Topic: Jadwiga of Poland on Polish throne

Target group

5th‑grade students of elementary school

Core curriculum

VII. Poland in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Student:

1. describes the territorial development of the Polish state in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries;

3. describes Poland's relations with Hungarians in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.

General aim of education

The students learn about the king Jadwiga of Poland and her merits for Polish culture.

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• why Jadwiga became the female monarch of the Kingdom of Poland;

• what were her services to Poland;

• what was the ideal of a medieval woman;

• why Jadwiga married Jogaila.

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 teachers to recall the last king from the Piast dynasty – Casimir the Great -- and his services to the country.

Introduction

1. 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.

2. The teacher introduces students to the topic of the lesson. He asks what dynasty ruled in Poland until 1370 and who was its last representative. Then he introduces the students to the decision of Casimir the Great on the inheritance of the throne by the rulers of Hungary of the Anjou dynasty.

Realization

1. How did Jadwiga get to sit on the Polish throne? – the teacher explains what a personal union is and why it was made with Hungary, and talks about Louis I of Hungary called in Poland „Hungarian”. Then he explains how it happened that his daughter Jadwiga became the king of Poland. Students get acquainted with Jadwiga'a family tree and perform Exercise 1. The teacher makes sure that the task has been correctly completed and gives feedback.

2. From the king of Poland to the queen of Poland – the teacher explains the circumstances in which Jadwiga was married to Władysław II Jagiełło (annulment of the marriage organized during her childhood with the Austrian prince William the Courteous -- Duke of Austria and member of the Habsburg family), and what the union with a pagan Lithuania came with. Students perform Task 1. The teacher makes sure that the task has been correctly completed and gives feedback.

3. The teacher on the basis of Jadwiga'a character explains what the ideal of a medieval ruler and woman was. He draws the attention to her education, piety and charitable and cultural activities. He also emphasizes that Jadwiga was not indifferent to human harm. Students carry out Task 2 on the basis of the text. Students should be able to get help from the teacher during the exercises in necessary. They can work in pairs, if a level of understanding requires it. The teacher provides them with feedback on their work during the lesson.

4. During the reign of Jadwiga as king and later queen of Poland, she placed a great emphasis on the development of science and charity. The teacher draws attention to her achievements in this field – the Sankt Florian Psalter, foundation and construction of numerous churches and hospitals (in Sandomierz, Kraków, Biecz), salaries of monasteries and the renewal of the Krakow Academy, for which she donated her own jewels and valuables. The students, following the painting by Jan Matejko, carry out Task 3.

Summary

1. The teacher, summarizing the lesson, begins the discussion, asking the students – how they think, why Queen Jadwiga became a Catholic saint? What features decided about this distinction?.

2. Students perform Exercise 2 and Exercise 3, indicating the correct answer and statements consistent with the historical truth. The teacher makes sure that the tasks have been correctly completed and provides feedback.

3. 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. The teacher tasks willing students with homework: Jadwiga, as the king and queen of Poland, was often portrayed over the centuries. Look on the internet for images of the ruler and the context in which she was presented. What can you say about Jadwiga on the basis of these works? What character traits are attributed to her?.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Jadwiga of Poland on Polish throne

After the death of Casimir the Great, as a result of treaties on common inheritance, the crown of the Kingdom of Poland was taken over by Louis of Anjou, King of Hungary. Poland and Hungary found themselves in a personal union - they were connected by a monarch. Ludwik died without leaving a male descendant. The young royal daughter Jadwiga, who was crowned King of Poland (in 1384), joined the Polish throne. In 1386, she married Jogaila, strengthening the personal union of Poland and Lithuania. She focused on charitable activities for people in need. She supported the church and her jewels in her will to renew the Krakow Academy.