Our project explored the theme of identity and culture and what it means to be German and British and, together, what it means to be European. The aim of the project was for the pupils of all schools to not just learn about the culture in the other country, but also to reflect on their own culture. To facilitate contacts between the pupils we set up a pen friend exchange, allowing the students to communicate with each other through letters and emails.

A lot of pupils, staff, parents and supporters of the school were aware of this wonderful opportunity and participants gained an authentic insight about each other's countries.

We also created a joint magazine, The English Times which was published on a monthly basis, and we were delighted to welcome contributions from all three schools.

Additionally, we set up a blog to publish our weekly work and joint discussions: http://friendsfreunde.blogspot.co.uk

Happy reading!

The project Wir sind 2016 was a cross-curricular project dealing with the question "What does it mean to be a young person in Germany or the UK in 2016?“ The topics and ideas came from the students themselves and covered several different topics to do with everyday life and identity in both countries, such as history, sport, art, music and food.

Students wrote and sent each other e.g. questionnaires to investigate what British / German life is like for 'generation Z' (looking also at: usage of technology, time spent indoors/outdoors, clothing etc.). The aim was also to find out how this differs from their parents' experience of life in the year 2000 and whether parents noticed any changes over time.

The results were analysed and presented in form of a blog on eTwinning and eventually in form of a project book for each school.

We allocated 2-3 weeks for each sub-topic so we had a few weeks spare at the end of the year to produce the book to show our pupils what they've learnt, including how their expectations have changed and what they have enjoyed most.

Our project was about identity and the different cultures that exist in the UK and Germany. To raise an initial interest for our German/British Clubs, we started off with a parcel exchange followed by creating a friendship book for the pupils to introduce themselves, and to tell their friends about their culture and customs.

In order to really kick-start the thinking process about their own identity and culture, pupils were asked to create a mind map. This triggered some really interesting questions which were sent to the group in the other country. Their answers were recorded and uploaded on eTwinning. We also planned videos about the refugee situation and Brexit.