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.

Speckles the Ball / Spotty Ball

FAIRY TALE

Main element: Air

Language of the original: Slovenian

Date of origin: 1936

Author: Jan Malik

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

Dragons are very much present in Slovenian mythology. It is no wonder, that there is also one in this extremely popular fairy tale.

Once upon a time, in a bright, neat, small house at the edge of the town, lived Grandpa and Grandma. They did not have any children, though they wanted to have a girl or a boy to live with them in their old age. Suddenly, through the open window, a talking ball bounced into the room. “I am hungry,” said Speckles the Ball, also called Spotty Ball. So, Grandpa and Grandma hastily left to buy some bread and milk for her. The Spotty Ball was waiting for them when Tolovaj, a threatening dragon, saw the Spotty Ball. He thought the ball would be a nice toy for his little dragon children. “Come with me,” said the dragon. At first, the ball did not want to come. Then, she broke a vase because it did not behave as it promised it would. She got frightened and off she went with the dragon. Grandma and Grandpa were very sad; they searched for the ball everywhere in the town and finally they heard a tiny little voice. It was coming from high up a pole and it was the ball’s voice. The children’s audience, the Grandpa and the Grandma blew the dragon away and rescued the ball.

Žogica Marogica / Žogica Nogica

PRAVLJICA

Element: Zrak

Jezik izvirnika: slovenščina

Datum nastanka: 1936

Avtor: Jan Malik

Več o legendi lahko preberete tej povezavi.

Nekoč, pred davnimi časi, sta v svetli, snažni hišici na robu mesta živela dedek in babica. Nista imela otrok, da bi živeli na njuna stara leta z njima, a hotela sta imeti fantka ali punčko. Znenada je skozi odprto okno priletela govoreča Žogica Marogica. »Lačna sem,« je jadikovala. Dedek in babica sta hitro stekla kupit kruh in mleko. Žogica Marogica je čakala nanju, a zmaj Tolovaj jo je zagledal in pomislil, kako lepa igrača bi žoga bila za njegove otročiče »Pojdi z menoj,« jo je vabil zmaj. Sprva žogica ni hotela iti, a ko je po nesreči razbila vazo, se je prestrašila in se oprijela zmaja. Dedek in babica sta bila zelo žalostna in sta jo iskala po vsem mestu. Nazadnje sta zaslišala glas, ki je prihajal z visokega droga. Bil je glas njune žogice. Skupaj z otroki sta dedek in babica odpihnila zmaja in žogico rešila.

Malík, J., Cerjak, M., Dekleva, M. and Holeček, P. (2003). Žogica Nogica. 2nd ed. Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga.