Topic: Sarmatism

Target group

6th‑grade students of elementary school

Core curriculum

X. Beginnings of the Polish‑Lithuanian Commonwealth. Student:

1. characterizes religious and national relations in the Commonwealth; explains the main assumptions of the Warsaw Confederation;

General aim of education

The student will learn about the Sarmatism as a carrier of the Poles' vices.

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• what was Sarmatism;

• what characterized the Polish Sarmat;

• what do the terms „Europe's granary” and „bulwark of Christianity” mean?.

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

1. 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.

2. Lesson is conducted using the Oxford debate method on the In contemporary Poles you can find the features shaped in the Sarmatian times.. At one of the previous meetings, the teacher should introduce the students to the topic, assign them appropriate roles and, if necessary, explain the method. During the preparation for the debate, students should use the information contained in the abstract and other sources, as well as collaborate in the preparation of arguments.

Realization

1. Work of the whole class team. Students stand in a circle.
   The teacher encourages them to play: throws a ball or mascot to one of the students, saying the English word or notion learned in the lesson. The student gives the Polish equivalent, mentions another word in English and throws a ball or mascot to a friend or colleague.

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

3. The teacher together with the students sums up the current course of classes.

4. Students analyze the gallery of illustrations and execute Task 2. 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.

5. Students perform Task 3. They prepare their answer in writing. The teacher controls the correctness of their statements, supplementing it with additional information if necessary.

6. Students in pairs solve the Exercise 1. The teacher checks if the task has been correctly completed and gives feedback to students.

Summary

1. The teacher asks the students questions:

   • What did you find important and interesting in class?

   • What was easy and what was difficult?

   • How can you use the knowledge and skills you have gained today?

   Willing/selected students summarize the lesson

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

2. Students solve exercises that were not completed during the lesson.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Sarmatism

In the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century Sarmatism had its heyday. Sarmatism means the lifestyle and the customs of the Polish nobility of that time, and their political ideology.

The old‑Polish Sarmatians claimed that they descend from the ancient Sarmatian people characterized by bravery and courage.

The Polish Sarmatism was characterized by a deep conservatism. According to the Sarmatians the system of „golden freedom” was perfect, and therefore they did not want to change it. They avoided strengthening the royal power at all costs. They were also convinced that the fatherland plays a significant role, firstly, because it was the „granary of Europe” (providing food to Europe), and secondly, because it was „the bulwark of Christianity”: the bulwark of Catholicism, which was threatened by Islam – from Turkey, Orthodoxy – from Russia and Protestantism –from Sweden.

As it was stated before, Sarmatism was also the way of life. For the true gentry Sarmatian, the most important thing was to love his small homeland: living in the countryside in his own manor house.

Sarmatism involves also the concept of xenophobia – dislike, or even hostility to strangers, what later contributed to the fall of the State.