eTwinning project: Christmas Truce
This is the final version of the project plan, used in the application for the project Twinspace.
The project is designed to be flexible, for participants to fit into their own curriculum. If you have any further comments or suggestions, don't hesitate to say – we can also be flexible even after the project has started.
This plan was drafted, amended and approved by the following participants:
Diana Linford (England) and colleagues
Paola Arduini (Italy)
Daniela Bunea (Romania)
Sally Ost (Germany)
Anna Szczepaniak (Poland)
Tomislav Pavlović (Croatia)
Delphine Coquereau (France)
Mojka Lavrič (Slovenia)
Marika Viks (Estonia)
Sophia Voytolovskaya (Ukraine)
Overview of project:
We will include schools from a number of countries around Europe. The project is linked with the sharing of Christmas songs during the Christmas Truce in 1914 in World War 1.
We will share Christmas songs on the Twinspace, including words for the carol 'Silent Night' and will all learn the songs. We will hold a joint Carol Concert via video-conference where we will all sing the songs together, including Silent Night sung in multiple languages, in early December 2014.
We will also share information about Christmas in our countries via the Twinspace, including traditions and food.
We will make and exchange Christmas cards.
There will be a project blog where pupils can explain what work they have been doing on the project.
There will be a Project Diary, which parents can access.
Pupils will be able to access the songs on the Twinspace so that they can practise at home and to facilitate learning about online safety and behaviour.
Project plan
We will include schools from a number of countries around Europe. The project is linked with the sharing of Christmas songs during the Christmas Truce in 1914 in World War 1.
We will share Christmas songs on the Twinspace, including words for the carol 'Silent Night' and will all learn the songs. We will hold a joint Carol Concert via video-conference where we will all sing the songs together, including Silent Night sung in multiple languages, in early December 2014.
We will also share information about Christmas in our countries via the Twinspace, including traditions and food.
We will make and exchange Christmas cards.
There will be a project blog where pupils can explain what work they have been doing on the project.
There will be a Project Diary, which parents can access.
Pupils will be able to access the songs on the Twinspace so that they can practise at home and to facilitate learning about online safety and behaviour.
We may be able to include other IT tools – for example Vokis for the pupils to introduce them selves; and StepMap mapping tool to show where our schools are.
We also hope to produce an ebook and/or an online video of the conference call.
The project will facilitate international peer learning. It will foster an appreciation of the sharing of music and languages; and will increase pupils' awareness of the countries in Europe.
Subjects: cross curricular, music, foreign languages, ICT, history, geography, European studies, Primary School Subjects.
Languages: English (and other participants' languages for the songs)
Pupils' age: 7-11 (Participants to check)
Tools to be used: various ICT tools including blog, digital photos, video-conference, ebook, Video/ MP3 for songs (participants to check school policy on using youtube/ vimeo in the classroom)
Aims:
To learn carols from around Europe. To hold a joint carol concert and sing our carols together, including Silent Night in multiple languages. To remember the Christmas truce of 1914 through the sharing of our Christmas carols.
To find out about Christmas in other European countries.
To use a number of IT tools and integrate ICT into learning.
To make friends internationally through a shared educational project.
To find out about other countries in Europe through shared project work.
For pupils to benefit from international collaboration.
For pupils and teachers to reflect on their learning through the project.
Work process:
1 The children will share carols via the Twinspace. The children in each country will sing and record a carol and these will be uploaded for everyone to share and learn. This will include the sharing of 'Silent Night' in a number of languages.
2 Pupils will have access to the Twinspace and will learn about e-safety.
3 Children will take part in a 'Design a logo' competition for the project.
4 The pupils will share information about Christmas in their country via the Twinspace.
5 The pupils will make and exchange Christmas cards.
6 Schools will hold a video conference carol concert, in early December 2014. We will all sing all the carols together, including 'Silent Night' in a number of languages. Some pupils may play instruments in the concert to accompany the songs.
7 We will link this work with the remembrance of the 'Christmas Truce' of 1914, where soldiers in World War 1 sang Christmas carols together and may have played a game of football.
8 An ebook will be produced, containing work done in the project.
9 There will be a Project Diary, which will be accessible to parents, which will chart the progress and work of the project.
10 We plan to integrate other IT tools within the learning for the project.
11 Pupils will reflect on their learning in the project and these reflections will be shared on the Twinspace. Teachers will also reflect on the benefits of participating in the project.
Expected results:
The sharing of Christmas carols in different languages and a shared carol concert in multiple languages via video-conference.
Cross-curricular work in ICT, English, French, literacy, music, geography and history. Communication, mainly in English, using various ICT tools.
Teachers to share pedagogical ideas and ICT expertise and be part of a European network of teachers using eTwinning.
Pupils to be more globally aware, and in particular to be aware of different countries in Europe.
Integration of music across the curriculum and its use as a means of communication.
Teachers will be encouraged to use the project as best fits with their curriculum for the term.
We will produce an ebook which will be available online via our school websites. The Project Diary will also be accessible.
Our suggested Project Timeline:
Aug-early Sept 2014
Project plan written and agreed.
Twinspace established (when new Twinspace ready- week beginning 15 September). Further members possibly added.
Teachers’ planning conference call.
September onwards
Start Twinspace:
- pupils to design a logo for the project – then they can vote on their favourite one
- sharing information from each country and school (maybe including vokis from the children and StepMap to show where your school and country are in Europe);
- decide which traditional Christmas song you will use and practise it with your pupils;
- practise Silent Night;
- read each others' entries about their schools and discuss in class; comments added in the Twinspace.
October
Upload a recording of your song and the words; and Silent Night.
Start learning all the other songs.
November
Make Christmas cards for the partners.
Write information about Christmas in your country on the Twinspace
Send the Christmas cards by snail mail – on 11 November if possible.
December
Read the information about Christmas in the other countries (pupils can made little books about Christmas in Europe if there is time in your curriculum).
Keep practising the songs.
Hold practice conference calls (teachers only).
Hold the conference carol concert (we could also say what we have learned about Christmas around Europe through doing the project).
Feedback on project journal – what we have learned in the project (pupils and teachers).
January 2015
Outcome – a published ebook or uploading of recordings.
Notes
We decided to keep numbers fairly small so that we could hold the video-call with all the partners.
We planned that the project would be flexible for participants to adapt the project to suit their lessons and curriculum, so that it was an easy and enjoyable project for everyone – but with good learning outcomes for the pupils.
Diana Linford 21.08.14, 02.09.14 and 21.07.15