Lesson plan (English)
Topic: Fights with the Ukrainians and the Polish–Soviet War
Target group
7th‑grade students of elementary school
Core curriculum
XXVIII. The rebirth of the Polish state after the First World War. Pupil:
2) presents the process of forging borders: the decisions of Versailles and the phenomenon of the Greater Poland Uprising and Silesian Uprisings (west) – a federal concept and the incorporation effect (east);
3) describes the Polish‑Bolshevik war and its consequences (the Peace of Riga).
General aim of education
Students get acquainted with the Poles' fight for the Eastern Galicia and Volhynia, the causes of the Polish–Soviet War
Key competences
communication in foreign languages;
digital competence;
learning to learn.
Criteria for success
The student will learn:
to characterize the major events of 1918 and 1919 in eastern Poland;
to describe the progress and the aftermath of the conflict with the Ukrainians in 1918–1919, initial fights with the Bolscheviks and the Kiev Offensive led by Józef Piłsudski;
to recognize the elements of the Bolschevik tactics (establishment of the Provisional Polish Revolutionary Committee in Białystok).
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
The teacher asks the students to recall the information regarding the arrangements of the Versaille Treaties and other agreements regarding the eastern borders of the Second Polish Republic. He also asks the students to read a short story of Stefan Żeromski titled „Na probostwie w Wyszkowie (to be found on the Wikisources site). How did the writer explain the surprising popularity of the Provisional Polish Revolutionary Committee among the people in the summer of 1920?.
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 makes the students realize that while most solutions concerning the western border were agreed upon in Versailles or made as a result of a subsequent arbitration of the superpowers, the eastern border was shaped primarily as a result of military operations. They quickly turned into a fight to protect the Polish statehood as such.
Realization
The teacher explains to the students why there have been clashes with the Ukrainians, and the role of central states. During the lecture he uses the map presenting the struggle for the borders of the Second Polish Republic, published in the e‑textbook. Students carry out ** Task 1 **. They listen to a broadcast dedicated to the defense of Lviv and explaining how Józef Piłsudski thanked the inhabitants for their heroic attitudes.
The teacher divides the students into groups of 5‑6 people and distributes „task packages” (a list of tasks, the same for each group). During the exercise, the teacher monitors students' work, provides help, and minds over time. The aim of the exercise is to prepare a metaplan of the issue: *The fight for the eastern borders of the Second Polish Republic in 1918 and 1919*.
Students perform tasks one after another (or divide them amongst themselves, explaining their answers to the rest of their group): ** Task 2 ** (evaluate the proposals included in the Piłsudski manifesto), ** Exercise 1 ** (point out the areas, to which the Ukrainians claimed rights) and ** Exercise 2 ** (reflect on the social attitudes). The students evaluate the actions of the Bolsheviks, the role played by Haller's army and Polish social moods on the eve of the war with the Bolsheviks; also the moods among Ukrainians. The Students refer to the S. Żeromski's story they read before the lesson. Students also make use of the resources of the Internet. During the exercise, the teacher takes care of providing feedback. The students organize their conslusion, and write them down on sticky notes. They also save useful information found on the Internet.
The teacher displays the metaplan and asks the students:
What was it like?
Why was not it like it should be?
How should it be?
Students provide solutions, both already written on their sticky notes, and prepared on the spot under the influence of their group discussions; then they stick them or write them on the board. The teacher makes sure that the task has been correctly completed and provides feedback.
Summary
The teacher asks the students questions prompting them to summarize.
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
The teacher tasks willing students with homework: Carry out Task 5 from e‑textbook. Students search for information and illustrations depicting the issue of Russian prisoners of war held in Poland.
The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson
Terms
„Orlęta lwowskie” – młodzież zaangażowana w obronę Lwowa w 1918 roku. Spośród blisko 4 tyś. Polaków występujących z bronią w ręku w obronie Lwowa, ponad tysiąc nie przekroczyła 17. roku życia.
Ataman – kozacki przywódca pełniący funkcje polityczne i wojskowe.
Obrona Lwowa – polsko‑ukraiński konflikt zbrojny o Lwów, trwający od 1 listopada 1918 do 22 maja 1919 roku, zakończony zniesieniem ukraińskiego okrążenia. Była jednym z frontów wojny polsko–ukraińskiej (1918–1919).
Rozgłośnia Polska Radia Wolna Europa – działająca od maja 1952 do 30 czerwca 1994 w strukturze Radia Wolna Europa jej polskojęzyczna sekcja; w okresie PRL była najczęściej słuchanym i systematycznie zagłuszanym przez władze radiem zagranicznym.
URL – Ukraińska Republika Ludowa
wyprawa kijowska – ofensywa Wojska Polskiego i armii Ukraińskiej Republiki Ludowej przeciwko Armii Czerwonej na Kijów w kwietniu 1920, podczas wojny polsko‑bolszewickiej.
Zachodnioukraińska Republika Ludowa – republika proklamowana we Lwowie (w Galicji wschodniej) przez Ukraińców w nocy z 31 października na 1 listopada 1918 roku, niezależna od URL.
Texts and recordings
Fights with the Ukrainians and the Polish–Soviet War
The re‑emerging Poland saw two concepts of the future Polish statehood: incorporation championed by Roman Dmowski and federation advocated by Józef Piłsudski. Attempts to draw the eastern border were initiated still during World War I. A conflict with the Ukrainians broke out in Galicia; the Ukrainians took Lviv and proclaimed the West Ukrainian People's Republic (ZUNR) (on the 1st of November 1918).
The Poles managed to regain control of the city and force the Ukrainians off east of the Zbruch River. A cease‑fire between the conflicted sides was signed in September 1919. After the German forces' retreat early in 1919 from the eastern territories, the Bolshevik Army entered determined to achieve the vision of a world proletarian revolution. In April 1920, Józef Piłsudski entered into an alliance with the Ukrainian ataman, Symon Petlyura, and launched a joint offensive against the Red Army, ended with the capture of Kiev. A counteroffensive mounted by the Bolsheviks led to their win over the Poles, bringing them as far as to the outskirts of Warsaw.