Through this project, we want to enable students to acquire a better knowledge of their own culture and discover the culture of other European countries. This will help them build their European citizenship. Thanks to the activities, they will develop their sense of cooperation and civic-mindedness. Students will discover the culture, population and traditions of other countries. They will be able to identify the partners' civic and environmental characteristics. On one hand, this cultural immersion will allow the elementary school pupils them to make greater use of English in oral and written communication situations. On the other hand, it will awaken students from kindergarten to linguistic diversity. This project will fight against school drop-out and inequalities among students thanks to the pleasure, the motivation generated by the artistic, cultural and pedagogical activities proposed. In addition, these activities will be adapted to students with disabilities. There are four partners: Romania, Portugal, France and the overseas department of Guadeloupe. The latter brings an additional cultural dimension because of its geographical location (Caribbean). The activities will cover several aspects of cultural heritage including literature, gastronomy, monuments, music. This activities will lead to the co-construction of cultural supports such as an e-book, interactive cooperation activities (videoconference, Twinspace), and the creation of a website. The project will open up the educational community to European culture. Teachers and students will improve their English skills. Moreover, teachers will exchange on their teaching practices and gain expertise. They will spread the ERASMUS + program to schools in their region by sharing their experience. Finally, schools will be able to create a network of partners and develop their dimension within Europe to better promote its values.
This project was carried out in 4 European countries: Romania, Portugal and two French schools: one in Brittany and one in Guadeloupe. This project allowed pupils (aged 2 to 10) and teachers from the different partner countries to discover and work on their own cultures and those of other partner countries. They were able to realise that each country has its own specificities but that, despite the differences, we are all part of the same Europe. They had to work together to create the project activities. The pupils and their teachers deepened their knowledge of their own culture (regional and national) and discovered the cultures of other European countries. They regularly practised English as it was the language used for all the exchanges that took place, both written and oral. The partners involved interacted constantly during the project. The activities proposed were concrete and explicit enough to obtain full support from the children who had dropped out of school. They opened up the world to all the partners' educational communities. Exchanges took place around several themes: legends, gastronomy, monuments, dance, songs and the arts. E-books were created to share the presentations of each partner. Video-conferences were held between the classes in the partnership. During the mobilities, there was time for exchanges between the teachers and the pupils present. The partners thus benefited from a cultural opening on Europe. The English skills of each partner were improved. Thanks to the mobilities, the partners have enriched their professional practices and now have a better knowledge of the education systems of each partner country. The training received was able to be reinvested in the classroom. The novice partner was able to see the richness of Erasmus projects and was able to benefit from the expertise of his partners in coordinating the project. The partners involved were able to increase the European dimension of their schools. Permanent links have been created between the partners. The teaching teams wish to continue exchanges with European partners.