Caring for the Ocean on the Two Shores
Caring for the Ocean on the Two Shores
Students at Hilltop High School (Sweetwater School District, San Diego) and students at Institut Cubelles (Cataluña, Spain) learn together about how to make our oceans more sustainable, while developing language proficiency and cultural and global competencies. Learn how teachers at these two schools took advantage of SDCOE’s Two Shores Virtual Intercultural Exchange Program to connect their students with speakers of the target languages (Spanish and English), nurture relationships across the globe, and engage and motivate them to practice their target language.
Participating Schools and Teachers
We extend our sincere appreciation to teachers Amparo Valdivia, Spanish and French teacher at Hilltop High School, and Montserrat Casulleras, English teacher at Institut Cubelles, for their participation in the Two Shores Virtual Intercultural Exchange Program and for sharing their project and experiences.
Institut Cubelles (Spain)
Secondary school (7th -12th grade) near Barcelona (51 km / 31 miles).
Established: 2005
550 students; 60 teachers
1 principal, 1 deputy head, 1 guidance counselor, 1 secretary.
Foreign languages: English and German
The school participates in the Erasmus Program
Hilltop High School (California)
Four-year public high school in Chula Vista very close to the Mexican border.
Established: 1959
1,830 students; 80 teachers.
5 counselors, 1 nurse, 1 psychologist, 4 assistant principals and 1principal.
6 languages: Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, German.
Objectives of the Project
- To give the students the opportunity to appreciate the value of speaking the language,
- To accomplish common cultural and linguistic goals
- To make connections and friendships
- To learn about issues of global significance and take action
The Plan
The first step was to engage students in interactions with their partner in the other country through short assignments they had to complete together, in order to develop relationships and get to know each other (Activities 1-4).
Then, students and teachers on the two shores work together towards greater global awareness through the oceans project (Activities 5 - 9). Teachers used the Global Competence Framework as they designed activities connected to each of the four domains of the framework:
Investigate the world beyond their immediate environment, framing significant problems and conducting well-crafted and age-appropriate research (Activities 3, 4, 5, 7)
Recognize perspectives, others’ and their own, articulating and explaining such perspectives thoughtfully and respectfully (Activities 4, 5, 7)
Communicate ideas effectively with diverse audiences, bridging geographic, linguistic, ideological, and cultural barriers (Activities 5, 7, 9)
Take action to improve conditions, viewing themselves as players in the world and participating reflectively (Activity 6)
Activities
- Presentation of the project to all the students during a general synchronous video conference with students from Spain and San Diego.
- General introduction of participants through video conferences. Students were paired and had a chance to talk with their partners. Questions were provided to students and questions provided to learners
- What is your school like? Each student created a presentation about their school using pictures, and they presented it to their partners. These initial activities were aimed at creating opportunities for students to get to know their partners and develop connections.
- Similarities and differences between Cubelles and Chula Vista (Beach / Sea / Ocean) Students discussed similarities and differences between their two cities. This was a collaborative task between partners from both countries. Since both towns are on the coast, students identified the ocean as a common area of interest for their collaborative exploration of environmental issues
- Talk offered by María Galvez, European Climate Pact Ambassador on the topic of how climate change is affecting our seas and oceans. This virtual talk was given in Spanish and students in both countries took notes and had discussions with their partners about what they learned and implications for their respective contexts.
- Beach clean-ups; Students on both shores did beach cleanups in San Diego and Barcelona beaches.
Hilltop High School students at an Imperial Beach cleanup with the Surfrider Foundation
Institut Cubelles beach clean-up in Barcelona (Spain)
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Talk offered by an expert Meaghan Cuddy from the Office of Oceans and Polar Affairs in Washington, DC. During the talk students learned about the goals of the Office of Oceans and Polar Affairs, and what they do. This talk was in English and students from both countries attended, took notes and had discussions with their partners about what they learned.
- Opinion essay: Students wrote an opinion essay about what is currently being done and what else could be done to reduce the effects of climate change in their cities.
Article in English by a student from Institut Cubelles
Article in Spanish by a student from Hilltop HS (San Diego)
Learn more
“Great experience for our students who feel more open-minded and proud of participating in this program!”
- Amparo Valdivia, Spanish Teacher, Hilltop High School