“Il valore dell’acqua” 22 marzo 2013 – Giornata mondiale dell’acqua

Monitoraggio delle risorse idriche sotterranee e interventi per il controllo dell’intrusione marina e per la riduzione dell’inquinamento da attività agricole: questo è il principale obiettivo che il progetto di ricerca “Moriso” ha presentato il 22 marzo 2013 durante un convegno indetto in occasione della giornata mondiale dell’acqua, a Ragusa.
In questa occasione la mia classe, la II Ar del Liceo Classico e la IV A del Liceo Socio-psicopedagogico, si sono recate a Ragusa per partecipare alla confernza e per prendere informazioni, vista la nostra partecipazione al progetto Comenius “Water:spring of the life” 2011-2013.
“Il valore dell’acqua” è il titolo della conferenza, incentrata proprio sull’inquinamento dell’acqua, sulla quantità delle risorse idriche sotterrane, sulla qualità dell’eventuale acqua, potabile, prelevabile dai pozzi e sull’eccessivo utilizzo dell’acqua, in particolare nell’arcipelago maltese e nella provincia di Ragusa, la cui gestione integrata e sostenibile delle risorse idriche è di fondamentale importanza per lo sviluppo socioeconomico.
In questi territori, infatti, nell’ultimo decennio, il problema acqua non solo è quantitativo, ma soprattutto qualitativo.
I fertilizzanti, i diserbanti e i pesticidi, adoperati dalle aziende agricole, si infiltrano nel terreno provocando così l’inquinamento delle falde.
Inoltre, vi è anche un eccessivo sfruttamento delle risorse idriche, soprattutto a Ragusa, dove non vi è restrizione dell’uso d’acqua, e nelle zone costiere, l’intrusione marina e perciò la salinizzazione delle falde.
Secondo l’Ing. Vincenzo Corallo, della Provincia Regionale di Ragusa, la contaminazione delle acque non è dovuta solamente alle aziende zootecniche, e cerca di sensibilizzare in particolare i giovani, affermando che vi è la necessità di risolvere il problema con urgenza.
Alcuni dati ci ricordano che a livello mondiale l’utilizzo d’acqua è moltissimo: una persona utilizza 30 litri di acqua al giorno: 5 per cucinare, 25 per lavarsi; una famiglia in Canada 350 litri, in Europa 165, mentre in africa solamente 20; la popolazione è cresciuta del 3%, mentre la richiesta di acqua del 6%; costo dell’acqua è 300 miliardi di dollari annui.
Il problema acqua investe da vicino anche Malta, che in questi giorni se ne trova completamente privata.
La scarsità d’acqua a Malta, è dovuta sia al clima, come quello siciliano, con piogge in inverno ed estati aride, sia alla grande densità demografica.
Infatti, come ci riferisce l’ingegnere Manuel Sapiano della Malta Resorce Authority, nella sua relazione, l’isola di Malta ha la densità di popolazione più alta d’Europa, 1200 ab./km quadrato (Italia 200 ab./km quadrato), perciò si ha meno acqua di quello che serve realmente. Si parla di circa 60 milioni di litri, quando se possiede solamente la metà.
Per questo problema vi sono solamente due soluzioni: o ridurre il consumo o creare altre risorse.
Ad esempio, la mancanza di risorse spinge alla desalinizzazione delle acque, in modo da produrre abbastanza acqua per soddisfare il fabbisogno. Tuttavia, secondo Sapiano, “questa soluzione è troppo facile, e il problema c’è e rimane e non può essere risolto con la tecnologia”. Così, propone l’uso delle acqua reflue.
Inoltre, dice, si può operare sul livello delle case e ci sono diversi modi per il ridurre il consumo domestico, industriale e agricolo dell’acqua. Queste misure, importanti per la salvaguardia dell’acqua, un bene prezioso, possono in futuro essere adottate anche a livello mondiale poichè sia Malta che la Sicilia non sono isolate “ma fanno anche parte di un mondo, in cui di sprechi non sono pochi”.
Interessanti sono stati anche i dati forniti dal Dott. Giuseppe Spartà nella sua relazione riguardo il progetto Moriso, i cui power point possono essere consultati nel sito http://www.moriso.it.
Infine, il convegno è terminato con la premiazione di ben cinque foto, tra le quali due della nostra scuola (Daniele Manzella, secondo posto e Francesca Boscarino il premio della critica), del concorso fotografico “Il valore dell’acqua”, indetto proprio in occasione della giornata mondiale dell’acqua.

Partecipare a questa conferenza, per me e per i miei compagni è stata un’occasione importante per capire i problemi riguardanti le risorse idriche e per apprendere come comportarsi in futuro, nel caso in cui, i problemi adesso affrontati da Malta e dalla Provincia di Ragusa, investano il nostro territorio.
Giorgia Spinali II Ar

5th meeting in Grand Quevilly, Rouen – Normandy, France

Poster of the French meeting by prof. C. Pirruccello

The journey to France was a fantastic and unforgettable

experience!

During the interminable flight we were very excited and we thought about the things we were going to do. When we arrived we felt in a new, different reality but we were really inquiring to know the French traditions. French guys were very homely and kind. They presented us their beautiful school and we were astonished because the school was great, efficient, organized and full of students, teachers and collaborators. The students participated in a lot of activities: they studied and implemented music, art, sport infact there was a big gym, a basketball and football field and a wonderful park.
In the night the French guys invited us to their party at their school. Before that we attended to a little show prepared by the French students. We enjoyed a lot with them and admired the beautiful work they did for us. All the students weren’t host by the French, but stayed at the hotel. This aspect influenced the way to socialize with all the foreign guys. In fact we saw each other less than the students that went to Spain. But, although this little obstacle we became good friends and hear from each other on facebook where we exchange greetings and photo.
The day after all the partners presented their interesting works like crosswords and games about water. In the afternoon we did a lot of activities with our friends like crepes preparing, music lesson with drums, fashion show, painting and cartoons. The last activity was new and amazing.
On Saturday morning we went to visit some wonderful places of Normandy. First we went to Le Havre: it was a serene port city, really clean and full of green spaces. We, Italian partnership went to the mouth of the Seine and took some nice photos. After that everyone went to Etretat to visit the seashore of the English channel. We ate something offered by the French students while we were seated on the seaside and while we watched the stunning view of the sea and of the white cliffs. Then we went to Honfleur, that was especially known for the old beautiful picturesque port, characterized by its houses with slated-covered frontages, painted many times by artists. We visited the Saint Catherine church which is the largest church made out of wood in France.
In the night we went to the French students’ houses and we were very happy to see new houses and to know different traditions. The students’ parents picked us at the hotel where we stayed and with their cars we arrived at their houses. During the travel we spoke about our and their habits. We were very inquiring to know the houses and the rest of the family. They were very homely and we felt like if we were in our home. It was an incredible experience!
On Sunday we went to Mont Saint Michel, a village situated on a hill surrounded by the ocean. There we visited a church and the famous abbey. It was wonderful, big and really interesting. In the abbey there were a lot of rooms and each of these was organized according to the activity that the monks did.
My friends and I tried to imagine how was the abbey when it was lived by the monks and we were very happy to be there because we’ve never visited an abbey before! This experience was really constructive because we became friends with a lot of foreign and nice guys; in this way we’ve known new life styles and we improved our French and English.

written by:FRANCESCA BOSCARINO , ELENA FERRO , BENEDETTA MENDOLA , AURORA PAGANO .

Little Droplette’s Adventure: a story about water

to read it click on this link :  http://www.storyjumper.com/book/index/9176072/Little-Droplette-s-Adventure

The Logo Winner is …

Winner logo from College Claude Bernard, Grand Quevilly, France

This is our Project Official Logo for Comenius Multilateral Partnership “Water: the Spring of Life”

Science Lab: Life in a Drop of Water

Aurora and Giulia

Microscope

Enrico e Giuseppe

Water drop

in the lab

observation

Carlotta e Martina

Microscope lens

pipette

lens

Martina

beaker

Martina and Gianmarco

Carlotta

Project LOGO Photo Gallery: choose the best and vote it in the poll above.

Official Project Logo Selection

The coasts of Augusta

3rd Meeting in Italy 2012 Photogallery

Clear, fresh and sweet water

Water, primordial element and source of life, will find ample space in the development of Italian literature. For you today we have chosen the poem “Clear, fresh and sweet waters” by Francesco Petrarca as an example of water considered as an inspiring muse of comforting memory of the beloved woman.

The Latomy of Paradise

According to L. Maugeri the Byzantines named the Latomy of Paradise. It is just as big as the Latomy of the Capuchins, but has a less complex structure. Located within the Latomy of Paradise there are the Ear of Dionysius and the Grotta dei Cordari (Cave of the Rope-makers). It is between 20 and 30 metres deep. Originally it must have been partly covered to protect the rock from being infiltrated with rain water which would have made it too friable, and therefore, unsuitable for construction. Naturally the covering also served another purpose; it protected the slaves who were imprisoned within. Like the Ear of Dionysius and the Cave of the Rope- makers, the Cave of the Salnitro is part of the Latomy of Paradise. It was excavated by using a particular technique where the diggers left some parts of the rock untouched, to be used as supporting pillars for the vault. Due to various collapses, caused by erosion and earthquakes, only one of these pillars remains standing, and it is known as Tower of Dionysius.

THE EAR OD DIONYSIUS

The Ear of Dionysius, is an artificial cavern excavated from the Latomy of Paradise which measures 61 metres long and 20 metres wide. It has extraordinary acoustic properties-a whisper at one end of the cavern-is perfectly audible at the other end. In 1856, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio gave this cavern its name. To him we owe the legend that Dionysius tyrant of Syracuse, had it purposely excavated in order to hear the conversations of the prisoners who were imprisoned within. According to another theory, which takes into consideration the dimensions as well as the particular shape of the grotto, it was excavated to serve as a resonance box for the Greek Theatre, which was adjacent to the area.

THA CAVE OF THE ROPE-MAKERS

The Grotta dei Cordari (The Cave of the Rope-makers) is an artificial cavern about ten metres away from the Ear of Dionysius. Its ceiling rests on pillars which become thinner towards the top. These pillars demonstrate the type of excavating methods used at the inception of the latomies. This grotto, in fact, is part of the Latomy of Paradise and derives its name from the rope-makers who have used this spot for centuries. They used very primitive methods to make rope, and therefore, took advantage of the humidity of the grotto which allowed the rope to dry without shrinking when it got wet.

written by: MARIA CHIARA CASTORINA

The Roman Amphitheatre

The Roman Amphitheatre is an Imperial construction. It’s unusually big and elliptical in form. It was built between the 3^rd and 4^th centuries A.D. when the Romans celebrated “naumachie” (mock naval battles)  and gladiatorial blood sports. Only in 1839 the Amphitheatre was excavated liberating it from the dirt, vegetation and the superimposed structures which completely covered it.

The pit has an oval form, surrounded by a high parapet. According to a very rigid subdivision of sectors and connected by series of passages, the middle and upper orders of the steps were destined to less affluent classes.

A basin was located in the centre of the arena which would be filled whit water to stage the “naumachie” games. The water flowed through and underground conduct from a Roman pool, which got its water from a spring located a little more than a kilometer of distance.

The arena had seen three constructive phases: the first dates back to the 6^th century B.C, of Greek origin; the second one is from the Hellenistic-Roman period, and therefore, contemporary to the Amphitheatre: and the third is Medieval, when the Normans in the 11^th century built, above it, the Church of San Nicolò dei Cordari.

Lighea

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Saline

H2O

This is a presentation about the chemical composition of the water molecule. With it the students dealt with different aspects of water, for example with history of Science, talking about Cavendish and his experiment. And in Chemistry we analized the special structure of water molecule. (Click on the title link to viualize our Prezi presentation)

Value of water

Value of water from Comenius “Water: the Spring of Life”

The Wetlands

The wetlands from Comenius “Water: the Spring of Life”

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Brucoli

Brucoli is an hamlet of Augusta.
Now we are in Campolato zone, in the East of the seaside village of Brucoli, which was founded in XVI century.
In the West of Brucoli there’s the Canal, which is the mouth of the Porcaria river, named in this way because in the past pigs pastured here.
Originally the canal was called Παντακιας.
On the walls, along the canal, many caves are visible, typical houses of the Neolithic age. To the west of the canal opens a wide area, “The Gisira”.
In front of us it is possible to admire the Etna, a lot important for the Sicily and for Brucoli, too, because preannounced the weather conditions and it was a point of referent for the fishermen.
The Etna, which with its 3340 metres is the higher Vulcan in Europe,
was called “mons jebel”, that means “mount of excellence”.
All of territory of Brucoli is constitued by lime stone, except the Brucoli’s creek, where there is a clayey ground.
From the lime stone was produced the lime, which was exported by the “varchi i petra” or stone boats.
The “carcaria” was the furnace where was produced the lime.
In the low Campolato zone, named “tri puttusa”, too, is situated , where the soldiers hided themselves to avoid the disembark.
In the Campolato zone there are two trenches, too.
In this territory is a lot diffused the phenomenon of the “tonnara”, a system used for the tuna fish peach.
The killing of the tuna fish is called harpooned and the boss in named rais.
In the zone that extend between Arcile and Campolato there is a “posidoneto”, which is part of the SIC (site of interest of European Union).
The “posidonia” form the “badda i mare” or sea ball.
Now we are in “Piazza Castello”. The castle was built in XV century to defend Brucoli by the Saracens pirates.
Here there was the charger of wheat, called “la Bruca”, from this name derive the present name of the village: Brucoli.
In 1693, because of a strong earthquake , the central tower, which was more high than now , fell down and then was rebuilt.
The perimeter fence was built between in the XVI century.
• On 11th May 2012 our class went to a school trip to Brucoli with our foreign friends. They are from Estonia, Turkey, Spain and France. Before going to Brucoli we had lunch at Navy Officers’ Club. They appreciate the lunch and they like a lot Italian food. Then we arrived by coach to Campolato Zone. There we told our guests and their teacher about the place. After that we had a bath in Tri Puttusa and we had fun. Next we visited the Brucoli’s Canal and we had a tour by boat as for as the castle. Finally we had dinner at Pizzeria “Miramare.” We ate different kinds of pizza and our guests were happy. In the end we went to home. It was a fantastic experience.

 

 

Written by:  Giulia Spatola and Elena Ferro

Video of local Water-Fauna

Video of local Flora

The Legend of Nick the Fish

Daytrip to Brucoli, a fishermen’s village

 

World Water Day 2012 at Megara

Today our students celebrated the World Water Day 2012 handing out all students of our Liceo light blue flyers with ten wise rules on how to consume water responsibly and talked about the importance of water preservation and our project “Water: the Spring of Life”

Spagna – 2nd meeting

DIARIO de FERROL  Viernes, 16 de Marzo de 2012

[Traduzione dell’articolo pubblicato sul “Diario de Ferrol” quotidiano della stampa locale della cittadina spagnola, dove la delegazione della nostra scuola formata dalla Dirigente scolastica Prof.ssa Castorina, dalla prof.ssa Brunno, coordinatore del progetto e 6 alunni: Maria Chiara Castorina, Giorgia Damiata, Valentina Fortuna, Noemi Giangreco, Carlotta Passanisi, Vito Pantaleo, è stata ospitata dal 14 al 18 Marzo 2012 per il secondo meeting del Partenariato multilaterale LLP Comenius “Water: the Spring of Life“]

Il IES Concepción Arenal accoglie una riunione del progetto europeo Comenius

Il programma Comenius è volto a rafforzare la dimensione europea nel campo dell’istruzione, promuovendo la mobilità e la cooperazione tra scuole.
Consapevoli delle potenzialità che questo tipo di piano offre, l’istituto Concepciòn Arenal IES di Ferrol ha intrapreso, quest’anno, il suo terzo progetto europeo, in questo caso con l'”acqua” come argomento principale del lavoro da sviluppare nell’arco di due anni scolastici.
Con più di 40 alunni e 15 insegnanti al lavoro presso il centro di Ferrol, il progetto coinvolge altre scuole di altri paesi come l’Italia, Estonia, Francia e Turchia. Una delegazione di tutti loro, composta da 17 alunni di età compresa tra 12 e 18, e 11 insegnanti rimarrà per quattro giorni, da ieri a Domenica, nella città navale per andare avanti con il progetto, ma anche per far vivere e condividere Ferrol ai studenti e docenti stranieri attraverso le esperienze con i loro coetanei spagnoli.
Il programma previsto in questi giorni è iniziato ieri mattina con una giornata di presentazione presso lo stesso istituto che. con gli studenti del centro ha organizzato, spettacoli vari, musica, teatro e magia. La sessione ha dato anche modo di svolgere il primo dei workshops, in cui i ragazzi dei diversi paesi hanno relazionato sul lavoro svolto finora.
Tra questi, un’esposizione geografica sull’idrografia di ogni paese, la progettazione di loghi diversi da cui se ne sceglierà uno per identificare il progetto europeo e un glossario di termini relativi all’acqua.

Domani si terrà una sessione di lavoro per decidere le attività da sviluppare prima del terzo incontro, che si svolgerà in Italia tra due mesi. Tra le proposte che sono già previste e per cui il lavoro è già iniziato c’è l’impostazione di un questionario/sondaggio on line sul consumo corretto dell’acqua con domande proposte dalle scuole partner.

Il Professor Miguel Pérez Fontela della IES Concepción Arenal, coordinatore del progetto, ieri, ha sottolineato l’importanza di favorire l’integrazione tra studenti di paesi diversi, e quindi anche culture diverse, “per creare l’Europa” ha detto.
Bisogna aggiungere che in questi giorni, gli studenti comunicheranno tra loro in inglese, promuovendo in tal modo le competenze linguistiche nella lingua in cui si svilupperà tutto il lavoro.
Accrescere la consapevolezza dell’acqua all’interno delle comunità scolastiche, sostenere l’importanza dell’acqua, incoraggiare i giovani a trascorrere più tempo a contatto con la natura, la conoscenza delle piante e degli animali degli ecosistemi acquatici del territorio che saranno oggetto di studio attraverso attività pratiche, migliorare le competenze informatiche e di comunicazione degli studenti sono alcuni degli obiettivi contemplati dal programma.

Il soggiorno nella città navale, è impostato su un intenso programma di attività che, ieri, tra le altre cose, ha incluso un ricevimento al Palazzo di Città del Comune di Ferrol e ha offerto una passeggiata lungo il fiume Belelle nel pomeriggio.

Per oggi è previsto il giro del porto a bordo di una nave della Marina militare e nella giornata di sabato visite mattutine per le città di La Coruña e Santiago. Domenica le delegazioni straniere torneranno nei loro paesi lasciandosi con lo “sguardo” al prossimo meeting in Sicilia in maggio.

[traduzione Prof.ssa Brunno]

2nd Meeting in Ferrol, Galicia – Spain

The day when I knew to have been selected to attend the second meeting of the European Comenius project, that would take place in the city of Ferrol, in Spain, I was very confused and scared because before then there had never been the opportunity to go abroad without my parents. Then I slowly began to get courage until I got there overflowing with enthusiasm and determination. I’m a very shy girl because I’m not good at socializing spontaneously, just because of my lack of self confidence in relating with others. But now, thanks to this fantastic experience I can say that something changed in me and every day I feel to face life with greater maturity and without fear.
Every moment lived there was unique and unforgettable with people of my age, adults, children from other areas of the world with different traditions or customs. Everyone told me that travelling is interesting especially when you are hosted in the by local people who speak a different languages. I could not believe that because I thought it would have been difficult for me to be able to understand each of their words, and adapt to all conditions. When I arrived there, all fear vanished, because I had the impression as if I lived a fairy tale far from my house, but near to those who gave me love and although they couldn’t understand my languages helped me in every moment.
In conclusion I think that everybody needs to live this experience, not only to visit landscapes never seen or to improve the English lexical skill, but also to appreciate every little gesture of affection shown with a simple and sincere smile from someone you get to know in few days. All that will leave strong emotions experienced together in my heart forever. I hope that every travelling companions of mine everything will feel the same feeling of a special inner growth beyond every border.
Maria Chiara Castorina IIAr

Logo poll

Logos

The Watercycle Poster

Interactive Poster on the watercycle created by Valentina Fortuna 3B SPP after a CLIL lesson of Science in English

Water Wordcloud

 

Presentazione ai genitori

Martedì 6 marzo 2012 nell’Aula Vallet del nostro Liceo è stato presentato il nostro progetto “Water: the Spring of Life” ai genitori degli alunni coinvolti appartenenti alle classi I Ar del Liceo classico e IIIA e III B del Liceo sociopsicopedagogico. La Dirigente scolastica, Prof.ssa Castorina ha introdotto l’iniziativa sottolineando l’importanza della dimensione europea nella formazione scolastica e nell’educazione.  Successivamente la prof.ssa Brunno, coordinatrice del progetto, ne ha illustrato l’articolazione.

I genitori hanno dimostrato molto interesse e entusiasmo per l’attività progettuale manifestando il loro apprezzamento per il lavoro che i docenti stanno realizzando insieme agli alunni. Questa è la presentazione.

Presentazione Progetto Comenius genitori

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