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Poland Unit Study
I am now writing a column for the Old Schoolhouse
magazine called the International
Schoolhouse. In the article, I get the chance to share with you
about the landscape, the history and the culture of the highlighted
country, in this case Poland. However, there is so much to
tell that simply overflows a 1500 word article that I have decided to
compile the remainder of the information as a unit study for you.
If you do not subscribe to the Old Schoolhouse,
you can read a sample issue here -
http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com. Or better yet, subscribe
here -
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine - and get the summer issue this
month with the Poland article, plus many, many more wonderful
articles of encouragement. It is their best issue yet. Oh,
and did I mention that you get 19 free gifts with your subscription.
Okay, so now that you have read the article, it's
time to dive in for some hands-on learning to cement your student's
growing knowledge of this small but fascinating European country.
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Unit Study:
1.
READING SELECTIONS -
Let's start with some extra reading. Listed below are some great
books about Poland, or set in Poland, that will provide many
hours of enjoyable reading. The links below will take you to Amazon.com for more information, but you can find these at your local
library. Read for pleasure alone, or have your kids write a book report on one of these selections.
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2.
HISTORY & TIMELINES - Learn more about Poland by compiling
historical facts and events from Poland's turbulent history and
adding them to your timeline. If you do not have a timeline on
the go, you can construct one by following these directions -
How to Make a Timeline Easily. Here
is a link to a wonderful resource for timeline entries about Poland -
http://www.rootsweb.com/~polwgw/history.html.
3.
MAPWORK -
A unit study would not be
complete without taking a good look at the lay of the land.
Click here for both a labeled and unlabeled
map of Poland. Have your students mark some
of the major cities, the surrounding countries, and the sea to the
north, at the
least. For older students, have them use your teacher's map and
fill in the rest!
4.
RECIPES -
This is my favorite part - the
food from the land! And I love Polish cuisine! If you do the above activities on Monday, Tuesday and
Wednesday, then take some time on either Thursday or Friday to whip up
some authentic Polish dishes in your kitchen.
Poland's cuisine is dictated by crops such as
rye, wheat, millet, barley and buckwheat. Rye bread is common in this
part of Europe. Pickled vegetables such as cucumbers, beetroot,
cabbage (sauerkraut) and kohlrabi have become an essential part of
Polish cooking. The idea of pickling is not limited to vegetables,
however. Herring, fished in the Baltic, is drenched with spices
and vinegar and is often served on holy days. This has become Poland's
favorite national food. Meat plays a significant role in the Polish
diet. Perhaps the most famous Polish meat is kielbasa, Polish
sausage. Indeed, Polish food has much to offer, and I enjoy its hearty
and comforting flavors. As the Polish would say, "Jedzcie, pijcie i
popuszczajcie pasa"... "Eat, drink and loosen your belt".
Here are a few of our favorite dishes.
Enjoy!
Savory Sausage and Sauerkraut
A cold weather favorite. Good served
with pierogies or even baked beans.
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2 |
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tablespoons
butter |
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1 |
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medium onion,
chopped |
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1/4 |
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cup chopped
green peppers |
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1 |
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large apple,
peeled,cored,and chopped |
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2 |
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tablespoons
brown sugar |
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1/2 |
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teaspoon caraway
seeds |
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3 |
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red potatoes,
cleaned and diced |
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1 1/2 |
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cups sauerkraut,
drained,rinsed,& packed |
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1-2 |
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lb smoked
sausage (kielbasa), cut in 3 inch pieces |
| 1. |
Melt butter in
saucepan. |
| 2. |
Add onion and
green pepper. |
| 3. |
Cook until tender. |
| 4. |
Add apple, brown
sugar, caraway seeds, potatoes, and sauerkraut. |
| 5. |
Mix well. |
| 6. |
Place sausage on
top of sauerkraut mixture. |
| 7. |
Cover. |
| 8. |
Cook over
medium-low heat for 40 minutes. |
Potato and Cheese Pierogi
This is a recipe for traditional
Potato and Cheese pierogi. Serve with chopped fried bacon and onions.
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Potato and Cheese Filling
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1 |
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tablespoon grated
onion |
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2 |
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tablespoons
butter |
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2 |
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cups cold mashed
potatoes |
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1 |
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cup cottage
cheese (or more) |
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salt and pepper |
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Pierogi
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2 1/2 |
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cups flour |
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1/2 |
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teaspoon salt |
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1 |
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egg |
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2 |
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teaspoons oil |
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3/4 |
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cup warm water |
| 1. |
For the
Filling: Cook the onion in butter until tender. |
| 2. |
Combine it with
potatoes and cheese. |
| 3. |
Season to taste
with salt and pepper. |
| 4. |
Vary the
proportions and ingredients in this recipe to suit your taste. |
| 5. |
Mix the flour with
the salt in a deep bowl. |
| 6. |
Add the egg, oil
and water to make a medium soft dough. |
| 7. |
Knead on a floured
board until the dough is smooth. |
| 8. |
Caution: Too much
kneading will toughen the dough. |
| 9. |
Divide the dough
into 2 parts. |
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10. |
Cover and let
stand for at least 10 minutes. |
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11. |
Prepare the
filling. |
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12. |
The filling should
be thick enough to hold its shape. |
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13. |
Roll the dough
quite thin on a floured board. |
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14. |
Cut rounds with a
large biscuit cutter, or the open end of a glass. |
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15. |
Put the round in
the palm of your hand. |
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16. |
Place a spoonful
of filling in it, fold over to form a half circle and press the
edges together with the fingers. |
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17. |
The edges should
be free of filling. |
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18. |
Be sure the edges
are sealed well to prevent the filling from running out. |
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19. |
Place the pierogi
on a floured board or tea towel and then cover with another tea
towel to prevent them from drying out. |
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20. |
COOKING: Drop a
few pierogies into a large quantity of rapidly boiling salted
water. |
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21. |
Do not attempt to
cook too many at a time. |
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22. |
Stir VERY gently
with a wooden spoon to separate them and to prevent them from
sticking to the bottom of the pot. |
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23. |
Continue boiling
for 3-4 minutes. |
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24. |
The cooling period
will depend upon the size you made it, the thickness of the dough
and the filling. |
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25. |
Pierogies will be
ready when they are puffed. |
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26. |
Remove them with a
perforated spoon or skimmer to a colander and drain thoroughly. |
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27. |
Place in a deep
dish, sprinkle generously with melted butter to prevent them from
sticking. |
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28. |
Cover and keep
them hot until all are cooked. |
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29. |
Serve in a large
dish without piling or crowding them. |
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30. |
Top with melted
butter- chopped crisp bacon and/or chopped onions lightly browned
in butter. |
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31. |
REHEATING: One of
the great things about pierogies, is that they can be made in
large quantities, refrigerated, frozen and reheated without lost
of quality. |
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32. |
Many prefer
reheated pierogies as compared to freshly boiled ones. |
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33. |
To re-heat, you
can: 1) pan fry pierogies in butter or bacon fat until they are
light in color or, 2) heat the pierogies in the top of a double
boiler or in the oven until they are hot and plump or, 3) deep fry
them. |
Doughnuts - Paczki
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10 servings
1 c Sweet cream
2 Yeast cakes
10 Egg yolk
1 ts Salt
5 tb Butter
4 c Unbleached flour (all-purpose)
2 oz Rum
6 tb Sugar |
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Heat cream to luke warm. add salt
and egg yolks and beat till thick. cream butter and sugar. put
these into large bowl, add yeast dissolved w/ 1 tablespoon sugar
and mix thoroughly. Add rum then flour and cream alternately and
beat hard till dough blisters. set in warm place to rise. punch
down and let rise again. place dough on floured surface and
stretch and fill w/ pitted prunes. Fold over and cut into desired
size balls. place on floured surface and let rise. fry in deep hot
oil turning once. Paczki should be very dark in color before
turning to ensure that they are thoroughly baked. drain on soft
absorbent paper. Sprinkle w/ powdered sugar. |
5. CRAFTS - Finally, it's craft time!
When I think of Polish crafts,
immediately Pisanki, Kraszanki and Wycinanki come to mind. You
say, "What?" Oh, you have never heard of these. Oh my...
the Poles are known for their beautiful, intricately detailed crafts.
Some of these might be a bit difficult for the untrained to take on,
but others are more doable, at least in modified versions. At
the very least, take a moment to view some of these beautiful crafts
from the heart of Europe.
Pisanki
Pisanki is an art form of dying eggs and coloring them with very
intricate detailed patterns. Check out this beautiful picture
here -
http://www.polishamericancenter.org/Pisanki.htm.
Let's be realistic when we say that this is not something we are just
going to replicate with our children on a boring afternoon.
These are incredible creations created by master crafters. BUT
we can dye eggs using natural dyes and have a lot of fun doing so.
We don't even have to wait for Easter. Here is a site with
directions on how to dye eggs when those Easter egg kits are not on
the grocery store shelves.
Kraszanki
http://acweb.colum.edu/users/agunkel/homepage/easter/oniondye.htm
Wycinanki
Another beautiful type of art that is created in Poland is Wycinanki.
Wycinanki is the Polish word for paper-cut designs. These beautiful
cut-outs have been used to decorate the interior of Polish homes since
the early 19th century!
Here is a great site that will get you started on creating your very own Wycinanki that can decorate your home or school room -
http://info-poland.buffalo.edu/classroom/wycinanki/text.html.
Try using colored paper or pasting the cut-out on a backing of colored
paper.
And remember to have fun!
Warm Regards,
Terri Johnson
Knowledge Quest, Inc.
www.kqpublishing.org - try our maps free!
www.kqpublishing.org - we are looking for authors for our new book
www.homeschoolblogger.com/knowledgequest - see what we're up to.
www.kqbusiness.com - our business helping your business to
succeed!
Terri Johnson is the creator of Knowledge Quest maps and timelines.
Her mission for the company is to help make the teaching and learning
of history and geography enjoyable for both teacher and students. She
has created and published over 20 map and timeline products. Her
Blackline Maps of World History have been widely recommended in
the education community and published in The Story of the World
history series by Susan Wise Bauer. Terri and Knowledge Quest
recently won the “Excellence in Education” award granted by The Old
Schoolhouse magazine for best geography company of 2003 and 2004.
Terri resides in Oregon with her husband Todd and their
five
children whom she teaches at home.
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