OUR JOURNEY AS GLOBAL SCHOLARS IN 2nd ESO - Sección

Exploring Global Perspectives and Sustainable Choices

At our secondary school, and through the 2024-25 GLOBAL SCHOLARS program, students have been engaging in exciting and meaningful projects as part of the CALATA-LIFE initiative. These projects have allowed them to connect with peers worldwide, reflect on their consumption habits, and investigate the sustainability of local systems. Here’s a glimpse into the incredible work they have done:

1. Connecting as Global Scholars

Our students have exchanged perspectives with peers from different cities and countries, including Barcelona, Madrid, New York City, Buffalo, Astana, Paris, and Mumbai. Through discussion posts, they have shared insights about their cultures, daily lives, and global concerns. Additionally, they created engaging videos to introduce their class, school, and city, offering a glimpse into their world and explaining what it means to be a Global Scholar. 📽️ 

2. Rethinking Consumption for a Sustainable Future

Students have analyzed their daily consumption habits, considering how their environment and culture shape their choices. They explored sustainable alternatives and discovered ways to make more eco-friendly decisions. As part of this project, they created a photojournal showcasing creative ways to apply the 5Rs: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, and Recycle.

3. Investigating Local City Systems

Through research and collaboration, students have examined various city systems—such as food, water, clothing, electronics, transportation, waste disposal, and the internet. They identified sustainability challenges and proposed solutions to improve accessibility and environmental impact. Using digital tools, they designed a comprehensive guide to share their findings and recommendations.

Furthermore, they actively participated in discussions and debates with other Global Scholars, gaining new perspectives and refining their ideas. To conclude the project, they delivered oral presentations to share their knowledge with their classmates.

🖼️ 📘 Explore their photojournals and discover their sustainability guides here (2ºF):

These projects have been an inspiring journey of global connection, critical thinking, and sustainability awareness. Our students are not just learning—they are taking action to shape a more responsible and informed future. Stay tuned for more amazing initiatives from CALATA-LIFE!

1º ESO - Ancient Greece

 Ancient Greece civilisation - 1º ESO

The students of 1st ESO have made some posters about Ancient Greece. The class has been divided into groups and each group has imagined that they are a team of tour guides who are organizing trips to Greece. They have researched information about different aspects of this culture such as society, economy, sculpture, architecture, mythology or education and have made posters on cardboard to advertise their tours. They have searched for information, worked in teams and improved their oral expression when defending their projects in front of the class.

Medieval cities

 

MEDIEVAL CITIES - 2º ESO (Geography and History)

The students of 2nd ESO D and E have elaborated by groups models of medieval cities from the High and Late Middle Ages. With this activity they have worked on the parts of the medieval city and the daily life of the different social groups that lived in it. The model has been elaborated during class time and then they have exposed their work to their classmates. The aim was to reinforce their capacity for research, teamwork and oral expression.

MEET OUR LANGUAGE ASSISTANTS!!

We are thrilled to introduce you to the language assistants joining us this year. Their enthusiasm, dedication, and support are essential in making our English classes more dynamic and enriching. We are truly grateful for their collaboration and for the opportunity to learn from their culture and experience. We hope you enjoy getting to know them as much as we enjoy working with them!

Nicholas:

My name is Nicholas Scibetta. I am 25 years old and I am from Long Island, New York. I went to

elementary and high school in New York, but I attended university in Pennsylvania. I decided to

move to Spain to experience the culture and also to improve my Spanish. I studied in Barcelona

during university, but I had to leave early because of COVID. Madrid is definitely better!

This is my second year teaching at IES Calatalifa. I decided to return to the school because of

the amazing students and teachers. Currently, I live in the center of Madrid and I play on two

different football teams. I love helping the students improve their English in class, as well as

speaking with them about their lives, favorite things, and football in the halls and during the break.

Gil:

Hi everyone! My name is Gil Kim and I'm from New York and Boston. These are both cities in the Northeast of the United States that are famous for their history, culture, and sports. I wanted to teach in Spain for a year because I love the city of Madrid and Spanish culture. I also would like to learn some Spanish! I taught English in Korea last year so I'm excited to continue teaching here, especially at IES Calatalifa where the students and teachers are all so nice. I'm looking forward to the rest of the year :).

Maggy:

Hi! My name is Maggy, I'm 23, and I'm from Washington DC. DC is the capital of the United States so it's where our government and our monuments are located, but it also has a lot of good food, music, and culture. 

I visited Madrid when I was younger and I loved it, so I decided to move here last year and I worked helping younger kids learn English. I'm so excited to be at IES Calatalifa this year and have the opportunity to work with older students, and I'm having a really good experience!  

MESOPOTAMIAN AND EGYPTIAN TOURIST GUIDES

 The 1st ESO students became tour guides to delve into Ancient History. Organized in groups, each team researched a monument belonging to the Mesopotamian or Egyptian culture. After their research, they prepared exhibits explaining the history, symbolism and cultural importance of the monuments. This activity fostered meaningful learning by connecting historical knowledge with the practice of essential skills such as research, oral communication and teamwork. 

MESOPOTAMIAN AND EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY

Our 1st-year ESO students recently completed an activity on ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian gods. Each student was assigned a different deity, and they researched a myth associated with their god, as well as its influence on the daily lives of people at that time. To gather this information, they used the internet, learning to differentiate between reliable and unreliable websites. This activity not only enriched their knowledge of ancient civilizations but also developed their research skills and critical thinking when evaluating online sources.

In another activity, our 1st-year ESO students had the opportunity to experience writing like the ancient Sumerians, using clay tablets to simulate cuneiform script. This activity allowed them to understand firsthand the challenges and skills required to write in ancient times, helping them appreciate the value of early writing systems and their evolution. Additionally, they developed creativity and coordination as they tried to replicate cuneiform characters, gaining a deeper understanding of the role of writing in communication and the preservation of history.

4th ESO Historical Documentary Project: A Journey Through Time

We are excited to share the incredible work some of our 4th ESO students (4ºA) have accomplished this term with their "Exploring Historical Events and Figures" video documentary project. This engaging and educational project was designed to deepen students' understanding of history, enhance their presentation skills in English, and foster creativity through collaborative work.

Our students delved into various historical topics chosen by them, creating documentaries on figures and events such as Cleopatra, Princess Diana of Wales, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the Discovery of America, the Man on the Moon, and dictatorships in Spain.

As part of our bilingual project, "One School, One Voice", the students paid particular attention to their oracy skills. They focused on both verbal communication (tone, pitch, volume, pronunciation) and non-verbal communication (body language), ensuring their presentations were clear, engaging, and effective.

Here are some screenshots from their impressive documentaries: