Our project was conceived by Frauke and me during the “Democracy in Education” conference in Hanover in October. We optimistically assumed that the topic of the Christmas tree would be appealing to students in the period leading up to the holidays. This assumption proved to be absolutely correct.

My students were eager to engage in the project activities and willingly participated in homeroom lessons. It turned out that eighth-grade students already have considerable knowledge about Christmas traditions; however, not all of them knew that the tradition of decorating a Christmas tree came to Poland from Germany. This was, in fact, the main idea behind our project – building connections with a neighboring country through the exchange of information about a shared tradition.

Students showed great interest in exploring maps of both countries, learning about regions where the figure of “Gwiazdor” is referred to differently. They also enjoyed using digital tools such as Mentimeter and Genially. They were particularly involved in writing Christmas cards to their peers in Germany and were curious to read the responses they received. They also willingly shared photos of their Christmas trees.

The online meetings generated the most excitement. Although the students were somewhat shy, it was certainly a valuable experience that will remain in their memory for a long time.

Participation in the project brought many benefits to the students:

• the opportunity to improve their English speaking and writing skills,
• learning to use new ICT tools and the TwinSpace platform,
• expanding their knowledge of Polish and German traditions,
• developing project work skills.

For me, as a teacher participating in an eTwinning project for the first time, it was also a very valuable experience:

• I improved my English language skills,
• I exchanged experiences with a teacher from Germany,
• I gained insight into the education system and work organization in another country,
• I made my lessons more engaging and enhanced the quality of my teaching.

However, not everything went according to plan. We were dependent on both scheduled and unexpected school breaks, which extended the project timeline. I also realized that implementing a project in the final grade of primary school can be challenging due to students’ exam preparation and the resulting lack of time.

In conclusion, it was a wonderful professional development experience and a great opportunity to establish international cooperation and friendships.

The eTwinning project "Under the Polish and German Christmas tree" provided my students with the opportunity to develop intercultural competences, actively engage with the traditions of another European country and improve their language skills. As a teacher, this project allowed me to collaborate with a teacher from a Poland, Zuzanna Gosk, exchange ideas and improve my teaching skills.

At the beginning, our students explored the tradition of putting up a Christmas tree and gathered information about the name of the gift-bringer. A lot of my students showed great interest in the many different names as they were not aware of the variety even in Germany. 

After that, the students wrote Christmas letters to the class in Poland. This analogue activity was very motivating for my class as they had the opportunity to share their own traditions and enhance their vocabulary and writing skills. They also really enjoyed receiving and reading the personal letters in the mail. Moreover, these letters complemented an existing project of my class, in which my students received postcards from all the English-speaking world. Digital competences were also expanded through the use of online tools like TwinSpace and online meetings.

However, the online meetings were one the challenges of the project, as my students were not used to them. For many, it was their very first video conference in a school setting, so they were a bit shy. My class also mentioned that the quality of the sound could be improved. Due to exams and unexpected school breaks, another challenge was coordinating the activities and online meetings. 

All in all, the eTwinning project with the class from Poland was a valuable experience that allowed us to engage in international exchange and broaden our knowledge.