourth power is;

• to answer why it is essential to have a separation of powers and independent mass media.

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.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

1. The students recall what how power is exercised in totalitarian, and in democratic countries.

Introduction

1. The teacher asks the students, starting the discussion, who is in charge in Poland. Students should mention the president and prime minister with the council of ministers. Then, he writes down the slogan „TRIPARTITION OF POWER” on the board -- and asks the students to list everything that they associate with this concept. The teacher writes down the answers on the board.

Realization

1. The teacher asks the students to perform ** Task 1 **, listing the types of power identified by Montesquieu. Then he explains to the students that the concept of the tripartite power derives from the period of the Enlightenment and, besides Montesquieu, John Locke was its precursor. He also adds that the essence of democracy is the division of power and supervision by the so‑called fourth power, meaning independent and free media.

2. Then the teacher asks the students to look on the Internet fot the information on the issue of the tripartition of power in Poland and who exercises legislative, executive and judiciary power in it. Students perform ** Exercise 1 **, ** Exercise 2 ** and ** Exercise 3 **, indicating the appropriate type of authority.

3. The teacher asks students what the parliament is and what function it has. He supplements the students' knowledge, discussing the obligations of the legislative authority. Students get acquainted with the interactive illustration (** Task 2 **).

4. Then, referring to the work done by the students, the teacher asks who exercises executive power in Poland, explaining the competences of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Poland and the President of the Republic of Poland. He asks the students to search for information about Polish presidents after World War II and to explain how they have been elected and how long they have held the office. Students perform ** Exercise 4 **, defining the competences of individual ministries. The teacher makes sure that the task has been correctly completed and gives feedback.

5. By going to the judiciary power, the teacher asks students what the courts really are and how do they work. Then he explains to students what the independence of the judiciary power is. He explains to the students the difference between a court and a tribunal.

6. The teacher talks about the National Assembly. Students get acquainted with the interactive illustration in ** Task 3 **.

7. While working on the exercises, students use a set of cards in three colors: green, yellow and red. Using to the cards, they signal to the teacher if they have difficulties in carrying out the orders (green color – I'm doing great, yellow - I have doubts, red - I'm asking for help).

Summary

1. Summing up the lesson, the teacher asks the students: who is creating laws in our country, implementing them, and then controlling whether they are compatible with the current Constitution?.

2. Students carry out ** Exercise 5 ** -- they fill in blank text fields. The teacher makes sure that the task has been correctly completed and gives feedback.

3. The teacher assesses the students' work during the lesson, taking into account their input and commitment. For this purpose, he may prepare a self‑assessment questionnaire.

Homework

1. The teacher tasks willing students with homework: One of the most important offices in the Republic of Poland is the office of the President. Find out what powers the president of our country has and how can he be deprived of his position if he is doing his job badly..

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Who rules here? Government in the Third Republic of Poland

The Republic of Poland is a democratic state with a republican system of government. The People is the sovereign. It elects its representatives to the Parliament (the Sejm and the Senate) in free and general elections. The Parliament is the legislature, or it makes laws by enacting legislation and adopting resolutions. The executive branch is the President of the Republic of Poland and the Government (Council of Ministers) headed by the Prime Minister. The Government is based on a parliamentary majority and is accountable to the Sejm. That is why Poland is said to have a parliamentary cabinet system. The courts and the tribunals are the judiciary. Judges are independent and cannot be removed from office. The President of the Republic of Poland is the head of state. The Constitution of the Republic of Poland of 1997 is the most important legal act (fundamental law) governing the political system of Poland.