Lesson plan (English)
Topic: Two aggressors - the September campaign
Target group
8th‑grade students of an elementary school
Core curriculum
XLVI. Poland's defensive war in September 1939. Aggression of Germany (September 1) and the Soviet Union (September 17).
Pupil:
2. describes and discusses the stages of defensive war and indicates on the maps the location of the fighting parties;
3. gives examples of Poles' special heroism, such as the defense of the post in Gdańsk, the fight for Westerplatte, defense of the parachute tower in Katowice, the Battle of the Wet and the Wizna River, battle of the Bzura, defense of Warsaw, defense of Grodno, battle of Kock.
General aim of education
The student will acquire knowledge about the course of the Polish September Campaign.
Key competences
communication in foreign languages;
digital competence;
learning to learn.
Criteria for success
The student will learn:
what the concept of Blitzkrieg was – Blitzkrieg;
where and when World War II began;
about the most important battles of the September campaign;
what was meant by the „Phoney War”;
when and why the USSR attacked Poland;
about the conduct of Polish commanders and politicians during the September campaign;
what were the consequences of the disaster of the defensive war of 1939.
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.
On the basis of the timeline and information from available sources, the students indicate the event that they think is the most important from the period of the September campaign. Then they argue their choice on the class forum. Colleagues assess their work, taking into account the manner in which applications are presented and the clarity of justification.
The teacher together with the students sums up the current course of classes.
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.
Students in pairs solve the Exercise 1. The teacher checks if the task has been correctly completed and gives feedback to students.
The teacher displays the map from Task 3. He reads out the task and, if necessary, helps student work out the answers.
Students perform Task 4. They prepare their answer in writing. The teacher controls the correctness of their statements, supplementing it with additional information if necessary.
Students in pairs solve the Exercise 2.
Students in pairs solve the Exercise 3.
Students analyze the illustrations and execute Task 5 and Task 6. To answer the questions, they can use Internet sources or other publications. The teacher checks the correctness of the answer and provides feedback to the students.
Summary
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.The teacher asks a willing student to summarize the lesson from his point of view. He asks other students if they would like to add anything to their colleague's statements.
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
Ultimatum – żądanie wysunięte przez jedno państwo wobec drugiego wzywające do spełnienia określonych żądań pod groźbą wybuchu wojny lub innych sankcji. Stawiane jest przeważnie w sytuacji, gdy zawiodą inne formy dyplomatyczne.
Pakt Ribbentrop‑Mołotow - porozumienie zawarte między ZSRS i III Rzeszą 23 sierpnia 1939 r., jego tajny protokół przewidywał m.in. podział ziem polskich.
Mobilizacja – postawienie armii w stan najwyższej gotowości bojowej oraz przygotowanie gospodarki i administracji państwowej do wybuchu wojny. Ogłasza się ją w momencie zagrożenia państwa konfliktem zbrojnym.
Sojusz – układ dwóch lub więcej państw lub organizacji, który ma doprowadzić do wspólnego zamierzonego celu.
wojna obronna – działania zbrojne, których celem jest obrona przed najeźdźcą.
Blitzkrieg – inaczej wojna błyskawiczna, termin oznaczający szybki i zmasowany atak siłami zbrojnymi, najczęściej wszystkich typów (lotnictwo, marynarka, wojska lądowe), w celu zajęcia kraju.
Ofensywa – gwałtowne uderzenie w przeciwnika, mające na celu przełamanie jego obrony i wdarcie się w głąb jego wojska lub terenu.
Luftwaffe – niemieckie lotnictwo wojskowe.
Wermacht – siły zbrojne III Rzeszy z lat 1935‑1945, w ich skład wchodziła armia lądowa, lotnictwo i marynarka wojenna.
Armia Czerwona – siły zbrojne Rosji Sowieckiej w latach 1918‑1946.
Dziwna wojna – określenie sytuacji trwającej od września 1939 do maja 1940 r. wojny na froncie zachodnim. Gdzie po formalnym wypowiedzeniu wojny przez Wielką Brytanię i Francję nie nastąpiły działania zbrojne.
Westerplatte – półwysep, na którym znajdowała się polska eksklawa (część terytorium) ze składnicą amunicji i jednostką wojskową. Symbol bohaterskiej obrony w czasie kampanii wrześniowej 1939 r. Jednostka skapitulowała dopiero po 7 dniach ciągłych ataków niemieckich, w obliczu ogromnej przewagi wroga i braku amunicji.
Kresy Wschodnie – określenie wschodnich terenów Rzeczypospolitej w okresie międzywojennym, stanowiących dzisiaj ziemie należące do Ukrainy, Białorusi i Litwy.
Kapitulacja – poddanie się części lub całości wojska przeciwnikowi. Może być bezwarunkowa lub pod pewnymi wcześniej ustalonymi warunkami. Najczęściej kończy konflikt zbrojny.
Texts and recordings
Two aggressors - the September campaign
The lack of reaction by the Western nations to the events of 1938‑39 convinced Hitler that in a future war with Poland, their Allies would not keep their promises. The German's lightening war or (Blitzkrieg) assumed it would defeat its neighbour in the shortest possible time, particularly in view of the disproportion of numbers of weapons, the size of the armies and their alliance with the Soviet Union.
As a result of this on September 1st, 1939, without having declared war, the army of the Third Reich attacked Poland from the north, west and south. The war between Poland and Germany had begun, and Great Britian and France, Poland's allies, joined on our side on September 3rd. Unfortunately they provided no armed assistance, limiting their actions to propaganda. This began the period known in the West as the „Phoney War”.
Germany sent more than 1.5 million soldiers to the war with Poland. Poland could provide less than 1 million. This military advantage and subsequent defeats in battles (at Mokra, on the Warta, near Mława and the occupations of Krakow and Łódź) meant that the Polish army was quickly forced onto the defensive. The largest battle of the September campaign, which took place from the 9th to 16th September, was the Battle of the Bzura, where nearly half a million soldiers fought on both sides. Despite some successes and a primary advantage, this also ended in defeat and opened our opponent's route to Warsaw.
A crucial event was the attack from the east by the Red Army which began on the 16th and 17th of September. This led to the evacuation of the Polish government and the commander in chief to Romania. Deprived of Allied aupport and having a weakened army, Poland was unable to fight on two front and defend the capital, which finally fell into enemy hands when it capitulated on September 28th. At the end of the month the defensive war, despite ongoing fighting in Polesie, was practically over and the lands of the Republic were divided between the two occupiers–the Third Reich and the Soviet Union. Poland again disappeared from the map of Europe.