Fill in the mind map alone or with your deskmate. Add more lines if necessary. -

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1 THE BEGINNING OF MAY IN POLAND & THE CONSTITUTION OF MAY 3 - WORKSHEET 1 When you think about the 1 st, 2 nd and 3 rd May, what comes to your mind first? Fill in the mind map alone or with your deskmate. Add more lines if necessary. - 2 Translate these words and phrases into your own language. Ask your friends or use a dictionary to help you. You are provided with English definitions of the words to help you with the task. - labor / labour work, usually of a hard, physical kind, an anniversary a day that is exactly a year or a number of years after a special or important event,. an illumination brightly coloured lights that are used for decorating a street, town, etc.,.... a resident (a person) living in a place for some length of time,.... spectacular very impressive to see,.... accession the act of becoming joined, membership the state of being a member of a group, organization, etc.,..... outweigh to be more in amount or importance than sth, to settle to go and live permanently in a new country, area, town, etc.,..... substantial large in amount,.. to instate to put or place in a certain state or position, as in an office,.... to awake to wake up; to make sb/sth wake up,.... a defect sth that is wrong with or missing from sb/sth, independently without any influence or aid,.. to accompany to go together with sb/sth,.. tremendous great in size, amount, or intensity,... to preserve to keep sth safe or in good condition,..... to amass to collect or put together a large quantity of sth,.. to consign to hand over or deliver formally or officially,... legislative (power) connected with the act of making and passing laws,... executive (power) concerned with managing, making plans, decisions, etc.,.. judicial (power) connected with a court of law, a judge or a legal judgement,... constitutional monarchy a system of government in which a country is ruled by a king and queen whose power is limited by a constitution,..... national holiday a day when a nation celebrates e.g. its independence,.. public holiday / bank holiday a day when banks and most businesses are closed for a day, Oskar Rożewicz PHOTOCOPIABLE pp. 1 / 6

2 TEXT A: It s a long triple-holiday-weekend in Gdańsk! By Pawel Adamowicz Labor Day and the anniversary of Poland s entry into the European Union, Polish Flag Day, and the anniversary of the May 3rd Constitution; from ( ) (May 1-3) Poland celebrates these three important holidays. These days on the streets of Gdansk white-red flags are displayed along the streets and in private home windows, and the city itself is illuminated in white and red. This special night illumination has already become Gdansk tradition. During the long weekend in May the city residents and guests are greeted by white-red illuminated Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers, some more spectacular bridges and the King John III Sobieski monument in the city center. Photo: J. Pinkas Photo: J. Pinkas It s a anniversary of Poland s accession to the European Community. Benefits of our membership in the Union are of a political, economic and social nature, and greatly outweigh any possible losses. The integration allowed the citizens to travel freely (without border controls), settling and working in different member states, export our products and invest abroad. Through a substantial increase of imports and foreign investment, it has improved the quality of life and an opportunity to get closer to the European standards in the field of internal security, labor, health and education. 2nd of May marks the relatively new holiday - a Day of Polish Flag. A national holiday but not a public holiday. Why on that day? There is a reason. During the communist times all cities were decorated with red and white flags for the celebration of 1st May. But there is a Constitution holiday on 3rd May which was not accepted by the communists and for many years it was banned. That was why all the flags for 1st May celebrations had to be taken down by 3rd May. Leaving a flag up that day could bring serious trouble. This holiday has been re-instated and was declared official in February 2004 by the Polish Sejm. It awakens patriotism among the Poles and in Gdańsk is marked by patriotic concerts and shows. This year marks the anniversary of the Constitution of May 3. The Polish Constitution of May 3rd, or the Government Act of 3rd of May - adopted on 3 May 1791, is generally accepted as first in Europe and second in the world (after the American Constitution of 1787). It was designed to eliminate the long-standing defects based on free elections and nobility-based political system of the Republic of Two Nations (Poland and Lithuania). The Constitution changed the country s political system to a constitutional monarchy. Beloved by Poles, it was forbidden during the socialist period ( ). However, even in those times, the democratic opposition activists illegally summoned independently-thinking crowds to the King Sobieski Monument. There we sang songs, delivered and listened to speeches, prayed together. Today the same songs will be heard as those, which accompanied these May meetings for decades. Here are the words of a well-known May hymn: Welcome May, 3rd of May, a blissful paradise for Poles... Adapted from: Oskar Rożewicz PHOTOCOPIABLE pp. 2 / 6

3 TEXT B: The Constitution of 3rd May 1791 (The Government Act) The act passed on 3 rd May 1791 by the Four-Year Sejm regulated the legislative system of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was Europe s first modern constitution and the world s second. It introduced a system of constitutional monarchy and, while it preserved the structures of social class, it opened up prospects for the further transformation of the state system. On the strength of the act, Montesquieu s division of power into the legislative, the executive and the judicial were adopted and various aspects of the former system, including liberum veto, confederations and free elections, were abolished. Although the Constitution of 3rd May 1791 would remain in force for a mere fourteen months, it was a tremendous achievement for the Polish nation, which sought to preserve the independence of the state and ensure the potential for the country s economic and political development. The original manuscript of the Constitution of 3rd May 1791 was initially held in Wilanów Palace in Warsaw, in the collections of the Potocki Public Archives, which were amassed by Stanisław Kostka Potocki, who had participated in the sittings of the Four-Year Sejm. On the basis of family contracts, the archives were transferred to the town of Krzeszowice, near Krakow, in the eighteen seventies. Post-1945, they returned to Warsaw, where they were consigned to the Central Archives of Historical Records. Adapted from: Oskar Rożewicz PHOTOCOPIABLE pp. 3 / 6

4 3 What is displayed on the streets of Gdańsk between 1.05 and 3.05? Draw it. 4 How many years have passed: a) since Poland became a member country of the EU? b) since the adoption of the Government Act of 3rd of May? Put your answers in the correct places in the Text A the ones marked by a grey background. 5 Fill in the timeline with the information and dates from Text A What was the purpose of creating the Polish Constitution of 3 rd May 1791? - Find the answers in Text A and Text B, then present them on a mind map. Add more lines if necessary Oskar Rożewicz PHOTOCOPIABLE pp. 4 / 6

5 7 On the provided map of current-day Poland mark the route which took the original manuscript of the Constitution. Write down the dates. 8 Read Text A and B again and decide if the provided sentences are TRUE, FALSE, or if there is NO INFORMATION. a) Between May 1 and May 3 Gdańsk is illuminated in red colour only. b) Polish Flag Day is a national holiday. c) The Constitution from 1791 changed Poland into a democratic country. d) Talking about the 1791 Constitution was forbidden between 1945 and e) Today s Poland is a paradise. f) The Polish Constitution of 1791 was the first constitution in Europe. g) 1791 Constitution has never been abolished and is still being used in Poland. h) The Constitution is now held in the Central Archives of Historical Records Oskar Rożewicz PHOTOCOPIABLE pp. 5 / 6

6 9 Describe the picture to your friend. a) Do you know the name of this painting and its author? Try to guess it and then check the answer by flipping the page upside down. 10 Work in groups. How do Polish people celebrate the beginning of May nowadays? Describe the activities they perform. Use the Internet if necessary Oskar Rożewicz PHOTOCOPIABLE pp. 6 / 6