Topic: What will Poland be like – that depends on you!

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 the republican form of government; presents the election method and fundamental competences of the President of the Republic of Poland; finds information about the political life of former presidents elected in the general election, and about the activities of the incumbent President of the Republic of Poland.

The general aim of education:

The student presents the main organs of public authorities.

Learning outcomes:

The student:

• explains what kind of decisions are made by the parliament.

• analyses the voter turnout for different types of elections in Poland.

• analyses the reasons why voting and choosing the right representatives is so important.

Key competences:

• communicating in a foreign language,

• digital competence,

• learning to learn,

• social and civic competences,

• sense of initiative and entrepreneurship.

Teaching methods:

• teaching conversation using scheme, interactive exercises, widget,

• discussion,

• source material analysis,

• Phillips 66.

Forms of work:

• self‑learning,

• group work,

• whole‑class activity.

Material & equipment needed:

• computers with loudspeakers/headphones and internet access, headphones,

• 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 find out what kinds of decisions the parliament makes, analyze the voter turnout for different types of elections in Poland and the reasons why voting and choosing the right representatives is so important.

2. The teacher asks the students to imagine that they can decide what the government tax revenue will be allocated to in the Seniors and Youth Country (widget – interactive whiteboard). They have a budget of 100 billion PLN at their disposal. The teacher informs the students that they will choose from the given proposals, but they can also add their own ideas. They must also provide the suggested amount for each proposal. After completing the task, the teacher asks willing students to justify their choices and give their opinion whether they think that the interests of Seniors and Youth are compatible. Then, the teacher uses a teaching conversation method to make the students answer the following questions:

• How can the citizens of Poland decide on the state budget?

• Do the citizens take their chance to decide on this matter?

The aim of the conversation is to guide the students to the information that the government and parliament decide about the budget, and the members of parliament are chosen by citizens.

Implementation:

1. In the next stage of the lesson, the teacher asks students to assess whether Polish citizens make use of the fact that they have an impact on the budget and other matters of the country. To this end, they are to analyze the source material in the form of a graph from the e‑textbook (Jaka będzie Polska – zależy od Ciebie!, screen 4), illustrating electoral turnout in various types of elections in 1989–2002. He informs the students that during the analysis they are to pay attention to which election had a high voter turnout, and which had a low one. Then the students do Exercise 1 from the abstract „What will Poland be like – that depends on you!”. The teacher initiates a discussion about what, in the opinion of the students, could the reason be that at that time the citizens most often participated in the presidential election. At the end, the teacher asks a willing student for a summary and, if necessary, completes the information.

2. The teacher informs students that they will be employees of a marketing company employed to prepare a social campaign to increase the participation of citizens in the elections. He asks the students to split into six „project teams” and each of the teams has to declare what target group they want to reach with their campaign. Each group chooses a different target group according to the rule: first come, first served (youth, neighbours, close family, students, pensioners, etc.).

The teacher explains that their „marketing company” uses the Philips 66 method, which is a brainstorming variant and explains this method:

a. The six teams have 6 minutes to prepare ideas for solving the problem of increasing electoral participation in the selected target group. The teacher informs the students that in their project they have to specify:

• the type of elections,

• duration of the activities (campaigns),

• methods and means they will use,

• allies involved.

Each group also elects a „project manager” among themselves, who will present the results of the group's work after each round.

b. After the first 6 minutes, „project managers” present the results of the group's work to the rest of the class. All „marketing company employees” comment on group projects.

c. After this confrontation of solutions in front of the class, each of the „project teams” again undertakes work to improve their own concepts.

d. After the next 6 minutes, the ideas are re‑confronted with the rest of the class – a comparison of the solutions' maturity and their improvements, and saving the final conclusions (or another refinement of the project for the next 6 minutes).

e. The teacher asks that the final results of the „project teams” work be presented in the form of mind maps, the center of which is the question „How to increase electoral participation ...?”.

3. The students work in groups, after each round they present the results of their work, discuss and improve them. After the last round, the „project managers” present the final solutions in the form of mind maps.

4. All the „employees of a marketing company” comment on group projects, paying attention to those ideas which, in their opinion, would most likely affect potential voters.

Summary:

1. 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.

2. Homework proposal:

a. Write a short note on the electoral participation of Polish citizens. Make sure you cover the following questions:

• In which kind of elections Polish citizens prefer to participate? Which elections get the lowest voter turnout? Why?

• Describe the reasons for low voter turnout in Poland.

• Name the reasons, why Polish citizens should participate in elections to a greater extent.

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

Notes for the teacher:

The teacher can allow students to choose freely when creating the groups. However, it is important to ensure that not only groups of friends form in the classroom. Such groups provide a great sense of security, but often do not implement tasks perceived as risky for fear of disagreement or failure, that is, loss of the initial sense of security.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

What will Poland be like – that depends on you!

Voter turnout is very low in Poland. In the parliamentary elections of 2015 it was 50,92%, and a year earlier in the elections to the European Parliament – as little as 24%. And yet when choosing our representatives to the legislative powers, we have real influence over the issues concerning state policy. It’s the deputies who decide how the public money are being spent, how high the taxes should be, how the healthcare system should be organised or about the school system reforms. It is very vital for any social group to be politically represented in the Sejm. The needs of people of different backgrounds (age, job, education) are different, and the deputies should mirror that variety. Go vote! And if you were a deputy – what decisions would you make?

Take a look at a diagram showing voter turnout in different elections and referendums for the years 1989–2002. Then answer the question in the exercise.