Lesson plan: Challenges at European Union summit

December 11, 2000
Web posted at: 5:24 PM EST (2224 GMT)

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Objectives

Students will:

• Identify the member nations of the European Union on a map.
• Explore the main objectives of the European Union.
• Analyze ways in which the member countries work together to meet their common goals.
• Rate how countries benefit from being in alliance with each other.

Standards

At the high school level, students are able to think systematically about personal, national and global decisions, interactions and consequences, including addressing critical issues such as peace, human rights, trade and global ecology.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, Understanding numbers

Students should work flexibly with fractions, decimals and percentages to solve problems; they should compare and put in order fractions, decimals and percentages efficiently.

Materials

CNNfyi.com article, "Exhausted leaders finally strike a deal"
Internet access
Maps or globes

Suggested time

One to two class periods

Procedures

1. Discuss the European Union with the class to assess their knowledge. Have them read the CNNfyi.com article "Exhausted leaders finally strike a deal" as well as the jargon glossary listed in the article. Then ask the following:

• What is the European Union? What is the European Commission? How many countries are members? Where was the recent EU summit held? What were the goals of the summit? Why were the leaders struggling through the early hours during the summit? Which country was the last to agree to terms? Why? How will the end to national vetoes affect some countries?
• In your opinion, what are the benefits of a European country becoming a part of the EU? What are the disadvantages? How do the countries work together to meet common goals? Do you think that this is a successful approach? Explain. What changes are expected to be made in 2005 regarding the EU? Do you believe the changes will affect the process of decision-making within the union? If yes, in what ways?

Accommodations

Spatial: In groups or individually, students can create time lines of significant political and economic events in 20th-century Europe.

Assessment

Direct students to present their comparisons of EU votes to those of the U.S. Congress. They may use a chart or graph to explain the comparison and offer a brief explanation of the numbers. Ask students to discuss their opinions about fairness of representation based on population. Do they think it makes a difference when policy issues are being decided within one country (the United States, for example) as opposed to decisions affecting numerous nations? Ask them to justify their opinions.

Challenge

Students can research online and media resources to find some alliances existing among nations, such as the United Nations or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Ask students to consider why countries join together with allies and what the historic results of these alliances have been.

Members of the European Parliament
European Union
Government Internet Guide
Demographic brief of U.S. states
U.S. House of Representatives

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