CLIL lesson London, Capital of Poland: Polish Emigration 1940-1990

Level: pre-intermediate
Aims:
-Talking about the exhibition „London- the capital of Poland. Polish emigration during 1940-1990”.
-Learning about some facts from the difficult period in Polish history
-Using some vocabulary in communication useful abroad
-Talking about the history in interesting way
-Realisation of the Basic Elements of the General Education School Program such as the elements of the knowledge about British society
Lesson plan
1.The students in groups translate the texts, the teacher corrects the information.
The temporary exhibition about Poles in London was on a display at the Library of Warsaw University until 30 November 2014. It is the first exhibition that gets us closer to the complex history of Polish emigration and the government-in-exile in London from 1940 to 1990, and is prepared by the Polish History Museum. The exhibition is under the patronage of the president of Poland, Bronisław Komorowski, and is presented in Polish and English.   
Great Britain became the center of life and activity for the largest Polish political émigré society during and after the Second World War. In large part, these people were servicemen of the Polish Armed Forces in the West and employees of various government agencies, along with their families. The Polish government-in-exile functioned in London for over five decades, although from mid 1945 it was not officially recognized in Great Britain and in most other nations. Upon this social fabric, subsequent waves of emigration built a broader émigré society, including key influxes after March 1968 and through the Solidarity era. As a result, London has become an important focal point of Polish history and memory, as well as a vivid center of contemporary Polish life.
London, „Capital of Poland" is made up of spaces and places where you can learn about daily life and entertainment of émigré Poles. Visitors can see the office of the president of the government-in-exile, as well as original furniture from the famous editorial office of the periodical Wiadamości, run by Mieczysław Grydzewski. The studio-gallery of the painter Marek Żuławski is another example, and visitors may operate the 19th-century printing press of Stanisław Gliwa and take a lesson about artistic printing.
At the exhibition, visitors can witness an anti-Soviet political demonstration from 1956, and those interested in social life can see General Anders playing cards and Miss Polonia 1955, and watch a show by Loda Halama, the woman with the longest legs of Polish London. The exhibition also discusses the difficult beginnings of the emigration in the 1940s and 1950s, and how Londoners saw Poland in the 1960s and 1970s and after the imposition of martial law.
Events that accompany the exhibition include a conference on 29 October dedicated to Albin Tybulewicz, a wartime courier to London, and a debate about the political heritage of the late 20th-century emigration. These and other events will be held in the University Library (more news here).
2.The teacher presents some pictures from the exhibition and describe the scenes.
3.The teacher shows the film about Polish emigrants in London "Small time obsession"
In the film „Small time obsession” we can see the life of young emigrants from Poland. They normally speak English and sometimes Polish. Bespite of living in the British society, they try to maintain their national identity and provide lives according Polish traditions and customs.
Ścieżka 07.20 i 13.54
4.After the watching some episodes from the film, the students tell about the life of emigrants.
5.As the summation
1) Try to write some sentences about Polish emigrants in Britain.
2) Try to write some sentences about Polish history in that period.
3) The teacher listens to the students’ answers, corrects them and talks about marks.
6.At the end of the lesson, the teacher presents words connected with the class material in a computer program Wordle, the students revise the material.
7.The students give their answers in summation of the lesson, the teacher corrects the information.
8.The students and the teacher complete the evaluation forms to learn more about the lesson.