27 November, 2014

Thanksgiving celebration with friends

Within the framework of the “U.S. Art Residence in Dnepropetrovsk" the head of the "Window on America" Center (Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine) Svetlana Usenko visited the local high school №39.
For the students of the 6th and 9th grades Svetlana Usenko conducted two lessons on the life and work of American composer George Gershwin.
At the beginning of the lessons the librarian congratulated the students with the Thanksgiving holiday which is celebrated today in the USA. The teacher Victoria Platonova, a longtime partner  of the DOUNB Library,  reminded the  children the main characters  of this holiday. They read and translated a philosophical quote about the importance of gratitude in the human’s life.
From the WOA’s slide presentation the students learned about the basic facts of George Gershwin’s life – his musical education, gradually developed music skills, cooperation with elder brother Ira, who wrote librettos for his musicals and opera.
The students listened to the best Gershwin’s tunes:"Rhapsody in Blues", Clara’s aria (the world known lullaby “Summertime”) from the opera "Porgy and Bess".
At the end of the lessons the students were informed about the diverse – printed, electronic, and most importantly free – resources for learning English. They were invited to join the American Teen Club on Saturdays at the WOA center. Participation in this club may help to visit the US as exchange students. Exchange programs “FLEX” and “Summer Work and Travel” require profound preparation from the interested candidates.
Students received a good start for the day, new cross-cultural knowledge and additional motivation to study English.
Number of participants – 60 people.





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