The best of StarT 2019

First, the Wanhong Primary School League established an interdisciplinary curriculum design team with members from six schools. They Combine nature phenomenon and textbooks knowledge to determine the project theme “The Great Starry Sky”, assorting activities into four fields: humanities, technology, science and art.

Second, Wanhong Primary School League conduct unified teaching according to this curriculum, coordinating teacher allocation and school cooperation to ensure the effective implementation of the curriculum.

Third, the League unifies the project results display activities, so that every child has the opportunity to show their work.

We were learning about better and healthier eating habits, duet to that students have bettered the intake of fruits and vegetables and, one day, one of the apples had the seeds germinating inside it. After observing it for the first time, and understanding what was happening, we decided to seed those apple seeds in class.

After about one month, small apple trees were growing in our classroom for students amaze and joy. Interested on the subject, students noticed that different fruits have different seeds and decided to continue to grow those seeds at school.

After a while, they were testing seeding techniques and plant needs, and intending to implement and program soil humidity sensors to control the amounts of water needed by the different plants.

While developing this project, there was some news in the media about successful experiences taking place on growing plants in the moon. Students wanted to test on plant growing under some moon environmental conditions such as light. To learn about seed germination and environmental conditions on the moon, an active project based learning methodology is being implemented, as well as the collaboration of specialists in the different subjects (Food Science, Biologic Farming and Coding).

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This work is carried out in the eight grade. Students can use seven lessons in a week for this work, both math and mother tongue lessons. The project takes approximately 6-8 weeks.

We start the work by introducing the task and the aims. Their task it to carry out a realistic survey, write a report and introduce their results to their classmates. They train to collect and analyze information. Some students collect their information from ready-made digital materials.

Students can choose either to work alone or in pairs. They get their individual learning diaries, which is the only thing they need pencils for. The rest of the work is the done in digital learning environment G-Suite by Google. It enables us to follow and comment their work in every step of the way. It is also possible for several students to work at the same time with the same documents. Students can easily find text processing app (docs), spreadsheet app (sheets), presentation app (slides) and questionnaire app (forms) in G-Suite.

Students have all the material they need in the Google classroom: link to digital school books and a guide made by us teachers. They are advised to search Youtube tutorials for G-Suites apps. More advanced students have the possibility to show their talents and teach others. They are not necessarily the same students we usually think who are advanced in math or mother tongue. This method also makes it easy to pay attention to different kinds of learners. Also we teachers learn new things every year.

The students may choose the topic and responders of their research themselves. After that they start to scheme their questions. At the same time they begin to form the hypothesis of their research. The final questionnaire includes approximately ten questions. This period takes lessons from two weeks.

The questionnaire is nowadays mainly digital. When the questionnaire is ready students send it forward by email. While they are waiting forthe answers they start to build up the report and write the introduction chapter. They also search the digital reports from the same field than their own research to compare the results in the discussion part of their report. When the time limit of answering is up the students start to analyse the results, generate the different diagrams, transfer them to report, write a report and summarise their study into the digital presentation. The digital presentations are presented in the final seminar by the students. After each presentation the young scientists get a diploma from the teachers. The diploma includes the list of skills they have learned and the software they have used. The final seminar lasts about three hours and some snacks are also served. Our ambition is to organise the seminar as respectful as possible. The homeroom teacher of the students is also invited to practise the students get experience of summarising, performing, following others presentations not to mention giving and receiving feedback.

After the final seminar the students start to write a column or a letter to the editor based on the topic and results of their own study. Some of those texts are sent to the local newspaper. In this turning point the objective researcher becomes the subjective commentating columnist. The aim of this period of practise is to offer for students an opportunity to become aware of the differences in the texts and their purposes. The report writing and the column writing together trains to change the register of the language in certain purposes. The referring to students’ own research is also included here. The main concept here is multiliteracy.

Questionnaire topics, associates and internationality

We have seen really versatile topics. Students have wanted to know more about things like studyig habits, the use of social media, hobbies and freetime, pets, amount of energy drinks people drink in their teens, sustainable development, responsible consumption, health care services and living conditions of elderly people. Students can choose their topics freely. Usually their topics are dealing with things they are interested in, things that are concerning them or things they want to influence in.

The associates we have outside the school varies every year depending on the topics student choose. Students have held their questionnaires in several places, for example in the meetings of local retired people (the topic was the use of social media of seniors), in the cafeteria of vocational school (the topic was the students’ opinion of the school meal), in primary schools and in our high school (different topics about hobbies and studying habits), local child care centre (topic was to study users’ satisfaction of the service). One of our questionnaire was traveling with the home care nurses to homes of elderly people to study what they thought about the quality of the services provided for them. Students are encouraged to contact their possible associates themselves.

Schools nurse and counselor have also helped students. They have provided students with their knowledge on healthcare and confidentiality.

This project has been a good opportunity to practise language skills. For example last year some students sent their questionnaire abroad through eTwinning. We started an eTwinning project for this statistics project. Other countries involved were Denmark, Slovenia and Republic of Moldova. This year one of our questionnaire has traveled to Italy, Croatia and Czech republic. Our english teachers have offered their help if needed.

The sight of curriculum and assessment

The contents based on math curriculum is to deepen students’ skills on collecting and analyzing information and to learn basic concepts of statistic. Things to practise from the curriculum of mother tongue are thinking skills, interaction skills, versatile writing and multiliteracy. To express and interpret diagrams, referring, summarizing and presenting are also important contents.

Transversal competences we focus mostly in this work on are in ICT competence and multiliteracy. The main ICT skills we like to see our students to improve are using and mastering digital tools and learn new properties like digital table of contents in digital word processing. In those moments we remind them of the attitude of lifelong learning.

The aims of this project are set in our national core curriculum and they have been presented for our students already in the very beginning of the project. These aims guide our assessment work.

Students also assess their own work and the work of their classmates. We also inform homes to participate and to encourage their children’s work process.

Students evaluate each others at least three times during the work: while they generate the ideas of questions, while they test the questionnaire before sending and after the presentation in the final seminar. Teachers give a lots of verbal feedback and comments during their statistic research in classroom. At the end of the work we teachers use selfmade evaluation tables and assess their learning diaries. Students get grades, The whole process is assessed, not simply the completed report or presentation.

In all assessment we emphasize the importance of new acquired skills. We have encouraged students to introduce their skills for example when they are applying for summer job. We also advise students to attach their statistic diplomas in their resume.

Communality

What we have experienced with this practice is that it gives us new perspectives of many students. Activity level is really increased and students have a possibility to really master their learning. These versatile methods in school increase their possibilities to get excited and learn new things. This plays an important role in their school motivation and self-esteem. Getting help and helping others seems to be easier: “Will you show me how this is done?” is seldom a phrase heard in more traditional lessons.

This practice has lifted the feeling of togetherness in our school when all our students go through this statistics project. Students in the seventh grade get their first contacts with this excellent practice when they answer all the questionnaires they get to their smartphones and emails. St

1. To design a logo for the Project. Project team has made several skecthes during the design process. The Logo was selected with Project teams mutual decision and this logo was used
   throughout the project.
2. Research which towers in the world are important.
   As a result of the research, 12 world-famous towers were identified. These towers with their countries are as follows: Galata Tower and Maiden’s Tower (Turkey), Savolinn Castle Tower (Finland), Eiffel Tower (France), Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italy), Space Needle (USA), Big Ben (United Kingdom), Berlin Tower (Germany), Ostankino Tower (Russia), PL Tower of Peace (Japan), Belfry Tower (Belgium), Polar Minar (India).
3. Create a study program. Within the scope of the study program we managedmany educational applications both inside and outside the classroom, these studies and categories
   are as follows:

Activities in Turkish Language: Regarding the Activities in Turkish Language, history of the towers that are in the Project (in which country they are located, why they were built, architect, height etc.) are discussed with the appropriate images (power-point presentation, large-sized tower pictures, various videos) related with the development level of the children. The countries in which the towers are located were discussed and the country flags were introduced. The myths about the Maiden Tower in our country have been told via fairy tales to children.

Activities in Art: During the study of the projects many different techniques were used in the activities in art. The Galata Tower, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the PL Peace Tower in Japan were created using clay. The Maiden’s Tower was sketched and painted on canvases.Based on the Reggio Emilia approach, the Eiffel Tower was projected onto the wall by projector and the children drew the reflected Eiffel Tower on large kraft paper. All towers in the project were prepared three-dimensionally by using residual materials. In addition, the children painted the towers in the project. In creative art activities children have drawn towers in their imagination.

Activities in Mathematics: Regarding the Activities in Mathematics , the towers are arranged from tall to short and short to tall. Tower cards were created and patterned. The geometric shapes of the towers were studied.(which tower is from which shape).

Activities in Science: The question of how the Maiden’s Tower floats in the middle of the sea was used to test the floating and sinking objects in water. Experimental studies have been carried out on how the towers remain intact, how the foundations are laid, in relation with the question “how the towers have been standing for hundreds of years”. Works with Blocks and Lighted Table Activities: Blocks in various sizes were used to create both the towers designed by children and towers included in the project. In lighted table activities, on the lighted table children have built different towers with different geometric shapes made from coloured plexiglas. They also drew the shadows of the tower imagesreflected on the lighted table. On the lighted table, with the sand, they created images of the towers that are in the project.

Music-Drama-Orff Activities: At the Orff events, skill oriented activities were held such as rhythm, great muscle development, creativity, improvisation, group work, etc. Children created towers using their bodies. Children were asked to dramatize the myths about the towers, and to create different towers by using their bodies and different materials (kaleidoscope, rubber band, gloves, rhythm instruments, etc.).

Game Activities: Tower- national flags matching game was played with the towers and national flags included in the project. The pictures of the towers were printed on the front of T-shirts and the flag pictures were printed on the back. When the teacher says the name of any tower, the child wearing a t-shirt with the picture of that tower takes a step forward. A competition to build towers with cups was held. Foreign Language Activities: The basic concepts of the towers (low-high, tall-short, traditional-historical etc.), the countries where the towers are located, the ways of saying their names, various songs are taught in English and German classes.

Activities in Kitchen: Tower shaped cakes were prepared using various ingredients.

Technology Activities: Coding activities were performed through games. Multiple choice questions related to the world famous towers were prepared and asked via online tests and the children were asked to answer these questions.

Family Participation Activities: Parental support is also included in the project through family participation studies. A tower was made from balloons with a Family participation activity. Three-dimensional towers are designed with residual materials and various sized boxes. The Eiffel Tower was built using tree branches.

Field Trips: A trip to the Galata Tower was organized.

In a nutshell:
In the Legend Towers Project, many different activities were organized in accordance with the developmental characteristics of children in our school. Active participation and having fun by being in this Project was the key objective. Both educators and children were happy to be involved in the
project. At the beginning of the project, it was concluded that the theme of the Legend Towers could attract children’s attention, and that the criteria such as high applicability with children were determined correctly. The participation of the mainstreaming students in our school has attracted attention. Very positive feedback was received from our parents at the end of the project. Children talked about the towers in their homes about the world’s most important towers, and when they saw visuals about the towers in the project, they knew that they were familiar with the towers and that they had information about the important towers in the world. A three-minute video was created that reflects the overall activity throughout the project.

Math has always been a topic to be taught, so we decided to put theories in practice. Math teacher, Wafa Batayneh decided to put math in action and chose the following topics: capitals, profit, shares.

Teacher always included other skills like marketing skills, social skills, cooking skills and technology. Our project was to teach children how to start a business and become young pioneers and entrepreneurs, for what we planned and initiated a Bazar.

Students decided to make a Bazar to make and sell healthy cupcakes, so they got some help from a professional cook, then counted the money needed.

1. Students counted the capital for their project and then the shares
2. Students bought their own shares

This practice is carried out in cooperation and coordination between the physics teacher and mathematics teacher at the school and the amusement park administration. This practice is to combine physics learning in classroom with fun in the amusement park in “physics day” and to ensure our students interaction in the inquiry process to gather information and apply what they have learned in real life situations. The results may be inaccurate but the actions students will take will be an opportunity for them to apply real science and mathematical concepts (STEAM) in a place far from the classroom.

The teacher has written and tested activities in the entertainment park and identified the materials and tools we need to carry out the activities. And listen to the feedback from the teams that volunteered to carry out activities. At first the physics teacher developed a guide for teachers. This guide contains:

• Scientific background (tribal learning) – such as gravity, force, motion, lack of gravity, mechanical energy
• Basic skills: The student needs to perform activities such as using the time clock. Measure heights. Estimating distances. Take altitude readings using the Altimeter. Calculate speed. Manufacture and use of accelerometer
• Class activities: Before the trip includes students’ teaching of physical concepts and after the journey involves transferring knowledge from students who have participated in the trip to their colleagues who have not gone.
• Worksheets for activities in the entertainment

How to travel around the world, plunging into research without leaving school? So it’s very easy if you are a member of the integrated STEAM project “AR – travel around the towers”, using the augmented reality technology. With the help of the mobile add-on of the augmented reality “Skyscrapers AR”, which contains 3D models of well-known skyscrapers in the world, developed by STEAM-laboratory at the Department of Crystal Physics, the University of Kharkiv, we can travel to research.

This integrated project made with students of the 6th grade, secondary school №8 – is not just a combination of different subjects (and here we combine mathematics, computer science, technology, English and Ukrainian languages) it also an association of children on the basis of a general approach. As a result, students begin to understand how to master the scientific and cultural achievements, establish links between different branches of knowledge. This activity which helps to present the picture of the world as a holistic and continuous process. In addition, integrated learning method teaches students to systematize and generalize knowledge. Students with disabilities also took part in our project. We successfully used an inclusive approach in education. Peer-supported learning can be very effective and engaging and take the form of pair-work, cooperative grouping, peer tutoring, and student-led demonstrations. The driving principle is to make all students feel welcomed, appropriately challenged, and supported in their efforts.

This project introduces to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal # 13: Climate Action, which encourages all to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts and demonstrate the effects of climate change on every continent and its people around the world.

Students will use experimental data or research techniques, information on how the climate affects human health, and how human beings based on inventions and technological development growth affect climate change. Exposing the problem and discussing different ways to improve this situation created by the man himself. Every little one can make a difference We know that we can do more and more. Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) programs are spread to foster students to enroll in scientific studies in order to overcome the lack of vocation. Article 6 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change -since renamed ‘Action for Climate Empowerment’ – commits all the world’s nations to engage their citizens on climate change. The measure has also been included in the 2015 Paris Agreement and has initiated an ongoing dialogue, including the release of guidelines for accelerating solutions through education, training, and public awareness. One way of driving this is the creation of new global communications to monitor and assess nations’ activities on climate communication, highlighting best practice and stimulating a desire to collaborate in achieving effective public engagement.

Methodology: Students use the scientific methods to analyze the data and compare the results with their peers and to find a solution. Digital literacy and digital jobs are focused on introducing career opportunities in STEM and ICT, meeting with scientists and engineers, developing 21st-century skills in order to make students more employable in the future. Concretely the methods used are: observation method, historical and research.

The collected data were analyzed and discovered significant relationships between the integration of this project into the curriculum and the engagement of students in the learning process and in real life. Interviews and case studies are the methodological tools that are used to obtain a better understanding of the behaviors, processes, and practices observed on the ground.

Research Method: This study was descriptive in nature, with a qualitative approach, as it studied the study and analysis of students’ abilities to include individual work and group work. Pupils will conduct a material analysis of their products, including an environmental statistical report, share with other partner countries of the project in eTwinning “ The future in our hands”, information on awareness-raising activities, information on climate exploration, reflect on environmental issues like Global Warming, based on the Edu-Arctic online lectures.

The steps in this research were divided into three phases, including:
1. Preparatory phase
2. Stage of implementation
3. Final stage

The preparatory phase included the preparation of a project plan, student workbook, and learning.

The project/event consists of five main stages. These five phases include
1) student orientation towards the problem, 2) student learning organization, 3) conduction of individual and group investigations, 4) development and presentation of work, 5) analysis and evaluation of the problem-solving process posed through the initial question.

The implementation combines the application of models to learn through the project through the assistance of alternative tools. This stage included (1) providing basic information about the material being studied, (2) problem solving, and student engagement (3) student division into several working groups, (4) assigning students tasks in a group discussion form for solving problems related to the topic of the project (5) discussions between student groups, (6) inviting students to draw conclusions based on their opinions. Public participation in science is increasing, and citizen science has a central part in this.

With this thematic project, we propose a step by step guide on how to introduce the EDU-ARCTIC monitoring system into school practice. Learn all about all environmental aspects: when, how and why to observe them. Learn all about phenology – the annual rhythm of plants and animals. Get familiar with plants, insects, and birds observed in a monitoring system in Edu-Arctic platform.

Many students want to know WHAT they can do to make a difference. We are discovering that knitting science with solutions is an important strategy. Together with the students, we organized a conference in the form of an interview with representatives of the local and central government, teacher, pupils, experts, businessmen, community on issues related to climate change.

How can we reduce carbon in school? How safe is our water? What can we do to protect a specific country or specific? How do we measure the impact of disasters?

For the cooperation of the students with experts and scientists in the framework of STEM implementation in schools. WHY we do this? This workshop introduces us to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal #13: Climate Action, which encourages all to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts and demonstrate the effects of climate change on every continent, and its people, around the world. The Transform Our World is big support and celebrate our students to integrate real-world issues into their community practice and engage students in authentic problem solving through a global lens. Climate change spokespeople informed by the social science of climate communication Spokespeople, whether climate scientists, journalists or government officials, have a critical role in public understanding when it comes to climate change. Yet whilst a great deal of effort is often put into understanding data points and attribution calculations rarely is the same energy invested in understanding how to communicate these efforts. An example of attempting to address this comes from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change whose Working Group commissioned Climate Outreach to produce a communication handbook for the Climateurope Festival scientists in 2018 #climateEu18. This project is to explore the values and identity of participants, discuss the core issues, and examine trial narratives with Environment and Climate Experts. Successful projects have already been completed in the eTwinning and Climateurope Festival about Climate Change for understanding and tracking public attitudes. The ultimate goal was to inspire students to pursue STEM careers following the selection and appreciation of STEM subjects as Climate Science at school.

1. This project included a discussions with Expert of Climate Science, to introduce students to a variety of STEM Careers. We invited Expert from the areas of Environment and Climate Science. Each expert delivered introduction about of their sector. Through this STEM workshop the Experts aimed to introduce the students to the relation of science subjects to potential careers and understand how theory covered in schools is translated into the world of work. Speaking on Climate Change and its impact on the Arctic “What Happens in the Arctic Does not Stay in the Arctic” students were asked questions of Expert by their specialty and use different tools as professionals to communicate, collaborate, conduct research, analyse, create and publish their work for real audiences . They present information on the Edu Arctic prior to the guests who were environmental specialists, transportation director, forest director, and city manager of the town hall of Patos, Fier.
2. The multisectoral dimension: Many decision-makers, businesses and the general public are increasingly aware of the relevance of climate information to them, be it to manage risks or identify opportunities arising from climate-related hazards, from climate variability and climate change, or to increase their understanding of the climate system. https://youtu.be/IFfHJ4WTnYk
3. Climate Services ensure that the best available climate science is effectively communicated with agriculture, water, health, and other sectors, to develop and evaluate adaptation strategies. We visited the Growing and Processing Industry of Livestock and asked how climate change has an impact on the industry and how they can minimize pollution.
4. Three of our students are the winners of CRESCENDOschool competition by made a video about Climate Change and they were invited to Climateurope Festival in Belgrade, Serbia that support the exchange of knowledge and cultivate efforts for climate change adaptation and mitigation informed by science.
5. The students share their experience take in Climateurope Festival 2018 with other students and experts. From the early age of school, it is possible to work with a stimulating environment and with high level expectations.
6. Experts are the answered to this question. Communication, data-sharing and decision support: What tools are available to access useful and credible climate data, information and knowledge on climate vulnerability and risk? Are current tools adequate for supporting decisions at different levels? How can communication brokering be improved and lead to action? What is the role of education? Institutions, governance, citizens and social justice: How can we enhance institutional collaboration? Are there new ways to increase coherence and communication from the local to European scale? How can we increase trans-boundary collaboration and solutions? Are there innovative ways to involve the private sector? Global climate challenges: What are the roles of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in facing this century’s societal challenges? What are the solutions to improve the coherence and coordination between climate change adaptation/disaster risk reduction / Sustainable Development Goals? What are the implications of not adopting? What are the consequences of exceeding 2ºC and what can be done? Climate risk management and resilience: What are the best practices for the implementation of adaptation and risk reduction measures in different sectors and at cross-sectoral? What good examples exist in the implementation of integrated approaches in dealing with climate-induced hazards and disasters? What can we learn from the implementation of specific adaptation case-studies? What are current and needed innovative solutions to increase climate resilience in cities. How can the best available climate science be effectively communicated to facilitate the evaluation and development of adaptation strategies? How can we improve communication and knowledge exchange between researchers, policymakers and practitioners? How can we involve citizens to improve and implement adaptation solutions?
7. Climate change and society: The Climate service must respond to user needs, must be based on scientifically credible information and expertise, and requires appropriate engagement between the users and providers. Honored in this event by her participation and the representative of the central government, the deputy of the area Antoneta Dhima spoke about the initiatives that the government will take to improve the situation on climate change and the protection of the environment and animals and its support. Policymakers can use climate services to access decision-relevant scientific information in order to make the best decisions for society as a whole. This can help society to cope with current climate variability and limit the economic and social damage caused by climate-related disasters.
8. Climate change is a global topic, but talking about solutions can bring a hopeful message to the community and empower students. It is essential that students understand the types of action they can take and the extent to which these changes are needed. People need the protection of the ecosystems that keep us. Addressing climate change will be a monumental challenge and undoubtedly, some of today’s students will give their very important contribution to the design and implementation of future solutions.

Actions to address climate change are already happening around us. The multidimensional nature of solutions and adaptations offers many ways to explore these topics in the classroom and not only. Types of actions to reduce climate change can take many forms, such as avoiding discharges, changes in land use or sequestration of greenhouse gases. The degree of action may range from an individual to a community, a nation. Climate and energy policies are currently being drafted by many countries and communities. All citizens, including students, can contribute to new policies; the resulting policies are likely to have an effect on us all.

The mainline in this project falls on silk. The act of sericulture was aimed at students whereby they have an idea on living habits of silkworms. In the course of routine observation, we hoped that students learn to collect data, take preliminary records before depicting the life circle changes in words or drawings. In so doing, students were exposed to the birth process of silk.

We witnessed how silks changed into silk yarn held by female embroiders during the field visit. Practical activities enabled students to have a better understanding of traditional Chinese sericulture and Suzhou embroidery. They marveled at splendid Chinese culture. We shared with our students the development of Suzhou embroidery, coupled with stitch expertise, by means of PowerPoint, videos, etc. With this, students experienced what authentic Suzhou embroidery was like. Besides, we taught them hand by hand the smart combination of needle and silk so as to arouse their interest in Suzhou embroidery, a traditional national handicraft. What the research work brought to our students was not simply sericulture skills or Suzhou embroidery techniques, but a precious treasure box filled with cultural origin, and skill development of over thousands of years. Let innocent hearts encounter cultural treasures to feel great charm of intangible cultural heritage. The Chinese national pride will soon be spread.

We made intersection between science and literature (theatre) to produce first arguments for a scientific debate on the controversy of global warming and water depletion, second the learners gathered the debate data to create a theatre play and perform it.

1. Produce arguments for the scientific debate
2. Gather the data for debate
3. Create a theatre play
4. Perform it