Cross-curricular reading strategies within the school library
2. Cross-curricular reading strategies within the school library
2.1 A Look at the Diversity of Culture among the Countries of the European Union
Reading / Learning Strategies- for learners aged 13 by mag. Mirjam Francetič, school librarian, Slovenia
When the nine-year programme was being introduced in primary schools, the crosscurricular cooperation at the lower secondary level of education seemed very demanding and complicated to the teachers. However, when we started doing team planning and carrying out classes, things began to run smoothly. As a librarian, I am often at their disposal, so the teachers frequently stop by the library to browse through literature and, occasionally, discuss current issues. At the start of the school year, the Civics and Ethics teacher and I began planning a LIS( Library and Information Sciences) lesson for the seventh-graders( aged 13) to be given on April 2, International Children ' s Book Day. The lesson was a part of the thematic cluster Life in a Community: Nation Country, the title of the unit being Diversity of Culture among the Countries of the European Union. We wanted to include a presentation of the European Union( hereafter referred to as the“ EU”) and Slovenia ' s entrance into the EU.
The lesson comprised of the pupils first going over the basic concepts and symbols of the EU, getting to know about the diversity of cultures, and their importance in preserving national identity, as well as learning about the necessity of intercultural integration within the EU. They also got acquainted with key concepts, such as culture, intercultural integration, diversity of culture, national identity.
The teaching formats were the teacher-centred approach and group work, where we used the methods of discussion, practical work and that of a quiz. The pupils gathered in the library, which was organised so that they could split into five groups formed during the preceding Civics and Ethics lesson. My task was to explain to them the aim and purpose of their visit to the library. They reiterated the basic concepts and symbols of the EU with their teacher, the knowledge of which they acquired during previous Civics and Ethics lessons, where they talked about Slovenia’ s entrance into the EU. They did this with the help of the Europass publication and the EU’ s web page.
The lesson which followed started with the playing of the EU’ s anthem. The pupils recognized it immediately and named its title – Ode to Joy, prelude to Beethoven’ s Ninth Symphony. We unfolded the Slovenian flag and described its colours and coat of arms. This was followed by the flag of the EU. We talked about the twelve stars on the blue flag and
[ datum ]
37