Didaktische Bearbeitung ausgewählter Aachener und Prager Sagen für Vorschul- sowie Grundschulkinder Erasmus Project

Project Title

Didaktische Bearbeitung ausgewählter Aachener und Prager Sagen für Vorschul- sowie Grundschulkinder

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 : Strategic Partnerships for Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

Background:
A first contact between Käthe-Kollwitz-Schule Aachen Berufskolleg der StädteRegion Aachen (Germany) and Vyšší odborná škola pedagogická a sociální,Střední odborná škola pedagogická a Gymnázium (Praha 6) (VOS/SOS Prague) was established in 2011 on a class trip of German students to Prague. This contact was followed by an intensive mail contact. Since both schools have classes with a similar vocational profile they decided to work on a European project in 2014. On a preparatory visit in Aachen (March 31st till April 3rd 2014) the project topic “legends” was chosen and a project concept was worked out. Working with fairy tales/ legends is a common topic of preschool and infant school education. Therefore comparing and working with a selection of legends (first project year) and designing a theatre performance of one legend (second project year) not only offered a chance to inform about the town/country and have an insight in its culture but also give students the opportunity to expand their vocational skills.
Participants:
During the two project years 49 students of both schools took part in the project. All participants visit classes focusing on child care and have experience with regular nursery school internship.
Project description (activities and goals):
In the first project year students gathered information about their town and legends and enlarged their own knowledge about legends. Then as “experts of their own town” they built “intercultural teams of legend experts” with their partner students and exchanged information. Students mostly used whatsapp and email contacts. The students’ first task was to work on didactical methods to bring their legends forward to preschool and infant school children. Therefore they chose five legends and adapted them for children. All legends were translated into German, Czech and English. During the next project phase students worked on teaching methods, they prepared worksheets with creative activities which can help preschool and infant school children to understand the “foreign” legends and arouse their interest in/ tolerance for a new cultural background. As a result German and Czech students created a collection of legends, historical information and a wide range of working sheets.
During the project meetings in Prague (April 3rd – 9th, 2016) and Aachen (April 9th-15th, 2016) students went into nursery schools for three days and “tested” their legends and didactic material. Besides those nursery school internships two project days were organized at school to have an exchange on the different nursery school concepts in each country and students’ experience in nursery school. As a result of the project meetings students were able to widen their knowledge about nursery school concepts and deepen their vocational skills.
In the second project year students chose one of their legends to create a children’s play keeping in mind that they will have to find ways to present it to “foreign” children. Driven by this aspect German students decided to design a dance and music theatre play for children whereas Czech students worked on a puppet theatre play. Students wrote the manuscript for their legend performance, designed a stage setting (The Charles Bridge of Prague) and beamer presentation with historical settings (Aachen), made their own hand puppets (Prague), wrote song texts and compositions (Aachen), choreographed dance scenes (Aachen), all students chose songs for their performance and rehearsed them, worked on costumes and went through a rehearsal period. During the project meetings in Prague (March 27th-April 1st, 2017) and Aachen (April 3rd -7th, 2017) students used the first three days to work on further ways of adapting their partner’s stage performance for preschool children who do not understand the German or Czech language. Students also took part at a workshop on theatre play improving their stage presence. Finally the legends were performed for nursery school children in Prague (March30th+31st, 2017) and in Aachen (April 6th+7th, 2017). Both performances were really successful and aroused the children’s interest not only in the legends but also in the “foreign people and their language”.
Results:
At the end of the first project year a handbook with a collection of Prague and Aachen legends, historical information in German, Czech and English and a wide range of worksheets could be distributed to nursery and infant schools. Both schools exhibited project results in their school but also on a project homepage (www.praach.de) which was designed during the two project years. Audios of the legend texts were recorded in German, Czech, English, one of the legends also in Swedish and Turkish. The stage performance was filmed and presented on the project homepage. With the theatre performance a programme booklet in German and Czech was provided with some extra material on the theatre plays.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 37550 Eur

Project Coordinator

Käthe-Kollwitz-Schule Berufskolleg der StädteRegion Aachen & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Vyssi odborna skola pedagogicka a socialni, Stredni odborna skola pedagogicka a Gymnazium, Praha 6, Evropska 33