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Becoming an Active Citizen of the EU (Primary School)

Introduce your pupils to the European Union, from its flags and languages to how it works today.

About 2 hours

6 lessons

Self-paced

Certificate included

Free

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A self-paced course for primary teachers who want to introduce the European Union to their pupils: a virtual tour of its symbols, history, institutions and current challenges, with simple explanations and classroom activities ready to use.

What you will learn

  • Explain what the EU is, which countries belong to it and what its symbols, motto and official languages stand for
  • Tell the story of how and why the EU was created, and what the single market means in everyday life
  • Describe in simple words how the EU makes decisions, from the rule of law, citizenship and democracy to the role of its main institutions
  • Bring the EU into class with ready-to-use exercises on countries, flags, landmarks and the euro, and activities on sustainability and healthy eating

About this course

Children grow up as citizens of the European Union, but for most of them the EU remains a distant idea. Learning early what the Union is, where it comes from and how it shapes daily life helps them understand the world around them and prepares them to take an active part in Europe’s future.

This course takes you on a virtual tour of the EU designed with primary classrooms in mind. You will explore its symbols, flags, currencies and languages, follow the story of European integration, see how the main institutions work and discover what the EU does today on climate change and food. Each topic explains the key ideas in simple terms and suggests exercises and activities to use with your pupils. Primary pupils can also follow the course themselves, with the help of a parent or teacher.

Course content

6 lessons · about 2 hours

The course is organised in four topics, each answering a simple question about the EU. The topics combine short readings with links to optional online learning games, and include downloadable exercises with solutions, a true-or-false quiz and ready-made classroom materials on sustainability.

  • 35% Exercises Quizzes and activities to try
  • 65% Slides Presentations and readings
  1. 1 Before We Start 1 topicLocked
  2. 2 1. What is the EU? 9 topicsLocked
  3. 3 2. How was the EU born? 2 topicsLocked
  4. 4 3. How does the EU make decisions? 2 topicsLocked
  5. 5 4. What does the EU do today? 3 topicsLocked
  6. 6 Congratulations! 1 topicLocked

The lessons open once you are enrolled.

Your trainer

Elena Berizzi

Elena Berizzi

European project manager at Europass

Elena works on European projects at Europass Teacher Academy and designs courses on Erasmus+ project writing and accreditation. She has also taught Italian at Europass Italian Language School.

  • Bachelor’s degree in Languages, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
  • Master’s degrees in International Relations and in Economics and Languages of Eastern Europe, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
  • Project management experience at the Italian-Russian Chamber of Commerce in Moscow
  • At Europass since 2021

Created together with Tamara Slovinská and Tatiana Speri.

Your certificate

Complete all the lessons and your certificate of completion is generated automatically, ready to download as a PDF.

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