Information for teachers

Experience of linking projects with primary schools shows that it is good to use a lot of drawing and not too many words! This is because children in any culture respond easily to visual images and there is less need for language translation. The best model is often to encourage children to work at a picture that they are happy with and then add to it a few well-chosen words of explanation.

Giangukai online lets you insert voices, music and environmental sounds as well!

A regular information bulletin will be sent to participating schools to let teachers know what is happening in the Giangukai Project and which worksheets need to be completed each term.

When the whole group has completed a worksheet - for example, 'This is who I am!' - the teacher will collect them. Firstly, the teacher will select a few which will be put onto the Giangukai website and send them by e-mail transmission to the website co-ordinator Rosita Cremonesi.

The remaining worksheets will be sent by post to their partner school that could then display them in the school.

The schools may also choose to exchange other materials such as photos, audio-tapes (for example, of singing or sounds from their country), videos or art work.

Guidelines for using the worksheets

The model worksheets teachers can download here follow the general outline of topics for the first linking stage of the Giangukai Project. The idea is that teachers help their pupils to fill them in ­ visually and verbally ­ to show the children's own views and experiences.

Teachers can ask to their pupils to complete the chosen topics in different ways: verbally, musically or by recording songs or poetry.

Each worksheet has a lead question and a guidance statement for the task, stated in simple language.

It is recommended to follow the topic order of the worksheets. The proposed initial exchanges for the Giangukai Project are opposite: