January Welcome

January Welcome will be on 14th of January for journalists.

The Movies

Today’s session of the Gabfest Club Club (at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine) was dedicated to the topic “The Movies”. This kind of entertainment is a popular activity during winter holidays.
We have watched several YouTube videos introducing the evolution of the American movies. After that the club members answered numerous questions about their favorite genres of movies, directors and actors.  Not all club members are well informed about the cult American movies and actors. The WOA’s collection of America’s best movies was re-introduced to the group as a wonderful tool to learn more about American movie culture.
The topic was a good opportunity for some club members to demonstrate their knowledge about the world famous Ukrainian movie directors and   young actresses (Mila Jovovich, Mila Kunis, Olga Kurilenko) .
The second part of the session was dedicated to the introduction ritual. The new comers had a chance to present themselves to the group and meet the regular club members.
The session was very educational.
Number of participants – 18 persons.

Have a look at more pictures, please

 

It’s A Wonderful Life

Wednesday Movie Club
The Drama Fantasy Family film "It’s A Wonderful Life" (1946) was presented to all who wish to improve their language skills.
130 min  -  Drama | Family | Fantasy  -  7 January 1947 (USA)
Plot: An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would have been like if he never existed.
Director: Frank Capra
Writers: Frances Goodrich (screenplay), Albert Hackett (screenplay)
Stars: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore

Christmas celebration

Today’s session of the Gabfest Club was dedicated to the celebration of Christmas in the USA. The session was visited by our PCV Mr. Andrew.
The session started with listening to Xmas music - to create the appropriate atmosphere. “Last Xmas” song very popular in Europe was not known to Mr. Andrew. The Oleg Skrypka’s video “Schedryk” was introduced and explained to our American friend. He was surprised to find out that this Ukrainian folk song arranged by Ukrainian composer Leontovych became the world famous “Carol of the Bells”.
The Club members asked numerous questions about Xmas traditions and foods in the United States. They also had to explain a lot of things to Andrew about Ukrainian Xmas traditions: the different date issue, the traditional food, folk ritual of Carols’ singing and others.
The second half of the session was arranged as a Xmas tea party with an array of Xmas treats – from western ginger breads to local chocolates and cookies. The highlight of the menu was carrot cake baked by our friend Andrew. The Club’s ladies liked the cake very much and noted down the recipe.  The accompaniment of world known Christmas Carols made the tea ceremony most enjoyable.
The session was a success and inspired wonderful Xmas feelings!

 

Home Alone

Today’s session of the American Teen Club (at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine  was dedicated to the celebration of the American Christmas. The session was run by FLEX alumnae Dasha Gerasymova.  The club members brought a lot of sweet treats and soft drinks to create the festive atmosphere.  The boys dressed up as Santas for several  funny photos. Popular songs like “Jingle bells” and “Rudolph the red-nosed rein deer” created Xmas mood.
The highlight of this session was watching “Home Alone” movie clips.
This Saturday the American Teen Club (at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine ) was run by FLEX Alumnae Dasha. She had planned to show the famous American movie Home Alone.
 
Home Alone is a 1990 American Christmas family comedy film written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. The film stars Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, an eight-year-old boy who is mistakenly left behind when his family flies to Paris for their Christmas vacation. Kevin initially relishes being home alone, but soon has to contend with two would-be burglars played by Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci. The film also features Catherine O'Hara and John Heard as Kevin's parents. As of 2009, Home Alone was the highest-grossing comedy of all time. It spawned a successful franchise, with four sequels and three video games, with the main cast reprising their roles for Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
The second part of the session was dedicated to some funny games. The participants tried to communicate in English while playing.
Number of participants - 12 persons.The second part of the session was dedicated to some funny games. The participants tried to communicate in English while playing.
Number of participants - 12 persons.

GABFEST, let's celebrate together!

Let's celebrate together!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Wednesday Movie Club
Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine offered screening of the film Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) with Steve Martin and John Candy starring.
Plot: A man must struggle to travel home for Thanksgiving, with an obnoxious slob of a shower ring salesman his only companion.
Director: John Hughes
Writer: John Hughes
Stars: Steve Martin, John Candy, Laila Robins

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American English Day with phonetics exercises

Today’s session of the Gabfest Club was dedicated to the celebration of the American English Day.
The session started with the introduction of the American English Day. The WOA’s book displays with American English text books showcased the WOA’s resources for American English study. The American English website and Trace Effects video game were presented to the group.
This year the focus of the American English Day was on the phonetics. We have watched a series of You Tube videos that explained:-    the difference in pronunciation between British and American English
-    pronunciation of the weekdays in AE
-    phrases to end a telephone conversation in AE
-    phrases to order something (in a restaurant).
The videos demonstrated how far from the proper American pronunciation are the majority of the Club members. Not to discourage the group we set an objective – to be able to understand the spoken American English and train our ear for that. One more useful activity was offered – to train the pronunciation of compound nouns in AE. The group was given 2 pictures of the same room with a task to label the objects (using compound nouns) and find the differences between pictures. The group had to divide into 2 teams, both teams managed to find the differences and correctly pronounce the compounds (with stress on first or second element).
The second part of the session was dedicated to the Introductions of the new comers and making plans for the Xmas celebration.
The session was very educational as phonetics of the American English are vital for comprehension of the speech and speaking.
Participants number – 25 persons.

Christmas atmosphere in American Teen Club

This Saturday the American Teen Club (at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine ) was run by FLEX Alumnae Hanna. She planned numerous activities that may help to improve teenagers’ language skills.
The session started with the introduction of the American English Day. The WOA’s book displays with American English text books impressed the teenagers. The American English website and Trace Effects video game were presented to the group.
The vocabulary task was arranged as a slide show introducing set phrases with the verbs “to do” and “to make”.
The Western countries’ Christmas atmosphere was introduced through popular characters. This week Ginger Bread was introduced and an animated cartoon about his adventures was screened. Ginger cookies are a traditional Christmas season treat.
 
After several month of attending the Club some Club members were inspired to make their own presentation s in English. This Saturday the floor was given to Pavel and Nastia. Pavel made a big slide show about his trip to Australia and celebrating Xmas there. Pavel’s hobby is yachting. Last year he represented Ukraine in the international youth regatta in Australian town of Hobart – the capital of Tasmania island. Pavle’s presentation included  stories about unique Tasmanian wildlife and nature, exotic cuisine with a lot of fresh seafood and tropical fruits, celebration of Xmas and New Year in the Southern hemisphere with a palm tree instead of a  fur tree. Pavel’s story and his numerous medals brought from Australia impressed the group. Nastia made a shorter presentation about her favorite movie.

It became a tradition to play Scrabble - it helps to activate the Club members’ vocabulary. The winner was presented a sweet treat in the shape of the American President and received a task to made a presentation about the respective US President.
The session was very educational as it introduced many interesting facts about Xmas celebration in English-speaking countries.
Number of participants –12.

American English Day for Schoolchildren

Today the WOA Centre was visited by a group of children from the specialized high school No. 141( foreign languages study). The WOA Head S. Usenko made several presentations for the group:
First she presented the Municipal Establishment of Culture “Dnipropetrovs’k Universal Scientific Library named after Slavic Apostles Cyril and Methodius” which will celebrate its 180th anniversary next year. The schoolchildren were introduced to the library science, the librarian profession and the best libraries of the world. The information was illustrated with a photo collage.
The second presentation was about the Information and resource Center «Window on America». It covered the history of the facility, the foreign and VIP guests of the centre. The photos and videos about WOA impressed the students a lot.

The students were informed about the free resources for English study available at the WOA. The slide show about software and books illustrated the information. Numerous academic exchange programs in the USA were presented to children.
The WOA Head S.Usenko was a participant of the Open World program. She told the students about her trip to the USA and a visit to Chicago Public Library. The narration was illustrated with photos and a video of the library tour.
To wrap up the session WOA’s Head S.Usenko invited the students to join American Teen Club and told them about the Center’s poster display “Disabled people in the USA”.
Number of participants – 15.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Wednesday Movie Club
Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine offered screening of the film A Place in the Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) with Bob Hoskins starring.
104 min  -  Animation | Comedy | Crime
Plot: A toon hating detective is a cartoon rabbit's only hope to prove his innocence when he is accused of murder.
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writers: Gary K. Wolf (novel), Jeffrey Price (screenplay)
Stars: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy

Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 American fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis. The film combines live action and animation. The screenplay by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman is based on Gary K. Wolf's novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, which depicts a world in which cartoon characters interact directly with human beings.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit stars Bob Hoskins as private detective Eddie Valiant, who investigates a murder involving the famous cartoon character, Roger Rabbit. The film co-stars Charles Fleischer as the eponymous character's voice; Christopher Lloyd as Judge Doom, the villain; Kathleen Turner as the voice of Jessica Rabbit, Roger's cartoon wife; and Joanna Cassidy as Dolores, the detective's girlfriend.

Walt Disney Productions purchased the film rights to the story in 1981. Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman wrote two drafts of the script before Disney brought in executive producer Steven Spielberg, with his Amblin Entertainment becoming the production company.

Robert Zemeckis was brought on to direct the film. Canadian animator Richard Williams was hired to supervise the animation sequences. Production was moved from Los Angeles to Elstree Studios in England to accommodate Williams and his group of animators. While filming, the production budget began to rapidly expand and the shooting schedule ran longer than expected.

Disney released the film through its Touchstone Pictures division on June 22, 1988 to financial success and positive reviews. Who Framed Roger Rabbit spurred a renewed interest in the Golden Age of American animation and spearheaded the modern era of American animation, especially the Disney Renaissance.