Green Kidz: Young Learners Engage in Intercultural Environmental Citizenship in an English Language Classroom in Argentina and Denmark

Abstract

In this chapter we describe an online intercultural citizenship project about the environment in three English language classrooms, carried out in 2013/2014. In Argentina, fifty 5th and 6th grade primary school pupils (aged 10-11), took part, led by María Emilia Arcuri and Agustina Zoroza at Escuela Graduada Joaquín V. González, Universidad Nacional de La Plata. María Emilia Arcuri and Agustina Zoroza are English teachers and have been working at Escuela Graduada for five years. In Denmark, twenty 7thform pupils participated (aged 12-13), led Kira Schlifer at Randersgades Skole, International Profile School of Copenhagen. Kira is an English, Danish and Drama teacher and has been working at Randersgades Skole for 17 years. The researchers in charge are Melina Porto in Argentina and Petra Daryai-Hansen in Denmark. We begin by describing how the researchers established communication to set up the project and how they got in contact with teachers to start planning. Then, we draw up a list of aims and explain the way in which we met them, by providing a detailed description of our lesson plans and how they were carried out in the classroom. We also analyse extensive data which support our work and illustrate the merger between theory and practice. We end by considering the projects outcomes and some possibilities and challenges ahead.