WATER FOR LIFE (water4life) CONTEXT/BACKGROUND OF PROJECT Fresh water is essential for our existence. It is also an essential part of the natural environment which supports all human, plant and animal life. Each of us have to share responsibility for the sustainable management of our water resources. That means to use less water at home, in the workplace, at school, on holidays: everyone, everywhere, every time. It's time to act. Let’s learn and become water efficient! This involves learning to use water more sparingly and requires a behavioural change. OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT Concerning the project process: the schools • will develope a higher level of education offer • will show a differentiation in working methods • will gain PR for the school Concerning the project process: the teachers • The teachers will learn about different methods through project-based learning. • The teachers will gain the competences to train the pupils in better developing their basic skills in different subjects, in coherence. • The teachers/school develop a strong and motivating learning environment for the pupils. Concerning the project process: the pupils • learn that pupils in other countries can be/will be different and show respect for that. • dare and are able to use ICT as part of their life in communication and cooperation with pupils in other countries • dare and are able to use other languages for communication and cooperation with pupils • in other countries, focussed on English • learn how to cooperate with pupils in other countries Besides this they will learn about: • Important aspects of pollution • Important aspects of the problem and consequences of climatically change • Learning to be aware of their own responsibility (now and in the future) concerning pollution, saving water, saving energy etc. In general: At the end of the project the final result will be a toolbox “WATER EDUCATION”. The toolbox will contain a complete plan for “Water education”, project based, in coherence. • a teachers guide • lesson plans • games • working sheets • examples All the work developed between and during the project meetings will be added. These rationale will be realised through working at the item “WATER FOR LIFE”. How will be the situation in Europe in 2025? What do we have to do and especially what are our responsibilities concerning: 1. Water pollution and consequences for “Water”: 2017-2018 2. Climate changes and the consequences for “Water”: 2018-2019 3. Green (Blue?) energy and “Water”: 2019-2020 NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS Partnership was established between five schools from five countries: • France, Foug, Collège Louis Pergaud ; • Latvia, Dobele, Dobeles 1.vidusskola; • Spain, Aguimes, CENTRO DE EDUCACIÓN INFANTIL Y PRIMARIA ROQUE AGUAYRO; • Portugal, Escola Básica Integrada da Praia da Vitória; • Romania, Scoala Gimnaziala Nr. 11 "Stefan Octavian Iosif", Brasov. DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES - TOPICS 1. Water in our daily life; 2. Water cycle; 3. Water and weather; 4. Water resources; 5. Aquatic ecosystems; 6. Uses of water; 7. Water = green energy source; 8. Drinking water; 9. 3Rs of water conservation: reduce, reuse, recycle. RESULTS AND IMPACT ENVISAGED • A toolbox for teachers concerning “Watereducation”. • Project blog and eTwinning twinspace • Newspaper after every meeting / for every topic; • Project’s diary: impressions, drawings, suggestions; • Posters and flyers – tips to reduce water consumption; • Commercial about “Water”made by pupils • Calendar – local water resources; • Photo album – aquatic ecosystems; • eTwinning project; • simple rules concerning the rational use of water in school, at home; • organizing activities from 1st of March to 31st of May 2018 to disseminate/exchange experience and good practice and their integration into daily activities and to inform parents, mass-media, other schools, entire community from each partner schools regarding the tips of reducing water consumption and the active participation of students in community / society. THE POTENTIAL LONGER TERM BENEFITS • Improved level of key competences and skills; • Improve teaching and learning of languages and promoting the EU's broad linguistic diversity and intercultural awareness (better language skills); • Quality improvements in innovation and internationalization at the level of education and training institutions; • Revised and strengthened professional profile of teaching professions; • Enhancing ICT uptake and non-formal learning through the support of learning and access to open educational resources in the educational field; • Uses of innovative and learner-centered pedagogical approaches; • Healthy behavior through the practice of outdoor activities.
On the basis of our previous Comenius project called “Forest and sustainability”, France and our three European partners (Latvia, Romania and Spain) have developed the “Water For Life” project. As water is essential to the balance of our environment and to its biodiversity – and as its sustainable management is a challenge for the future generations – we have to be well aware of its fragility, we have to act collectively and sustainably and we have to become educated consumers in order to preserve our water resource. The four schools participating in this project are two primary schools (in Gran Canaria and Rumania) and two high schools (in Latvia and France). The students involved in the mobilities are between 10 and 12 years old. The aims of this “Water For Life” project were: to bring knowledge and to provide education for the behaviors as regards to water, as a complement to the disciplinary programs; to make pupils aware of the responsibility of everyone related to access to safe drinking water, related to the pollution of water, to the waste of water, and to the importance of the consequences of global warming; and to make pupils develop significant cross skills (how to search and deal with information, how to mobilize digital tools in order to learn, how to conduct a science approach, how to communicate in a foreign language, etc) , to give a European dimension to the problems related to water; to exchange good practices by teaching lessons in the partner countries, by comparing the learning methods and by sharing the activities carried out in each school. These aims have been reached thanks to activities completed on the following themes: water in everyday life, the different uses of water, safe drinking water, the cycle of water, weather and climate, the importance of water for the aquatic ecosystems, water as a green energy resource and the 3R rule for the preservation of water. There have been various activities over the past 3 years, such as information campaigns, experiments, field trips, visits of companies linked with water, drawing and photo contests, Day events (Erasmus Days, World Water Day…), exhibitions, works of art, group works, and development of lessons. These activities have allowed us to obtain the results that were initially planned for the project, that’s to say the achievement of productions such as a toolbox composed of a digital teaching tool on the cycle of water (”The Amazing Journey Of Droopy”), an e-book and flashcards, a game on water (“Who wants to be a millionaire?”), a digital dictionary (Water and Seasons Vocabulary), many different little educational games (memory board, dominoes, puzzle, picture/definition matching game); on various informative supports such as flyers, posters, magnets, rulers, photo albums, etc. ; a guide book for teachers including teaching tools (tutorials of experiments, lessons related to the studied themes); collaborative productions such as works of art, a lapbook on the aquatic ecosystems (the river Moselle, the Danube delta, the Baltic Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, the marshes of Latvia), a song on 2020 World Water Day (“Thirsty”), a charter on the use of water. The project has had positive impacts on the participants, that have been measured both qualitatively and quantitatively through the past three-year- project. The students have shown how more motivated they had been as far as schoolwork was concerned, thanks to a different learning approach (more participation and attention towards the foreign teachers). They have become aware of the importance of English as a tool to communicate, showing more motivation for this school subject. They have acquired new knowledge about water and they have become aware of the importance of water and of environmental issues. They have developed personal skills in a more motivating school environment (autonomy, reflexion, adaptation capacity while working differently, self-confidence and openness to others, mastering the ICT tools knowledge). The teachers have developed new teaching methods, have shared good practices experiences, have had the opportunity to work in a multi-disciplinary setting and they also have developed personal skills (ICT, English as a foreign language, project management). All the school staff has been involved in the different meetings and activities which enabled better communication within the school, openness to different cultures and higher motivation for school work. Pupils’ parents have been able to improve their skills in foreign languages too and to open themselves to cultures from other European countries when they welcomed the partners.