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‘M.E.T.E.R.’ Measuring the Earth Through European students’ Research and co-operation

Two year (2009 – 2011) project funded by:

Comenius is one of the most popular international education programmes for UK schools, colleges and local authorities

Summary The story begins with the Greek philosophers more than 2000 years ago who were able to determine the shape and the size of the Earth. Indeed our first activity in the project was to use measurements of the length of the shadow of the Sun at equinox at our different latitudes to determine the radius of the Earth. This led to an estimate of the radius of the Earth, hence reconstructing the Eratosthenes method of those centuries ago. Although the main emphasis of the project has been astronomy and measurements, there have been valuable contributions from other curriculum areas with the aim of increasing our pupils’ knowledge about the Earth. Another aim has been to develop their awareness of the role of measurements in our common culture. There have been scientific and cultural visits to enhance the pupils’ understanding of the areas covered. Pupils have developed their linguistic and communication skills through hosting pupils from partner countries and by attending meetings held at the partner schools. In these meetings, pupils prepare contributions to and participate in different workshops. Meetings - Rome March 2010 - Oradea May 2010 - Lyon November 2010 - Birmingham March 2011 - Athens May 2011 Project website http://isheyevo.ens-lyon.fr/eaae/groupspace/METER/

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Meeting at King Edward VI High School For Girls Birmingham, England

Tuesday March 22nd to Saturday March 26th, 2011

Participants France 7 pupils (4 girls, 3 boys) and 3 members of staff Italy 7 pupils (all girls) and 2 members of staff Romania 4 pupils (1 girl, 3 boys) and three members of staff Greece 3 pupils (3 girls) and two members of staff Netherlands 0 pupils and 1 member of staff Total = 32 visitors (22 pupils and 11 members of staff) England 21 girls hosting visiting pupils, 27 girls involved with GCSE

Astronomy, junior choir, three classes attending Explore Dome shows, many KEHS staff who have contributed in one way or other.

Summary of Activities Tuesday – Visitors arrive. Visiting pupils collected by host families. Visiting staff

book into hotel and eat at restaurant in Birmingham Wednesday – Opening Ceremony. Workshop (in small multinational groups, pupils work

on an assigned (on day) topic leading to presentations and prizes). Explorer Dome (visiting portable planetarium dome – performances during the day). Tours of school during day, including a viewing of the Bookbinders’ Exhibition in the Library. Evening sit down ‘English’ meal in school. Star Party and / or Games/ Activity Evening (members of Birmingham Astronomical Society will attend Star Party)

Thursday - Visit to the Royal Greenwich Observatory. Visiting pupils spend evening

with Host families. Visiting staff - restaurant Friday - Visit to National Space Centre (including a Challenger Mission). Fish and

Chip and Balti supper in school. Star Party and/ or Grand Comenius Quiz Evening (members of Birmingham Astronomical Society and Birmingham University’s AstroSoc in attendance),

Saturday - Visiting pupils with host families who take them to airport for departure.

Visiting Staff tour of Lichfield Cathedral and library.

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Opening Ceremony (Lecture Theatre 9.30 to 10.30 a.m.)

Junior Choir (who will leave after their contribution) Welcome by Bernie Tedd.

Presenters : Dani Sagar and Nicci Lewis-Fitch (lower sixth formers) Addresses: Miss Evans and the Chair of Governors (Mr David Holmes) Inauguration of Comenius Sundial (Carrie and Jennie Soderman, Rosemary Walmsley). Miss Evans to pull the chord (of curtains)! Musical item: Alice Halstead (English song) Presentation: Phillipe Jeanjacquot (the M.E.T.E.R. project and Lyon meeting) Pupil Contribution: France Presentation: Leonarda Fucili (Rome meeting) Pupil Contribution: Italy Presentation: Nicole Pazmany (Romanian meeting) Pupil Contribution: Romania Presentation: Anna Tzima (forthcoming Greek meeting) Pupil Contribution: Greece Closing remarks (Bernie Tedd) Pupil Contribution: England (Danni Li and Sheila Long)

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Detailed Programme

Tuesday 22nd March . 10.50 a.m. Romanian group arrives Terminal 1 Birmingham Airport. To be greeted at airport by Anna Moloney. Minibus (Endeavour Coaches) will transport Romanian group from airport to KEHS. 12.00 – 12.30 p.m. Romanian group (4 pupils and 2 staff) arrive at KEHS. (Nicole Pazmany will not be with the rest of the Romanian party as she arrived in the country earlier and has been visiting a friend. She will make her own way to the hotel) 1.00 – 2.00 p.m. Pupils (Nicci, Dani, Natalie) hosting the Romanian pupils will take them for lunch Visiting staff to have lunch in staff dining room (with BT, CB and AM) 2.00 -3.30 p.m. In afternoon, Romanian pupils will join the L6 Physics lesson p.6 and 7 with BT (Nicci may take her visitor to her afternoon lesson.) Visiting Romanian staff can observe lessons (with BT) and have a tour of school with Assistant Principal, Alison Warne) 3.30 p.m. Romanian pupils go home with host pupils/ families Visiting staff (Go to their hotel. AM to accompany them). 3.30 p.m. Italian, Dutch and French groups arrive at Birmingham Airport 4.30 p.m. Greek group arrives Both groups to be greeted at airport by Nigel Argust. Coach (Endeavour Coaches) will transport Italian, Dutch, French and Greek groups from Airport to KEHS. 5.30 – 6.00 p.m. Arrival at KEHS by Italian, Dutch, French and Greek groups 5.30 p.m. onwards Host families to take visiting pupils home. Refreshments available. 6.30 – 7.00 p.m. Once visiting pupils have departed, visiting staff set up poster ready-made presentations on notice boards in foyer (if not done already). They then go to their hotel (taxis). NA to accompany them. 7.15 p.m. Hotel to restaurant (walk ? taxi? Depending on weather) for evening meal. Restaurant booked by CB

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Wednesday 23rd March 8.45 – 9.15 a.m. Light Breakfast Refreshments –dining hall 9.30 to 10.25 a. m. Opening Ceremony Lecture Theatre (Presentations, musical pieces, inauguration of Comenius sundial.) 10.30 – 11.45 noon ‘Paperclip Comenius’ Workshop – participating pupils split into small (each with 4 or 5 pupils) multinational groups to work together on different topics related to ‘Measurement and Astronomy’; two key areas of the M.E.T.E.R. project. Each group is to be monitored by a nominated teacher. During the day, each group will also:

- be given a tour around the school. This will include visiting the ‘Bookbinders’ Exhibition in the library. One of the governors of the school has loaned the school a number of books from the Stuart Southall Collection which exhibit the skills and talents of a number of 20th century women bookbinders.

- attend a performance in the portable planetarium (Explorer Dome) set up in School Hall. Groups of 20 or so will attend each performance.

(Comenius participants see shows in Hall at one of the following times: 11.00 – 11.40 a.m. 12.45 – 1. 25 p.m. 1.35 – 2.15 p.m.) Some pupils will also use the Faulkes Robotic Telescope in Australia. We have booked two 30 min observing sessions in which we have full control of the telescope. 12.00 noon – 12.45 p.m. Lunch in girls dining room for all participants, including English girls involved in Paperclip Comenius workshop 12.45 - 3.45 p.m. Continuation of ‘Paperclip Comenius’ Workshop. Presentations to be completed by 3.45 p.m. 4.00 – 5.25 p.m. ‘Comenius Paperclip Presentations’ (Lecture Theatre) Prizes awarded to winners. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.30 – 6.30 p.m. Traditional English Meal 6.30 – 8.30 p.m. Star Party with Birmingham Astronomical Society and Games and activities 8.00 p.m. – 9.00 p.m. Hosting families take visiting pupils home.

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Thursday 24th March 8.00 a.m. Departure of 70 seater coach (Endeavour) All day visit to Royal Greenwich Observatory. (RGA). Quizzes on coach. 11.00 a.m. Arrive at RGA. Self-guided tours in small multinational groups. 1.00 p.m. Lunch (packed lunch provided by host families (for pupils) and school (for staff x 11) 1.45 p.m Planetarium Show ‘Star Life’ (half the group) 2.45 p.m. ‘Origins of Life’ (half the group) 4.00 p.m. Depart from Greenwich 7.00 p.m. Return to KEHS and greeted by host families to take visiting pupils home 8.00 p.m. (time may change) Restaurant for visiting staff

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Friday 25th March 8.15 a.m. Departure of 70 seater coach (Endeavour) for National Space Centre (NSC). Quizzes and competitions on coach 9.45 a.m. Arrival at NSC Group 1 Challenger Mission ‘Voyage to Mars’ 10.00 a.m. Lunch Slot 1.00 p.m. Self-guided tour of Space Centre 1.30 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. Planetarium show ‘We are Astronomers’ 2.30 p.m. Group 2 Self-guided tour of Space Centre 10.00 a.m. Planetarium show ‘Planets’ 11.30 a.m. Lunch Slot 12.15 p.m. Challenger Mission ‘Voyage to Mars’ 1.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. Lunch (packed lunch provided by host families for pupils and by school for staff x 11) 4.00 p.m. Departure from NSC 5.30 p.m. Return to KEHS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.00 p.m. Fish and Chip and Balti supper in Dining Room 6.30 – 8.30 p.m. Star Party and Activities. Birmingham Astronomical Society and Birmingham University ‘Astrosoc’ in attendance. 8.00 – 8.30 p.m. Hosting families to collect visiting pupils

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Saturday 26th March 7.00 a.m. Hosting families deliver visiting Greek pupils to Birmingham Airport Greek teachers arrive at airport BT to be at airport at this time 9.00 a.m. Greek Flight Morning Italian, Romanian and French pupils spend morning with host families Italian, Romanian, French and Dutch teachers visit Lichfield Cathedral and library (with NA and AM) (Lichfield Cathedral’s exhibition marking the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible) Lunch for teachers in Lichfield 2.30 p.m. Hosting families deliver visiting Italian, Romanian and French to Birmingham Airport Italian, Romanian, French and Dutch teachers arrive at airport BT at airport at this time 4.35 p.m. Italian, Romanian, French and Dutch flight

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Visiting Pupils and Hosting girls Nationality (F = French, I = Italian, R = Romanian, G = Greek, E = KEHS) Nat. Visiting Pupil Sex/ age Hosting girl Form F1 Isabelle Lardon Girl 15 E1 Jennifer Soderman L5C F2 Steffy Nativel Girl 16 E2 Rosemary Walmsley L5A F3 Anais Janicki Girl 17 E3 Katie Bowler L6Ka F4 Alice Dacquin Girl 16 E4 Danni Li U5B F5 Olivier Dinkha Boy 16 E5 Meera Sodha U5A F6 Yann Belleguie Boy 16 E6 Olivia Kirk U4H F7 Quentin Berger Boy 16 E7 Philippa Audley U5B I1 Giorgia Aliano Girl 13 E8 Nikki Omo-Dare L5A I2 Margherita De Risi Girl 13 E9 Issy Ravenhill L6Ka I3 Aurora Fratini Girl 13 E10 Autumn Roberts L5A I5 Alice Maestripieri Girl 13 E12 Emily Morris L5A I6 Ilaria Obata Girl 13 E13 Sheila Long L6C I7 Bianca Portone Girl 13 E14 Sara Polito L5B I8 Beatrice Stati Girl 12 E15 Ruth Kinnear L5C R1 Georgiana Gavra Girl 18 E16 Natalie Dobson L6T R2 Man Cristian Boy 16 E17 Dani Sagar L6T R3 Surdan Florin Boy 16 E18 Dani Sagar L6T R4 Dios Gabor Boy 16 E19 Nicci Lewis-Fitch L6T G1 Nikoletta Zakynthinou-Xanthi E20 Lydia Kanari-Naish L5C Girl 13 G2 Eleni Manolitsaki Girl 13 E21 Baljyot Kaur U5B G3 Despina – Kyriaki Baraki E22 Helen Gendy L6T Girl 13 Visiting Teachers France – Philippe Jeanjacquot

Christine Guinand Julie Aucagne Italy - Leonarda Fucili Concetta Scuderi Romania – Nicole Pazmany Diana Curila, Camelia Pop Greece - Anna Tzima , Telemachos Karatzas Netherlands - Rupert Genseberger England – Bernie Tedd

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Travel Details France Arrive Tues 22/03 15h30 KLM 1429 from Amsterdam Departure Sat 26/03 16h35 KLM 1430 Italy Arrive Tues 22/03 15h30 KLM 1429 Departure Sat 26/03 16h35 KLM 1430 Romania – Arrive Tues 22/03 10h50 KLM from Amsterdam Departure Sat 26/03 16h35 KLM Greece - Arrive Tues 22/03 16h30 Departure Sat 26/11 9.00 a.m. Netherlands - Arrive Tues 22/03 15h30 KLM 1429 Departure Sat 26/03 16h35 KLM 1430 After the Opening Ceremony, pupils are led downstairs to the Physics Laboratories to start the Comenius Paperclip competition/ Explore Dome/ Tours/ Morning of Wednesday 23rd March after the Opening Ceremony Location: Physics Laboratories Start Time: 10.30 a.m. Visiting Pupils, hosting pupils and other KEHS pupils are split into 8 to 11 groups of 4 or 5. A teacher is assigned to each group

Paperclip Comenius Competition March 23rd, 2011

The aim of the competition is to demonstrate to a non-scientist an application or fundamental principle of Physics/ Astronomy using only items that can be found in a typical home (the reference to a paperclip emphasises the lack of sophisticated apparatus)

Can you communicate physics to a non-scientist? Work as part of a team?

Build a physics/ astronomy demonstration from items found around the home? Rules: 1. In some way Comenius and the M.E.T.E.R. must be highlighted! 2. Each team has no more than five pupils. 3. Presentations must not take more than five minutes.

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4. Role play and constructed models may be used in the presentation. Text and diagrams may also be used to assist the presentation. Text and diagrams must be confined to not more than four sheets of A3 paper or card.

5. The audience for each presentation will include three judges (a non-scientist, a teacher and a physicist).

6. The judges’ assessments will be based upon: a) how well a non-scientist understands the demonstration b) the ingenuity of the constructed demonstrations c) the clarity and style of the presentations whether visual, verbal or both. d) how well the team answers the judges’ questions at the end of the presentation Points will be lost if the judges consider that:

i) any parts of the equipment are such as could not be found in a typical home ii) if there is over reliance on drama iii) a demonstration is in any way unsafe iv) if presentations take more than five minutes

Prizes will be awarded to the members of the three teams giving the best three presentations.

Further Guidelines: - remember that the presentation is aimed at the non-scientist judge – he/ she

must be convinced by your explanation; what’s more he/ she must understand it correctly – the other judge will try to make sure of this! Professor Stephen Hawking claims that every equation he puts into a book halves the number of readers! In spite of this, it is OK to use simple equations but you must explain them carefully to the non-scientist.

- at the same time the physics must be correct! - use your ingenuity in thinking of ways to demonstrate your ideas using

items from the home. In past competitions all sort of props have been used. We have seen shower curtains, flour, plastic guttering, rolling pins, office chairs, slinky springs, christmas tree lights, cling film and tea bags and many other apparently disconnected items woven into excellent demonstrations. Of course, you cannot go home to get items, but you may be surprised what we have available here at school. We are collectors of junk!

- as an example, in a previous paperclip competition presentation ‘how stars are born and what processes act during a star’s life’ were brought to life using hula hoops, giant ropes, specially designed hats and costumes. The

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team acted out the roles of Miss Gravity and Miss Strong Force who struggle against the forces of physics to bring together two charges in the process that keeps stars like our Sun alive.

- safety is a very important consideration. Discuss with your teacher any aspects of your demonstration of which you are unsure.

- the judges are allowed 5 minutes to ask questions. Try to anticipate what they might be. Try out your presentation on someone else who has never seen it before and get them to ask questions.

The Presentation

- practise your presentation and make sure it fits into the five minutes allowed – no longer and not too much less. There are penalty marks for going over time.

- make sure that everyone in the team is involved in the presentation itself, not just there because they drew the poster or made the demo.

- try to avoid reading your notes – if you think you might forget what you want to say jot down a few key words on a card and refer to it if you need to. Nobody minds the occasional pause or ‘fluff’. It is important to seem natural.

- try to look at the audience as you talk – not just the judges but all the other spectators.

- if you have put information on a poster, use it during your talk rather than just leaving it there. If you have used an equation put it on the poster (with all the symbols explained) and talk about it during your presentation.

- humour and drama are fine but too much of either can detract from your presentation.

- smile and look as though you are enjoying yourself – you probably will be!

GOOD LUCK!!!

Paperclip Physics Judging (guidance) marks How well a non-scientist understands the demonstration 5 Ingenuity in use of demonstrations/ role play 5 Clarity and style of presentation 5 How well questions are answered at the end of presentation 5

Total = 20

Deduct one mark each for any of the following: - Comenius and M.E.T.E.R. are not mentioned in some way - over reliance on drama - a demonstration is in any way unsafe - presentation takes over 5 minutes or is too short - all members of a team do not make a significant contribution to the oral

presentation - text and diagrams are not confined to 4 sheets of A3 paper or less - any text/ diagrams displayed are not referred to in the presentation