Protection du littoral et sensibilisation des élèves à l’environnement Erasmus Project

Project Title

Protection du littoral et sensibilisation des élèves à l’environnement

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Environment and climate change; Teaching and learning of foreign languages; Natural sciences

Project Summary

Our two secondary schools are situated by the sea : the Savina secondary school is in Tréguier (Côtes d’Armor) and the E.Medi secondary school is in Sénigallia (region of The Marches) in Italy.We both have come to the same conclusion : the pupils don’t know much about the natural environments they live in and these environments are more or less polluted, are densely populated, especially during the tourist season. The idea of a collaboration between the teachers of biology and the teachers of geography arouse from the geographical similarity of the two schools.

Through the comparison between our two regions, we hope to work on these environments and associate the following subjects : geography and biology. Thinking about and comparing our beaches on a worldwide scale, we thus give the opportunity to the pupils from the two countries to get involved in sustainable development, knowledge and understanding of their environment.

Finally, the ultimate objective is to involve the pupils said to have a scientific profile in a plan that also has a linguistic dimension.

The pupils from our secondary schools rarely travel abroad or even in their own country. In fact, for a vast majority of them, school has been the only possiblity to travel  and in the future, their unique contact with what is international will also be made through the school system. This is partly due to the geographical situation of the territory and to the social context in their families.

The pupils from Savina secondary school will be 16 year old sixth formers specialised in biology and those from E.Medi will be fifth formers specialised in the same field. So, these pupils will have chosen to follow a scientific teaching. Each group will be composed of 26 pupils and will be supervised by 4 teachers of biology, geography, english and french.

So as to prepare the meetings between the two schools, eTwinning will be used to communicate and colloborate at the various stages of the plan. Named « Beaches for all seasons », it aims at making a photo album of the beaches at different periods of the year. It will make the students work on their own vision of « their » coast. English will be used for this virtual correspondence so that pupils and teachers can improve their linguistic skills.

During the two meetings of the secondary schools, some activities on the beaches are planned and they will involve local organizations. The pupils will explore the Trégastel and Sénigallia beaches to define the environment : they will pick up the living organisms that can be found on the coast ; identify them, name them, understand why they live in these different areas (establish a biological, ecological, zoological recognition of the environment).

At the same time, in France , they will work with the League for the Protection of Birds which is based on Ile Grande and they will estimate the pollution caused by microplastics, notice their use in the making of nests and their impact on the death of birds.

In Italy, an activity to estimate the pollution caused by men on the beaches will take place with the help of the Reefcheck Italia organization and its protocol called : « Beach Monitoring Protocol » ; then, these results will be sent to data banks used by scientists. In addition to the use of tools and technologies researchers / biologists have at their disposal, they will take part in a surveillance protocol of the Mediterranean Sea.

The areas of economic activities such as harbours, oyster beds, tourist areas will also be identified. Aerial photographs and satellite pictures will be used to emphasize the evolution of the pressure due to the building of new properties and the development of seaside tourism ; they will, for instance, be asked to compare old and new advertising posters. As a consequence, they will have a clear vision of the differences that exist between the two regions.

These activities will bring a better knowledge of our environment to the pupils. They will also give them the possibility to compare them and improve their skills in natural sciences and geography. They will also enable them to see the impacts of our ways of living (excessive use of plastic) and the role we have to play to preserve the coast. What’s more, all these activities will make them have better linguistic and ITC skills.

We hope that this plan will make the pupils become aware of the fact that beaches are fragile natural environments and that as European citizens they have the right and duty to protect them. We also hope that it will help them in their plans for the future (discovery of new jobs linked to the protection of the environment) and that it will give them tools to contemplate future mobilities.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 65412 Eur

Project Coordinator

LGT Joseph Savina & Country: FR

Project Partners

• LICEO STATALE “ENRICO MEDI”