On Friday, February 23, an esteemed class was held as the finalization of a project task within which the teaching unit “Pokondirena tikva” by J. S. Popović was covered. Throughout February, during German language, visual arts, Serbian language and literature, and civic education classes, students and teachers addressed the linguistic challenges of this comedy, which is least understood by seventh graders due to linguistic distance and the incorrect use of foreign languages by the main character.

During civic education classes, students were introduced to the life conditions in Serbia in the 19th century, when the author lived. Social circumstances were depicted in the work, but the emphasis in the classes was on the norms that applied to those belonging to higher circles (nobles), which included higher education – hence the knowledge of multiple foreign languages.

In visual arts classes, a collaborative illustrated dictionary was created, including all lesser-known or completely unknown words and expressions from the language of that era, both in Serbian and in French and German, which the main character of the comedy, Fema, used.

During German and Serbian language classes, a Kahoot quiz was created and played, with the same goal as in the visual arts classes – to recognize and become familiar with the linguistic conditions in 19th century Serbia.

The esteemed class was held in the school annex for all 7th-grade students in the form of a tea party, and the invitation was sent by Fema. She explained to her guests that she invited them because she heard they had been gossiping about her lately, claiming she doesn’t know German, so she invited the German teacher to better instruct her. The German teacher explained to Fema why the words and expressions she used were incorrect, and students demonstrated their knowledge by connecting categories of verb forms to the isolated phrases that Fema (incorrectly) used.

Ladies were required to come with hats, and gentlemen with ties. Insisting on fashion trends and imitating the former way of “unterodling” (the improper use of German loanwords) was an introduction to the processing of the main theme – how Fema changes only externally, formally (by buying beautiful clothing, expensive items), imitating nobility, thinking that this way she will actually become more refined and educated.

The conclusion reached during the class is that speech is the best representation of ourselves.

The project task was realized by:

Ljubinka Stanić, German language teacher
Sara Drobnjaković, visual arts teacher
Marko Ostojić, geography and civic education teacher
Đorđe Rikić, history and civic education teacher
Marina Gava, Serbian language and literature teacher
Students of 7-1, 7-2, 7-3

Savremena Elementary School, through its multidisciplinary education, proves that an approach that combines knowledge from different subjects is the key to developing a deep understanding and practical application of learned lessons. Through such projects, Savremena School lays the foundation for education that prepares students for life and work in the 21st century, where critical thinking, creativity, and adaptability are essential.