The aim of the project is two folded. The first one is to let pupils know the school system of partners’ schools. In this way the pupils will have the opportunity to compare similarities and differences among their countries and other countries in the European Union.
The second one is to let pupils do a mutually planned scientific research on Wild Orchids found in their region, and share results with their partners.
Students age: 12 - 14
Subjects:
• Foreign language, civil education (first part)
• Geography, geology, botany (scientific work)
• Email connections, electronic presentation tools, digital photography, digital imaging software (ICT)
Languages: English
Duration: 6 months, January-June 2007
School grade: Secondary
Following our first etwinning project “Comparing and Contrasting a Maltese Ecosystem with an Italian one”, this is a follow up. We enjoyed the first etwinning project so much, that we immediately agreed with the Italian and Danish schools to enrol on this project as well. In this way, we can continue organising fieldworks on Sunday mornings, and continue learning more ecology on location. We will be focusing on the wild orchids, that are very difficult to find, and in the mean time, the students are learning more and more Maltese plant species, by comparing the plants that we encounter to books to try to identify the species and hence we are learning their names and more information about them. If it wasn’t for such projects, my students won’t have the opportunity to learn so much about Maltese species.
AIMS
The students use English, a foreign language for all partners schools, in order to exchange information.
In the first part, about their school (building, subjects and timetable, liking and disliking in subjects) and about themselves (physical appearance, family and so on)
Exchanging this information they can better know the culture of the country of the partner schools.
In the second part, they’ll research and write about their region, geographical and geological descriptions of where wild orchids can be found and about wild orchids species.
As a conclusion, in the blooming period, if possible for all partner schools, each one will bring pupils on the field and they’ll do a simple research on wild orchids species found, number of specimens, approximate position of them, taking also pictures. These will be shared via email between all school partners.
In this way they can know better how to organize a work flow and communicate found results with the side result of discussing an enchanting subject, studied in an almost straight line south to north for about 2500 km.
They use the ICT and the group work.
The model of collaboration that has been chosen is the teacher team twinning and the cross-curricular option where groups of teachers work together on a common theme and discover that the world of education is one.
EDUCATIVE VALUE
The project gives the students a chance to get a general view of schools in other countries and of how pupils around Europe Union deal with a common task.
EDUCATIVE USE OF THE INFORMATIC TOOLS
Working on the project pupils improve their computer-related skills
• Digital cameras for recording work and digital imaging programs
• Word processors for writing down essays
• Electronic presentations of the work and pictures taken
• Emails in order to exchange such information, pictures and texts
DETAILED PROJECT DESCRIPTION
December. Work done in advance, presentation text written to be sent later on. Pupils on the same class will be coupled and will work on the same sub-project (i.e. school presentation; school level…)
A. The partners
1. Presentation of the school. School level, school system, timetable, organization and so on.
2. Presentation of the pupils themselves
B. The preparatory work
1. Presentation of the Country and Region where each partner school is
2. Geography of the place where orchids are found
From January, real start of the exchange. Sending by email of the work so done.
3. Description, pictures, data, and so on of the places where wild orchids are to be found:
• geology of the locations
• what kind of land there’s (hills, plains…)
• rough sketch of the climate there
• kind of vegetation around places where orchids are to be found (trees, meadows…)
• orchids themselves (species, habitat, blooming season…)
From March on. Field work. Two to three trips with the pupils to where orchids are found.
C. The orchids
“Orchids Chase”. The pupils will be joined in small groups. Each one will receive a picture sheet of the orchids more probably found in the location, a registration sheet where enter name, approximate position and the numbers of orchids found, and they’ll hunt wild orchids for two or three hours.
Sharing the results of the “chase” emailing presentations with text, data and pictures.
During the same trips picture contest between pupils to be judged by partners school pupils.
June, till the end of term.
D. Discussion of the results between the pupils themselves.
Each other will write his/her impression of the work done.
In this project we are focusing on photography, comparing the plants to diagrams and pictures that we find in books, and learn more about them. The students are doing research about the orchids, and they are learning more about orchids found on the Maltese islands, and those found in Denmark and Germany.
Apart from the Biological point of view, the students are learning more how to communicate by emails, taking photos, and sending presentations to each other across countries. In their emails, they don’t only ask about the orchids, but about everything: the school system, the weather, their lifestyles, where they go out in the evenings, what they do during lent and Easter times, what they eat, customs, traditions etc.
