Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Ackerman, Ann Project
Ackerman, Ann Project
Rationale: In the last five or so years, social studies education was drastically reduced and in
many districts is hardly taught at the elementary and middle school levels. This reduction was/is
at a time when globalism and globalization are growing. Students may have familiarity with
larger countries like England, Germany, Russia, China, Brazil, but probably less with countries
such as Bulgaria.
This unit will introduce students to this small European country, currently experiencing
economic and political transition, and which has the potential for new development and growth
in the future. Hopefully, this unit will stimulate inquiry and make students aware of smaller
countries and Bulgaria specifically.
The graphic 3 – Stage Template is the Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, Understanding by
Design, one page design. Many school districts are adopting the format and I encourage other
educators to read their books.
Ann Ackerman, December 2008
FulbrightHays GreeceBulgaria Seminar Participant, Summer 2008
Stage 1 – Desired Results
Established Goals:
To introduce the European country of Bulgaria.
Students will have the opportunity to learn about a country
located geographically at a crossroads
transitioning from years of domination from an outside country
one of the newest members of the European Union
Students will have the opportunity to build their information literacy bibliography as they
use a variety of new sources.
Understanding (s) Essential Question(s):
Students will understand that:
1. Bulgaria is a country with a rich history. 1. Why study Bulgaria?
2. Bulgaria is a country still in transition. 2. How are small countries influenced by
3. Bulgaria’s physical location and world events?
geography creates new opportunities and 3. How does a culture make a society
diversity. special?
4. Change often takes decades. 4. What brings about economic and political
change?
It will be expected that completing a KWL
chart on Bulgaria the first day, will reveal a
lack of knowledge about this country.
Student objectives (outcomes):
Students will know:
Where Bulgaria is located.
Some of the diverse features of Bulgarian geography
Some outstanding Bulgarian buildings and art
What is the European Union?
Students will be able to:
Identify and locate Bulgaria on a map.
Identify the key geographical features.
Explain why Bulgaria is in transition.
Identify major examples of Bulgarian art and architecture.
Define “European Union” and its relationship to Bulgaria
Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence
Performance Task(s): Other Evidence:
Students will be able to compare and Students will complete a map exercise
contrast select characteristics of Bulgaria Students will research a specific example of
and features of Bulgarian life with that of cultural life, create a poster about it and give a
the United States (US). short class presentation
Or in groups will create a newspaper with
different pages devoted to different aspects of
Bulgarian culture.
They will write a brief reflection on their
impressions of Bulgaria or do a post KWL
chart
Stage 3 – Learning Plan
Learning Activities:
Outline:
Lesson 1 Basic geography
Lesson 2 General introduction to “Who are the people” and their lifestyle
Lesson 3 Examination of select cultural artifacts and elements
Lesson 4 Select recent history – the impact of Nazi and Communist domination and
European Union
Lesson 5 Research, writing, and reflection,
The lessons follow.
Rev 29 Dec 08
INTRODUCING BULGARIA: A UNIT OF LEARNING
By Ann T. Ackerman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Education, Rivier College, Nashua, NH
FulbrightHayes Greece – Bulgaria Seminar Participant, Summer 2008
Lesson 1: Introduction and the geography
Overview Established Goals: NCSS Themes C and F
Lesson focused question:
Where is Bulgaria?
Vocabulary:
Balkans
Europe
Slavic
Bulgarian
Roma
Background: The Republic of Bulgaria is an independent country slightly larger than the US
State of Tennessee located in the Balkans. of southeastern Europe. Europe is the fifth largest
continent comprised of over 40 countries. Bulgaria is bordered by the countries of Greece,
Turkey, Romania, Macedonia, Serbia, and Montenegro and by the Black Sea. The Danube River
separates Bulgaria and Romania. There are four geographic regions: the Danubian Plain, the
Black Sea Coast, the Balkan Range, and the RilaRhodop Massif.
It is a country with high mountains, valleys, beaches and flat lands. Its climate called
“continental’ by numerous sources will vary by its regions. Summer can be very hot in locations
like the capital city, Sofia, while winter snow is present in areas like the lowlands. Traveling
contemporary mountainous roads is an experience since the roads are narrow, winding and
appearing to have only one traffic lane; but they accommodate twoway traffic. With the growth
of tourism, large buses are common on all the roads.
Bulgaria’s physical location is a crossroads for important routes from regions of Europe to the
Middle East and between various parts of Europe. Historically, its location made it an important
trade travel route. Today, its location makes it easily accessible for vacation travel and which has
stimulated the development of resorts particularly in the Black Sea region.
The people of Bulgaria are predominately Bulgarians with minority populations of residents
whose heritage is Roma (Gypsies who emigrated from Romania many years ago), Turkish, and
some Hungarians. More recently, there is a growth in the British population who are older and
moving because of the economic affordability of Bulgarian retirement homes.
Learning Plan Procedures and Tasks:
This lesson will be 3 sessions: two 30 minutes and one 60 minutes sessions
Part 1: The teacher will put up a KWL graph on the board and write the name BULGARIA
above it. She will ask: “What do you know about Bulgaria?” and write any correct answers in the
appropriate box.
Then she will ask: “What do you want to know about Bulgaria?” and write that in the
appropriate box.
The last question re: What you have learned will not be asked at this point.
If students know something, then there is an open discussion but more than likely few people will
have specifics to share.
Part 2: The teacher will then using an LCD unit projector or a large wall map show a map of
Europe and then point out Bulgaria.
For projection, it is suggested that one of the following be used:
www.cia.gov/library/publications/theworldfactbook/geos/bu.html
www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3236.htm#geo
(Both are government websites)
Using the map, the class will look at:
Where in Europe Bulgaria is located?
What countries and waterways define Bulgaria’s borders?
Then the teacher will give the class their own individual maps of Bulgaria. Going to
www.yourchildlearns.com/megamaps/printeuropemap.html
the teacher may print (for free) the map. (The teacher has the option of leaving details in or just
using an outline map for student labeling.) Using a blank outline map, the students will attempt
to identify and label on the map Bulgaria and the countries and bodies of water that border
Bulgaria. The teacher will then give the students a detailed map to check their own work.
Part 3: Students using either a book cart with reference materials and/or computers will research
basic information re: Bulgaria. They will use at least two of the following:
www.cia.gov/library/publications/the–worldfactbook/geos/bu.html
www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3236.htm#geo
www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atlas/index.html?Parent=europe&Rootmap=Mode=d&subMode=
“Bulgaria.” Encyclopedia Britannica.2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. article 9110560.
Culturegrams either in its book form or in its subscription online form.
Daily Life either in its book form or in its subscription online form.
www.geocities.com/phantomu4u/bulgaria.html
Using these sources and information from the first two sessions, students should come up with 10
basic facts about Bulgaria i.e. food, land, location, etc..
After 40 minutes of instruction and research, the teacher will facilitate a session on what the
students discovered about Bulgaria. She will write information on the board.
For homework, the students will be asked to write a one page paper on the topic
“This is Bulgaria” using their notes and materials from the last few days.
Possible extensions:
Interdisciplinary to make this interdisciplinary with math and/or science, students using any
number of sources including flat maps, globes or Google Earth can research and measure the
distance and time needed to go from their hometown to Sofia Bulgaria via air or boat. They can
research, measure and compare the type of soils in Bulgaria v. that of their own state.
They can research the physicalchemical difference of the Black Sea v. other bodies of water.
Hooks There are numerous hooks that might be used for this unit and as a part of this lesson.
Much depends on what was the immediate previous unit and resources available. Consider either
a 5 image gallery walk or power point without any labels. Bulgarian music in the background
will enhance. Ask students to write their impressions/interpretations of the each image and to
try and identify which country they represent.
Here is an example of that from Emily JubertSand:
Objective: Using pictures from the Bulgaria Web Album to investigate the country’s cultural
landscape.
Planning: From this Web Album, the instructor will choose 1520 pictures, or portions of
pictures, that represent a few different parts of the Bulgarian culture. The instructor will then
create a public Web Album specific to this lesson for students to access and investigate.
Lesson: Students are to number a piece of lined paper 120 (or however many photos that the
instructor has selected to put in the album). The teacher will then demonstrate on a computer
projector or overhead projector how the students are to decode what they are seeing in the photo.
After completing a few examples together, students will be left to independently or as a pair to
peruse the newly created Web Album, labeling what they think that each photo represents.
Instructor will facilitate by circulating and reminding students about certain aspects of a cultural
landscape, such as:
Ethnicity
Worship
Modern or Old?
Signs
Environmental Factors
Transportation
After the labeling is complete, the class will get together as a whole group to ask questions about
what was observed. Some example questions could be: Were people’s physical characteristics
the same (Diversity)? Are there any signs of worship (Religion)? Are the buildings modern or
antique? Were there any signs of concern for the environment? How do you think people get
around?
As a culminating assignment, students are to write a paragraph about what defines culture or
cultural landscape.
Lesson 2: Introducing the people
Overview Establish Goals: NCSS Themes A, B, C, D, E, G, and I
Lesson focused question: Who are the people of Bulgaria?
Vocabulary:
Bulgars
Roma
Ottoman
Turks
Hungarians
Slavic
Macedonians
Armenians
Jews
Greeks
Tatars
Christian Orthodox
Islam
Roman Catholicism
Cyrillic alphabet
Ottoman Empire
Nazis
Soviet Communists
Background:
Slavic tribes with a Thracian cultural heritage and Bulgars with their nomadic culture and
Central Asian Heritage became the early Bulgarians. Today, the decedents of these groups, now
known as Bulgarians, comprise the largest part of the population. The most sizeable of the
minority groups are the Turks followed by the Roma. In much smaller numbers but large enough
to be recognized are the Macedonians, Armenians, Jews, and Greeks. Most of the country’s
population lives in urban areas with the exception of the Romanians and Tatars who live in
villages.
The official language is Bulgarian from an IndoEuropean Slavic language group. The
Bulgarian language uses the Cyrillic alphabet. Other languages used a lot in urban areas are
English and a little bit of French. The dominate religion is Christian Orthodox. Islam and Roman
Catholicism along with the much smaller Judaism are the minority religious groups. The
orthodox monasteries and many of their churches are historic and examples of great Bulgarian
art.
“Bulgarians take considerable pride in their cultural heritage which has been preserved despite
centuries of foreign domination.” (Fulbright, 2) The Bulgarians were dominated by the Ottoman
Turks, the Nazis, and the Soviet Communists. Each of these of these groups impacted Bulgaria
socially, politically, and economically.
Most of the population lives in urban areas and a majority of households are comprised of
multigenerational families. The extended family of three generations in the same household is
still quite common but changing. After adult children marry, with help financial help from
parents, the young couples are buying their own apartments (we call them condominiums), today.
In urban areas “owned apartments” are prevalent. Both the shift to urban areas and the apartment
ownership grew after the communist rule collapsed when state owned properties were sold. The
urban areas tend to have younger populations.
Rural/village communities tend to have older populations. In “village” or more rural areas both
multifamily dwellings and free standing houses are popular. Village summer homes are popular
with many of urbanites.
In the 1990s, the average urban apartment was comprised of three sizeable rooms and a
bathroom. Today, some are even larger. Additionally since 2000, construction of more detached
individual housing has grown.
Public parks are popular with Bulgarians. Most parks are in constant use throughout the day
with people walking, visiting, and playing. Vendors and a fairlike atmosphere are present in
many of these areas. Many public parks are enhanced with sculptures. Soccer, volleyball, and
basketball are favorite sports. Additionally, there is skiing which is expensive. In the Black Sea
area, the beaches and water sports are popular. Internationally, Bulgaria is known for its weight
lifting, wrestling, and gymnastics. In cities like Sophia, night clubs are plentiful.
Bulgaria has a large public school system and went through several reforms since 2000.
Critics say that the school system is underfunded and that teachers are underpaid.
Teachers in Bulgaria do not have the same intensive pedagogical training that American teachers
are required to have. Because of the large number of students in most areas, many schools run
two sessions a day with two completely different faculties and staffs. There will be a morning
school and then an afternoon school. Students study the basics of Bulgarian language arts, math,
science, and history. At the secondary level, there are different types of schools each specializing
i.e. general educational schools, vocational school, language schools and foreign schools. The
language and foreign schools are very popular and many of these have special requirements and
tests to be admitted. Many Bulgarians students study two or three languages besides their own
Bulgarian language. Establishment of private schools has grown in this decade and is competing
with state schools quite successfully.
Students from the Geo Miley ELMS (English Language High School ) in Bourgas, Bulgaria is
considered test wise one of the top five public high schools in the country; yet, it finds its funds
continually cut. With a strong coalition of faculty, students and parents, there is a large
extracurricular program. To learn of these activities, student concerns and views on a wide
variety of issues go to www.theschooltimes@gmail.com and read their school newspaper which
is written in three languages Bulgarian, English and German.
The Miley ELMS uses the building one half of the day and the German HS the other half. There
are 36 classrooms and students take 6 classes a week with an average of 30 students in each class.
There are 20 English language teachers out of a total of 56 administrators and faculty. This
school is wellequipped with a computer lab, fitness room, gym, and music room. In 2008, there
were 121 graduates
To attend university, Bulgarian students must pass admission exams. Those with the highest
scores are allowed to attend. Only so many are accepted at any one time. Previously many
Bulgarian students would attend college/university in the US; however, since Bulgaria joined the
European Union more Bulgarian students are attending college/university in other parts of
Europe rather than coming to the US.
Minorities have equal access to Bulgarian public schools. The Roma (gypsies) tend to drop out
earlier than the compulsory 15 years of age. Vagabond, an English monthly magazine, noted in a
small article that its July 2008 issue that the government has instituted a new voluntary program
to encourage Roma students to stay in school. (28) In contrast to the drop out at the lower levels,
recently the number of Roma going to college has grown. It is still a small number of Roma who
attend higher education but it is a change in the last few years. (Tomova lecture)
There was friction in early 1990s regarding the Turks and their domicile, linguistic, and religious
rights. While the major conflict has ended the hard feelings of many have not. (Tomova lecture)
Bulgarians enjoy entertaining in their homes and socializing at cafes. Hostess gifts might include
chocolates, a bottle of alcohol and an odd number of flowers (even numbers are funeral flowers).
People eat with their fork in the left hand while the knife is in the right hand. Popular beverages
are strong coffees like Turkishstyle and espresso. Potatoes, dairy products, meats, fresh fruits
are favorite meals. (Fulbright, 8).
Bulgarians enjoy social gatherings, singing and dancing. “Bulgarians’ system of festivity rituals,
which is one of the essential aspects of our traditional culture. . .many of the songs in the
Bulgarian folklore have an easily discernible archaic layer: they are characterized by a extremely
narrow range of tones, and there are even melodies based on a single tone. One –voice songs and
melodies are mostly those of Eastern Bulgaria, while twopart ones are those in Central, Western
and South Western Bulgaria. . . The Bulgarian folk music also reflects the musical culture of the
neighboring peoples…” (Ivanova, handout) One of the most popular folk dances is the “horo”
which is a circle dance or at least starts out that way and may break into a long line of people
moving first in one direction and then in the other.
The tempo can be quite fast. This dance may vary by region. It has similarity to folk dances in
Greece and Israel.
Learning Plan Procedures and Tasks:
This will be a minimum of 70 minutes
Teacher will review vocabulary followed by giving students copies of the background
information. She will ask the students to read the background sheet. Using that along with their
research notes from the prior days, students will fill in the chart comparing what they have
learned about Bulgaria and its people with that of the US or the students’ own American
community. (Approximately 25 minutes.)
BULGARIA US – (fill in community or US)
LOCATION
LAND VARIATIONS
ETHNIC
GROUPS
HOUSING
RECREATION
MAJOR RELIGIOUS
GROUPS
EDUCATION
OTHER
After the student has worked independently for 20 minutes, s/he will then compare and continue
completing the chart with a partner.
The last 25 minutes will be a whole class review. The teacher will collect papers and note any
errors. When returning the papers the next day, the teacher will ask students to review the papers
for homework. She will note that they will be used as a review for a game later in the unit.
This lesson is interdisciplinary with art and English. A possible extension to incorporate math
and/or science consider having students research the measurements and weights of some of these
structures and project how long it might have taken to build using the techniques of the time.
Have them research and identify the climatic and agricultural characteristics of each region.
Lesson 3: Culture and select Bulgarian arts and artifacts
This lesson will require two to three 40 minute secessions.
Lesson focus question: What does Bulgarian Art and Artifacts reveal about Bulgaria?
Overview of Establish Goals: NCSS Themes A, B, C, E, H, I, J. This lesson is interdisciplinary
with Language Arts/English.
Vocabulary:
Culture
Society
Art
Artifact
Antiquities
Thracian
Byzantine
Infrastructure
Background:
Culture helps to define a country and make that nation special. Bulgaria has a rich cultural
history. Its history and many of its values are communicated through its culture. Often when
European Antiquities are mentioned it is associated with Greece; however, Bulgaria, also has
excellent examples of much earlier civilizations like the Thracian, Roman, Ottoman, and
Byzantine Empires. Its architecture is influenced by prior conquerors and dominators. And the
Bulgarian love of beauty is all around.
Learning Plan Procedures and Tasks:
The teacher will select several of the photo pages and using an LCD projector will show the
pages to the class and let them guess what the image is and what they think it reflects. Using the
answer key page the teacher can tell the students then or wait until the end of the lesson.
The teacher will then assign the students to go to
www.geocities.com/phantomu4u/History.html?200824
www.geocities.com/phantomu4u/NDK.html?200824
www.geocities.com/phantomu4u/bulgaria.html?200824
Britannica Online, article24715
and read the brief essays and look at the photos on those pages.
Students will write a short essay on how they feel “Bulgarian culture makes Bulgaria special”.
They will be expected to cite examples.
An additional activity, the teacher will ask students to select something in their community that
they feel reflects the city/town’s culture. Then each student will be asked to draw it and put a
caption on that indicates why it is part of the community’s culture.
Photo Key – Lesson 3 power point
Cover: Fulbright sign outside meeting room; Ann Ackerman with sign.
Page 1 and 2:
#777 This is the National Museum of History in the former Zhivkov Presidential Palace, Sofia.
Bulgaria. This massive building is not what one would think of as a museum. It does house art
and artifacts from antiquities and later eras. Both the architecture of the building as well as its
history is fascinating. It was built in the 20th Century and was used as the headquarters for the
Communist rulers of Bulgaria after World War II.
#842 – This is the Ivan Vasov Theatre. This national performing arts center was built in the very
early years of the 20th Century and since then has experienced a fire, several renovations, and
other changes. It is neoclassical in design and is situated in a lovely public park with other
nearby historic buildings, plaza and fountain. It is not unusual to find artists in the plaza and
park sketching this lovely building. The theater was named after one of Bulgaria’s prominent
literary figures. Large, opulent, it has great acoustics.
Page 3:
#979 – A railroad station near a Black Sea resort.
# 826 – The Ethnological Museum and National Gallery of Art share what was once the Royal
Palace. Notice the trim and decoration on the building – particularly charming are the musical
staff and notes on the roof.
Page 4:
#803 and #798 the interiors of many the monasteries and churches are decorated with marvelous
murals, friezes, and frescoes and furnished with elaborated detailed carved wooden furniture. In
this photo, notice the colors, the arching and domed entryways and interiors. They reflect their
CentralEastern European heritage. The art work will often tells a Biblical story or is about a
specific saint. While this artwork dates from the late 18thearly 19th Centuries, there are religious
buildings that date from the 11th Century on. There are also archeological remains of older
religious facilities. The predominate religion is Eastern Orthodox and is very important to
Bulgarians.
Page 5:
#111 and 114 – the Sofia Central Synagogue. Built in the early 19th Century, its architecture and
furnishings reflect its Sephardic Heritage and is designed in a SpanishMoresque style. It is one
of the largest European synagogues. It is only one of a few operating synagogues in Bulgaria
today. Behind the synagogue is a small but interesting Bulgarian Jewish Museum. PreWorld
War II, there was a Jewish Population of 50,000 who were saved by the Bulgarian Government.
After the war, during Soviet domination most Bulgarian Jews immigrated to Israel. Today,
Bulgaria has a Jewish population of approximately 5,000.
Page 6:
#785 a furniture business and #788 reflect more contemporary architecture of the midlate 20th
Century.
Page 7:
#817 is a contemporary sculpture. Bulgarian parks, streets, and buildings are the sites of many
sculptures. Some of these works of art commemorate historical events and people and others are
more directly art with and without messages to convey. #833 is a Sophia street in a business
district with a bench and sculptures of famous people. Several others like these were found
around Sophia. The last image is recycling bins that frequented many streets in different
Bulgarian cities.
Page 8:
#1054, #909, and #1076. Bulgarians are known for their artistic talents including needle work
and pottery. The minitapestry is all wool and the design is patterned after an ancient carpet.
The sound of the bell is to drive away evil spirits or powers and is part of the Thracian tradition
of “kukert” . The red symbolizes fertility – human and nature, fire and sun.
The pottery has popular colors reflecting nature and life. The decorative designs are intricate and
will vary by regions.
The wooden bowls and utensils are in the Etur Ethnological Village which replicates an older
Bulgaria and which makes crafts in the “old ways”.
Page 9:
Notice the building at the top. Yes, it is painted two colors but is one structure. This is an upper
middleincome, two family’s home. Each family chose to paint their portion a different color.
This is practiced in both Bulgaria and Greece.
The lower photo shows detached single family homes and multifamily homes. This
neighborhood is relatively new and affluent.
Page 10:
The top is the walk way leading to Veliko Turnovo’s Fortress and the Patriarch’s Complex.
Veliko Turnovo was the old capital from the 12th –14th Centuries. At night, there is a spectacular
laser show. The town and surrounding area is charming. Veliko Turnovo University is housed on
another hill.
The bottom is a musical folk quartet. Note their traditional clothing and the varying patterns and
colors.
Rev. 29 Jan
Lesson 4 – Change
Overview of Established Goals: NCSS Themes A, B, D, E, F, H, I
Lesson focus question: What created modern day change for Bulgaria and how long does the
transformation take?
Vocabulary:
Democracy
Totalitarian
Authoritian
Parliamentary Democracy
Emigrate
Immigrate
European Union
Lev
Euro
Evro
Constitution
Background:
Politically, Bulgaria has experienced varying types of leadership and government structure.
It was fully independent at times and it was dominated at others. “Bulgaria became an
independent state again as late as the second half of the 19th century, after the RussoTurkish war
in 1878. Between then and 1944 Bulgaria developed as a parliamentary democracy with a
thriving economy and rich cultural life. Of course, the two major crises after World War I and II
affected the country very seriously and changed the course of its history. This is especially true
of the situation after World War II when the Soviet Union imposed a communist dictatorship in
Bulgaria, which lasted almost 50 years...” (Fulbright 3) Freed of communist control Bulgaria
found that “its posttotalitarian existence has been fraught with problems: political instability,
deep economic crisis, unemployment, corruption, high rate of emigration, very low birth rate
etc.” (Fulbright 3)
In 19901992, Bulgaria had a new democratic leader, economic reforms, and a constitution;
however, it still was not able to stabilize all Bulgarian economics and politics. This is true today.
The Bulgarians went from Nazi control to Soviet totalitarianism. Bulgaria went from several
generations of someone else making decisions to a time when they needed to make decisions but
had no experience or model in how to run a country. This new independence called for a new
mind set as well as new actions. In 2008, many Bulgarians still refer to collapse of communist as
the “big change”.
Bulgaria is not a rich country economically. This complicates the government’s efforts to build
stable policies.
In 2004, Bulgaria joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and three years later it
became a member of the European Union (EU). The shifts from sovereign nation to fascist
control to soviet dictatorship and back to independent nation required many changes. This
included taxation, civil rights, other laws, land use, foreign policy, shifting to a market economy
and more. Then to qualify for EU membership required still more changes and will continue to
do so for several more years. The current monetary unit is the Lev but Bulgaria will use
completely the Euro soon. The latter change seems simple but in the Bulgarian alphabet Euro is
spelt Evro. The name is an issue between Bulgaria and the EU.
Tourism is boosting the Bulgarian economy. Bulgarian wine making and export business is
growing.
The executive branch has a President who is head of government while the legislative branch is a
unicameral with 240 members. The Prime Minister is from the largest political party and is
appointed by the President. There are 28 political regions with a governor to lead each one. No
one political party is dominant.
The organization of government and religious freedom, as well as other rights and
responsibilities are in written form, today. The frustration of the people over economic hardship
is still a challenge to them.
For the Bulgarian people the Coat of Arms is symbolic of their history.
Learning Plan Procedures and Tasks:
This will take 60 minutes
PREAMBLES TO CONSTITUTIONS: What do they reveal?
Topic: Comparing preambles
Content goals:
Review US Constitution and the concepts behind it using the Preamble.
Then read the other sample “preambles”.
With the background notes on Bulgaria and enclosed preambles, students will learn more about
Bulgarian government.
Skills goals:
Analyzing a primary source and connecting those results with other features of government i.e.
Breaking out the major concepts
Putting content into a frame of reference
Comparing and contrasting concept meaning from time when constitution was written
with contemporary interpretations
Reflective thinking on the words and concepts
After reading the documents:
Have students analyze the documents.
Then have them compare and contracts the assorted preambles attempting to answer
What are a constitution and its purpose? (re; Germany “Basic Law”)
What are the stated values of the Bulgarian nation?
How does this reflect change for Bulgaria?
Documents:
Preamble US Constitution
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice,
insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and
secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this
Constitution for the United States of America.
Preamble German Basic Law
www.constitution.org/cons/germany.txt
CONSTITUTION
OF THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA
Prom. SG 56/13 Jul 1991, amend. SG 85/26 Sep 2003, SG 18/25 Feb 2005, SG 27/31 Mar 2006,
SG 78/26 Sep 2006 Constitutional Court Judgment No.7/2006 , SG 12/6 Feb 2007
We, the Members of the Seventh Grand National Assembly, guided by our desire to express the
will of the people of Bulgaria, by pledging our loyalty to the universal human values of liberty,
peace, humanism, equality, justice and tolerance;
by holding as the highest principle the rights, dignity and security of the individual;
in awareness of our irrevocable duty to guard the national and state integrity of Bulgaria,
hereby proclaim our resolve to create a democratic and social state, governed by the rule of law,
by establishing this
www.parliament.bg/?page=const&ing=en
www.servat.unibe.ch/law/icl/bu00000_.html
Greek Constitution
Has no preamble what follows is Part One
PART ONE BASIC PROVISIONS, section one (section 2 is church – state relations)
Article 1
1. The form of government of Greece is that of a parliamentary republic.
2. Popular sovereignty is the foundation of government.
3. All powers derive from the People and exist for the People and the Nation; they shall be
exercised as specified by the Constitution.
Article 2
1. Respect and protection of the value of the human being constitute the primary obligations of
the State.
2. Greece, adhering to the generally recognized rules of international law, pursues the
strengthening of peace and of justice, and the fostering of friendly relations between peoples and
States.
www.hri.org/docs/syntagma/articl25.html#P1
Bulgaria is a relatively small Balkan state located in southeastern Europe. It is not well known
despite its long and rich history. The students are going to help increase their own knowledge
and educate others about this country as well as practicing their analytical, communication and
art skills.
The final major learning activity can be done one of two ways. Students will draw slips of paper
out of a box, illustrate it on a poster and attach a paragraph of why that student finds it important.
Different students will have different topics. The posters and the accompanying paragraph will
be mounted on the wall. The first session will be to review topic on slip, review notes, additional
research if wanted, and plan poster. The second session will be for creating poster and drafting
paragraph. Homework that night will be to finish the paragraph. The third session will be for
attaching the paragraph to the poster and then the entire piece to the wall. Then the students will
do a gallery walk making notes on new information. This will be followed by a whole group
discussion.
After this and as time permits, the class will play a game of Jeopardy with Bulgaria as the theme.
While several students will have the same topic, these are done individually. On the drawn slip
paper will be written one of the following:
1. Illustrate and comment on one of the most interesting examples of Bulgarian cultural life.
2. Illustrate and comment on how Bulgaria’s physical location impacts the country today.
3. Illustrate and comment on why Bulgaria is in transition today.
4. Illustrate and comment on one of Bulgaria’s famous religious buildings
5. Illustrate and comment on one of Bulgaria other unique buildings.
6. Illustrate and comment on the different groups of people living in Bulgaria
7. Illustrate and comment on Bulgarian government
8. Illustrate and comment on the Bulgarian geographical regions.
9. Illustrate and comment on the European Union.
10. Bulgarian recreation. on what is the greatest challenge for Bulgaria today?
Or
Students could create a class newspaper with similar topics for different pages.
Each page would be made up of 3 –4 articles. This can be done electronically or by pasting
items for like the Social/Cultural page together and mount on a wall or window. Each page
would be mounted separately. After all are mounted or printed, students will read the various
pages. Whole class discussion will follow.
Or
Have students create a travel brochure on Bulgaria which would include key must visit places
with information about each, travel tips, do and don’ts and more. These may be hand drawn or
created electronically incorporating current technology skills objectives. This is
interdisciplinary with language arts and technology.
Or
Emily JubertSand suggests:As a culminating activity to the unit, students can create a guidebook
to any visitor who wants to know about Bulgaria. It is important for the instructor to state that
this is not a travel brochure to entice someone to come here, but merely an informational guide.
Students will need to include pictures and paragraphs of description. Some key items to touch
upon will be climate, physical landscape, economy, recreation, food, traditions and culture.
The last piece of this unit is to do the KWL with greater time on the L.
There are many ways to easily modify this unit for younger or older students.
Rev. 11 Jan 09
Bibliography follows
INTRODUCING BULGARIA – A UNIT OF LEARNING
By Ann Ackerman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Education Rivier College Nashua, NH
Fulbright – Hayes Greece and Bulgaria Seminar Participant Summer 2008
Please read annotations, all materials do not have information on Bulgaria but are good sources
for international and cultural studies. The list of materials is for teachers and/or students.
In February 2009, I will have a photo album organized by topics with other details about the
images online. The photos were taken during my trip. If interested in that webpage or if you have
any questions or comments regarding this unit, contact me at aackerman@rivier.edu
Ann Ackerman
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
Articles, Books, and Periodicals
Arlon, Penelope, ed. How People Live. NY: DK Publishing, Inc. 2003.
Good guide to how people live around the world. It does not include Bulgaria but it does
have information on many of its neighbors. Good source for students.
Bennett, Lindsey, and Peter Bennett. Travellers Bulgaria. England: Thomas Cook Pub., 2007.
Blankenship, Glen, and others. Europe in Transition. A volume in the SCIS World in Transition
Series. Atlanta, GA: Southern Center for International Studies, 2002.
Has video to go with it. Great background information on European counties.
Bogdanov, Kiril. Bulgarian Cuisine. Sofia, Bulgaria: Kibea Pub., 2006.
Bossilek, Ran. Fairy Tales. Trans. by terry Whalen and Filipina Filipova. Bulgaria: A&T
Publishing, nd.
Authentic Bulgarina fairy tales originally written by Ran Bossilek.
Bulgarian State Agency for Tourism. The Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. no date.
This agency and the book refer to their website www.bulgariatravel.org
This is a picturesque book on the major black sea communities and ports.
“Comprehensible Bulgaria; Transliteration of the Bulgarian proper names in Latin script”. This
is actually a brochure that shows the Cyrillic alphabet and its Latin counterpart. Several
websites are listed on the brochure http://transliteration.ibl.bas.bg and
www.mdaar.government.bg
Crampton, R.J. A Concise History of BULGARIA. 2nd ed. Cambridge, England: Cambridge U.
Press, 2007.
CultureGrams World Edition 2009. Provo, Utah: ProQuest LLC, 2008.
Information on many countries. Easy to use even for younger students.
Friedman, Thomas. The World Is Flat. NY: Farrar, Straus, and Girous. 2006
Looks at numerous business practices, structures, and interconnected. He places
emphasis on improving US math and science education while he gives little attention to
social studies education.
Goethe Institut, Washington, DC
Germany in Europe (2007)
One volume from a collection of grade leveled lessons with overheads and/or Cds. They are
updated regularly. This particular volume has good information on the European Union.
Some of the volumes are available also as a for at www.goethe.de/top
This particular volume is found at www.toponline.org/books/tops/germanyineurope/toc.html
Greenwood Encyclopedia of Daily Life. Westport, CT: Greenwood Pub. Inc., 2004.
Students may select countries or regions and then for specific time periods.
There is some information on Bulgaria. The portion on Bulgarian food is especially good.
Kindersley, Barnabas and Anabel. Children Just Like Me. NY: DK Publishing, Inc., 1995.
Created in cooperation with UNICEF and The United Nations Children’s Fund.
Excellent children’s information source which is laid out well. Does not include Bulgaria but
excellent resource and one of its country studies could be used as a template for studying
Bulgaria or another country
Kreis, Carol, ed. Globalization. #N07305. New York: Newsweek Education Program
Magazine, 2007. The education website may have it www.newsweekeducation.com
Special magazine focusing on globalization with readings, lessons, and assessments.
Merryfield, Merry, and Angene Wilson. Social Studies and the World: Teaching Global
Perspectives. Bulletin 103. DC: NCSS,2005.
Collection of lessons.
The Little Gift Book of Bulgaria. Forward byHristo Bukovski. 3rd ed. Check Republic: Boria,
2007.
A Travel book with history and photographs of major historic and scenic places in Bulgaria.
UNESCO Publications such as their World Surveys of Education, Yearbooks, and more.
Wiggins, Grant P., and Jay McTighe. Understanding By Design. ASCD, 2005.
Websites
Ackerman, Ann T. “Welcome to Ann Ackerman’s Album, Germany 2006,” reference webpage
with photos and explanations from the TOP 2006 study/travel seminar, for student and
teacher use, found at www.picasaweb.google.com/atackerman. Open to the public at that
same site in February will be the Bulgaria 2008 album. In May, the Greece album will be
opened.
Avalon Project. Yale Law School. http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avakin/
Great location for primary sources particularly those related to government and law.
Bulgarian Culture. Folk Dances. www.bulgarianproperties.com/topimg/0_2260_72
Bulgarian Embassy. www.bulgariaembassy.or/aboutbulgaria.htm
Among the many items on this site is the national anthem which may be downloaded.
Bulgarian Parliament. www.parliament.bg
Some items in English while others are in Bulgarian.
Britannica Online. www.britannica.com
Reliable survey source and easy to read. For student use.
“Bulgaria, Outreach World; a resource for teaching kids about the world”.
www.outreachworld.org/resource.asp?curriculum=647
“Bulgaria Overview”. www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/bulgaria.
Comexus. www.comexus.org.mx
This home page may come up in Spanish but go to “summer
programs” and it will take you to the Fulbright – Hays pages.
“Cultural Globalization”, http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/cultural globalization
Cultural Grams world Edition. 2008. ProQuest.
http://Oonline.culturegrams.com.lib.rivier.edu:80/world/world
Then select the world country sections
This is a subscription website; thus, the citation would be different for your school.
“DailyLife<<Karolinka In and Around Bulgaria”.
http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2008/12/03/dailyfife/
“Discover Your Bulgaria”. www.bulgariantourism.com
“European Union.” http://europa.eu
Eurydice Information on Education in Europe.
http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/Eurydice/ByCountryResults?countryCode=BG
The information regarding Bulgarian education is still in its earliest stages.
Fulbright website. www.fulbrightexchange.org
Geocities.com has numerous useful selections with photos i.e.
www.geocities.com/phantomu4u/NDK.htm “National Palace of Culture”
www.geocities.com/phantomu4u/History.html chronological history & photos
Geographia. www.geograpia.com/ then insert country name
“Global Incidents Maps” . www.globalincidentmap.com/map.php
If you don’t want to subscribe, in the upper left (just under banner at top of screen) there is a
tiny link to the map itself. Click links to look at map without subscribing Other map links at
bottom
“Global Interdependence”. www.frontiernet/~mikef/lessonplans/lesson1a.htm
“Globalization 101” a project of the Levin Institute, SUNY, www.globalization101.org
Has information, lessons, newsletter and more. Go to section “For Teachers,”
then “Syllabi” for grouped lessons.
http://goeasteurope.about.com/od/bulgaria/ss/sofia_religious_7.htm
Greenwood Daily Life Online: Exploring Everyday Life Past and Present. Greenwood
Publishing Group. http://0dalylife.greenwoood.com.rivier.edu
This is a subscription website and is arranged differently from the print version.
Hahn, Jeanette A., and Gina Peirce. Bulgaria. Center for Russian and E. European Studies,
University Pittsburgh, January 2, 2006.
www.outreachworld.org/resources.asp?curriculumid=647 Includes excellent background
materials on Bulgaria and good photos.
Institute of International Education. www.iie.org
This site gives lists of programs, primarily for educators to participate in global exchanges.
“International Digital Children’s Library online books from around the world”,
www.icdlbooks.org
“Maps”, www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ add country name .html
“Maps”, www.yourchildlearns.com add the country name. Maps may be downloaded free
as of December 2008. Lessons also available at this cite.
McMillan, Nora. “Morocco” under publications at
www.accd.edu/sac/history/mcmillan/default.html
National Council for the Social Studies. www.ncss.org
National Geographic
www.ngeo.com/xpeditions/lessons/10/g912/globalzition.html
www.nationalgeographic.com
www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atalas/index.html?parent=europe&Rootmap+&Mode=d&subMode
National Geographic materials are always great and student friendly. In the Xpeditions’
collections there are maps for classroom use and sample lessons for teachers.
“Outreach World: A Resource for Teaching Kids the World”, www.www.outreachworld.org
Materials for teachers and more
“Outreach World: A Resource for Teaching Kids About the World”, www.state.gov
PrinceGibson, Etta. “ The Burger the Love to Hate”, Jerusalem Post. May 31, 2002, reprinted in
BIG MAC, pp. 1419. Also found at
http://www.globalpolic.org/globaliz/cutural/2002/053mcdonisrael.htm
Schrock, Kathy. www.school.discovery.com/schrockeguide
Lots of great information and lessons on a variety of topics.
“The House in Bulgaria”. www.bulgarianestates.org/tipsThe_House_in_Bulgaria_100en.html
This is actually a real estate site but it gives information on historic buildings besides those
which are for sale.
Thinkquest. www.thinkquest.com/library
Juried competitions of student projects on a widevariety of subjects many international
history and politics. Lots of ideas for teachers and potential motivators for students.
Time Magazine. www.timeforkids.com/TFK/goplaces/main
United Nations, un.org/Pubs/CyberSchool/Bus/index.html
UNICEF. www.unicef.org/info by country
US Central Intelligence Agency, www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook.html
And www.cia.gov/library/publications/theworldmap+factbook/geos/bu.html
US Department of Education
www.free.ed.gov
www.ed.gov/programs/iegpsrc/index.html
US Department of State, www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3236.htm#geo
US Library of Congress. Country Studies.
http://1cweb2.loc.gov/cgibin/query/r?frd/cstudy:@field(DOCID+bg0070)
Good but somewhat dated since most of this is from 1992. It does have a glossary.
US States Peace Corps. peacecorps.gov//wws/educators/lessonplans/lesson.cfm?lpid=345&sid=4
Their publication Building Bridges is excellent. Citation above have the basics of culture and
then expands beyond that. This publication and other may be downloaded. The lesson on
what is culture could be used with this Bulgaria unit. There are numerous sources of
information and lessons just at www.peacecorps.gov/ then click for teachers and students.
“World on a String”, www.col–ed.org/cur/sst/sst41.txt
World History Project. Center for World History. University of California, Santa Cruz
www.2.UCSC.edu//teachingworkshop.html
World Trade Organization, www.wto.org
Ann‘s Fulbright Colleagues’ Blog WebPages
Antonucci, Robert. http://bantonucci.edublogs.org
Gartland, Janna. http://schoolhouseglobalrock.blogspot.com
Henn, Mark. http://gbfulbright.blogspot.ocm He also has a Flickr webpage under mjordanhenn.
For photos of many of the antiquities, jewelry etc. that is the website. Mark was sometimes
our “official press photographer”. Bulgaria does not have the financial resources to support
all of its museums and archeological digs, so they charge small fee to take photos in their
museums. Be warned there are 2 3,000 photos total from both countries as of January 2009.
Quadros – Meis, Myra. http://quadrosfulbright.blogspot.com
Bulgarian Presenters
I am most appreciative to the many Bulgarian scholars whose presentations in Bulgaria
helped enriched my learning:
Dr. Yordan Baev, Assoc. Prof., Military Historical Research Section, Rakovski Defence and Staff
College
Dr. Dinko Dinkov, Department of International Relations, University of National and World
Economy
Dr. Boyan Dobrev, Assoc. Prof., Academy of Fine Arts, Fulbright alum
Dr. Rayna Gavrilova, Assoc. Prof., Department of Cultural Studies, SofiaUniversity, Fulbright
alumna
Dr. Kostadin Grozev, Department of History, Sofia University, Fulbright alum
Daniela Ivanova, PhD. candidate, Institute of Art Studies, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Assoc. Prof. Milena Katsarska, American Corner Coordinator, Department of English Phylology,
Plovdiv University
Dr. Ludmila Kostova, Ass. Prof. and Head, Department of English and American Studies, Veliko
Turnovo University
Dr. Julia Stefanova, University of Sofia and Executive Director of the Bulgarian – American
Fulbright Commission
Dr. Tamara Todorova, Department of Economics, American University in Bulgaria
Dr. Ilona Tomova, Senior Research fellow, Institute of Sociology, Bulgarian Academy of
Sciences
Dr. Anna-Maria Totomanova, Assoc. Prof., Department of Cyril and Methodius Studies, Sofia
University
Dr. Maya Vassileva, Senior Research fellow, Center of Thracology, Bulgarian Academy of
Sciences, Fulbright alumna
Fulbright Bulgaria Staff and Other Educators at the many schools and colleges that we visited.
There was always one of these Fulbright ladies our touring with us to assist us and answer
questions. They arranged for individualized meeting and experiences for our research when
requested.
The many Bulgarian teachers who interrupted their summer break to meet with us and answer
our many questions.
AND….
My thanks to the scholars and staff at the University of Chicago CEERES - who prepared us so
well for the trip. Your continued support is appreciated. Their website is undergoing expansion
but check it out for resources and lessons at ceeres.uchicago.edu
Rev January 2009