Reading marathon around the Diary of Anne Frank

The Reading Marathon took place on March 7, as part of the group’s library activities for the Reading Week (7 to 11 March) and mobilized many students and classes of the group, with the participation of 28 classes of EBS Canelas and four schools EB1 E EB1/JI (Ribes, Alquebre, Monte and Lagarteira). We had a special participation of the school library of Cerignola, Italy, our partner of school library of Erasmus Project “, and that has in common the reading and the exploration of this famous diary. The purpose of this initiative was to value the act of reading, aware that reading is a condition for all knowledge and a guarantee for the exercise of full citizenship. We know that this literacy is fundamental for our students and, therefore, we marked a continuous reading current for nine hours.

Teachers, parents/carers, operational and technical assistants, psychologists and an Italian school, partner of a school library Erasmus project on reading and values, joined this initiative.

This reading took place in person in the main school library and remotely, through Google Meet, with the schools in the school cluster that joined the activity, with parents and guardians and with the Italian school.

Although the readers were free to choose which text to read, most of the readings were from the book “The Diary of Anne Frank”, a work which is linked to the theme of the two Erasmus projects developed by the library in partnership with libraries from other European schools.

Reading this work is always surprising, due to the genius and sensitivity of this young Jewish girl who died at the age of 15 in a concentration camp, a few months before the end of World War II. Unfortunately, the necessary approach to human rights education has again become a priority in view of the developments taking place in Ukraine. And Anne Frank’s diary has become painfully topical (if ever it stopped being topical)…

We are left with a message of hope for new, more peaceful and tolerant times. May reading also unite us in a humanitarian current.

4ª Mobility – Italy (join staff meeting)

The 4th mobility of school libraries in our project took place in Cerignola, Italy.  Six teachers from three countries participated successfully in the activities planned for this mobility, which translated into the opening of a new library in the host school, the sharing of good practices, the visit to one of the biggest public libraries in Italy and a cultural appropriation of the Puglia region.

After the greetings and the speech of the school headmaster, all the teachers involved in this Erasmus project moved to the new library of this school in order to start the work plan. They discussed about the different activities carried out and to be developed during the next two mobilities.  At the same time, the representatives of each country and of the different library teams showed the good practices developed in their country, giving rise to a rich sharing of ideas and learning.

In the afternoon they visited the Saltpans of Margherita di Savoia.

On Tuesday, the hosts organised a trip to Matera – the participants had a day trip to the historical centre of the city: UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE. Moreover, on Wednesday morning, all project partners visited the magnificent city of Trani.

On Thursday, all the participants visited the provincial library of Foggia, in a visit guided by its director, with a presentation of books over 500 years old that are part of the collection of this huge Italian library.

After this visit, in the afternoon, we went to Monte Sant’Angelo, where we visited the old centre and the ancient cathedral built under a huge rock.

On Friday, all the teachers met in the school library of the host school and watched a video prepared by Greek teachers.  The coordinator of this Erasmus project gave a summary of the objectives and the activities to be developed until the next mobility, this one already with students. On the same day, at the closing of the activity, the teachers received their attendance certificates and gifts.

It ended a teachers’ mobility with the fulfilment of the objectives programmed in the project, with a pedagogical and cultural enrichment.

Italian mobility “Anne Frank Diary”

The 3rd mobility of our project School libraries took place in Cerignola, Italy. 8 teachers and 19 students from 3 countries, attended successfully the planned activities.
The series of events opened with a welcome meeting at the host school and the exchange of the National flags. Then there was the head teacher speech and finally a typical dance performed by the Italian students.
After that, the host students introduced their European friends to their classmates. Peer interviews were conducted in order for the Italian students to learn more about their European counterparts. Later on, all students went to the Primary school to see the local library and to listen the story of the Ugly Duckling.
On Tuesday, all the participants went to the local library, where the students watched two short videos about Anne Frank and the Deutch lady who helped her and her family during the two years spent in the annex secret. After that, they wrote a letter to express their thoughts and feelings about the videos. Similar workshop was done the following day in the Art room. The students realized the Tunnel Book helped by an Italian teacher and the Art teacher. On Friday morning, every country showed a Powerpoint about the National Righteous Among the Nations.
Italy remembered Gino Bartali, who was a very popular cyclist and he helped Jews people to avoid the concentration camp.
The hosts organized trips to Castel del Monte – where the participants visited the unique Hunting Castle. Besides, on Wednesday afternoon, all the guest students and their host partners visited Manfredonia and Siponto. In addition, they had one-day tour of the monumental areas in Bari and in Alberobello. The participants had the chance to visit the Town Hall in Cerignola (where they were welcomed by the Local Culture responsible). They also toured the historical centre of Cerignola, where they could admire the Cathedral and the old church which dates back to 11th century. Their visit was motivated by a special treasure hunt played by all the participants. What is more, both the students and the teachers accompanying them participated in a workshop hosted by the Agricultural Institute in Cerignola, where they were introduced to the secrets of the traditional Italian cuisine and were even allowed to sample the food. The purpose of these trips was to enhance the participants’ knowledge of local history and to get them engaged in cross-cultural learning experiences. On the same day, the guest students and their accompanying teachers received their certificates of attendance and presents.

School Library Erasmus Project – Mobility to Italy

Three members of the school library team and six students from our school group went to Italy, to the city of Cerignola, from 1 to 8 May, experiencing an exchange and sharing of good practices with three partner schools from other countries, focused on the shared exploration of the literary work “The Diary of Anne Frank”, as part of the project “School libraries promoting readers, values, literacies, skills and inclusion” that our library coordinates.
In addition to the cultural and professional aspect experienced during this week, we should highlight the quality of the welcome given by the host Italian school and all the human involvement, which resulted in the building and strengthening of friendships and unforgettable experiences, according to the testimonies of the students participating in the mobility scheme.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of this mobility.
Testimonials of the students participating in the mobility scheme:
With the mobility to Cerignola, Italy, the Erasmus project proved once again to be a highly enriching experience.
Welcomed with the greatest affection, kindness and availability, we were given the opportunity to visit charming places and carry out dynamic and very interesting activities. We were able to experience the lifestyle of that community, visiting their favourite places and getting involved in their day-to-day activities.
We lived this opportunity 100%: we laughed, we cried, we sang, we danced, we ran, we dealt with small and big unforeseen events.
A very funny and friendly group with whom my shyness did not prevent me from creating huge bonds. Despite this, I managed to meet people with whom I discovered I had a lot in common and with whom I still keep in touch.
The teachers always treated us with great patience, care, attention and affection, for which I feel very grateful. They made this trip much more comfortable and fun. Thank you for going along with our nonsense.
Finally, this Erasmus project also allowed me to deepen relationships and, in a way, grant second chances. Five amazing friends embarked with me on this adventure and I couldn’t ask for a better company.

Sofia Barbosa – 9º A

This trip to Cerignola certainly changed my life. Thanks to this library Erasmus Project, I made great friends and learned to value them. I experienced everything in Italy, an incredible land, with an incredible history, incredible people. I was very welcomed, and I feel that place will be marked for my life. And I dream of going back there!

Rúben Faria – 9º F

This trip to Cerignola was one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life. Thanks to this project, I left Portugal for the first time, made friendships that I will never forget, had unforgettable adventures and did all this in the company of my new friends. I was very well received and visited wonderful places! For sure this place will be marked for my life. I hope to return to Cerignola to meet my friends again.

Beatriz Pinto – 7º C

On the 01/05/2022 I travelled to Italy, Cerignola, I can say that it was the most intense and incredible week of my life, a mixture of emotions. To know an incredible country, a new culture, different customs, different people and to practice my English, were only some of the many benefits that this trip gave me. I will carry with me for life the friendships I made there, without a doubt.
I am very grateful for the experience that was given to me, and even more grateful to have been accompanied by both incredible friends and excellent teachers who took the role of our parents for a week.
The farewell was a moving moment for everyone, as we had to say goodbye to people with whom we have all created a unique bond.

Íris Ferreira – 9º A

When I was told that I was going to Cerignola I honestly didn’t know how to react because I didn’t know and I had never been in an Erasmus project! Now I can say that this week was the most amazing of my life: I met fantastic people, different habits from mine, a new culture…
At the farewell moment, leaving our friends, made the tears flow.
I also wanted to thank everyone for the unique moments and also thank the teachers for the opportunity they gave us.

Lucas Silva – 9º A

Hi, I’m Pedro and… honestly, when I am asked to give an opinion about this week I simply run out of words… and when one comes to mind it is always the same: “to live”. It was my first ERASMUS experience and I hope to have many more alongside this team of incredible teachers and students. In Italy I knew another language, I met new habits, food and people, I made friendships that will stay in my heart forever. We fulfilled our goal of the project, to make our work known, our culture and to know more of the other. Thank you to everyone involved for giving me the best week ever! As I said on the trip back, the feeling we all felt for me is ERASMUS!

Portuguese Mobility – 6th until 10th December 2021

  • https://youtu.be/yPALpaJc874

    An Erasmus mobility took place from 6 to 10 December as part of the school library project “School libraries promoting readers, values, literacies, skills and inclusion”, whose main objective was the exchange and sharing of good practices, bringing together fifteen students and ten teachers from Italy, Greece, Poland and Portugal.

    Throughout the week, educational and cultural activities took place, focusing on reading, the dynamics of school libraries and the holocaust theme, a topic that denotes the need for permanent education for human rights. On the first day, the students and teachers participated in a welcoming event promoted by the school library team and attended by the school headmaster, who spoke about Erasmus and its importance for education and the personal and civic education of our students.

    The Portuguese Erasmus team students, Íris Ferreira, Sofia Barbosa and Lucas Silva, from 9th A, welcomed our guests and presented, in a perfect English, all the special moments of this ceremony.

    Next, the students of Paula Campos’ Music Club and the respective students of the 5th B, together, sang “Welcome” – a welcome song and “Menina Estás à Janela” – a traditional Portuguese song, popularised by Vitorino Salomé. Then, in order to remember the importance of the European Union and the Erasmus + programme, the teacher Carlos Silva on the trumpet, accompanied by the teacher Paula Campos on the piano, played the musical piece “Ode to Joy” – theme from the 4th movement of Beethoven’s 9th symphony (the official anthem of the European Union). These were moments of special emotion and strengthened the bonds of friendship between the European partners present.

    Also during the welcoming ceremony, the students of the Language Club of our school, coordinated by the teacher Ana Paula Borges, and led by the students Alice Baião, Cristina Matos, Cátia Santos, Henrique Astorga and Rui Carvalho, animated the activity entitled “The faces of hope”. In their presentation/dramatization they showed two faces of hope in the world through two illustrious Portuguese people: Aristides de Sousa Mendes and Fernando Pessoa, both represented on stage by two students, dramatising these great Portuguese figures with enormous mastery.

    Also during the same morning, the students performed a “Kahoot”, prepared in a collaborative way by the four project countries, about the book “The boy in the striped pyjamas”, which gave the name to this mobility of Portugal, since each meeting between students and teachers obeys, as stipulated in our Erasmus project, the reading and preparation of one of the selected books on the holocaust theme (“Anne Frank’s Diary”, “The boys who deceived the Nazis” and “The Dream Workshop”). The students of the English Club also offered a “human bingo”, an activity that proved to be important to break the ice between the students and create a good atmosphere.

    In the afternoon, teachers Rosário Sá and Alice Loureiro offered a workshop on Portuguese tiles. The purpose of this activity was to introduce foreign students and teachers to the richness of the Portuguese heritage, in this case, the tiles. Everyone was able to illustrate one or more tiles, with the guidance and mastery of the Portuguese teachers, following some creative proposals or giving wings to their imagination. After passing through the muffle, the students and teachers were later given their tiles, which showed great satisfaction with the final product produced.

    On Tuesday, the day was spent in the city of Porto, visiting museums. In the morning, in the building of Alfândega do Porto, the Erasmus group attended two events, namely, “Fabulous Christmas circus” and “Porto Legends”, in this last one they had the opportunity to know, through an immersive virtual show, the culture and history of the Invicta city.

    After a guided tour of Boavista and its largest avenue, despite the bad weather that was felt, the group had the opportunity to pass by the coastline near the Castelo do Queijo and throughout Foz, returning to the place of departure. There, in the afternoon, the students and teachers visited the Museum of the Discoveries, getting to know in detail the discoveries and the Portuguese expansion. The visit was a great pleasure for everyone and had unique moments that will stay forever in memory.

    Wednesday, the 8th, a bank holiday, was a day when the foreign students spent the day with their host families. Each family freely defined the programme for that day, with visits to Porto and Gaia, and the gastronomic experience of francesinha was quite common.

    On Thursday 9th, the group travelled to Guimarães, accompanied by professional guide Marta Villares who gave us a detailed and enriching tour of the monuments and streets of this Unesco World Heritage city. Thanks to the cooperation of the teacher Ana Cristina Ribeiro, who made available to us the clothes used in Canelas Medieval, the group was dressed in medieval clothes for the visits to the Castle, Church and Paço Duque de Bragança, here with the participation in a very funny dance workshop, requested by the school.

    In the afternoon, we visited Alberto Sampaio Museum and then, divided in four groups, we did the peddy paper “Guimarães historical centre”, an activity which was a great pleasure for the students and teachers who participated. This activity added a greater knowledge about the historical and monumental city of Guimarães.

    On Friday, the last day of activities, the group spent the day at school, the teachers returning to the work inherent to the project, jointly defining the tasks and programming the pedagogical activities until May, date of the next mobility in Italy.

    The day opened for the students with an illustration workshop run by the teacher Márcia Moreira and that allowed the students to illustrate a panel dedicated to the book “The boy in the striped pyjamas”. The students participated in the eTwinning discussion forum, entitled “Book versus movie”.

    Later, the group had the opportunity to visit block C3 and watch the performance of the “Band (still) with no name”, always captivating and which amazed our foreign partners. They also had the opportunity to know in detail the “Yes, we are able” project, through a brief presentation by its responsible, teacher Luís Baião.

    The teachers had yet another memorable experience, this time of a gastronomic nature, participating in a cooking workshop, streamlined by teachers Liliana Soares and José Cruz, accompanied by the wonderful students of the professional course of Catering and Bar. They presented the recipe for the dish “Bacalhau à Brás” to the group of teachers and accompanied them in the preparation of the same during the workshop. This was, in fact, the dish that was served for the group’s lunch and which pleased everyone. A cultural moment of great relaxation, enthusiasm and conviviality.

    The day would close with the tasks programmed for the team of teachers and with the conclusion of the illustration panel prepared by the students, with the respective display in the mini-auditorium of the school library.

    Saturday, the day when all the partners left for their respective countries, proved to be very emotional, because throughout the week, as was easily perceived, strong bonds of friendship were created between Portuguese and foreign students and their families. Gifts, invitations for visits abroad and promises of friendship for life marked this day of farewell and closure of the mobility.

    Erasmus is more than a trip: it is culture, exchange, learning and friendship! As Pessoa says, everything is worthwhile when the soul is not small. And in this exchange, the fundamental values of the human condition were cherished. We can say that we entered the exchange and left it different and better.

    A special thanks to all our collaborators – who were many and unconditionally – who gave their support for the success of this mobility, allowing it to be a unique, unforgettable and remarkable moment for all who participated

Erasmus Mobility in Canelas, Portugal – School Library Project

 

Within the framework of the Erasmus school library project “School libraries promoting readers, values, literacies, skills and inclusion”, took place in EBS de Canelas from 6 to 10 September its first meeting – Short-term joint staff training events – Erasmus + KA229, integrating 6 teachers from Poland, Greece and Italy joined by 4 Portuguese teachers. This first meeting was organised to promote an exchange and sharing of good practices between the representatives of these four countries. Issues such as the role of libraries in the education and training of young people and their importance at school to foster numerous literacies were analysed, as well as reading activities and good reading literacy practices existing in each of the schools represented. During the week, there was also a workshop about the School Libraries Network (RBE) and the organisation of school libraries in our country, led by the Inter-Municipal Coordinator of School Libraries of Gaia and Porto, Dr. Maria João Castro, who had the opportunity to present the virtues of this structure of the Portuguese Ministry of Education, reminding, at the same time, the professional demands and challenges it poses to teacher librarians and school libraries. It was concluded that our system is the most evolved among the four European countries at this level of library organisation. In the other countries, a system equivalent to Portugal’s was still in place in 1996, when the RBE was created. Only in Poland there are also library teachers, although they do not work with the support provided by the RBE and they are unaware of the library evaluation system in force in Portugal.
The purpose of this Erasmus project is also to found a library in the Greek school in Crete and to support the transformation of the precarious space existing in the library of the Italian school. The dates for the next mobilities and the books about the Holocaust that will be presented to the students as reading proposals throughout the project’s duration were also defined. A set of procedures associated with the management of the project and its implementation were also defined.
The cultural part of this Erasmus meeting focused on the cities of Gaia and Porto, with visits to the Condes de Resende Manor House, the Lello bookshop, Torre dos Clérigos, Palácio da Bolsa and Igreja de S. Francisco, among other areas of cultural interest in the historical areas of the two cities.
It is worth mentioning the enormous empathy and friendship that coexisted throughout the past week among the group, which could not be otherwise among teachers who share a passion for books and reading. A fantastic week of professional development and knowledge of other cultures!

School libraries promoting readers, values, literacies, skills and inclusion

Portugal, Italy, Greece and Poland form a partnership to foster the cultural and transforming power of the book and libraries in their schools, and the development of associated literacies, trying to promote the reading skill as access for all knowledge and therefore as a key factor for inclusion and exercise of full citizenship. Four librarian teachers and four teachers of a school library (IT) and about 25 teachers are directly involved in this project – Erasmus Teams. This project will directly cover 2000 students aged between 12 and 15 years old, and all users served by school libraries, students, teachers, families and community.

This project offers us an opportunity to work with organizations from other countries, to learn about their practices for promoting reading in the classroom and in their libraries. It will bring a formative contribution and professional enrichment to the teachers involved and will promote quality at different levels and areas of education in the field of reading, literacies and collaboration, reinforcing the role of libraries in order to allow students the opportunity to develop 21st-century skills. Our goal is to learn about the good practices of school libraries in different educational systems, their connection to the school curriculum and learning and the way they are organized to create conditions of access and opportunities of learning for all. As a result, the partner libraries will have to promote collaborative actions that meet with the school curriculum of their schools and improve news and the best practices on our educational organizations.