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The European Union

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Instructor: Deena Whitehurst

Students: High School

Objectives:

Students will understand the history of the European Union (EU)

Students will define the goals and operations of the EU

Materials:

Computers with reliable Internet connection

Procedures:

Part I

1. In pairs, students will look up the “history of the EU” on the Internet
2. Students will summarize their findings and present these findings to the class.

Part II

1. In groups of three, students will use the Internet to read a manuscript of the 1996 Amsterdam Treaty, which defines the goals and operations of the EU. [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/treaties/dat/11997D/htm/11997D.html]
2. Students will translate the document into everyday language for better comprehension for themselves for easier explanation to others.

Evaluation:

Students will write a summary of the history of the EU, and in a Socratic Seminar, students will discuss the EU and its ideas.

Extensions:

As a follow-up to this lesson, I will have students compare and contrast the US and the EU. They will also discuss the U.S.’s involvement, role, and position with the EU. I would like students to become aware of our Global World, as they will be living in it.