What binds us together – UNESCO world heritage in Modica and Hamburg Erasmus Project

Project Title

What binds us together – UNESCO world heritage in Modica and Hamburg

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 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; Teaching and learning of foreign languages; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

The project “What Binds Us Together – UNESCO World Heritage in Modica and Hamburg” is part of the newly founded school partnership between the “Institute of Secondary Education Giovanni Verga” in Modica (Italy) and “Heinrich Hertz School” in Hamburg (Germany). It is part of both schools’ recent effort to establish a school exchange partnership by which Heinrich Hertz School hopes to improve its profile in the area of foreign languages. Having had many positive experiences with German partner schools, the Italian high school “Giovanni Verga” is looking not only for the possibility to teach German language skills, but also to let their pupils get to know German culture.
Since there are many differences between the cities of Hamburg and Modica, the project emphasizes something they have in common: Their UNESCO World Heritage sites. In Hamburg Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District with Chilehaus have been listed as World Heritage site since 2015, Modica has even been classified World Heritage as a whole – together with other late Baroque towns of the Val di Noto. By focusing on UNESCO World Heritage as a topic, this project conveys not only the historico-cultural significance and the social and pedagogical value of the European cultural heritage but also gives pupils the opportunity to acquire important skills, such as intercultural competence or cultural and media literacy. Moreover, this appealing project aims at putting the school exchange partnership on a durable and sustainable basis.
On both sides twelve pupils each will participate together with two teachers. The juveniles are aged between 15 and 18 years which normally corresponds to grade ten to twelve. For the German pupils the school exchange is linked to the subject Latin, on the Italian side the study of German is required for participation. While the Italian students learn German as a foreign language, the German students will not learn the language of the partner country. In that sense, the languages of communication will be German and, if needed, English. Given this background, the reason for the project’s focus on a historico-cultural topic becomes even more evident.
During the project’s duration of two years, we plan on conducting four mobilities altogether: two trips from Germany to Italy and two trips from Italy to Germany respectively. Because Heinrich Herz School is a climate aware school, the German pupils will travel via train whereas the Italian project group will travel by plane. The planned program for the mobilities involves visits at the partner schools including participation in classes, tours to the UNESCO World Heritage sites, and last but not least time for working on project outputs individually or with partners. We plan on using the eTwinning-Portals not only for organization and documentation of the project but also for continuous communication between the project partners ahead of, during and after the mobilities.
Working individually and continuously throughout the school year, the students will create computer presentations on buildings and other aspects of UNESCO World Heritage sites located at the respective partner city. For some parts of the tasks the students will need the help of their exchange partner. We will focus on historico-cultural questions in the first year of the project, in the second year we will work on the topic of living and working at UNESCO World Heritage sites. The images and videos produced by the students will be used for public outreach not only within the schools, but also beyond (e.g. on social media).
By letting the students collaborate closely on a common topic, this project has the potential to maintain a long term school exchange partnership and to integrate the UNESCO World Heritage into the partner schools’ curricula and their community. The project results will be made available long term and therefore reusable for other projects organized by the partner schools.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 62456 Eur

Project Coordinator

Heinrich-Hertz-Schule & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Istituto di Istruzione Superiore “Giovanni Verga”