Date: 6 -7 November 2013 Teacher: Darryl Plummer Course Name: Geography Unit: Europe Lesson: European Union Total

Estimated Time: Two 51 minute class periods

Overview: The European Union (EU) is a family of democratic European countries, committed to working together for peace and prosperity. It is not a State intended to replace existing States, nor is it just an organization for international cooperation. Its member states have set up common institutions to which they delegate some of their sovereignty so that decisions on matters mutual interest can be made democratically at the European level. The historical roots of the European Union lie in the Second World War. In the early years, the cooperation was between six countries and mainly about trade and the economy (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands). Now the EU embraces 28 countries and 503 million people, and it deals with a wide range of issues of direct importance to everyday life. This lesson goes into the history of EU, what it attempts to achieve, and the institutions that are central to it. I present the EU as a unifying factor in Europe. In later lessons, I will present nationalism and separatism as dis-unifying factors. This lesson serves as the first side of the coin I will present. The European Union by itself is important to study by itself because it is an excellent case study of government and many parts correspond to US institutions. I am also hoping to tie it into one of the central themes of the unit, which is the idea of nationalism and unity vs disunity.

Standards: Geography: 2. Explain and interpret geographic variables that influence the interactions of people, places, and environments. 3. The Interconnected nature of the world, its people and places

21st Century Skills:

1. 21st Century Themes a. Global Awareness b. Civic Literacy Daily Objectives: Students will be able to (SWBAT) Identify institutions of the EU Explain how they are similar or different from US institutions Define the origin and goals of the EU Articulate the benefits and downsides of EU membership

Preparation: PP slides ready

Materials: PP slides EU quizzes Projector

Pre-Assessment: The Pre-Test contained questions regarding to some of the information in the lesson. Anticipatory Set: Students will be told that they have a multiple choice quiz at the end of the lesson, but that they can use any notes they take on the quiz. Students will also be told that although there is text on the slides, they would be wise to listen and take notes on that as well. Connection to previous learning or life: When I replaced the previous lesson with the European Scavenger Hunt, students were actually upset and said they were looking forward to the European Union lecture. I am unsure why, but they were the most excited for this lesson out of every lesson in the unit. It seemed to me that there was some sort of already existing relevance to students. However, to create additional relevance, I made the point that the EU is the largest democratic organization in the world and that its structure is similar the US government in many ways.

Agenda for the Board:

Will be written on the board: Schedule on back white board PP on the front projector

Instruction/Activity Day 1 1. I will explain the format of the lesson to students. Specifically that there will be a quiz at the end of the lesson (tomorrow) that consists of multiple choice questions. 2. I will tell students that they can use their notes on the quiz to encourage them to take notes. 3. I will start off the lecture by explaining the European flag. Specifically, I will ask why there are 12 stars. I expect students to answer because there are 12 countries in the EU, which is incorrect. I will use this as an example to demonstrate that some parts of the EU are like the US while others are different. 4. I will give an overview of the countries in the EU, countries that are in the process of joining, and countries that are notably not members. Switzerland is a good example of a country one might think is in the EU, but is not. We have already covered Switzerland in some depth so I think Switzerland is a good case study to demonstrate reasons that a country might not join the EU. 5. I will also cover why much of the former Yugoslavia is not a member, why some Eastern European countries are not members, and why Turkey is unlikely to ever be a member. 6. I will cover the EUs central role and their historic roots. 7. The central theme I want to highlight is that countries give up some sovereignty to join the EU. Promotes unity while preserving diversity. I want to highlight that just like US states, not all countries in the EU want to give up specific parts of their sovereignty.

Day 2 1. Day 2 may or may not start here, although I suspect that I will get through some of the institutions the first day. 2. I will remind students that we are continuing the lecture on the EU and to get out their notes. I will remind them that there is a quiz today at the end of the lesson. 3. I will cover the EU institutions. I will relate them to US institutions or branches of government. This might be a little of a stretch because I do not know how familiar these students are with the 3 branches of government. If they are not familiar, I will break down the different functions of each branch using the US as an example and then have students place the EU institutions in the correct branch. 4. I will cover the Euro, specifically which countries use it, which dont, and why. I will also use Iceland as an example of negative effects that can occur by not using a common currency. I will use England as an example for why a country might not be interested in adopting the Euro. 5. I will administer the quiz and have students trade and grade.

Closure: I will conduct the closure prior to the quiz because I am not sure if there will be time afterwards and students tend to get squirrely after we finish a quiz. For closure, I will ask students if the EU was as exciting as they thought it would be. I am not really sure what answer I will get, but if they are excited I will channel their energy into explaining why. If not, I will explain why maybe some parts are more interesting than they think. Post Assessment: The post assessment is a 17 question Multiple Choice quiz. Quiz questions will be recycled on the unit Post-Test.

Potential Modifications: 1. Quiz does not have to be given. An alternate form of assessment could be used. 2. EU institutions do not have to be related to their analogous branches in the US. I think that for a class that has no background knowledge on US government, bringing the US government in as an example to help understand EU institutions could make things worse. 3. The quiz could be given at the beginning of Day 3 if the lesson goes long.