Topic: A tour through the Sejm building

Author: Anna Rabiega

Addressee:

8th grade primary school student

Core curriculum:

XI. Democracy in the Republic of Poland.

The student:

4) explains the principle of the republican form of government; presents the election method and fundamental competences of the President of the Republic of Poland; finds information about the political life of former presidents elected in the general election, and about the activities of the incumbent President of the Republic of Poland.

The general aim of education:

The student presents the principles of the political system of the Republic of Poland..

Learning outcomes:

The student:

• explains who can be elected to the Sejm.

• presents the rules that apply to the elections to the Sejm.

• explains the role and meaning of most characteristic elements that can be found in the interiors of the Sejm building.

Key competences:

• communicating in a foreign language,

• digital competence,

• learning to learn,

• social and civic competences.

Teaching methods:

• brainstorming,

• mind map,

• teaching conversation using schemes, interactive exercises,

• discussion,

• priority pyramid.

Forms of work:

• self‑learning,

• work in pairs,

• work in groups,

• whole‑class activity.

Material & equipment needed:

• computers with loudspeakers/headphones and internet access, headphones,

• multimedia resources from the e‑textbook,

• slips of paper, magnets,

• question papers for each of the students,

• interactive whiteboard/blackboard, felt‑tip pen/a piece of chalk.

Lesson plan overview (Process):

Introduction:

1. The teacher presents the goal of the lesson: You will learn what the Sejm looks like from the inside, who can be elected to the Sejm and the rules that apply to the elections to the Sejm.

2. The teacher writes on the board: „I was elected to the Sejm. What next? Everything a deputy should know.” Then he says: “Imagine that after a successful election campaign you managed to get a deputy’s mandate. You know something about the functioning of the Sejm from observation. What do you need to know about the work that awaits you?”. The teacher also informs the students that they will be brainstorming and explains the method if necessary. He sets the time for the task, appoints a moderator and asks for the student's observations to be written in the form of a mind map, the central point of which is the problem he has written on the board. After putting their ideas on the board, the students verify them themselves.

Then the teacher asks them to confront their map with the information from „A mini guide through the Sejm” diagram from the abstract „A tour through the Sejm building” and check what else can be added to the map. During a teaching conversation, the teacher and the students complete the information. The teacher asks willing/selected students to provide a summary.

Implementation:

1. The teacher asks the students to pair up and then gives each couple a question paper. He informs that the task of the couples will be to solve the quiz about the lower house of parliament, which will allow them to familiarize themselves with the characteristic elements and rooms of the Sejm building. The students can look for answers to questions in the e‑textbook, using the virtual walk (Sejm bez tajemnic, screen 1), or other internet sources. The five couples who will answer all questions the quickest will be rewarded with a positive assessment of their activeness.

Sample list of questions:

• How many times does the Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland strike with the marshal's ceremonial baton when opening the Sejm's deliberations?

• What did the Column Hall serve for in 1989–1991?

• Which side of the speaker’s podium in the Sejm meeting room are the benches for government representatives?

• How many deputies are there in the Sejm of Children and Youth? When does it take over the power?

• What is the inscription on the Home Army monument standing in front of the Sejm building?

• What's next to the display case with the marshal's batons?

• What kind of material were the parliamentary benches made of?

• What year did President Bill Clinton visit the Polish Sejm?

• What are the names of the Sejm committees’ meeting rooms?

• Who was commemorated on the plaques on the first floor of the Sejm building?

2. After the first five couples of students correctly complete the task, the teacher interrupts the work of the other students and together with the whole class determines the correct answers to all questions.

3. The teacher then initiates a discussion about the distinguishing features of a candidate for a deputy and possible conditions that he must meet before taking up a mandate.

This brief discussion is an introduction to establishing the characteristics of a perfect deputy. The teacher informs the students about it and then instructs them to split into groups of four. Then on the board he writes down the topic to which the teams will prepare the pyramid of priorities: „A perfect deputy.” The teacher informs the students that they will work with this method and explains it if necessary. He distributes slips of paper to the students. Individual teams reflect on the features that should distinguish a perfect deputy (with justification). They write their ideas on the slips. The teacher determines the time to work in groups.

4. After the time has elapsed, each team selects some of the slips with the most appropriate ideas and arguments and places them on the board (magnets). The teacher assigns a priority moderator or, if the students work with this method for the first time, moderates the discussion himself. In this discussion students from individual teams present their ideas (features and arguments), and the whole class decides, which of the presented features are more important (justification presented by individual students for each of the features is necessary), and eliminates repetitive ideas. This way, a joint class pyramid of the characteristics of a perfect deputy is created.

5. The teacher asks a willing student to summarize the discussion by presenting the pyramid.

Summary:

1. The teacher informs the students that in order to summarize the knowledge and skills gained during the lesson, they will solve exercises 1 and 2 from the abstract „A tour through the Sejm building”. Together with the teacher, the students discuss the correct answers.

2. The teacher asks a willing student to summarize the lesson from his point of view. He asks other students if they would like to add anything to their colleague's statements.

3. Homework proposal:

a. Write a story titled „A busy day in the life of deputy Jan Kowalski”, in which you will take into account as many aspects of the daily functioning of our representatives in the parliament as possible.

b. Listen to the abstract recording to review the material and new vocabulary. Then do the vocabulary exercise at the end of the chapter.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

A tour through the Sejm building

According to the Constitution the supreme power in the Republic of Poland is vested in the Nation. The Nation exercises such power directly or through their representatives (the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, Art. 4). Those representatives are the senators elected to the Senate, and deputies elected to the Sejm. The Sejm and the Senate have legislative power in our country. There are 460 deputies in the Sejm. Elections to the Sejm are universal, equal, direct and proportional, and are conducted by secret ballot.

Any citizen over 18 has the right to vote, but you have to be over 21 to stand for election. Participation in the elections is not mandatory. The Sejm is chosen for a 4‑year term of office.