Lesson plan (English)
Topic: Poland’s road to the European Union
Target group
8th‑grade students of elementary school
Core curriculum
8th‑grade students of elementary school
XXXVI. World after World War II. Pupil:
characterizes the direct effects of World War II, distinguishing political, social and economic consequences (...);
presents the objectives and main stages of the development of the European Union.
XLII. The place of Poland in the modern world. Pupil:
presents and situates in time and space the process of the disintegration of the Warsaw Pact and the regaining of sovereignty by Poland;
explains the reasons and significance of Poland's accession to the European Union in 2004.
General aim of education
The students learn about how Europe integrated itself after the Second World War and about the path of Poland to the European community.
Key competences
communication in foreign languages;
digital competence;
learning to learn.
Criteria for success
The student will learn:
to list persons that are considered to be the founding fathers of united Europe;
to explain why the integration of countries in Europe happened;
to desctibe Poland’s road to the European Union;
to characterize the social attitudes prior to accession to the European Union.
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
Students should remember what the effects of World War II were and also what block Poland ended up in.
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.
Referring to the homework, the teacher asks the students about the consequences of the Second World War for Europe. Students should mention the destruction of huge areas (cities, roads, bridges, etc.), a new division of Europe (changes on the map, two zones of influence) and the belief that another war can bring an end to humanity.
Realization
The teacher begins the discussion by asking the students if they know of any attempts to create a European community. Students should mention the period of the Roman Empire, the ideas of Otto III and Napoleon Bonaparte. Next, the teacher should complete the pupils' answers to the Pan‑European concept of Richard Coudenhove‑Kalergi.
Then the teacher asks the students why the attempts to unite and create a „common state” or union have been made over the centuries. What was the purpose and what was conducive to such efforts? Asking the questions, the teacher remembers that they are to be formulated as the key questions. Together, they should mention a common culture / language (Roman Empire), religion (Otto III), culture / law (Napoleon) and economy..
The teacher presents students with the concept of the Marshall Plan and its assumption. Students on the basis of the description of the plan perform ** Task 1 **. Then he asks the students how it affected the shape and fate of Europe. He helps the students understand the differences in the economy and wealth of Western and Eastern European societies.
Referring to the Marshall Plan, he explains to students that after the Second World War there was a significant revival of integration concepts. This was the result of fear of the next war (and only strong economic cooperation could have prevented it) and efforts to rebuild the ruined countries as soon as possible. He asks the students to find on the Internet the information about the so‑called „Founding fathers of the European Union” and check who they were and where they came from (** Task 2 **).
The teacher asks the students to look at the interactive timeline (** task 3 **) and wonder why the European integration process that started in 1952 continues to this day. Students get acquainted with the map in ** Exercise 1 ** and execute the command, completing the sentences. Then he asks the students why Poland didn't join the Union until 2004. Students should use the knowledge from previous lessons when formulating answers. Complementing their statements, the teacher talks about what the Poland's path to the community looked like. Students carry out ** Exercise 2 **, arranging the stages of Poland's accession to the EU in the right order. The teacher takes care of the feedback provided to the students during solving the exercises.
Summary
To summarize the lesson, the teacher asks the students to carry out ** Task 4 ** -- watch the movie and do the task. Then he asks the students if today, after many years of membership, the see some negative manifestations of Poland's presence in the EU..
As a supplement, the teacher asks that the students get acquainted with ** Task 5 ** and the song, and then answer the asked question.
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: Poland joined the European Union in 2004. Look for what important positions in the structures of the community have been filled by Poles since that time and what their duties were.
The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson
Terms
Plan Marshalla – program odbudowy gospodarek Europy po II wojnie światowej zaproponowany przez Stany Zjednoczone w 1947 roku. Jego celem była pomoc materialna (surowce, żywność), finansowa i inwestycyjna zniszczonej wojną Europy. W wyniku nacisków rosyjskich, nie przystąpiły do niego kraje będące pod wpływem ZSRS.
Integracja – proces polegający na tworzeniu się całości z jakiś części, połączenia ich w jedną całość. Może on dotyczyć różnych dziedzin życia, np. gospodarki, polityki itp.
EWWiS – Europejska Wspólnota Węgla i Stali, międzynarodowa organizacja gospodarcza istniejąca w latach 1952‑2002, która stała się początkiem integracji europejskiej. Została powołana traktatem paryskim przez 6 państw europejskich – RFN, Francję, Belgię, Holandię, Luksemburg i Włochy na 50 lat.
EWG – Europejska Wspólnota Gospodarcza, powołana do życia w 1958 roku była pogłębieniem współpracy gospodarczej krajów zachodnioeuropejskich.
Referendum – powszechne głosowanie obywateli mających czynne prawo wyborcze, w którym podejmują oni decyzję w ważnych sprawach. Inaczej nazywane jest głosowaniem ludowym.
Sceptycyzm – pogląd filozoficzny lub postawa, która polega na krytycznym odnoszeniu się do świata i poddawaniu wszystkiego w wątpliwość.
Entuzjasta – osoba o optymistycznym podejściu do świata, pełna zapału do życia i działania. Potocznie określa się tak również osoby, które są wielbicielami kogoś lub czegoś.
Demokracja – ustrój polityczny i system sprawowania władzy, w którym jej źródło stanowi wola większości obywateli wyrażona niezależnych w wyborach.
Texts and recordings
Poland’s road to the European Union
After World War II, two blocs were formed in Europe. The continent’s central and eastern parts came under the influence of USSR. Germany was reborn as a democratic and free‑market federal republic (Federal Republic of Germany), whereas the German Democratic Republic remained under Soviet influence. Western countries (France, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg) opted for cooperation, joined by West Germany and Italy. The cooperation was advocated by leaders of France and Germany Robert Schuman and Konrad Adenauer. In the 50s, the European Coal and Steel Community was established, followed by the European Economic Community (later transformed into the European Union). Over time other countries joined the European communities. After the collapse of USSR and disintegration of the eastern bloc, countries of Central and Eastern Europe (including Poland) began to seek affiliation with the West. In 2004 (as a result of the national referendum), Poland joined the European Union.