We want to raise awareness of how important birds are and what we can do to help save them around Europe. We are going to do several exciting activities connected to science and culture. Project about our national birds related to the environment. Firstly, we are going to find out and learn about our national birds and their migration, their routes. We explore the travel routes of our national birds in both ways - in nature, in maps. Secondly, to meet to the ornithologist for a knowing lecture on bird migration on roads. Searching for information on both national birds and meeting with an ornithologist. We also organize online meeting of all schools. Thirdly, we are going to learn songs and dances about them. Therefore all partnership schools compare the diversity of Latvian, Italian, Slovenian, Spain, and Croatian dances and songs. Set up a bird opera where our school pupils will music and sing. Next, writing a fairy tale, poems, a story, describing the birds' adventures: Can these birds meet? Objectives are: Acquire new knowledge of the national birds of all countries, on migration routes, on songs and dances related to birds. The book that summarizes children's stories with sequel a new story about bird' trips and adventures, which will come with a rhetorical question - could they meet? The Erasmus + project “Birds have to fly!" aims: giving young people a chance to meet and learn together, to learn new knowledge by enriching themselves; promoting our cultural heritage in Europe. In the course of the project, we will promote reading skill, healthy lifestyle and knowledge about dancing, singing as a good and useful leisure opportunity among young people, while at the same time developing a youth initiative, allowing for creativity; fostering intercultural contact and tolerance. The project will engage young people who want to learn not only on the school bench but also to be active after learning, to enrich their vision, to accept the difference and to gain new experience and friends. Our partners will be friends from and Slovenia, Croatia, Italy and Spain. The contribution of our project partners, therefore, will be the sharing of their experiences, knowledge and skills, and together with the cooperation of young people. Project partners have been chosen carefully, our partners from Spain are known from the previous partnership, from Erasmus+ and Comenius projects. We have met our new partnership schools from Italy, Croatia and Slovenia in eTwinning platform, so we are very interested in the beginning of new cooperation. Our teachers and learners have the opportunity to be active. By communicating to all participants together in the course of the project, our partners will bring their experience and skills, knowledge of their country and traditions.The project consist of Learning Teaching Training organized by one institution at a time, where the people involved in the project (staff, teachers and students) and put into practice the activities provided by the host institution. We believe that it is positive and it is useful to work together because our partners have an excellent work experience. In the end of the each Learning Teaching Training, each participant has the opportunity to receive a Youthpass certificate. The main emphasis on this project is knowledge about birds and the young person; a knowledge and creative approach to the known. The work is directed so this the project takes place at a maximum good level, so that it remains in memory as a beautiful and memorable period of time in Latvia and the others partnership schools, where new knowledge has been acquired, new friends have been met. We will assess and use self-assessments on young people in creative workshops, youth initiative, independence and ability to make decisions, the ability to learn new things not only dancing, singing and playing, but also in other activities in free time. We assess: improving language and communication skills over the course of the project. The evaluation will be carried out in written form so that the results can be summarized and conclusions can be drawn on the expected and achieved progress.
This school year saw the completion of the project "Birds have to fly!” which was focused on the enrichment of creativity, cooperation, and knowledge throughout “birds”. Thus, these years will be remembered as a bright, emotional, creative, communication, and knowledge-oriented unique Erasmus+ project years by many students and teachers of partnership schools! It is a pleasure for me that all the works and creative activities proposed in the project application, the additional local school creative tasks and exhibitions were completed. We were hopeful, focused on the adventure, stepped out of our comfort zone, staged play lets, learned how to search for information and make more use of IT tools. For example, pupils from each partner school wrote the stories in their mother tongue and in English with sequels and illustrations, the following year when they met in the mobility, their stories, using the drama method, were performed in a collaborative process between the participants. Pupils learned two dances related to the theme of birds, it was interesting to see the different performances. Taking part in project work encouraged pupils to be active and built their self-confidence. The theme of birds was widely sung in songs for every nation. Pupils from each partnership school sang the songs in their mother tongue, then sent their video with the performance of the song, the pupils in other partnership schools could learn it. Moreover, in one of the many meetings on the ZOOM platform, the pupils sang all the songs together in four languages in what turned out to be a positive and emotional concert. This school year, when European countries became "healthier", it was possible to carry out mobility. During the project, we have designed, crafted, drawn and painted birds in a variety of techniques, the works were regularly exhibited in the Erasmus+ project corner, on the information boards, where they could be seen by the pupils, teachers, school visitors. The exhibitions were documented so that as many people as possible could see what was done, both on the Erasmus+ eTwinning website, on the School' website, and in the local newspapers. There was also bird watching in nature, bird feeders were placed, and pupils had the opportunity to gain more knowledge about bird life. Participants learnt more about the national birds of the partner countries by observing them and listening to ornithologist’s stories. In the previous year, going to the other countries was impossible, we organized regular meetings on the ZOOM platform. One of the most memorable events was a quiz on birds, where each partnership school had 10 questions on birds. There was a tough competition. The pupils had a great opportunity to be creative, to develop the very important skill of public speaking, presenting their school, thus carrying the name of Jaunjelgava far across Europe, which is now known for its erudite pupils, its warm welcome in Latvia and the modern image of our school as a whole. As a great and motivating incentive for the most hard-working, and interested pupils during the project, they had the opportunity to visit our partner schools, to make new friends while living in host families, thus gaining a great life experience and broadening the horizons. A great added value of the exchange trips is the communication in English. To do everything planned for the project, a lot of late hours had to be invested to develop dynamic communication and cooperation, organize successful pupils and teacher teams for exchange events, successfully implement all planned exchanges in mobility to other countries, to arrange transport/ accommodation, to arrange project documentation etc. There is joy, alternating with tiredness, and there is satisfaction because the work we have put in has borne fruit in the form of vivid emotions and useful new knowledge. It was a pleasure to have been able to give active pupils from different classes the opportunity to go on an unforgettable trip. These pupils took part in mobility to share the joy of their experience with their classmates, teachers, and parents. The teachers of our school had the opportunity to gain experience for their work and share their experience. The teachers were encouraged by the project coordinator I.Ermansone and were involved in the activities. I am proud of my colleagues who participated. Projects unite and motivate us! We shared our experience in the lessons, pupils told about their school, took part in the educational activities during the week. It was gratifying that we organizing all the exchanges in a very high quality, planned, involving students of different ages in educational activities. It brings the school and teachers twice as much joy to have the parents of the pupils engaging and helping children to be active, learn well, take part in extracurricular activities, want to learn something new, be more open and talk about their school, and country with pride and confidence.