Topic 1: Germany’s Changing Position in Europe and the World

Lesson 3
Step #1: Gathering Information

Strategy: Using a Timeline to Organize Key Information

What were the steps in the creation of the European Union?

Activities

Make copies of Handout #3: Topic 1, Lesson #3 (The Creation of the European Union). Distribute them to the class. Use Worksheet #2: Topic 1, Lesson 3 (Important Dates in the Creation of the European Union) to help organize the information in the article and put the events in sequence. Worksheet #2: Key

Have the students do some additional research on the key steps leading up to the sighing of the Maastricht Treaty in 1992. These steps should include:

The Schuman Plan
The European Coal and Steel Community
The European Atomic Energy Community
The European Economic Community
The European Community
Customs Union
European Monetary System

The research should be done in cooperative learning jigsaw groups using “expert groups” to do the research on each of the above topics. The experts can then go back to their home group and teach their topic to the rest of the group.