Topic: The last bid for independence

Target group

6th‑grade students of elementary school

Core curriculum

XVII. The struggle to maintain independence in the last years of the 18th century. Pupil:

2) presents the causes and effects of the Kościuszko Uprising.

General aim of education

Students learn about the circumstances of the fall of the Polish state in the 18th century

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• to describe the course of the second partition of Poland;

• to characterize the causes and effects of the Kościuszko Uprising;

• to describe the course of the third partition of Poland;

• to indicate the signs of the patriotic involvement of Polish people from all social classes.

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

Before classes

1. The teacher asks to recall the knowledge from the previous lesson.

Introduction

1. The teacher gives the topic, the goals of the lesson in a language understandable for the student, and the criteria of success.

2. The teacher asks students how Katarzyna II and Fryderyk Wilhelm II made themselves. Which of them could Poles perceive as a possible ally?.

Realization

1. The teacher outlines the circumstances of the second partition of Poland by the neighboring countries. The students analyze the act of joining Stanisław August Poniatowski to the Targowica Confederation and answer the questions asked. Then the teacher introduces students to the range of the annexation and its formalization at the Seym in Grodno. In the course of a talk, he displays to students the map presenting the Second Partition of Poland (included in the e‑textbook). Students after analyzing the map do Exercise 3, discussing the profits of the partitioning powers.

2. The teacher introduces the students to the immediate causes of the Kosciuszko Uprising and the first moves of Tadeusz Kosciuszko. Students do Exercise 4 and 5. They watch attached illustrations and answer questions related to them. The next task to be performed is Task 1. Students analyze the scythe‑bearing peasant recruit's banner.

3. The final element of this part of the lesson is working with the map. The teacher introduces students to the knowledge about the most important events of the Kościuszko Uprising (without detailed mentioning of battle names). Students on the basis of the map do Exercise 6. They write conclusions from the analysis. The teacher makes sure that the tasks have been correctly completed and gives feedback.

Summary

1. The teacher sums up the lesson: he tells students about radicalization of the actions of each the parties to the conflict, including the slaughter of Prague (and ways of informing the European public about this event) and about the leniency. He presents the arrangements of the Third Partition of Poland and the behavior of Targowica members. During the talk, he presents to students a map showing the partitions of Poland and the territorial profits of the partitioning powers, included in the e‑textbook. The students share their reflections with the teacher, they note the most important conclusions.

2. The teacher assesses the students' work during the lesson, taking into account their input and commitment. For this purpose, he may prepare an evaluation questionnaire for self‑assessment and evaluation of the teacher's work and other students.

Homework

1. The teacher sets homework (it is not an obligatory part of the scenario), which is Exercise 5.1, 5.2, and Exercises 6 and 7.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

The last bid for independence

The Polish people did not accept defeat in the war in defense of the Constitution of May 3 and the provisions of the Second Partition, which depleted the territory of the country for further lands and worsened the economic situation of the state by breaking the ties connecting individual regions. The uprising began, led by Tadeusz Kościuszko. It broke out on March 24, 1794. In order to draw peasants to his troops, Kościuszko issued the so‑called Proclamation of Połaniec, which limited serfdom. Sentiment towards independence was strengthened by the uprising that took place in Warsaw on 17 April. The rebels in the capital were led by Jan Kiliński. Vilnius also became a centre of the insurrection, where Jakub Jasiński managed to destroy a Russian garrison. Following initial success, the insurgents had to retreat in the face of the advancing Russian and Prussian armies. The defeat of the insurgent army in the Battle of Maciejowice and the Massacre of Praga forced the defenders of Warsaw to capitulate. The decision to liquidate the Polish state was probably made as early as in 1793, but the authorities were waiting for a pretext and the right moment to conduct it. Ultimately, on 3 January 1795 Russia signed an agreement with Austria, which Prussia joined in October 1795. This agreement formed the grounds for the third partition of Poland.