European Union Center

About EUROPA - "EUROPA is the portal site of the European Union. It provides up-to-date coverage of European Union affairs and essential information on European integration. Users can also consult all legislation currently in force or under discussion, access the websites of each of the EU institutions and find out about the policies administered by the European Union under the powers devolved to it by the Treaties."

I. Introduction

• Europa - Panorama
  A brief, simple explanation of what the European Union is. Includes links to information on what the EU does and how it's organized.
  
• Europa - Europe in 12 Lessons
  A basic, 12 part introduction to the European Union.
• European Union Center Quiz and Answer Key
  A short introductory European Union quiz, complements of the European Union Center.

II. Basic Facts

• Europa - Key Facts and Figures
  Includes information on size, population, candidate countries, work, the economy, education, research, etc. Presents information in colorful charts and graphs.
  
• CIA World Factbook - European Union
  Detailed information on geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for the European Union as a whole. Also contains links to the same information on individual countries. Includes a map of EU member countries and candidates for membership.

III. Individual Countries and Geography

• BBC News - Inside Europe
  The bottom of this page includes links to individual country profiles. Each profile includes a general overview, basic facts about that country and information about leaders and media.
  
• BBC News - Inside Europe - Enlarging Europe
  Information about countries that are candidates for EU membership. Includes an interactive map with links to brief summaries and more in-depth country profiles about each candidate country.
  
• CIA World Factbook
  Detailed information on geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for every world country. Also includes information on the European Union as a whole (see above).
  
• Sheppard Sofware - European Geography Quizzes
  Website includes European geography quizzes in three different subject areas (capitals, countries, and landscape) with up to nine levels of difficulty.

IV. History

• Europa - History
  A brief summary of EU history, plus links to key events in EU history from 1946 to 2005.
  
• BBC News - Inside Europe - EU Milestones
  An interactive timeline of European Union history from 1948 to 2003, including major events and brief summaries.
  
• BBC News - Inside Europe - Enlarging Europe
  An animated map showing EU enlargement from 1952 to 2004.
  
• MCE European NAvigator
  A multimedia reference on the history of Europe. Summaries, articles and photographs about the history of Europe. Not all of the site is presented in English, although most summaries, captions and navigational features are. The photographs available under the "historical events" tree structure (on the left hand side of the page) are of particular interest. Requires Flash.

V. Government and Politics

• Europa - Organization of the EU
  A brief introduction to the political organization of the EU. Includes sections on the the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the Court of Justice, the Court of Auditors, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions, the European Central Bank, and the European Investment Bank.
  
• Europa - Treaties and Laws
  An overview of the treaties on which the political organization of the EU is founded.
  
• European Union - Delegation of the European Commission to the USA
  A site dedicated to providing information on EU policies to Americans.
  
• BBC News - Inside Europe - European Parliament Guide
  A short, 7 part guide to the European parliament.
  
• BBC News - Inside Europe
  Links (at the bottom of the page, under "useful links") to official EU government websites. A good set of resources, although they may be somewhat technical.

VI. Current Events

• Europa Home Page
  The right hand side of the Europa home page includes a "quick links" section, which often contains information about news, recent reports, and upcoming events, such as Spring Day in Europe and Green Week.
  
• BBC News - Inside Europe
  This is a section of the BBC news website devoted especially to European Union news. Although not designed specifically for secondary school students, the news presented on the BBC website is very accessible. Main stories include photographs, and the website as a whole includes many useful links.
  
• Cafe Babel
  European current affairs magazine.
  
• Europa - Eurojargon
  Definitions of dozens of terms used in talking about EU affairs.

VII. Daily Life and Human Interest

• Europa - Symbols of the EU
  Information on some symbols of the European Union, including the EU flag, the EU anthem, the EU motto and EU Day.
  
• Europa - Travel - Communicating
  General information for travelers, includes a section on how to say "good morning" in every official EU language.
  
• Europa - Languages in the EU
  Sample written and recorded texts in every official EU language.
  
• National Geographic World Music Page
  Information about artists and musical styles from all over the world. Includes audio files.

VIII. Other Curriculum Resources

• Turkey-EU Curriculum unit developed by the EUC
  The primary objective of this curriculum is to provide a background to the Turkey-EU through a series of lessons and activities, which can be used in conjunction with classroom materials or expanded on their own. After the unit, students will have a greater understanding of what being European means, how regional integration is built on history, and how European integration affects the rest of the world.
  
• Globalization101.org
  A website "dedicated to providing students with information and interdisciplinary learning opportunities on this complex phenomenon." Includes lesson plans for teachers.
  
• TraveLessons for Teachers Program
  A series of short study abroad programs in Spain, France, and Mexico designed for teachers and sponsored by Grand Valley State University.
  
• European Union Teaching Resources
  Curriculum units, EU simulators, Powerpoint materials and other resources suggested by educators.
  
• UCLA - Center for European and Eurasian Studies
  Lesson plans on European Union subjects, arranged by topic.
  
• Lesson Planet
  A collection of lesson plans on various topics, including the European Union. Registration required.
  
• New York Times - Daily Lesson Plans
  Lesson plans for grades 6-12 to help educators bring current events into the classroom.
  
• Illinois Geographic Alliance - Lesson Plans - European Study Tour
  Lesson plans from the 2005 European Study Tour. (Click on "Go to lesson plans.")
  
• European Union in-class simulations
  Suggestions for running an in-class European Union simulation. (In PDF format.)

I2I is an initiative of the Joint Area and Thematic Study Centers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign which offers information, resources and professional development opportunities for K-16 teachers.