Topic: What was on the Polish Round Table?

Target group

8th‑grade students of elementary school

Core curriculum

8th‑grade students of elementary school

XL. Decade 1981‑1989. Pupil:

1. explains the reasons for the introduction of martial law, describes its course and consequences;

2. presents the attitudes of Poles towards martial law, the phenomenon of social resistance;

3. explains the reasons for concluding the Round Table Agreement, presents its main participants and describes the provisions.

XLI. The birth of the Third Polish Republic. Pupil:

1. describes the key political changes in 1989‑1997;

2. explains the causes of social tensions.

General aim of education

Students learn about the results of the Polish Round Table netotiations.

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• to list the most significant polish events from the 80's;

• to explain what „The Polish Round Table” was and why it was called so;

• to describe what led to the historic change in 1989;

• to characterize the implications of the election which took place in June 1989;

• to define the consequences of the changes later known as the „Revolutions of 1989”/”Autumn of Nations” .

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

1. Students should know the social menifestations of the People's Poland period and the origins of Solidarność and steps authorities took to fight it (arrests, martial law, etc.). In addition, they should familiarize themselves with the film from the excerpt of the e‑textbook titled *Obrady Okrągłego Stołu*.

Introduction

1. 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.

2. The teacher, referring to the information from the previous lessons, asks students to briefly characterize post‑war Poland. Terms that should come up are communists, persecution, a totalitarian state, soviet authority, lack of freedom, lack of democracy, etc..

3. Students perform Exercise 1 **, matching the information about social protests in the years 1956 - 1980.

Realization

1. The teacher creates a table on the board. Next, he asks students to write down, on the basis of knowledge from previous lessons, what feelings accompanied the Poles during these events: the creation of Solidarity in 1980, and the introduction of martial law in 1981.

2. Explaining the consequences of martial law for Poles -- the apathy of the society, lack of willingness to act, etc. -- he explains that the second half of the 1980s was, for both the power and society, a period of helplessness and lack of perspectives for improving the terrible social and economic situation. Strikes from 1988 further deepened this state.

3. The teacher explains to the students how the opposition and power were again „brought closer”, which resulted in the Round Table proceedings. Then he explains to them that this was the first situation in history when the communist authorities agreed to negotiate with the democratic opposition. Students carry out ** Exercise 2 **. They get acquainted with the Solidarity election poster (** Task 1 **) and answer questions in ** Task 2 **.

4. When discussing the arrangements of the Round Table, the teacher pays particular attention to the decision to carry out contractual elections, emphasizing what a breakthrough it was. Then he starts the discussion by asking students what the election campaign in 1989 could look like and what was it about. What resources did the opposition need to reach the society? Students on the basis of the poster discussed above perform ** Exercise 3 **.

5. The outcome of the election was a total victory of the opposition. It came as a surprise to both them and the certain of the victory government. The teacher explains the importance of the Solidarity Union's victory and its consequences – the creation of a coalition government and the choice of a solidarity prime minister – the first non‑communist one. Students read the fragment of the expose of Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki and perform exercise on its basis. ** Exercise 4 **.

6. The teacher points out that the process of democratic changes in Central and Eastern Europe was initiated by the Solidarity and the Round Table negotiations – „It started in Poland”. Then he explains the meaning of the „Autumn of Nations”. Students compare maps of Poland and its neighbors in 1988 and in1992, and then execute ** Task 3 **. The teacher provides feedback to the students during solving exercises and executing commands.

Summary

1. The teacher, creating a short timeline, asks students to fill it with events that led to democratic changes in 1989. Students should mention: the election of Karol Wojtyła as Pope in 1978; thwcreation of Solidarity in 1980; introduction of martial law in 1981; strikes in 1988; the Round Table in 1989; the June elections in 1989; selection of Tadeusz Mazowiecki as Prime Minister in August 1989.

2. The teacher assesses the students' work during the lesson, taking into account their input and commitment. For this purpose, he may prepare an evaluation questionnaire for self‑assessment and evaluation of the teacher's work and other students.

3. 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

1. The teacher tasks willing students with homework: Ask your parents, grandparents or older relatives how they remember the events of 1989. What feelings and expectations do they remember? Have they come true in the next years?.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

What was on the Polish Round Table?

The deepening economic crisis and yet another storm of protest prompted the communistic government to take concessions. During the negotiations in „Magdalenka”, and later during The Polish Round Table, the government representatives reached an open discussion with some of the leaders of the opposition ( right‑wing activists were not invited ). As a result on the 4th of June 1989 the partially free elections to the polish Sejm were held, as well as fully democratic elections to the polish Senate, which hadn't existed since the war. The opposition attained a landslide victory. The coalition government was forged ( which included ministers from the Polish United Workers' Party ), at the helm of Tadeusz Mazowiecki, a representative of the opposition. Leszek Balcerowicz was chosen as the Treasury Secretary and given the mission to transform the Polish economy from the socialist to the capitalist one. As a result of the agreement between the opposition and the communistic representatives, General Wojciech Jaruzelski was chosen the president of the Polish People's Republic. Poland had embarked on the path of the real democratization.