A Piece of European Treasure

A Proposal for an European Interdisciplinary Curriculum

I. Curricular areas involved :

1.Languages and communication (national languages, English)
2.People and society (history, geography, biology,ecology,religion)
3.Arts.Technology (ICT)

II. Argument

One of the main values that guide human life in the era of globalization is creating a favorable environment for a sustainable development based on the balance between man and nature, the harmony between social needs and economy and cultural activities.

This proposal for an optionally curriculum is inspired by the activities developed during implementation of the Comenius 2008-2010 multilateral project "European Journey through Legends" developed under the European LLP programme frame. This curriculum is a highly interdisciplinary one, and can be used for expanding students' knowledge in natural sciences, geography, history, civics,  Romanian, Polish, Greek, Turkish, Italian, Spanish but also English language and literature, art, and technology. The proposed activities are practical, and those allow to combine physical labor with intellectual development and contribute to the moral, aesthetic and vocational development of students. Using different pedagogichal approaches such us learning through drama, outdoor education or ICT into lessons the learning enviroment will be a new one where subjects as ICT or art are the focal point of the intercultural dimension of education.

Human impact on the environment must be determined by the idea of maintaining balance in nature. In this sense, knowledge of the landscape is important as a basic feature of this interaction. By focusing on this issue we will contribute to knowledge, to preserve and to sustain the development of European landscapes. In terms of teaching the landscape is very interesting  and can be used as a source of a modern and interdisciplinary approach.

The opportunities to enact feelings, human emotions and to arouse children's fantasy and creative spirit, make them actively participate in educational activities, are endless. For child this is a fun, but for an adult this is an opportunity to watch how the child's personality develop, an opportunity to stimulate and to influence the development of his personality.

The artistically moments prepared and played during the activities of this curriculum can contribute to educating the feelings of friendship, the spirit of mutual assistance, the perseverance, honesty, initiating students as the filmmakers/ actors/ spectators. Working in teams, students will develop and will show their inclinations and skills,  will gain confidence in their capabilities. Talking in terms of personality,children can be known who they are, they can change themselves, (re)form and complete each others.

This curriculum's aims are the training of children to have a wide general knowledge, to be able to understand the world around them, to communicate and to interact with peers by expressing thoughts, moods, feelings, opinions, to be sensitive and to use effectively their creative skills, to be able to preserve and to create beauty around them.

III. General competences:

The main aim of this curriculum is to give true meaning to building Europe, through different lessons into a non-formal learning environment, trhough shared activities between students.

• Preservation of European heritage through developing the artistically skills of pupils into a non-formal educational environment.
• Valorisation of European cultural treasure through acknowledging the bio-geographical and historical reality
• Improving the pupils abilities to preserve or enhance the natural environment facilitating pupils’ implication into ecological activities and to developing a positive attitude regarding ecological issues
• Increasing pupils’ tolerance for the cultural, historical, religious and linguistically diversity

IV.Values and Attitudes

• Develop interdisciplinary skills for systematization of information;
• Awareness of cultural identity and membership in the European community and broadening students' horizons by opening of the world;
• Training of the spirit of active citizenship and of belonging to common European values;
• Improving the skill of teamwork.
• Open to current problems of Europe and the world that concerns the social dimension, its cultural and development, playing a role in decisions at community level, forming a responsible civic attitudes towards elements of environmental degradation in the local community.

V. Content table/ lessons units

1. Myths and mythology

• Let's talk about myths
• Greek mythology
• Diet and Myths 
• European mythology: Zeugma, Romanian Mythology
• Evaluation session: Where are you myths?

2.European historical legends

The legends of European buildings, places

• The legends of the fortresses Șoimoș, Șiria, Dezna
• The legends from Urfa
• The legend of Gaziantep Castle
• The legend of Mare de Déu del Vinyet (Sitges)

Women in history

• Matilde din Canossa

The outlaws' justice spirit

• Serralonga

Legend vs. reality

• Dracula
• Boruta
• Legend About King Popiel

Faith and destiny

• Saint Cugat story
• La Morenetta- the Black Virgin story
• The legend of Saint George
• The story of Abraham

The legends of national flags

• The Polish White Eagle
• The Legend of Catalan Flag
• La Citta del Tricolore
• The legend of Romanian Tricolour
• The story of Turkish Flag

Evaluation session: Connecting the past with the future

3. European Bio-geographical Legends

The legends of the landforms

• The myth of the creation of mountains and of the forests
• The Retezat Mountain Legend
• The Legend of Mount Găina
• The Legend of Scărișoara Cave

The legends of the waters

• The legend of Rivers Mureș and Olt
• The legend of Red Lake

The legends of the towns

• The Warsaw Siren
• The story of the Momac Fountain
• Miss Piotrkowska

The legends of the beings

• The legends of bee and of the spider
• The legend of violet
• Aesop's myths
• Miorița

The spirits of the lands

• The nature’s fairies protectors
• The Water Ladies

Evaluation session : "Folklore and environment"

4. European Tales, European Folkstories and European traditions

The drawer with tales and stories

• Ferhat and Şirin
• Mrs. Twardowska
• Azurina
• Nasreddin Hodja

Traditions - priceless values of local and European culture

• The newborn 3 fates
• Mărțișor
• Dragobete
• The Merry Cemetery
• The story of the bread of Pecica
• The Maiden Fair on Găina Mountain
• The story of a lifetime: The Ethnographic Museum of Flutur Family
• The story of Nazar Boncugu
• Sant Jordi´s Day
• Sant Medir's Fiesta

Evaluation session : Once upon a time in Europe

VI. Methodology

The activities will be organised as a non-formal and multi-subjects teaching, based on the projects’ method, through extracurricular activities such as trips, didactic visits, cultural activities. The idea of the curriculum  is based on the project developing approach.

Through this curriculum it could be possible to  enhance pupils' knowledge about national and European culture, history and geography by stimulation of motivation of learning through a non-formal topic learning. The pupils will be challenged to find and to relive the legends, myths and folklore stories. Students conduct documentary research on the each project's theme, writting reports about each topic, preparing exhibitions , building dinamic websites related to the teaching units. They will have to make essays about the topics proposed to be researched during the project implementation. Off course, the main challenging aspect of the learning will be the discover of the most interesting way of turning the research into action.

The lessons will be organised in a such way to achieve all proposed objectives, and the pedagogical approaches will be drama games, role play and improvisation. During the activities from this curriculum it could be possible to organize recreated and socialization’s activities, in order the students would spend their free time in collaboration with school (visiting local touristy objectives, trips). The parents and the local community’s members will participate into these activities. Education in/and for modern age has set up a whole new set of challenges. Tested and time proven methods of education had to be replaced with something much more dynamic. New technologies break all barriers – social and geographical and demand of education systems to revise its practices. We will organized active lessons in schools and between partners’ schools by using ICT tools. Revising of the point of view above of the preserving or enhance of the environment will be done by addressing those problems:

• Improving pupils’ knowledge regarding the environment protection
• Keeping and preservation of the natural’s resources

Through diverse and adventurous outdoor lessons we intend to increase pupils’ interest for the nature, to promote a civilized tourism with the preservation of environmental equilibrium, respecting ecological criteria. During outdoor lessons, the pupils will be aware of the problems regarding the preservation and amelioration of the polluted areas into clean places.

Evaluation (assessments) will be done in an innovative way, in a non-formal framework through the staging of knowledge acquired by students during the study themes proposed in this curriculum. In addition, students will have to develop the (digital) portfolio of each of the four projects:

1.Myths and mythology
2.European historical legends
3.European Bio-geographical Legends
4.European Tales, European Folkstories and European traditions

More information about the pedagogical approaches: - click here

VII. The Digital Textbook - click here follow the links from SUMMARY (on the top, left column)

VIII. Webography:

http://euro-schools.blogspot.com/
http://six4europe.webs.com/vdc.htm
http://portofoliionline.webs.com/