3. Comenius Magazine
INTRODUCTION
Until July 2012 our secondary
school, IES Rubió i Ors, will be
involved in a Comenius
Project together with three
other schools from Turkey,
Norway and Poland. The INDEX
name of our project is “The
future is in the hands of the Trip to Norway page 2
European Youth – Let’s
Welcome to Barcelona page 4
struggle for a better world”.
Essay contest page 6
In this magazine you can find
some activities, trips and
Environmental problems in Barcelona page 9
interviews we have carried
out during this school year. It Greenwashing page 10
is also a tribute to all the
Are you environmentally aware? page 12
teachers and students that
have participated in the Interview to ECOIMA page 14
project so far. THANK YOU
FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK! Assessment results page 15
We hope you enjoy reading it.
A teacher’s view page 16
Students’ opinions page 17
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4. Comenius Magazine
TRIP TO NORWAY
November 26th – December 2nd 2010
st
►1 day: Friday
We took the first plane at 12 on El Prat de Llobregat’s airport. We arrived at Oslo’s airport around 3
pm; and then we took a train to go and visit the centre of Oslo. At 7 we came back to the airport
and we took another plane to Ålesund. There we met Tor (a Norwegian teacher), and we went to
Ulsteinvik by boat. Finally, we took a taxi to get to the residence hall.
nd
►2 day: Saturday
We met all the Comenius friends and then we went to Ålesund’s Aquarium. There we saw a lot of
types of fish, plants and also penguins. At 12 we went to a restaurant house and the owner
explained its gastronomic history to us. Then we tasted two typical Norwegian dishes: “Chicken
salad” and “Fish soup”. Once we had finished our lunch, we went to visit Ålesund’s town, and Tor
took us to a place from which we could have a great view of the city and the Island near Ålesund.
At the end of the day we returned to our residence to have dinner. We almost forgot! Tor gave us a
cuddly penguin as a present. We called it Quique.
rd
►3 day: Sunday
On Sunday we went to Runde Enviromental Centre, and then we watched a presentation about the
centre, about Runde Island and about Norwegian economy. After that, we were showed the centre
facilities and at 11am we had lunch; we ate cod with tomato sauce and some delicious slices of
bread. Then Poland, Turkey and Norway made their presentations about their countries and their
schools. And finally we returned to the residence and we had dinner.
th
►4 day: Monday
We went for the first time to Ulsteinvick high school.
The Spanish students and teachers did their
presentations about our country and about Spanish
and Catalan education. Tor and Knut showed us
around the school. Then we went to the library to
search for information about endangered animals.
After that, we had lunch at the school’s cafeteria and
then a Norwegian teacher showed us a presentation
about Norwegian history.
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Later in the afternoon we went to visit a couple of places: Gloria and Mireia went with the group
which went to Brandal Museum and Miriam and Aida went with the group which visited Jets
company.
Brandal Museum: there we learnt about seal hunting in Norway and we saw a big boat used for
hunting.
-Jets company: there we could see new technologies used on toilets. These new technologies are
good to reduce water consumption. Before leaving we could see a demonstration of this.
After these activities we went back to the residence to have dinner and then we went bowling with
the other students.
th
►5 day: Tuesday
We went to Ulsteinvik school and there we met the
school principal and we continued with our project
about how we can save endangered animals. At 11 we
had lunch at the school’s canteen and after that the
group which had gone to Jets company the previous
day went to Brondal Museum and the other group went
to Jets company. To finish the day, we went back to the
residence to have dinner and we also played hide and
seek with Norwegian girls and boys. We had a blast!
th
►6 day: Wednesday
The last day, we went to the school and we
watched some presentations that the
Polish group had made about Spain,
Turkey and Norway. After that we finished
our Power Points presentations about how
we can save endangered animals and we
presented our work to the the others. We
did a pretty good job!
At 2 pm we came back to the residence to
have dinner and then we went to Âlesund
to go shopping till 8pm. And finally, we
arrived at our residence to say goodbye to
our friends and pack our luggage.
th
►7 day: Thursday
We left the residence at 7 o’clock. We took a
taxi, a boat and a bus in a row. Then we went to
the airport and we took our first plane from
Âlesund to Oslo. After an hour, we took the
second plane to Barcelona and there we met our
parents who were extremely happy to see that
we were back safe and sound.
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6. Comenius Magazine
WELCOME TO BARCELONA
April 8th - 14th 2011
Friday, April 8th
We went to the Hall of residence to meet the foreign students and teachers. Then we went
shopping to El Corte Ingles and La Illa with the Norwegian girls. They wanted to eat something and
we had some tapas and after that everybody went home.
Saturday, April 9th
The English teacher met us and then we went to look for the rest of the students. First, we visited
the Park Güell by Antonio Gaudi. There we took a lot of pictures. One of the most beautiful things
is the dragon. After that we went to have lunch to their Hall of Residence. The menu was salad
and meatballs .After lunch we took more pictures.
In the afternoon we went
to one of the mountains
that are around the city of
Barcelona , Montjüic. The
Catalan music band Els
Pets were playing there
In Montjüic firstly, we
attended a water show in
the fountains. Secondly,
we visited the MNAC
(National Art Museum of
Catalonia) and we
welcomed the Polish
people. They were the
last to arrive. Thirdly, we
went to the new shopping
centre called Las Arenas.
Sunday, April 10th
In the morning all of us met in front of the school at 9
am to go to the residence to meet the rest of the
group. Then we took the underground to go to La
Sagrada Familia. There we had a guided visit to see
the inside of the Holly Temple. Afterwards, we went
to see other important buildings by Antoni Gaudi
such as La Pedrera and The Batlló house. Both
buildings are located in the beautiful avenue in the
centre of Barcelona called Passeig de Gracia.
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Monday, April 11th
It was time to start working. The day started at our school . All the students from each country
had our oral PowerPoint presentations about an environmental problem and the survey results.
These presentations lasted all the morning. At 11, we had a break for lunch.
The Spanish students went home for lunch. The foreign students went to have lunch to a
restaurant in L’Hospitalet.
In the afternoon we all met again to have a guided visit of the old quarter of
L’ Hospitalet .It was in English so we could practice what we learn in class and the foreign
students and teachers were able to get some information about our town. It was really interesting!
Tuesday, April 12th
On Tuesday, we went to the
Desalination plant of Llobregat.
There we were told how they get
drinking water out of sea water.
Then we went to the beach near
the area. We had some free time
to relax on the beach. Some
people played volleyball. The day
was very sunny and we had a
good time.
On Tuesday afternoon, we
returned to our school to do an
activity related with recycling.
The workshop was about how to make necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings from coffee
capsules.
We used other materials such as glue, ropes, silicone and metal bases for the rings and earrings.
While we were doing the activity, a reporter from L’Hospitalet TV came to the school and he
interviewed some of the students who had travelled to Norway a few months earlier. Finally, the
final result of necklaces and everything was really beautiful and original. We had fun while doing
everything.
Wednesday, April 13th
On Wednesday morning, we had another “recycling workshop” led this time by the Art teacher,
Ángels Bertran. She showed us some toys that the students in the subject of “Art in English” had
made using recycled materials. Then we had to try and make our own toys. We were divided in
groups. In each group there were some foreign students so we had to tell them how to make the
toys in English. It was difficult for us but it was also great fun. In our opinion it was a very enriching
experience.
Then came one of the sad moments of the week. The students from Poland were leaving on
Wednesday afternoon. The rest did it on Thursday so it was time to say goodbye. It was the worst
moment of the Comenius week. Many of us cried. In just a few days sharing experiences we had
become really good friends and it was hard for all of us.
Written by Sonia, Xenia, Mireia,
Miriam, Gloria, Jessica, Fátima,
Alejandro, Nida & Dennis.
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ESSAY CONTEST
We devoted the last week of November to work on climate change and its consequences
around the world. Afterwards, we held an essay contest. Here you can find the three
winners, who wrote their compositions in English:
LETTER TO THE EARTH
Today, our planet is running a great risk. In these last 100 years it has heated a lot and the poles
are melting. For example, an iceberg in 1992 was completely frozen, in 2002 is slightly melted an in
2005 is even in worse conditions , so it runs a great danger. It is because we now have more
vehicles, we pollute too much.
The consequences -if we do nothing- on
Earth are that the planet could be
flooded and it would be our fault. And
that could trigger changes in our planet,
for example, in the United States, in
2003, more tornadoes were recorded in
a month than in any other year.
 Some measures to be taken could be:
Prohibit the sprays with C.F.C.
Recycle appliances.
What we can do is:
Do not produce so much waste.
Do not use sprays C.F.C.
Do not cut down trees.
This is the headline of a newspaper about this topic:
MEASURES should be TAKEN TO PROTECT THE DEEP OCEAN AREAS
My conclusion is that no one has the right to play with the life of our planet and if we do nothing
that could be very bad for us. It is very important that
you know, and it’s easy to understand.
NAME: Jonathan Márquez
LEVEL: 2nd ESO A
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9. Comenius Magazine
TRANSMISSION TO THE EARTH
Hello!
My name is Nayana and I am warning you from the year 2089 because you must Know the
story of planet Earth.
I’m living in a place that in the past could be called Spain. In the world, now, the only existing
language is English. I’m living with my mother, my father died in an oil war for the rich people.
In the world now, the only existing language is English.
I’m living with my mother, my father died in an oil war for the rich people. In the place that
I’m living it’s very hot, the temperature can reach 50 degrees Celsius or more. There aren’t
trees anymore, well trere are, but only in a few parts of the world. We cannot travel because
the only people that have enough oil are the rich.
Yesterday I listened that there are only ten thousand rich people that can travel, and the
rest, like our family, exist only to serve the rich ones. I hate this life. I wish I had been born
in your times. Now we cannot eat well and the rich people consume without stop. Besides, they
have all the technology so if we ask for our rights we can get killed. Just because I'm sending
this message, I can get executed...
I heard that the rich are thinking of leaving the Earth to go to another planet called Sinux.
We must act before they infest that new planet.
There exists a secret organization that is fighting to save this planet; my mother said that
they are dangerous people, but I want to get in anyway. This organization was founded in
2020 during the first oil conflict between countries.
From this world, ours, that I hope you now know a little more I'm asking for your help. We
need you to act now to save our future. Don't even stop to think whether you can do it or not,
because you can! The real question is: Do you want
to do
it?
NAME: Andrei Ilkinov
LEVEL: 4th ESO A
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NAME: Andrés Orellana
LEVEL: 2nd BATXILLERAT
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GLOGSTER
By Aida Giralt. 4th. ESO A
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GREENWASHING
This year we have been doing research on greenwashing, a term describing the fraud made by
companies when they pretend they help the environment by using green marketing. The
companies many times show that the products are environmentally friendly but the fact is that
most of the times they are just lying.
We worked hardly to try to show the real impact of greenwashing and the indifference of some
companies towards climate change. We discovered that there are seven categories of
greenwashing according to TerraChoice, an organization that called them ‘The Seven Sins Of
Greenwashing’, and we pointed out some companies that do greenwashing. Have a look!
Example of the sin of the hidden
Sin of the hidden trade-off trade-off :
 A claim suggesting that a •With the exception of “organic”, this
product is ‘green’ based on a shampoo does not provide
narrow set of attributes information about other
without attention to other environmental impacts. Truly greener
important environmental
products address multiple
issues.
environmental impacts such as the
 Paper, for example, is not
necessarily environmentally- packaging, the recyclability of the
preferable just because it bootle and wether the shampoo
comes from a sustainably- contains potentially harmful
harvested forest. ingredients. (This claim also commits
the sin of Vagueness and No proof).
Sin of no proof : Example of the sin of no proof :
 This sin consists
in making environmental
claims about
qualities that the product is
believed to
have, but without offering
neither evidence of them
nor a reliable certification.  This is a good example. This car will never spend a small
quantity of fuel because its size requires high amounts
of it.
Sin of vagueness : Example of the sin of vagueness :
 This sin consists in making a
 This is an
claim which is poorly
defined or too broad. The example of the
real meaning can therefore sin of
be misunderstood by the vagueness. The
consumer. label says this
product is
 Sometimes a product claims
99.6% natural,
to be “all-natural”, but it
but this
may contain poisonous
affirmation isn’t
products.
very accurate.
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Example of sin of worshiping false
Sin of worshiping false labels labels: General Motors
GM’s ‘Gas-Friendly to Gas-Free’ ad campaign sought
A product that, through
to reframe GM as eco-friendly, but the company is
either words or images, still the leading producer of gas-guzzling vehicles and
gives the impression of has fought to undermine attempts to improve CAFE
fuel economy standards.
third-party endorsement
where no such endorsement
exists; fake labels,
in other words.
Sin of irrelevance Exampleof the sin of irrelevance No CFC
:
Many productsclaim that they are “CFC-free:” While
An environmental claim that soundsvery green the claimis irrelevant because
,
that may be truthful but is ALL products currently on the market are CFC-free.
unimportant or unhelpful CFC’s (chlorofluorocarbons) were found to be a main
contributor to depleting the Earth’s ozone layer and
for consumers seeking were banned almost thirty years ago.
environmentally preferable
products.
Sin of lesserof two evils Sin of lesser of two evils: organic cigarretes
A claim that may be Surely these cigarretes are organic
but what’s about the hudreds of
true within the product hectares that had been cut and
category, but that risks the consequences for smokers?
distracting the consumer Now American Spirit cigarettes
from the greater are not only additive free, but use
organic tobacco! Sure, smoking
environmental
cigarettes isn’t a health choice, but
impacts of the category as why not support environmental
a whole. sustainability?
An example of the sin of fibbing:
Sin of fibbing Fur Council Of Canada
The Fur Council Of Canada claimed that “fur is green, natural,
renewable, recyclable, biodegradable and energy efficient.”
Environmental claims that are simply false.
PETA naturally had a response to that: “It takes more than 60
times as much energy to produce a fur coat from animals than it
does to produce a fake fur. Plus, the waste produced on fur farms
poisons our waterways. And don’t forget it causes millions of
animals to suffer every year.”
By Andrei, Fabián, Aida, Natalia, Iván, Fátima, Nida,
Marina, Katherine, César, Denis & Alejandro. 4th ESO
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SURVEY:
Are you environmentally aware?
Have you started to change? Let’s check it!
1. What is climate change?
a) That which happens when you go out and 6. When you can live on your own, where
it is very hot outside. do you want to go?
b) Something that politicians talk about and a) To a residential area near the beach.
you don’t really understand. b) To a self-sustainable house.
c) A human produced phenomenon that c) To the neighbourhood where you live
affects the whole planet and causes a rise in now.
the temperature.
7. What are the three “R”?
2. Where do you think a koala a) The initials from the main
must live? Barça football team players.
a) It can be anywhere in b) The main environmental
the world. measures: restore, renew
b) It should be in its and replay.
natural environment. c) Recycle, reuse and
c) If you are allowed to reduce, the three basic
have it, you could have ecological rules.
it at home.
8. In winter, when do you
3. How do you prefer to turn on the heating?
travel? a) Every day because you are
a) By plane. very sensitive to cold.
b) By car. b) Almost every day.
c) By train. c) Only when it is cold.
4. Whenever you travel to an exotic 9. When you are soaping your hair in the
country, what do you like doing? shower, what do you do with the tap?
a) Swimming in the swimming pool in the a) Leave it running.
hotel. b) Turn it off.
b) Hiking different routes to get to know c) You never have a shower. You always
culture and landscapes. take baths.
c) Having parties at the beach and taking
pictures to show them 10. What do you do with dirty sheets that
to your friends. you can’t use them to take notes?
a) Throw them into the bin.
5. What transport do b) Use them to write drafts of your
you normally use? compositions and tasks.
a) A bicycle. c) Recycle them.
b) Public transport.
c) A car.
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Your score ______
10-16 points: It is clear that you have not yet
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
started to change and that you are not
thinking about a sustainable planet. The
future of the Earth depends on you. It is time
A 1 2 1 2 3 1 1 1 2 1 to start changing your habits.
17-25 points: You mind about environmental
B 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 2 3 3
issues but you are not able to commit
yourself to nature. Take this advice: you
should take better care of the world around
you, though you are on the way.
C 3 1 3 1 1 2 3 3 1 2
26-30 points: Congratulations! Earth has got
a second chance thanks to you. Continue like
that and help your mates to change their
habits as you have done.
ARE WE ENVIRONMENTALLY AWARE?
THE RESULTS AT RUBIÓ I ORS
A few months ago all the students at Rubió i Ors
answered this questionnaire to know how
environmentally aware they were. Here are the results:
As we can see, most of the students at our school (66%) are quite environmentally aware,
while 31% happen to be very ecological. This means that we are doing right, but we could
do better. Take your chance and help the planet. And remember that acting locally has
global effects!
3%
31% little
quite
a lot
66%
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Interview to a member of ECOIMA
During the first school term and
coinciding with the first Comenius travel to  Do you work just in Catalonia or
Norway, here at school we celebrated the also around Spain?
“Climate Change Week”. Among the many We are established just in Catalonia
different activities carried out in the
curricular areas, we had workshops,  What are the main areas where
lectures, films, documentaries related to you develop all your activities?
the topic. We work in 2 different areas:
The school hired some people to come Environment and sustainability
and talk to the students about it. One of
these people was Edgar Alemany who is a  What is the professional profile of
member of the environmental group called the people who work in ECOIMA?
ECOIMA. We are usually young people with a
degree on Biology, Environmental Sciences
 What kind of  Would you say that people are
more Eco-friendly nowadays than some
organization is
years ago?
ECOIMA ? What do the I would say that people’s environmental
awareness is bigger than some years ago
letters stand for? It’s but there’s still a long way to go.
an organization that  What age-group do you find the
most eco-friendly?
deals with
We would say that young people aged
environmental between 20 and 35-40.
education. The letters  What’s the most important piece
of advice you can give to secondary
stand for Ecology and students to be environmentally aware?
I would tell them that every little thing
Environment (ECOlogia
that we do matters. If we develop our
I Medi Ambient) environmental awareness, there are many
things that can be done.
Written by Pilar Sánchez.
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17. Comenius Magazine
ASSESSMENT RESULTS
relationships. All students more time to chat and
Some students and a coincided in expressing play with our guests.
group of teachers from their satisfaction with the Besides that, our students
the Multilateral Comenius highest possible score for often value more the
Project entitled The these three questions. opportunities to speak in
future is in the hands of English than the
the European youth – Among the most outgoings, though in both
Let’s struggle for a better appreciated activities cases there are points
world together were in were the visits to parks, they feel necessary to
Barcelona (Spain) in April, monuments and the enhance. On the issue of
beach as well as some of the English language, they
● ● ●
the workshops that were say they have seen their
carried out at our school. real English fluency or
Targets met and Among the worst scored lack of it, and they have
features of the visit they learnt a lot; and in
big satisfaction in
mentioned the food relation to the visits
the Comenius visit packs from the youth around Barcelona, some
hostel and in the of them were surprised
to Rubió i Ors observations some of by some of the places and
them complained about their details since they
● ● ● the long distances to be were unknown to them.
walked. It happened to be
an unusually hot week for Finally, all three groups
from 8th until 14th. spring season. admit that the visit was a
great achievement for the
After their stay, they The foreign teachers development of the
answered a questionnaire accompanying these project and feel that their
about their visit. The students expressed even expectations were
questionnaire included a more satisfaction with fulfilled.
Personal Assessment to everything in the visit.
find out if their
expectations were And again, students from
fulfilled, if the visit was our host high school
useful for the Written by Dolors Romero
taking part in the trips
development of the and activities enjoyed the
project and if they had week, although they
established fruitful wished they had had
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18. Comenius Magazine
A TEACHER’S VIEW
Anna Cortiella is a Maths teacher at Rubió i Ors. She has been involved in the Comenius
Project during this school year and she also took part in the first mobility to Norway. We
have decided to interview her to know her opinion about this project:
 What’s your name?
My name is Anna Cortiella.
 Why did you decide to participate in
the Comenius project? Do you think it’s
important for our school? Why?
Because I thought it could be a really good
experience for my students and for me, too. A
nice issue to practice English, to know people
from different countries and I think it’s nice
for students. It’s an opportunity for them to
visit different cities, enjoying their English and meeting students from other countries.
 Where did you travel with the Comenius project? Would you repeat the experience?
I visited Norway with our students last November. It was outstanding and without any doubt, I
would repeat the experience. It was such a great experience!
 Have you learned something about the other countries?
Oh, yes! I’ve learned a lot. About the country we visited, about their customs, their way of
working in the school and also about the other countries which visited Norway with us. In my
mind, knowing people from other countries and their customs and ways of working is very
rewarding.
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STUDENTS’ OPINIONS
We liked this project a lot. We miss the students from Norway, Turkey and Poland and we hope
to see them again. WE DON’T FORGET YOU!By Aida Giralt and Marina Márquez
This project was a good experience for us because it helped us to practice our English skills and to
establish new relationships with people that we didn’t know. We could do trips around Barcelona.
And one of the visits that we loved was the one to Parc Güell.
By Katherine Aguerrett and Natalia Añez
Hello! You are especial people for us. I hope you have enjoyed your stay in Barcelona. We
enjoyed your visit a lot.
And remember that you can come to visit whenever you want. The doors of Barcelona are open
to you. We hope to see you again!!
By Fabián Castedo
We miss you Turkish, Norwegian and Polish people! We won’t lose your gifts and we will never
forget you because you are nice and amazing people. If we travel to Poland or Turkey, we will
have a great time with you! By Iván and César
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