Käthe-Kollwitz-Schule - Grundschule der Universitätsstadt Gießen

Living Maths Comenius project 2011 - 2013

6 European Schools are involved in a common maths project "living maths".

At the first European teachersmeeting in Germany (September 2011) 13 teachers from Norway, Italy, England, Poland and Spain were guests of our school.

The second meeting was in Northern Norway at Hatteng Skole (Ferbruary 2012) and the third time we met at Coquet park School in Whitley Bay/England (April 2012).

All school partners are working together on all tasks including hosting partner meetings, providing agenda items, trialling and producing the products as well as visiting each school to observe and discuss local practice.

teachers meeting -with Prof. Beutelspacher in "Mathematikum"

Meeeting in Whitley Bay, England (April 2012)

Newsguardian

Published on Friday 27 April 2012 11:26

EUROPEAN delegates were given a special send-off by young children who had learnt more about their cultures.

A total of 23 teachers from schools in Catalonia, Germany, Italy, Norway and Poland travelled to Coquet Park First School, in Whitley Bay, as part of the British Council’s Comenius Programme.

It aims to develop knowledge and understanding of European cultures, languages and diversity, with the teachers working with children at Coquet Park on a ‘Living Maths’ project.

Coquet Park teachers have already visited some of the European partner schools, and Year 3 pupils have been writing to their German counterparts.

The visiting teachers have been learning more about north east culture. They have enjoyed the North Tyneside coastline, a visit to Playhouse Whitley Bay to see ‘Westside Story’, taught Morris Dance by the Monkseaton Morris Dancers, and visited Newcastle and Durham.

And on Thursday, April 26, Coquet Park pupils bid their European visitors a fond farewell with a special assembly featuring sword dancing and a flag display.

Headteacher Mark Lovell said: “This exchange project is a really important way of increasing our pupils’ global awareness, helping them to understand that we’re all European citizens.

“It’s also an excellent way for us, as teachers, to think more about our teaching methods, and share best practice with our European colleagues.”

The Comenius Programme work between the schools will continue in May when children from Catalonia join Coquet Park’s Year 4 pupils on a residential camp at Kielder.

Meeting in Hatteng/Oteren - Northern Norway (February 2012)

text text

Symmetry of shapes and items

Title	Symmetry of shapes and items
Area of Learning	Shapes
Age/ number of pupils	9 years old
Learning objectives and goals	Find out symmetry of shapes Working with a partner or in groups
Subjects	Math
Equipment	Mirrors, rulers, coloured pencils, worksheets with symmetrical and asymmetrical shapes, letters and traffic signs, symmetrical and asymmetrical items from the classroom, school things, toys...
Duration and place	Four one hour sessions In the classroom
Description of main activity	Tables are put in groups so that four pupils can work together and help each others to solve problems. Six tasks (see photos of worksheets ) are presented to the pupils. Pupils choose the tasks they want to work on. Each pupil should do a minimum of three tasks. Pupils can also with a partner.
Comments and evaluation	The children learned the terms symmetrical and asymmetrical and drew in symmetrical axes. Children with special needs worked successfully with the class. Children were very motivated to find even more items in the schoolyard and find out whether these items were symmetrical or asymmetrical. All of them said they enjoyed the work with the mirrors most.
List of attachments	Photographs of worksheet and pupils working on the tasks
Name of school/country	Käthe-Kollwitz-Schule-Gießen/ Germany

Learning English Numbers and the English Flag

Title	Learning numbers from 1 to 10 The English Flag
Area of Learning	Numbers
Age/ number of pupils	6 to 8/19
Learning objectives and goals	- counting and using numbers to 10 - to get to know the English flag and its history
Subjects	Math/Cultural studies
Equipment	Map Flag number cards memory game
Duration and place	3 one hour sessions in classroom
Description of main activity	Pupils learn the numbers from 1 to 10 by games: - pupils learn nursery rhyme “One, two, buckle my shoe”. - teacher names numbers, pupils find the number cards that are distributed in the classroom - teacher names numbers, pupils form groups according to number - pupils play number memory -
Comments and evaluation	The children showed great interest in the geography part as well as in learning the English numbers. They all learned the numbers from 1 to 10 very quickly and enjoyed the nursery rhyme. Now they can´t wait to learn English.
List of attachments	Photographs/Video
Name of school/country	Kaethe-Kollwitz-Schule/Germany

Numbers/Tables

Anniversary clock (maths and arts)

Title	Building an anniversary clock with numbers
Area of Learning	Numbers in a foreign language and the seasons
Age/ number of pupils	8 years old
Learning objectives and goals	To learn the names of numbers in English To work in a group
Subjects	Maths/Art
Equipment	scribed numbers felt tips scissors glue different coloured paper
Duration and place	3 one hour lessons Classroom und craft room
Description of main activity	1) The pupils are shown the numbers 1-12. They repeat and learn the words in English. 2) The pupils assign the numbers to the fitting month and collect ideas how to illustrate the numbers. 3) The pupils colour the shapes of the numbers and cut them out. 4) Each group pastes the numbers on their coloured paper and assigns them to an anniversary clock. In the middle of that paper they put a sun and a clock’s hand. 5) Every group presents their anniversary clock to the others.
Comments and evaluation	The pupils had a lot of fun learning English that way. They also enjoyed creating “their” anniversary clock.
List of attachments	Photographs
Name of school/country	Käthe-Kollwitz-Schule Giessen/Germany

Shapes in our town

Title	Shapes in our town
Area of Learning	Shape
Age/ number of pupils	8 years old
Learning objectives and goals	To work in a group To discover circles, squares, rectangles, triangles and other shapes on the streets in the neighbourhood To learn the names of 3d shapes in German and in English
Subjects	Math/Art
Equipment	4 digicams
Duration and place	Two hour sessions Outdoors
Description of main activity	The pupils went outside the school for taking pictures of shapes by themselves in small groups. They pupils discovered: Circles: wheels, traffic signs, sewer cover, mercedes benz signs,... Triangels: traffic signs, windows and at the modern churchtower... Rectangels: windows, pavements, stepping stones.... Pentagons: stop-signs Rhombus: stepping stones and pavements
Comments and evaluation	The children learned the names of the shapes. They were very proud to discover so many shapes in the neighbourhood.

Shapes with bodies

Our Pupils formed triangles, quadrats,rectangles and circles with their bodies.

Geometry and maths

Title	Making a fruit spears with geometric shapes
Area of Learning	Shape
Age/ number of pupils	9 years old
Learning objectives and goals	To learn the names of shapes To work in a group
Subjects	Math
Equipment	Different fruits Knives Plates Breakfast boards
Duration and place	Two hours In classroom
Description of main activity	The pupils are shown shapes. The pupils repeat the words in German and English. Every group get bananas, oranges, apples, kiwis. Every group is asked to look at the fruits. They decide for the shapes they want to cut out the different fruits. Pupils cut out the shapes and present them on spears and plates. They name them in the different languages. At the end they have breakfast with fruits.
Comments and evaluation	The children learned the names of the shapes in English and German. The liked the lesson. Some said “math is just delicious”.
List of attachments	Photographs
Name of school/country	Käthe-Kollwitz-Schule-Gießen/ Germany