Lesson plan (English)
Topic: The Poles on the World War II Fronts
Target group
8th‑grade students of an elementary school
Core curriculum
XXXV. Polish case during World War II. Student:
places Polish formation on the various fronts and areas of the ongoing war in time and space.
General aim of education
The student will learn about the fate of Poles on the fronts of World War II.
Key competences
communication in foreign languages;
digital competence;
learning to learn.
Criteria for success
The student will learn:
how the Polish Armed Forces in the West were formed;
which Polish troops fought on the fronts of World War II;
where and why the Anders Army was created;
about the fate of Polish military units and their commanders;
where Polish military units were formed.
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
Introduction
The teacher states the subject of the lesson, explains the aim of the lesson and together with students determines the success criteria to be achieved.
The teacher plays the recording of the abstract. Every now and then he stops it, asking the students to tell in their own words what they have just heard. This way, students practice listening comprehension.
Realization
Reading the content of the abstract. The teacher uses the text for individual work or in pairs, according to the following steps: 1) a sketchy review of the text, 2) asking questions, 3) accurate reading, 4) a summary of individual parts of the text, 5) repeating the content or reading the entire text.
The teacher displays the map from Task 1. He reads out the task and, if necessary, helps student work out the answers.
On the basis of information presented on the timeline and news from available sources, students in pairs prepare a discussion on the conclusions of the investigation they carried out. They have to show causal relations among the events presented on the axis. Then the students present their discussions. Colleagues evaluate their work, taking into account the manner in which conclusions are presented and the clarity of justification.
The teacher together with the students sums up the current course of classes.
Students analyze the illustration and execute Task 3 and Task 4. To answer the question, they can use Internet sources or other publications. The teacher checks the correctness of the answer and provides feedback to the students.
Students in pairs solve the Exercise 1. The teacher checks if the task has been correctly completed and gives feedback to students.
Summary
The teacher chooses one student by random method and asks him or her to explain in own words the meaning of a given word or concept learned during the lesson.
The teacher asks: If there was going to be a test on the material we have covered today, what questions do you think would you have to answer?
If the students do not manage to name all the most important questions, the teacher may complement their suggestions.
Homework
Listen to the abstract recording at home. Pay attention to pronunciation, accent and intonation. Learn to pronounce the words learned during the lesson.
Make at home a note from the lesson, for example using the sketchnoting method.
The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson
Terms
Alianci – państwa walczące przeciwko Niemcom i ich sojusznikom podczas II wojny światowej.
Polskie Siły Zbrojne (PSZ) – polskie formacje wojskowe utworzone jesienią 1939 r. na Zachodzie Europy, na podstawie porozumień z Francją i Wielką Brytanią. Dowodził nimi Naczelny Wódz. Istniały do 1947 r., kiedy to zostały rozwiązane przez Brytyjczyków.
Internowanie – przymusowe aresztowanie i osadzenie osób w miejscu odosobnienia bez możliwości jego opuszczania.
Cyrk Skalskiego – potoczna nazwa Polskiego Zespołu Myśliwskiego biorącego udział w kampanii w Północnej Afryce w 1943 r. Swoją nazwę zawdzięcza dowódcy – Stanisławowi Skalskiemu.
Bitwa o Anglię – kampania lotnicza toczona między lotnictwem niemieckim i brytyjskim od lipca do października 1941 r. Jej celem była obrona Anglii przed atakami niemieckimi i planowanym desantem morskim. Zakończyła się zwycięstwem wojsk alianckich, co uniemożliwiło III Rzeszy desant na Wyspy Brytyjskie.
Układ Sikorski‑Majski – porozumienie z 30 lipca 1941 r. przywracające stosunki dyplomatyczne między Polską i ZSRS. Miał na celu rozpoczęcie współpracy i wspólną walkę w ramach koalicji antyhitlerowskiej.
Texts and recordings
The Poles on the World War II Fronts
The Polish soldiers took part in battles on the fronts of World War II from the first days until the end of the conflict. After the Polish defeat in the defensive war, part of the Polish divisions managed to reach France, where the Polish government‑in‑exile undertook efforts to recreate the army. They became the basis of the Polish Armed Forces formed in the West; on the day of the Third Reich’s attack on France, they numbered over 80 thousand soldiers. The Polish soldiers participated in battles all across Europe – on the land and sea, and in the air. From the battles for Norway (the Polish Independent Highland Brigade commanded by gen. Zygmunt Szyszko‑Bohusz), through the defence of France (the 1st Grenadiers’ Division and the 2nd Rifle Division), to the battles in Africa (the Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade). The Polish air fighters made great contributions to the Allied victory in the Battle of Britain (1941), where the Polish 302nd and 303rd Fighter Squadrons took down more enemy planes than their British peers. Polish battleships fought on the seas and oceans: at the Norwegian coasts (“Orzeł Grom”), in the Mediterranean (“Kujawiak”, “Krakowiak”), and escorting convoys on the Atlantic and transports into the USSR (“Orkan”, “Garland”).
Polish forces started forming in the East (USSR) as well, after the signing of the Sikorski‑Majski agreement (1941), with gen. Władysław Anders as its commander. As a result of agreements between the nations, as well as those with the civilians, they were evacuated to the Middle East, forming the so‑called Second Corps, which afterwards took part in the Battles of Monte Cassino, Ancona and Bologna (1944‑1945).
After the opening of the Western Front in 1944, the Poles took part in the battles that took place in Europe as well. The 1st Armored Division commanded by General Stanisław Maczek fought in the Battle of Falaise, then participated in the liberation of Belgian and Dutch cities. The Polish parachuters of the 1st Independent Parachute Brigade fought in the Battle of Arnhem (Operation Market Garden), suffering sizable losses.
In 1943, after the evacuation of Anders’ Army, efforts were taken once again to form a Polish army in the USSR. The 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division, commanded by General Zygmunt Berling, fighting alongside the Soviet army, crossed the combat trail from the Battle of Lenino (1943) all the way to the capture of Berlin (1945), now as the 1st Army of the Polish People’s Army.
In the battles with the Germans also took part the 2nd Army of the Polish People's Army, created in autumn of 1944, and commanded by General Karol Świerczewski, who ended his combat trail by participating in the liberation of Czechoslovakia.