Pocahontas

WOA Dnipropetrovsk continues its project “Discover USA”.
On April, 29 the centre was visited by two group of students from the secondary school # 23. This school is a long-time partner of the Window on America.
Children watched movie Pocahontas with English subtitles and practiced their auditing skills, enriched their vocabulary with new words, and learned new things about American history and culture.
The meeting was thoroughly enjoyed by the children.
Number of participants – 54 (teacher of English – 2, pupils – 52).

Farewell and Easter Session

Today’s session of the Gabfest Speaking Club (at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk) started with the Peace Corp. Farewell Tea Ceremony of our friends Kathryn, Patrick and Samantha. Their term of service in Ukraine has come to an end. They have come to say good-bye to the Gabfest Club which was an important part of their life in Dnipropetrovsk.
Kathryn was kind enough to bake a huge assortment of vegetarian cookies for the club members. The cookies were delicious and the conversation was very enjoyable. The Americans shared their plans for the future – about staying with friends and families in the US, about further employment and study aspirations. The club members enquired about the news from other American volunteers who had been visiting the club on a regular basis. It was fun to learn that some volunteers found their soul mates in Ukraine – some people are getting married, some people are moving in together… The group photo with our American friends at the library entrance steps was the highlight of the farewell ceremony.
 
The second part of the session was dedicated to the forth coming holidays in Ukraine - the Orthodox Palm Sunday and Easter Week. One of the youngest club members Sasha (aged 10) prepared a slide presentation “My pilgrimage to the Holy Land” – Israel. The focus of today’s presentation was on Easter and the city of Jerusalem. 
Sasha commented his photos and answered questions about his impressions of the worship places in the Eternal City. He presented Jerusalem as the city of 3 religions – Christianity, Judaism and Islam. The English equivalents of religious names enriched the vocabulary of club members irrespective of their faith.
The session was both funny and educational.
The number of participants – 26 persons.
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Discover USA - Education

The WOA Dnipropetrovsk continues its project “Discover USA”.
On April, 26 the centre was visited by a group of senior students from the secondary school # 23. This school is a long-time partner of the Window on America.
The theme of the lecture was “Education in the USA”. The WOA head Svitlana Usenko informed the students about the educational system of the United States and formalities for the students who decide to study there. Numerous paper based resources were presented to the group: brochures of the universities, reference books on majors, exchange programs, tests’ preparation manuals, etc.
The WOA staff member Tamara Gavryliuk has demonstrated   several videos by “Education USA” about the benefits of studying in the USA. While watching   these videos with English subtitles the students practiced their auditing skills, enriched their vocabulary with   a dozen of new terms relating to the topic “Post-secondary Education”, and learned new things about American educational culture.
This educational, illustrated with visual aids session was thoroughly enjoyed by the future college applicants.
Number of participants 11 persons.

The Last of the Mohicans

“Wednesday Movie Club” at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine.
To remind the WOA visitors about the Women’s History Month the film The Last of the Mohicans  (1992) was presented to all who wish to improve their language skills.
The Last of the Mohicans is a 1992 historical epic film set in 1757 during the French and Indian War and produced by Morgan Creek Pictures. It was directed by Michael Mann and based on James Fenimore Cooper's novel of the same name and George B. Seitz's 1936 film adaptation, owing more to the latter than the novel. The film stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, and Jodhi May, with Russell Means, Wes Studi, Eric Schweig, and Steven Waddington in supporting roles.

The soundtrack features music by Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman, and the song "I Will Find You" by Clannad. The main theme of the film is taken from the tune "The Gael" by Scottish singer-songwriter Dougie MacLean. Released on September 25, 1992, in the United States, The Last of the Mohicans was met with nearly-universal praise from critics as well as being commercially successful during its box-office run.

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Big Apple and Windy city

WOA Dnipropetrovsk continues its project “Discover USA”.
The visitors from school # 23 came to Dnipropetrovsk information and resource center "Window on America".
The Head of Dnipropetrovsk information and resource center "Window on America" Svitlana Usenko informed the students and their teachers about the funds and free resources of the WOA center.
The YouTube videos were showed to the students on the topics «Windy city - Chicago» and  «Big Apple – New York».
The 7th graders improved their auditing skills by listening to the native-speaking comments to the videos. Several new phases and expressions were presented to the group by the WOA’s staff and the teacher.
Number of participants – 16 (teacher of English – 1, pupils – 15).

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Windy city - Chicago

WOA Dnipropetrovsk continues its project “Discover USA”.
The visitors from school # 23 came to Dnipropetrovsk information and resource center "Window on America".
The Head of Dnipropetrovsk information and resource center "Window on America" Svitlana Usenko informed the students and their teachers about the funds and free resources of the WOA center.
The relevant YouTube videos were showed to the students on the topics «Windy city - Chicago» and  «Big Apple – New York».
Number of participants – 17 (teachers of English – 2, pupils – 15).

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The Faces of the Climate Change

Today’s session of the Gabfest speaking club (at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine) started with the discussion of the tragic events that happened in the United States.  We have expressed condolences to the tragic deaths of the Americans during the explosions in Boston and Texas. The Club members exchanged information and details about the above explosions received from the media news reports.
The official topic of the session was “Earth Day 2013”. The topic of this year is “The Faces of the Climate Change”.

We have read and translated an article that defined the recent climate changes. 2012 was marked by many climate change milestones. Arctic sea-ice cover reached a record low in September, a new high-water mark in a long-term decline. The United States experienced its hottest year ever; this, after the World Meteorological Organization announced that the first decade of this century was the hottest on record for the entire planet.
The next activity was to describe images and editorial cartoons illustrating the climate change. The most impressive and scary was the poster of the WWF.The animated cartoon about the Florida turtles and the climate change prepared the group for a more complicated video on climate change issues. The discussion was wrapped up by discussing how each of the club members combats climate changes. The majority of the groups try to diminish the amount of rubbish, reuse plastic bags, and grow plants and trees.
The session was educational and important for the environmental awareness.
The number of participants – 19 persons.
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Legends of the Fall

At the Window on America center in Dnipropetrovsk the film Legends of the Fall (1994) was presented to all who wish to improve their language skills.
Epic tale of three brothers and their father living in the remote wilderness of 1900s USA and how their lives are affected by nature, history, war, and love.
Director: Edward Zwick
Writers: Susan Shilliday (screenplay), William D. Wittliff (screenplay)
Stars: Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Aidan Quinn

Washington D.C.

WOA Dnipropetrovsk continues its project «Discover USA».
The visitors from school # 23 came to Dnipropetrovsk information and resource center "Window on America".
The following activities were offered to the attention of the students:
-    YouTube videos about Washington D.C. (White House, Congress, Library of Congress, Memorials...)
-    a Portrait Display of books about the President Thomas Jefferson
-    A book/DVD display “READ versus WATCH”.
The students of the school № 23 were impressed with the amount of book/film pairs available at the Window on America Dnipropetrovsk Center.
Two groups of kids (42) and  teachers of English – 2.
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Read vs. Watch

A book/DVD display “READ versus WATCH” was presented to the students of the school № 23.
They were impressed with the amount of book/film pairs available at the Window on America Dnipropetrovsk Center.

National D.E.A.R. Day

The highlight of today’s session at the GABFEST Club (at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine) was the farewell visit of the Fulbright exchange Professor Heidi Allen. Ms. Allen was kind enough to find some time for us in her busy schedule. She shared with us her plans about traveling to top Ukrainian destination – the Crimea. Nearly every club member recommended a place in Crimea for visiting. The funniest part of the discussion was instructing   Heidi about traveling on Ukrainian trains.  At the end of the visit the Club members gave Professor Allen an authentic souvenir of our region – household utensils decorated with Petrykivka paintings.   The Club activists explained the basic facts about Petrykivka art and its symbolism. The farewell group picture will be a good memento about the visits of our charismatic guest from the USA.The official topic of the session was celebrating the D.E.A.R Day in the USA. D.E.A.R. is the acronym for Drop Everything and Read.  National Drop Everything and Read Day is an annual event, which is celebrated on April 12, the birthday of beloved children's book author Beverly Clearly. According to the official D.E.A.R. Web site, "National D.E.A.R. Day is a special reading celebration to remind and encourage families to make reading together on a daily basis a family priority." In one of the popular children's books by Beverly Cleary, Ramona Quimby, Age 8, Ramona's class celebrates National D.E.A.R. Day. Ramona reading a book is a part of the DEAR Day logo.
We have watched several videos about   Beverly Cleary’s books and their impact on several generations of Americans. The discussion was launched about reading and its importance for educated people. A book/DVD display “READ versus WATCH” was presented to the Club members. They were impressed with the amount of book/film pairs availableat the Window on America Dnipropetrovsk Centre.
The session was funny and educational.
more picture here 

The number of visitors – 28 persons.

Rain Man

At the Window on America center in Dnipropetrovsk  Rain Man (1988) – 134 min. was presented to all who wish to improve their language skills.
Plot: Selfish yuppie Charlie Babbitt's father left a fortune to his savant brother Raymond and a pittance to Charlie; they travel cross-country.
Director: Barry Levinson
Writers: Barry Morrow (story), Ronald Bass (screenplay)
Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Valeria Golino

California – Golden State

WOA Dnipropetrovsk continues its project “Discover USA”.
The Head of Dnipropetrovsk information and resource center "Window on America" Svitlana Usenko met two groups of students from school # 23.
She informed the students and their teachers about the funds and resources of the Oblast Scientific Library named after the Slavic apostles Cyril and Methodius.
All the participants of the event were acquainted with the "Window on America" Center. The Center will be useful to all English language learners.
The following activities were offered to the attention of the students:
-    Slide show “California – Golden State”
-    Youtube video “California";
-    a Portrait Display of books about the President Thomas Jefferson.
 Number of participants – 65.
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Fairy Tales

Today’s session of the Gabfest Club (at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine) was dedicated to the International Day of children’s book.
We decided to focus on the fairy tales as a highlight of the children’s literature.
A collection of English speaking fairy tales was presented to the group. We had some fun comparing the English and Russian titles of world famous tales.
The next funny activity was to describe illustrations to the American book “The Red Riding Hood”. The most exciting moment was the description of the final illustration where the Grandmother was having a glass of wine to celebrate the saving from the Wolf’s belly.
The other book under scrutiny was an American version of the “Three Bears”. We have discussed the illustrations and watched an animated cartoon about the bears and Goldilocks.To draw the line of the discussion we have discussed the American tale “Little Chicken”. The plot of the tale was funny and innocent at the beginning. But the club members were shocked by the twist in the tail – a helicopter crashed on the wagon where Little Chicken and other poultry characters were incarcerated by the cunning Fox. Such development was considered inappropriate for the children’s story.
The session was both funny and educational. The adult Club members enjoyed the topic that aroused nostalgic feeling in each participant.
Number of participants – 29  persons.
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President Thomas Jefferson

The Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk (Ukraine) prepared a Portrait Display of books about the President Thomas Jefferson. The display was presented to the Gabfest Club members to mark the 270th anniversary of the America’s third president who was born in April.

A slide show about the legacy of Mr. Jefferson was demonstrated to the group.  Basic facts about him from “American History homework” were presented:

-  participation in the  committee to write a document declaring independence for the 13 colonies. Jefferson, a skilled writer, was the principal author of the Declaration. Very few changes were made to this document. The club members were particularly impressed by the words about the pursuit of happiness as an unalienable right of people;

-  the Louisiana Purchase. In 1803 the United States bought the Louisiana Territory from the French Emperor Napoleon. The territory had been named for King Louis XIV of France.  The territory of 828 000 square miles was bought for 3 cents an acre.

The   club members interested in the personality of the America’s third president were offered numerous sources about his life.

The session was very informative.

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