4 ELEMENTS

Project logo
Improve the foreign language learning and intercultural competences of adults through e-learning

The project

FOUR ELEMENTS is an initiative called to raise awareness and appreciation of the importance of culture and heritage as well as to train educators working with adult learners who want to improve their skills and competences necessary in today’s EU labour market.

The project will take advantage of the potential of the common European cultural values associated to the 4 elements earth, water, air and fire) to empower adults to improve their digital, foreign language and intercultural competences.

The partnership expects to develop and deliver innovative teaching materials presented in a culturally accessible E-book consisting of European legends and stories – giving visibility to the underlying common EU values and principles, especially adapted to learners with special needs.

To achieved such objectives, partners will develop:

An interactive map: a collection of legends and stories related to earth, water, air and fire, in different EU countries.

Digital Books with national legends and stories related to the four elements.

Methodological recommendations for adult educators.

To find more information, access the Four Elements platform here.

Digital books

The nations of Europe all have rich cultures of myth and folklore which give the different regions their particular individual flavour. Here we have grouped traditional stories from Belgium, Estonia, France, Greece, Italy, Slovenia and Spain according to the four elements: earth, air, wind and fire.

They are specially adapted to adult learners and can be used to develop language or ICT skills among your students while enhancing intercultural understanding.

Alongside the stories, this digital book contains interactive exercises and is in Easy Read format. All the material in it can be downloaded and printed. Teachers and trainers will find tips and suggestions for how to use it on the Recommendations section of this site.

European partnership

Four Elements is an Erasmus+ KA204 project designed to highlight the importance of culture and heritage at European Union level. It aims to train educators working with adult learners to enable them to acquire the skills and competences, including linguistic and digital skills and competences, required in the European labour market.

The project is coordinated by : CVO EduKempen (Belgium). The partnership also includes DomSpain Consulting (Spain), The Central Library of Võru County (Estonia), Les Apprimeurs (France), Istituto dei Sordi di Torino (Italy), Slovenian Third Age University (Slovenia), MyArtist (Greece).

Erasmus+ project

Erasmus logo The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Little Sleepy Star / Twinkle Sleepyhead

FAIRY TALE

Main element: Earth

Language of the original: Slovenian

Date of origin: 1952

Author: Frane Milčinski - Ježek

To find more information about the legend, access the Four Elements platform here.

Starting out as a hugely successful radio play in 1952 (still one of the most popular ever), continuing as a puppet show (translated into several languages and staged throughout the former Yugoslavia, in Russia, Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Italy, even Chile and Canada), the legendary Little Sleepy Star finally appeared in book form in 1993.

Being one of the youngest stars in the sky, Little Sleepy Star badly needs to sleep long hours. Moreover, Little Sleepy Star is constantly late for work. So, the Moon decides to punish her, which makes him very sad. He persuades himself that “punishment has to be, that punishment is a good way to raise children”, imposing boundaries on them. So, the Moon sends the Little Sleepy Star down to the Earth. He promises her that she will be allowed to come back to the sky when she proves that she is a good, blameless girl. He is convinced, like most parents are, that if his child does what he does, if his child is obedient, he or she will be protected throughout life. Among those whom she meets on the Earth is an outlaw, a brigand called Čeferin. His face is dark and hairy. His eyes are restless. He is cruel and likes stealing. He wants to steal her soft golden hair from her. Since Little Sleepy Star proves to be innocent and good-hearted the Čeferin’s cruel stony heart starts melting and beating again. So Little Sleepy Star returns to the sky.

Little Sleepy Star is a fairy tale based on dichotomic thinking: that there is good opposing evil and vice versa. This is a naïve story presuming that if you are good, others will be good to you as well; but if you treat others badly, they will treat you badly in return.

Zvezdica Zaspanka

PRAVLJICA

Element: Zemlja

Jezik izvirnika: slovenščina

Datum nastanka: 1952

Avtor: Frane Milčinski - Ježek

Več o legendi lahko preberete tej povezavi.

Ker je Zvezdica Zaspanka najmlajša zvezda na nebu, potrebuje veliko spanja. Ker nenehno zamuja na delo, jo boter Mesec kaznuje in jo pošlje na zemljo. Pri tem mu je težko, joče in se prepričuje, da je “kazen vzgojna, kazen mora biti”. Na nebo se bo Zvezdica lahko vrnila, ko bo dokazala, da se je spametovala, da ji ni moč nič očitati. Kot večina staršev je mesec prepričan, da če bo Zvezdica delala tako kot on, bo varovana. Med tistimi, ki jih Zvezdica sreča na zemlji, je tudi baraba, goljuf Čeferin. Obraz ima temačen in zaraščen. Oči mu švigajo sem ter tja. Krut je in rad krade. Hoče ji ukrasti njene mehke, svetleče, zlate lase. Ker pa je Zvezdica Zaspanka nedolžna in dobrosrčna, se Čeferinovo kameno srce prične topiti in Zvezdica Zaspanka se vrne na nebo. Pravljica temelji na dihotomem razmišljanju. Dobro naproti zla in obratno. Gre za naivno zgodbo, ki nam vliva zmotno prepričanje, da bodo drugi dobri z nami, če bomo mi dobri z njimi. Če je nekdo slab, pa bodo tudi drugi slabo ravnali z njim. Toda odnosi niso simetrični.

Milčinski, F. and Vahen, G. (2017). Zvezdica Zaspanka. 3rd ed. Ljubljana: Sanje.