Preparatory visit to France completed January 1997.

Project commenced March 1997.

St.Patrick's Primary School became involved in a Comenius European Education Project in 1997. Using the SELB's European partnerships, the school initiated contact with a French primary school in Tours and a Swedish school in Malmo. A preparatory visit was arranged to take place in Tours in January 1997, and during this visit two teachers from St.Patrick's Primary School, Mrs.F.Donaghy and Mr.B.O'Hare, accompanied by the Principal Mr.J.McBride, met their French and Swedish counterparts. The purpose of the visit was to agree on a project which would incorporate features of the curriculum of each of the partner schools.

The theme "From Cultural Heritage to European Identity" was chosen, designed to span three years from Primary 5 through to Primary 7. In Year 1 the pupils introduced themselves to their partners through an exchange of video cassettes and letters, and proceeded to a comparison of the lifestyles of prehistoric man in each of the partner countries. This was carried out through a study of prehistoric sites, followed by the development and exchange of pupils' work, including samples of art and craft and video recordings of songs, poetry and drama. The work, which is cross-curricular, will culminate in school displays and theme days.

French is taught to the children participating in the project, and communication with the Swedish partner school was greatly facilitated in Year 1 by the presence of a Swedish Lingua Assistant who spent the school year working in schools in Armagh. The pupils of St.Patrick's Primary School were able to gain first hand experience of the culture and lifestyle of Swedish people and even learned some Swedish words and phrases.

The benefits of the Comenius project to both pupils and teachers have been considerable. The children have already learned a lot about school life and traditions in France and Sweden. The teachers in the course of the first year have already experienced the classroom environments in Armagh, Tours and Malmo. A video-conference was arranged via the Queen's University of Belfast (Armagh Campus) during the visit to Armagh by the Swedish teachers, enabling the French teachers in Tours to take part in discussions and planning. This form of communication, together with Email and the Internet, has helped to strengthen the partnership and to enhance the ICT skills of both pupils and teachers.

Project co-ordinator : Mrs.F.Donaghy St.Patrick's Primary School