Conclusions from Portugal

"Let's get to know each other through photography - knowing you, knowing me" was the purpose of this project carried out by six schools of different countries. Students and teachers worked on several activities aimed to demystify people's stereotypes and enlarge our knowledge about other cultures, traditions, ways of thinking and acting as well as to enrich our perception of ourselves.
According to the Portuguese students' feedback, the activities were quite satisfying and motivated them to participate actively in them being the visit of our partners considered the highest point of the project. One of the activities our students liked the most was the e-mail exchange although they agree that they haven't always followed the suggested topics of conversation because of the fact that they don't like being forced to stick to an imposed theme. They also stated that they preferred to chat via MSN instead of writing e-mails. Some of them admit they haven't participated as much as they would have liked to.
During the visit to our school our students had the opportunity to practise their communicative skills. They used the English language and recognized that there are really no language barriers. Through photos, exchange of different traditions and research on different kinds of issues, our students got acquainted with cultural differences and discovered that they share a common youth culture. In spite of the differences between the peoples, there are similarities concerning problems, taste, clothing, idols, values, etc. Thus, we think that the project fulfilled its purpose and our students and teachers not only got to know others but achieved the aim of getting to know themselves: knowing you, knowing me. So, we hope the friendships we built during this time will not come to an end...

E-mail exchange topic from Portugal

- How dependent are you on technology?
- How often a day do you use your computer/ mobile phone/ other gadgets?
- What do you use them for?

The new topic

The students from gimnazjum school in Krajenka have chosen the following topics:

1) Do you like going to the cinema? How often do you go there? What films do you like the most? The film you have seen recently - some comments.

2) Do you like reading books? What kind of books do you enjoy? The book you have read recently - your impression, comments. Do you have "set books" at school? Do you have to read them all or the chosen fragments?

E-mail exchange topic from Greece

· Labour organizations make demostrations during this day. What do workers in your country do to celebrate it?

· When and why did people around the world start celebrating the First day of May?

· What do you do during this day? (Is it a bank holiday? Do you have any traditions?)

· Do you celebrate the First of May?

QUIZ

Goal:

To create a common quiz to be performed online, which includes general questions about important issues that have to do with our nations.

Procedure:

1. Pupils will prepare information on what they think it is important to their nation.

2. Each school will prepare a total of 25 questions.

3. The questions will be written following the enclosed patterns. There are two possibilities:

a. Multiple choice

b. Short answer

4. Some questions could include images (not more than 8 images per school).

5. Each school will send their questions by mail to the coordinating school.

6. The coordinating school will create a common quiz using “HOT POTATOES” computer program.

7. The quiz will be posted online.

8. The quiz will work in a randomized way and each game will consist of answering 20 questions (the total number of included questions will be 150). Students will know their mark immediately.

9. In order to improve students’ learning process, it is important to prepare a feedback for the failed answers carefully.

Topics:

· Languages: basic vocabulary, greetings, idiomatic expressions in our language.

· Geography

· Celebrities

· Tourism

· Others (currency, flag, official languages...)

Timing:

· 30^th April. Each school will send their questions to the coordinating school.

· 30^th May. The coordinating school will post the quiz online.

CASTRO DAIRE MEETING AGREEMENTS

• E-MAIL EXCHANGE. We agreed to continue with the same structure suggested in Duisburg:
o Each participating school, by turns, will suggest a topic.
o Students will write an e-mail and send it to all colleagues according to the grid.
• In order to improve e-mail exchange, teachers will encourage their students writing e-mails.

• School activities, such us the PLEDGE, will be posted onto the blog to guarantee their diffusion to all students.

• A QUIZ including questions from all participating countries will be done using Hot Potatoes computer program. More detailed instructions of this activity will be posted onto the common blog by the coordinating school.

• The final Comenius activity consist of reaching conclusions. Each school will perform this activity in a free way. In order to share conclusions they will be posted onto the common blog before the 31st May.

Castro Daire meeting

We would like to thank the coordinating school and congratulate them for they wonderful organisation and the time spent during the meeting in Castro Daire.