Topic: Middle‑Polish Lowlands - agricultural landscape

Supplementary material for use in lessons in the group of natural sciences (nature, biology, chemistry, geography, physics), additional classes, science clubs. It can serve as a resource for expanding knowledge, preparing students for science competitions.

Target group

5th‑grade students of elementary school (geography).

Core curriculum

Class V (geography)
II. Landscapes of Poland: alpine (Tatra Mountains), uplands (Kraków‑Częstochowa Upland), lowlands (Masovian Lowland), lake (Masurian Lake District), seaside (Slovincian Coast), metropolitan (Warsaw), urban‑industrial (Silesian Upland), agricultural (Lublin Upland). Pupil:

1. indicates the geographical location of Poland on the map;

2. presents the main features of Polish landscapes and shows their diversity;

3. recognizes Polish landscapes in descriptions as well as films and illustrations;

General aim of education

Students characterize the lowlands landscape.

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• indicate the location of lowlands on the map;

• describe the climate and nature of the lowlands;

• assess the value of lowland for humans.

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;

• outline of the map of Poland from the previous lesson, glue, tape, scissors, cards;

• contour of lowlands.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

• Before the lesson, the teacher asks students to look in colorful magazines, the Internet and their own collections of lowland photographs. One of them must concern a large city lying in the lowlands..

Introduction

• The teacher explains the aim of the lesson and together with students determines the success criteria to be achieved.

Realization

• The teacher displays the students' ranking of the players (group and teacher symbols) after subsequent competitions concerning the geographical areas.

• Each group receives the work of other teams from the previous lesson. The groups recognize and record what the pictures / illustrations of the indicated geographical region show. The card marked with the symbol selected earlier is given to the teacher who will compare it with the authors' answers.

• Students describe the location of the lowlands.

• The teacher asks students to read the abstract themselves, paying particular attention to the illustrations.

• Teams receive their projects. Students mark the lowlands and make a collage of photos. On a separate sheet they add a description of the photo.

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

Summary

• The teacher asks students to carry out the recommended interactive exercise themselves.

Homework

• Develop a lap book containing issues learned during the lesson and bring your work to the next class.

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

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Middle‑Polish Lowlands - agricultural landscape

In the central part of Poland, south of the lake districts stretches a strip of lands called lowlands. In fact, the seashore and lake district are also lowlands, but due to the special forms of surface formation and the specific climate, these lands should be distinguished from each other. In the Central Poland lowlands prevail plains with few elevations. There are a few lakes there.

Annual rainfall in the lowlands is among the lowest in the country. The average annual air temperature is slightly higher. The climate here is very diverse. In the plains lying in the west of Poland there are small temperature fluctuations: summer is warm and mild winter. In the lowlands lying in the east of our country, the summers are hotter and the colder winters.

Lowlands are usually divided into five large regions. These are:

• Greater Poland Lowland,

• Silesian Lowland,

• Masovian Lowland,

• Podlasie Lowland,

• Western Polesie.

Natural conditions prevailing on the Polish lowlands make them ideal for the needs of agriculture. Soils are average, but a flat area makes it very easy for farmers to work. Therefore, most forests have been cut down to the present lowlands, and the areas have been transformed into arable fields and pastures.
Lowlands are not just agriculture. Mineral raw materials (lignite, natural gas) and building materials, eg clay or sand are mined here. Large cities have developed, including some of the largest in Poland: Warsaw, Lodz and Wroclaw. These are important administrative, service, cultural, scientific, industrial and tourist centers.

In the Central Poland Lowlands, the clusters of trees are usually small copses, but in some places you can encounter vast forests. This is where one of the most valuable and best‑known forests in Poland is located, namely the Bialowieza Forest. It is the only preserved lowland forest in Europe, the fragments of which have not been transformed by humans. Also in the Podlasie Lowland one can encounter wetlands, including the famous swampy areas on the Biebrza. In the Masovian Lowland, there is the Kampinos Forest, where there are inland dunes.

The flat terrain of the lowlands and the rivers flowing through them favored the development of settlements, which is why hundreds of years ago numerous cities were built here. The capital of our country – Warsaw is on the Masovian Lowland. It is also the largest Polish city. It is an important center of industry. There are many schools, theaters and cinemas here. Warsaw attracts many tourists thanks to numerous monuments, including the popular Old Town with the Royal Castle, Baths Park and the Wilanowski Palace.

• Lowlands are distinguished from the coast and lake districts by a less varied landscape.

• Lowlands have a climate convenient for agriculture.

• We distinguish the five largest lowlands: Greater Poland, Silesia, Masovia, Podlasie and Western Polesie.

• Most of the land in the lowlands is covered by arable land.