We want to gather and reflect on information from the past and present living conditions of pupils, families and teachers in the participating countries to find an understanding for the role we all play as present citizens of Europe and in a future global society.

All aspects will be elaborated in the light of a local, national and European understanding of the term "quality" understood as basic values reflected in a cultural heritage.

For the first and the second years of the project, only three schools have got the agreement of their national agency (France, Slovenia & UK).

In 2004/2005, the co-ordinating meetings took place in Le Thor (France) from November 6th to 10th and in Trbovlje (Slovenia) from January 15th to 19th 2005.

Project calendar 2004 / 2005

2004/2005: Past

Mutual website for the entire project describing  process and all results will be made available at http://comenius0407.free.fr. This will continue to be part of the project.

It was agreed that all presentations would be PowerPoint presentations to be forwarded to Denmark as a ppt or html file.

a. The Industrial Revolution –  Elaborated by the UK and DK

b. World War 1 – Elaborated by UK , France , Slovenia . Interviews with grand parents, use of artefacts and documents/literature relevant to WW1

c.The Depression – Elaborated by Denmark . To look at this area from a personal and historical perspective.

d. World War 2 – Elaborated by all project partners. Interviews with grand parents, use of artefacts and documents/literature relevant to WW2.

e. The Fall of Communism – Elaborated by Slovenia . The process and how this has impacted on modern-day Slovenia . Changes in everyday life, both locally and nationally.

We will create multimedia presentations including text, pictures and soundtracks of important moments of the participants’ national history, and explanations of why the moments are important today.

Exchange of teachers’ experiences

There will be an exchange of teachers’ experiences of both pedagogical issues in general, and in particular working sessions regarding the project. In all parts of the project we will describe the teachers’ planning and practice, working with the agreed subject in order to establish best practice. This will be put on the teachers’ part of the internet.

The headteacher’s exchange

Since it is crucial to involve the headteachers it was discussed that there could be the possibility of extra grant funding to allow headteacher visits to participating partner countries.

Slovenia and UK to discuss with their national offices.

The pupil and teacher exchange

Slovenia and UK to discuss the exchange of pupils and teachers in April 2005. UK to explore links with local secondary schools to facilitate this.

The different school systems

We also want to compare school systems, curriculum and learning styles to examine and exchange views on “best practice”. A brief description of the national school systems will be put on the mutual web site. All participating countries will send a description to Denmark before the end of December 2004.

Dissemination

Teachers to exhibit children’s work in school. Both teachers and pupils to communicate the aims of the project with parents, using school magazines and newsletters.

Extended use of local press and television, co-operation with local industry, commerce and local community. This is underway and will continue to be part of the project.

Exhibitions to be made in all the participating schools to raise awareness of the aims of the project for both pupils and parents. This is underway and will continue to be part of the project.

Teachers’ reflections on best practice. Teachers to exhibit children’s work in school, both teachers and pupils to communicate the aims of the project with parents using school magazines and newsletters with extra-curricular links.

All results can be presented with the use of different media, besides the agreed. (Pictures, music, drama, art, literature etc)

Improving English

To improve the ability of participants in use of the English language for communication, and to make the pupils aware of differences and similarities between their own and foreign languages.

All written results must be made in both the national language and English. All participating schools to forward initial work to UK who will check for errors and return.

Christmas 2004

Participating schools to send reports of school preparations for Christmas during early December, and traditional preparations in the home after Christmas. To exchange traditional Christmas cards between partner schools, and communicate local and national customs by e-mail.

Hans Christian Andersen

To celebrating the 200th anniversary of Hans Christian Andersen’s birth ( 2^nd April 2005 ) and compare his fairytales with the fairytales of other involved nations.  All schools to concentrate on the story of “The Ugly Duckling”, exchange books  and illustrations, to either scan and e-mail or send by traditional mail. Participating schools to look at different stories written by Hans Christian Anderson and make displays, gather children’s work and share with participating schools.

Denmark will select illustrations from The Ugly Duckling drawn by famous illustrators, to be exchanged with partner schools.

National language or English

All results will be translated from own language into English. All participating schools to forward initial work to UK who will check for errors and return.

Curriculum

It is agreed that the project will be integrated into each school’s curriculum, in particular the subject’s of History, Geography and English. Whenever possible cross-curricular themes in Art, Music, Drawing, Technology, Mathematics etc. will be included. This is underway and will continue to be part of the project.

It is also agreed that, when the content in the details of certain subjects does not fit into the national curriculum, each school may work according to the national curriculum instead of working with major historical events - they can work with, for example, “The life of my grandparents, parents and myself”.

Evaluation

When sending an end result to the webmaster in FR all countries have to suggest 10 questions for a multiple choice survey to be answered by other participants. 1 question and 3 answers (1 right and 2 wrong)

DK will try to make a web-based survey for the project.

Extras

All the topics are to be communicated to all partner schools before starting and at the end. This is underway and will continue to be part of the project.

Most of the participants agreed to develop the use of web conferencing to communicate processes and results. This will be investigated during the forthcoming year.

It was agreed that we would communicate the everyday experiences of teachers. For example: the cost of purchasing a car, salary, cost of living, and anything that could inform partner schools of similarities and differences in our countries. Denmark to make a framework for completion by participating schools.

Using exchange of daily pictures several times a year; exchange of children’s diaries, statistics on everyday events etc.

It was decided to invite Sweden , Spain , Romania and Denmark into Year 2 of the project.

Postponed

Similarities and differences between two regions in the participant’s own country and between the involved countries. This will be illustrated by facts concerning climate, vegetation, farming, fishing etc. It was decided to postpone this item until the second year of the project.

The gathering and interpretation of geographical facts about the participating countries. It was decided to postpone this item until the second year of the project.

Future

A final exhibition using a variety of media illustrating all end products will be held in the UK in June 2007.

In 2005/2006, the first co-ordinating meeting took place in Le Thor (France) from October 12th to 16th.

  
 
2005/2006: Past & Present

Mutual website for the entire project describing  process and all results is available at http://comenius0407.free.fr. This will continue to be part of the project.

Students activities

• To create quizzes to allow pupils to research the geography and history of their own and partner schools' countries. One quiz for the younger children (ages 8 - 9 years) to consist of 10 questions on the geography of their country. The other quizzes for children aged 10 and 11 years to consist of 20 questions on the history of their country, and 20 questions on the geography of their country. Each quiz to be written as a Word document and sent to partner schools by email.

• Children aged 7 - 8 years to create a diary of a day in their life. Each child to be given a framework to complete this task, and this will be summarised in the form of a 24 hour timeline that will be sent to each partner school. This timeline will consist of 12 A4 sheets of paper, arranged landscape and laminated, each sheet to represent 2 hours, photographs and illustrations may be added separately. The part of the day that represents the time when children are sleeping will be shown on black paper, with illustrations representing their dreams.

• This will be developed into a weekly diary to be completed by all children, 6 children's diaries will be published on the website.

• For a period of 10 days, the daily exchange of photographs with a caption explaining the activity, prepared and sent by email by the children.

Monday: Sport

Tuesday: Break time

Wednesday: A street

Thursday: Lunch time

Friday: Art

Monday: Arriving at school

Tuesday: Lessons

Wednesday: A special moment

Thursday: Staff meeting

Friday: In the library

• Children aged 9 - 11 years to correspond by letter to partner schools. Letters to be written mainly in English, but also in French where appropriate. 

• To liaise with partner schools and share customs, traditions and festivals by exchange of photographs, text and artwork. For example: Guy Fawkes Night for England, Christmas customs in all countries, Carnival in Slovenia and France etc.

• Partner schools will explore the possibility to share ideas through video conferencing, initially by teachers, and then by children. 

• Celebration of Europe Day on 9th May 2006. Each school to celebrate in their own way and send pictures to France for publication on the website. Each school to organise press coverage and send newspaper articles to participating schools.

Teacher Activities

Teachers in participating schools to complete a questionnaire about the every day life-styles and cost of living in their own country. A template for the questionnaire will be sent from France to each participating school. After completion, these will be returned to France for publication on the website.

Headteacher’s visit

Headteacher from Slovenia to visit French school

Pupils or/and teachers exchange

Two teachers from Slovenia to visit French school

Two teachers from France to visit English school

  
Dissemination

Teachers to exhibit children’s work in school. Both teachers and pupils to communicate the aims of the project with parents, using school magazines and newsletters, and school website.

Extended use of local press and television if possible, co-operation with local industry, commerce and local community. This is underway and will continue to be part of the project where appropriate.

Exhibitions to be made in all the participating schools to raise awareness of the aims of the project for both pupils and parents. This is underway and will continue to be part of the project.

All results can be presented with the use of different media, besides the agreed. (Pictures, music, drama, art, literature etc.)

Improving English

To improve the ability of participants in use of the English language for communication, and to make the pupils aware of differences and similarities between their own and foreign languages.

All written results must be made in both the national language and English. All participating schools to forward initial work to UK who will check for errors and return.

 
Curriculum

It is agreed that the project will be integrated into each school’s curriculum, in particular the subject’s of History, Geography and English. Whenever possible cross-curricular themes in Art, Music, Drawing, Technology, Mathematics etc. will be included. This is underway and will continue to be part of the project.

It is also agreed that, when the content in the details of certain subjects does not fit into the national curriculum, each school may work according to the national curriculum instead of working with major historical events - they can work with, for example, “The life of my grandparents, parents and myself”.

Evaluation

Each participating school will evaluate the impact of the project activities on their children and teachers and communicate this to all partner schools and in the annual report.

Future

A final exhibition using a variety of media illustrating all end products will be held in the UK in June 2007.

In 2006/2007, the first co-ordinating meeting took place in Le Thor (France).

 
2006/2007: 

Mutual website for the entire project describing  process and all results is available at http://comenius0407.free.fr. This will continue to be part of the project.