Topic: The legislative power

Author: Anna Rabiega

Addressee:

8th grade primary school student

Core curriculum:

XI. Democracy in the Republic of Poland.

The student:

3) explains the principle of representation (indirect democracy); presents the rules governing the elections to the Sejm of the Republic of Poland and the Senate of the Republic of Poland, as well as the rules governing the functioning of the parliament's chambers and their most important powers.

The general aim of education:

The student presents the principles of the political system of the Republic of Poland.

Learning outcomes:

The student:

• explains who may be elected to the Sejm and the Senate and presents the procedure for organising parliamentary elections.

• presents the internal organisation of both chambers of the parliament.

• analyses the differences between the material and formal immunity of deputies and senators and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of granting immunity to members of the parliament.

• examines the functions of the parliament.

Key competences:

• communicating in a foreign language,

• digital competence,

• learning to learn,

• social and civic competences.

Teaching methods:

• discussion,

• WebQuest,

• source material analysis,

• fishbone diagram,

• teaching conversation using infographic, schemes, interactive exercises.

Forms of work:

• self‑learning,

• work in pairs,

• group work,

• whole‑class activity.

Material & equipment needed:

• computers with loudspeakers/headphones and internet access,

• multimedia resources from the e‑textbook,

• interactive whiteboard/blackboard, felt‑tip pen/a piece of chalk.

Lesson plan overview (Process):

Introduction:

1. The teacher presents the goal of the lesson: You will learn who can become a member of the parliament and how the parliament works.

2. The teacher informs the students that they will use a fishbone diagram to determine what requirements a person who wants to become a deputy or a senator must meet. If necessary, the teacher explains this method to the students. The teacher writes down on the board (in the head of the fish) the problem that needs to be solved: „I want to become a parliamentarian”, and appoints a moderator who writes down on the board (main and minor „fish bones”) the ideas of his/her colleagues. Willing/selected students give their ideas on the requirements that need to be met by deputies and senators.

Then the teacher asks the students to read Articles 62 and 99 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland from the abstract and to verify and supplement their former ideas. The teacher asks a willing student to summarize the exercise.

Implementation:

1. The teacher asks the students to form pairs. One person gets acquainted with the „The rules of elections to the Sejm of the Republic of Poland” interactive scheme, and another with the scheme „The rules of elections to the Senate of the Republic of Poland”. The students' task will be to explain these rules to each other. The teacher specifies the amount of time that is given to complete the task. The teacher then asks willing students to present the aforementioned rules and the students to whom the rules of election of a given chamber were explained by a colleague speak about the respective chamber.

2. The teacher asks the students if they know what kind of privileges the parliamentarians have. After that, the teacher tells the students to read Articles 105 and 108 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland from the abstract and to solve Exercise 2. The teacher specifies the amount of time that is given to complete the task. The students do an exercise concerning the material and formal immunities and then, together with the teacher, verify their answers. The teacher asks the students what their understanding of the concept of material and formal immunity is, and then initiates a brief discussion about the purpose of immunities and whether such a solution has any drawbacks. At the end of the discussion, the teacher conducts a class vote for or against retaining parliamentary immunities.

3. The teacher divides the class into four groups. The teacher informs the class that they will use the WebQuest method and explains what it is, if necessary. Each group is assigned a different function of the parliament. The students' task is to find three different examples of the implementation of each function on the Internet. The teacher informs the students that they should first read about the function of the parliament that has been assigned to them in the abstract. The teacher specifies the amount of time that is given to complete the task. When the time is up, the group representatives present the function they have been assigned and the results of their research to the rest of the class. If necessary, the teacher corrects and completes the students' presentations.

4. The teacher displays on an interactive board an infographic depicting the organs of the Sejm and the Senate. During a teaching conversation, the teacher helps the students to understand what the functions of the organs of both chambers are. The teacher writes down the students' correct answers in the corresponding place on the board (next to the relevant organ). The teacher asks a willing/selected student to summarize the exercise.

Summary:

1. As a lesson summary, the students solve Exercise 1. Together with the teacher, the students check their answers.

2. At the end of the class, the teacher asks the students questions:

• What did you find important and interesting in class?

• What was easy and what was difficult?

• How can you use the knowledge and skills you have gained today?

Willing/selected students summarize the lesson.

3. Homework proposal:

a. Present two arguments in favour of retaining parliamentary immunity and two in favour of removing it.

b. Listen to the abstract recording to review the material and new vocabulary. Then do the vocabulary exercise at the end of the chapter.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

The legislative power – the Sejm and the Senate

Poland has one of the oldest parliamentary traditions in the world. Already in the 15th century, the Polish gentry had the right to elect representatives to the Sejm and thus decide on the most important matters of the state.

Who is eligible to elect deputies and senators in Poland?

Who is eligible to be elected as a deputy or a senator?

The rules of elections to the Sejm of the Republic of Poland

Internal organization of the Sejm and the Senate

Deputies may form parliamentary clubs and deputies’ groups based on a political principle in the Sejm. The club is composed of at least 15 deputies, and a group – of at least 3 deputies.

Organs of the Sejm

The Marshal of the Sejm is elected at the first sitting of the chamber. Usually, this function is offered to a representative of the largest parliamentary club. The Marshal defends the rights and dignity of the Sejm, represents the chamber in relations with other state organs, convenes the sittings of the Sejm and presides over the debates. In addition, the Constitution of the Republic of Poland imposes some responsibilities on the Marshal that are not directly related to the work of the chamber. These include acting as the President of the Republic when he is unable to hold office or when the office of President is vacated (e.g. because of the death of the President).

The Presidium of the Sejm is composed of the Marshal and Deputy Marshal of the Sejm. The competences of the Presidium of the Sejm are quite limited. They are mainly connected with the organization of the work of the Sejm and its organs.

The Council of Elders consists of the Marshal, deputy marshals, presidents or vice presidents of the parliamentary clubs, as well as representatives of the deputies’ groups. The Council is an advisory body of the Sejm of a consultative nature.

The Committees of the Sejm are subsidiary organs of the Sejm which deal with the consideration, giving opinions and preparation of the matters that are the subject of the debates if the Sejm.

The internal organization of the Senate is almost identical to the Sejm.

You can read more about the organization of the Sejm and about the Senate on the website. English versions available.

Functions of the parliament

The legislative function consists in adoption of legal acts (statutes). This is the basic and most important function of the Sejm and the Senate.

The scrutiny function refers primarily to the government and administration subordinate to the government. The deputies may demand information on a given issue from a government member in written or oral form at a sitting of the Sejm of committee. As a consequence of assessment of the government’s functioning measures can be taken by the Sejm such as dismissal of an individual from a state post, e.g. a minister in consequence of a vote on non‑confidence. The Senate does not participate in the scrutiny function.

The creative (formative) function consists in appointing other constitutional organs of the state or persons who are members of such bodies. The powers in this respect are divided between the Sejm and the Senate, although the lower chamber has larger competence.

The European function of the parliament (since 2004) consists in the possibility of the Sejm and the Senate to influence EU legislation and is regulated in EU treaties.

To carry out parliamentary mandate it is very important to guarantee the independence of deputies and senators. To this end, all the members of Polish parliament enjoy the so‑called immunity.

The Sejm and the Senate are constitutional bodies of legislative power. Both chambers are elected by universal suffrage. The elections take place on the same day, but according to different electoral systems. The internal organization of both chambers and the legal status of deputies and senators are virtually identical. Taking into account the legislative and creative functions, competences belong to both chambers. However, the lower chamber has a stronger position. The biggest difference is in the control function. Competences in this area belong exclusively to the Sejm.