Merry Christmas from Spain

Students'descriptions in Portugal

SPAIN MEETİNG REPORT

                                                                                   

We visited the Institud Europe school in Barcelona in Spain  between 29/9/2013 and 5/10/2013  at the framework of the Comenius project, teenagers between fast food and culinary food, which our school belongs to.

The teachers in the project were Sevtap ÇAM (school headmaster) Emin KUTLU (coordinator)  Necla EROL, Burcu ŞAHİN  and Fatma Ayçiçek.

 The students in the project were Sena ARITÜRK, Aylin YILMAZ, Gizem EKSARI, Ali GÖKÇE, Yasin SARI and  Rahim Doğukan ARSLAN.      

We starded our journey in Antalya at 8:15 on Sunday, 29 september 2013. First we took the plane to İstanbul. Then we took another plane to Barcelano. We arrived in Barcelona at 13:05. The host families met us at the airport, they wecomed the students and took them to their home. We went to our hotel. In the afternoon, Pilar BALLOC, Spain coordinator took us to the important places in the city. 

2n Report

2nd part of the Comenius report (from May to October 2013)

May

After Saint George Day, we continued working on our project.  We began to work with the assigned part of the pyramid “Fruit and vegetables”.  The students looked for information about the topic and the American assistant who was working in the school, helped them. Those in charge of summarizing the information and preparing the Power point were: Alba López and Alba Velàzquez prepared the topic of fruit, whilst Isabel Serrano and Kathy García prepared that of vegetables.

We wrote an article in the school magazine about the meetings and tasks that took place during the year.  The magazine was printed in paper and also published on line.

We then began to prepare the 5 commandments and the school presentation for our virtual guide.

Following this, we wrote a draft for the Comenius visit to Spain.   The students searched for information about interesting places where we could take our partners, the timetable, prices, descriptions, etc.

June

We only worked during the first week, because the students had to study hard for the last exams.  When they were over, those who passed didn’t have to prepare any more exams and they could go on working on the project.  They designed identification cards of all the Comenius members with the flag of their individual countries and the logo of the Comenius project.

In groups the pupils prepared the Powerpoint presentations about Barcelona.

Additionally, a parents’ meeting took place in the school to organize the welcome event.

We booked all the visits and asked our Town Hall for an official welcome.

July

It was a stressful time because this year we didn’t break up until the 16th July.  Every morning the students came to school to continue working on the project.  They prepared a big poster welcoming the partners which they decorated with the different flags, finished the identification cards for the teachers and students, organized the events, prepared the presentations about “Fruit and vegetables” and about Barcelona.  Patricio Analuiza went to Barcelona and filmed a short film welcoming the partners and recommending the most important sites.  Meanwhile, the other group began to write up our most traditional recipes and Brenda and Kathy García were in charge of preparing the Powerpoints.

The English teacher prepared the visit to Saint Sadurní d’Anoia, the cellars and the chocolate factory and explained the visit to the students.

We wrote a summary about Fruit and Vegetables for the virtual guide.

September

We worked on the presentations for the meeting, organized the tasks and duties of all the students and revised the activities. With the parents we organized the welcoming at the airport (welcome posters) where they went to pick up their son’s or daughter´s partner.

There was another parents’ meeting in order to clarify the possible questions about the Comenius meeting.  We explained the activities to the rest of the teachers in a staff meeting.

The families proposed to organize a breakfast where the foreign students could taste our dishes and they also made a Comenius cake.

29th Partners’ arrival.

 

We posted all the materials on the blog.  We have been able to disseminate the project thanks to our local TV help (Television de Hospitalet).
An evaluation sheet was made by our students.
We began to work on the next part of the virtual guide “To get fit”.  The students have begun to interview their classmates and Alba, Isabel and Kathy García are in charge of picking up all the conclusions made by the other Comenius students and showing the final results in Powepoint presentations.  Kathy Narvaez is making a poster about “Be fit”.  Anna Jardí, Ruth Cisuelo and Carlos Fernández are preparing more recipes for the grandma’s recipe book.
The students of the 3rd year of ESO are preparing an article about the Comenius visit for the school magazine.
We hope that by the end of this term the students will be aware of the importance of doing physical exercise in order to be fit and healthy.

Written by Pilar Belloc

Portuguese students in Barcelona (Spain)

... and some photos to remember ...

The Portuguese students' presentation in the 4th meeting of the Comenius Project (Barcelona, Spain)

Students’ presentation guide (Meeting in Spain)

Our school is situated in an area of rapidly expanding population. It is located in Torres Novas, a city with a past history in the district of Santarém.

This year there are 544 students (297 from the 2^nd cycle and 247 from the 3^rd Cycle which means students from 10 up to 14 years old). It is a school with an increasing number of students coming from different sociological and economic backgrounds which affect their learning; 196 students received financial support including an alimentary supplement because they really need it.  We also have some children with special educative needs (about 120).  

Sports – We won several national and local prizes in different sports.

Music – Partnership with Choral Phydellius (Choral and musical institute located in Torres Novas). Our students learn how to play different musical instruments.

Environment – We are an Eco School and we also developed an Eco School Project. We  have been rewarded with a Green Flag for some years and we still go on developing different activities in this context.

Projects – Since many years ago we’ve been developing many projects and different activities: Health Project, Cape Verde Exchange Project, Solidarity Club, Socrates Comenius Project – Language Assistant, European Club, Youth Parliament Club, Music Club,

Activities done so far:

Logo contest – The students from the 7^th and 8^th grades created a “Logo of the Project “. Each partner country elected its own and the winner was the Spanish logo.  The logos are posted on the Virtual Guide.

Questionnaire about “Fast food versus traditional food” – The Comenius team applied a questionnaire to their students and their conclusions are posted on the Virtual Guide.

78% of the Portuguese students from 3^rd Cycle (7^th, 8^th and 9^th years) aged between 12 and 15 years answered the questionnaire. We can infer that more than half of the Portuguese students know what fast food is and they consume it because they enjoy it. The data also shows us that students consume less fast food and more traditional food and the most famous dishes from traditional Portuguese cuisine are among their preferences.

The study of one food group – In order to make students aware of the importance of eating well, different partners studied different food groups. The Portuguese students from the 7^th and 8^th grades studied the group “Legumes and oilseeds”. Their work is already posted on the Virtual Guide of the project.

Our Food Pyramid Poster Contest – After studying evolution of food pyramid and its importance, the students from the different grades (5^th, 6^th, 7^th, 8^th and 9^th) rganized a food pyramid contest where theyshowed their creativity and originality in all the works divulgated in a final exhibition. The winner poster was created by two students from the 5^th grade.

How does our traditional food take part in the food pyramid?

Our first task was to do a research study about the most traditional dishes from the north, centre and south of Portugal and also in the archipelago of Madeira and the Azores. And it was really a big problem for us because, among so many different ways of cooking different types of meat, fish, birds, soups, side dishes, vegetables and desserts, we had to choose the best one to illustrate each region. Otherwise it would be a very, very long work. But we are sure that one of the biggest influences on Portuguese cooking is without any doubt the ocean. So seafood is an integral part of the Portuguese cuisine (from shrimps up to hundreds of varieties of bacalhau (codfish).

And here you can see our choices (video)

This picture shows us that the position of the Portuguese typical traditional food from the different regions of Portugal, including the archipelago of Madeira and Azores in the food pyramid is very similar. But even so we can say that the healthiest traditional food is in the south of Portugal.

The Portuguese Students

Portuguese Report

2nd Portuguese Comenius Report (May-October 2013)

After the approval of the “Virtual Guide” of the Project:  http://comeniusgtpr.wix.com/virtualfoodguide presented by our team in the meeting in Antalya (Turkey 14th – 19th April 2013), we posted on the “Virtual Guide” all the work agreed in our last meeting in Antalya sent by our Comenius partners, after adapting and illustrating it in order to establish an equal space for everyone. To have the work finished in the defined deadlines we had to send a “memorandum” to the partners who hadn’t sent their work yet.

In what concerns the work done by our students (from May until October 2013) here are the following activities:

       May and June:

§  A brief research study about the “Food Pyramid History” – the students from the 7th and 8th grades studied the evolution of the Food Pyramid from 1916 with the first Food Guide established in the USA called “Food for Young Children” until 2011 with “My Plate”.  The different shape helps to grab consumers’ attention and make them know how much food to consume in the 5 food groups.

§  A study of the food group “Legumes” (agreed in the meeting in Turkey). The Portuguese students from the 7th and 8th grades studied the legumes developing the following items: characteristics, functions, importance in food, presence in the Mediterranean diet and the traditional dishes where the presence of legumes is visible.

       July and August

§  A research study about the “Portuguese Traditional Food” and the most traditional dishes from the north, centre and south of Portugal including the archipelago of Madeira and the Azores.

§  A survey of “Traditional recipes” from their grandmas, during their summer holidays.

       September

§  “Food Pyramid Poster Contest” – participated by students from all school years (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th grades). The posters, made by different materials, obeyed the theme "Food Pyramid" . A jury made ​​up for the purpose selected the best poster according to the following criteria: scientific and linguistic correction, originality and creativity. The winner was created by two students from the 5th Year.

§  Poster Exhibition – all the posters submitted and accepted entered a final exhibition in order to show students’ creativity and originality. 

§  Final work about “How does our traditional food take place in the food pyramid”. It was really a big problem for our students because, among so many different ways of cooking different types of meat, fish, birds, soups, side dishes, vegetables and desserts, they had to choose the best one to illustrate each region. Otherwise it would be a very, very long work. It wasn’t an easy task. But they

were sure that one of the biggest influences on Portuguese cooking is without any doubt the ocean. So seafood is an integral part of the Portuguese cuisine (from shrimps up to hundreds of varieties of bacalhau (codfish).

The work presented showed us that the position of the Portuguese typical traditional food in the food pyramid is very similar. But even so we can say that the healthiest traditional food is in the south of Portugal.

§  A video about the work done so far in the context of the project to be presented in the meeting in Spain. Our students made a great effort to finish their work nevertheless their English teacher (our colleague Teresina Paz) was ill at the hospital having a very complicated surgery. But with my help and of two Art teachers they were able to elaborate a very interesting work to be presented, to the other Comenius partners, in the meeting in Spain.

       October

§  a report (after the visit to Spain) about their experiences in a foreign country and what were their feelings about it in what concerns its culture, culinary tradition, people, places, etc.;

§  a powerPoint presentation with the most representative photos of the visit to Spain to be presented to the school (students, teachers and other staff);

§  a short information about the meeting that was posted, with some photos, on the school website: http://www.agilpaes.pt and sent to the local press to be published;

§  a study about the physical activity pyramid to make them realize about the importance of the physical exercise in their lives and the types of physical exercises they should practise combined with a healthy food in a healthy growing.

§  answering the questionnaire “Be active” proposed by the Portuguese team and agreed by the other partners in the meeting in Spain, in order to know if our students practise physical activity.

In conclusion I can say that the project objectives continue to be fulfilled. All the agreed activities were carried out; the students had the opportunity to visit different countries and to develop their language skills in English and their research methods. On the other hand they are more concerned about healthy eating habits and much more motivated to the benefits of the culinary tradition. By the end of this term they’ll be aware of the importance of the physical exercise in order to be fit and healthy.

The Comenius Project Coordinator

Gabriela de Azevedo             

TURKEY April-September Report:
Preparations were done for the Comenius meeting in Turkey. Host families were arranged for 33 foreign students. Hotel reservations were done at the hotel of tourism high school for 19 foreign teachers. The date of visit to the factory of youghurt was decided on. Free entrance permissions were taken from TURSAB for the visitors.we planned the visits to the city centre,the buses and restaurants were arranged and orders were given.the programme took place as we planned. But on the first day we had to delay the presentations because of the bad weather and elecricity cuts. At the school ´’dining room local dishes were served to the guests. We visited the Yörükoglu youghurt factory. Trips to antalya center were done as we planned.Physical activity plans were done for the next term.the presentations for the Spain visit were prepared and the team got ready for the journey.we checked the preparations when the schools started. Spain visit took place well as we planned.