Teachers' Zone 14

Dear Teachers,

After a long and unexpected break it is my pleasure to come back to you with a number of ideas concerning the approaching  Independence Day. Although the 11th of November  is a strictly Polish holiday I still consider it to be worth being implemented in our lessons as it involves self-reflection and appreciation of what we much too often take for granted. Not only can it help improve and practise  English, it can also help students redefine their concept of national  identity, provoke them to think what it means to be Polish. So, how shall we go about it?

I suggest starting off with some warm-up questions, such as:

1. What does it mean to be Polish these days?
2. What makes up our Polish identity?
3. Is it possible to be Polish and European at the same time?
4. How would you like Poland/ Poles to be perceived in the world?
5. How different is Poland from the rest of the world?

Then we can introduce  a reading activity-  https://culture.pl/en/article/15-historical-quirks-that-make-poland-so-different-from-the-rest-of-europe-     the text offers many ways of using it. Personally, after pre-teaching some vocabulary I would like to split the text among 15  students working individually or in pairs. Each group would be asked to be able to summarise the short text they have been given so that the rest of the class shared the same information. We can prepare some exercises/questions to check the general comprehension, e.g.

1. What were the consequences of  Christianisation in 966?
2. What were the reasons of a clash between Poland and the State of the Teutonic Knights?
3. Who used Poland to be inhabitated by?
4. What is Tatar cultural contribution to Polish culture?
5. What is Golden Freedom?
6. What can be said about Polish expansion?
7. Why is the Constitution of 3rd May that important?

And so on and so on… The list of questions can be unlimited. It is also a great way to introduce/consolidate new vocabulary learnt from the text.

Now it is time for follow-up activities. Again- the sky is the limit. Why not hold a discussion on 3 things that make Poland the most unique country in Poland? Or- what makes Poland most similar to other European countries? Or what do we need to focus on:  differences or similarities? Or how can we celebrate Independence Day these days?

Having discussed the above I am sure we will find the feeling of pride and dignity our country deserves just a few days before its 103rd anniversary of gaining independence.

Happy Independence Day!