Topic 2: Governing the European Union

Lesson 2
Step #1: Gathering Information

Strategy: Reciprocal Teaching

How has the concept of nationalism been altered by the formation of the European Union?

Activities

Make copies of Handout #7: Topic 2, Lesson 2 (Europe’s Rising Regionalism) and distribute them to the students.

Model the reciprocal teaching strategy for the students. Then, take turns allowing the students the chance to be the “teacher”. Be sure your modeling includes all four steps of the process:

Summarize – Choose several sentences, paragraphs, or larger sections of the article depending on the level of the students. Read the section silently and then restate in your own words for the class what you have just read.
Generate Questions – Ask questions about the material. Both the “teacher” and the students are involved in this process. To do this, identify significant information, pose questions abut it , and check to be sure you can answer your own questions.
Clarifying – Focus on the reasons why the text is difficult to understand. Talk about such things as the vocabulary level, unclear reference words, and unfamiliar concepts. Work together as a group to ask for clarification or help others clarify difficult sections.
Predicting – Speculate on what will be discussed next in the article. Recall relevant information from what was just discussed and your own prior knowledge to connect the next section to what you already know.

Have the students take notes during the discussion as you record the notes using the overhead. Have one student summarize the notes and pertinent points of the discussion for the entire class.