Topic: The history of NATO

Author: Anna Rabiega

Addressee:

8th‑grade primary school student

Core curriculum:

XII. International affairs.

The student:

1) lists the objectives and manifestations of the activities of the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The general aim of education:

The student has basic knowledge on selected international organizations.

Learning outcomes:

The student:

• presents the history of NATO.

• explains the correlation between its creation and enlargement and the international situation.

• characterises the role NATO plays in the world nowadays.

Key competences:

• communicating in a foreign language,

• digital competence,

• learning to learn,

• social and civic competences.

Teaching methods:

• mind map,

• pros and cons discussion,

• teaching conversation using interactive timelines, movies, interactive exercises,

• trash and suitcase method.

Forms of work:

• self‑learning,

• whole‑class activity.

Material & equipment needed:

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

• multimedia resources from the e‑textbook – chapter: Polska w NATO, The history of NATO,

• small pieces of paper in two different colours (e.g. green and yellow) for each student,

• 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 find out what the reasons for creating the North Atlantic Treaty Organization were and what role it plays in the world nowadays.

2. The teacher asks the students a question: “What do you know about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)?” and asks them to prepare a mind map that will contain information about this organization. He sets the time to complete the task, and after it expires, writes the question on the board and asks the students to come up to the board and write their suggestions. The teacher in a teaching conversation can also ask leading questions, e.g.

• When was NATO founded?

• What countries belong to the organization?

• How many members are there in NATO?

• What was the primary purpose of this organization?

• Does Poland belong to NATO?

• When did Poland join NATO?

Implementation:

1. The teacher asks the students to watch a film from an e‑textbook on the history of NATO's creation (Polska w NATO, screen 1). During the screening, they should pay attention to information about the time the organization was established, the number of member states and the purpose for which it was created, etc. This information will be useful for them to verify the mind map they have created. After the screening of the film, the students will also study the „Enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization” timeline about the next stages of NATO enlargement from the abstract of „The history of NATO”.

2. Then the teacher together with the students will verify the information presented in the mind map. He discusses the issues that raise doubts and then asks the students to do Exercise 1 from the abstract. The teacher informs the students that if they have problems with recognizing the countries on the map, they can use the Internet.

3. The teacher asks the students to look again at the map from Exercise 1. He asks them what they think the reason why some of the EU countries do not belong to NATO is. The students present their opinions. At the end, the teacher asks one of the students to present the most frequently cited reasons and verifies the information.

4. The teacher reminds the students that NATO was founded almost 70 years ago as a defense pact against the communist USSR, which no longer exists. He informs the students that they will carry out a discussion in which they will try to determine whether NATO should continue to exist in such a situation.

The teacher hands out one sheet of green or yellow paper to each of the students (this way he divides the class into two groups) and says that on the green pages the students should write down an argument for the continued existence of NATO, and on the yellow ones - an argument against. He collects the cards and then reads the arguments and counterarguments alternately. The students refer to each of them, during the discussion they can also give new counterarguments. This modification of the „pros and cons” discussion allows for the activation of more students and makes them more focused on the specific aspect of the discussion. The teacher as a moderator may ask if everyone agrees with a given statement or ask leading questions.

5. After exhausting the arguments, the teacher and the students summarize the discussion. The teacher asks if the students changed their opinions about NATO's existence and invites the students to vote: who is for and who is against the further functioning of the organization.

Summary:

1. The teacher informs the students that in order to summarize the knowledge and skills gained during the lesson, they will solve exercises 2 and 3 from the abstract and together with the teacher discuss the correct answers.

2. The teacher carries out a summary part of the lesson using the trash and suitcase method. The teacher hands out small pieces of paper in two different colours (e.g. green and yellow). On the green pieces of paper the students write down the useful knowledge and skills they acquired during the class – these go into “the suitcase” (students stick it to a board under that category). The yellow pieces of paper are used to write down things the students did not find useful or interesting – these go into “the trash” (under the sign that reads “trash” on the board). The teacher explains, that their reflection may concern both the acquired knowledge, and the new skills they have learned. The teacher reads students’ reflections on the experience – first the “trash” contents, then the “suitcase”.

3. Homework proposal:

a. Prepare a note about the legitimacy of NATO's existence in the modern world. Give three arguments for and three against.

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

The history of NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was created in 1949 and consists of 29 member states. At the beginning, the main purpose of the pact was to defend the member states in case of Soviet aggression. However, as time went by, the organisation started to play a balancing role between the East and the West. After the disestablishment of the Warsaw Pact the North Atlantic Treaty Organization concentrated mainly on preventing local conflicts from spreading to a larger scale. 1999 marks an important date in the history of NATO – in that year the organisation was joined by three states from the former Soviet sphere of influence: Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. It was a great moment in the Polish history, too. It took ten years of diplomatic efforts until our state could finally be accepted as a member state. Now watch a short documentary about the history of the organisation and a presentation about the enlargement of NATO.

Check, how well you already know the member states of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization – solve the exercise.