The "Window on America" Center Dnipropetrovsk presented to the patrons a new book display "Summer reading".
150 person.
August, 3 – Wednesday Movie Club at Dnipro Window on America center.
The film Ben-Hur was offered for big-screening at WOA’s Movie Club.
Ben-Hur is a 1959 American epic historical drama film, directed by William Wyler, produced by Sam Zimbalist for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and starring Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins, Hugh Griffith and Haya Harareet. A remake of the 1925 silent film with the same name, Ben-Hur was adapted from Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.
The epic story of Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston), a prince falsely accused of treason by his adopted brother, an officer in the Roman army. After years at sea, Judah returns to his homeland to seek revenge, but finds redemption.
In 2004, the National Film Preservation Board selected Ben-Hur for preservation by the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress for being a "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" motion picture.
WOA’s patrons enjoyed the film and the discussion that followed.
Number of participants – 12.
On August, 3 – Activate English Group 3.2. – Where do you live?
The year 2016 in Ukraine is the year of the English Language.
The Activate English Group at DOUNB library is an integral part of the EXPRESS-ENGLISH course offered to the Window on America Dnipropetrovsk readers in year 2016.
The Activate English Group was created for people who have been studying English for several years, but are too shy to speak. The objective of the course is to activate the passive knowledge and enable the students of English to express themselves in English no matter how small might be their vocabulary.
Activate English Group – 3: Lesson 2 – The Group’s Instructor T. Gavryliyuk was pleasantly surprised to hear the participants drill the new vocabulary and rehearse their home task dialogues before the start of the Lesson. In pair conversations the students of English practiced the phrases from the topic “My Home”.
The Activate English group practiced to give the description of the Library building, discussed its location and surroundings. The students described the local attractions (ethnic Ukrainian restaurants and Orthodox churches) and gave directions to them.
The new structures were phrases for asking permission “Can I… ?”. “Do you mind if I … ?”, etc.
All the participants found the session educational and helpful.
Moderator: T. Gavryliyuk
Pictures: S.Usenko
Number of participants – 36 persons.
Have a look at more pictures, please
On August, 4 – Express-English Basic Group. Meeting 3.2.
This afternoon the second session of the “Basic English Group – 3” took place at the DOUNB Library in Window on America Dnipro (Ukraine).
The Group was founded as a training site for people who never studied English or for those who need to return to the basics of the language.
All the participants found the session educational and helpful.
Number of participants – 52 persons.
August, 6 – Within “Window on America” framework, Oleksandra Myrgorordska continues new project Young speakers’ club – “The Anglo-Grasshoppers”.
Our club for kids is a real success today! We continue to work with children.
As warm up activity, the children played “Futaba”. Easily learnt how to play it. “Futaba” is really a smart game: it does not allow the children to guess the answers by simple lining up the buttons but blocks the child’s touchpad after the first touch. 4 people can play at once. The first who answers correctly by touching his/her touchpad, wins one score. The other 3 players can see the right answer on their touchpads. We expect that “Futaba” brushes up our memory of the words and provokes fast thinking.
Singing rainbow songs and playing rainbow games helped us to learn that two cultures Ukrainian/Russian and English differ not only in the structures of the languages but in the ideas about the world. Just imagine we watch at the same rainbow in the sky but see the different colors: the Ukrainians/Russians consider that the fifth color of rainbow is sky blue, the sixth – blue, the seventh – violet, while the English name them blue, purple and pink respectively.
Several question of 4 corner game allowed us to speak about preferences and activities.
After training with 4 corner game we passed into Speed English. The task for it was to meet a friend and have a conversation with him/her.
With American song “What do you like?” and Line English we were drilling the phrase “I am of different opinion” and discussed the opportunities how the people with different point of view can communicate. At the end of the meeting we gave the small handouts to the mums to learn some phrases with their kids.
Instructor: O. Myrgorordska
Pictures and technical support: S.Usenko
Number of participants – 7 persons.
August, 6 – Speed English: Random ChoiceToday, we showed the new members of the club what game Speed English is.
At the beginning we carried out the testing on psychology with them. We expect this will improve our work with people.
After brief instructions how to play, we enjoyed Speed English.
At the end of the event, some of the people came up to the moderator and express the ideas that “Speed English met the expectations” and “Is exactly the activity they have been looking for”.
Instructor: O. Myrgorordska
Pictures and technical support: S.Usenko
Number of participants – 16 persons.
August, 6 – Rio Olympics.
Today’s session of the Gabfest Club was dedicated to the start of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
We started the session with the introduction of the Games mascots. The group was impressed with the unusual characters who were selected as Rio mascots. Besides, the group did not remember that Olympics are followed by Paralympics at the same location.
The next topic for discussion was the Olympics 2016 host country. The club members remembered what they knew about Brazil. It was not much, so we reviewed the basic facts about Brazil and its tourist attractions.
The most exciting was an Olympic quiz offered on the CNN web site. We tried to answer 18 questions about modern Olympic games. The fun facts we have learned were sometimes unbelievable.
The Club members promised to follow the world’s most popular sport event and support the Ukrainian Olympic team.
Moderator: T. Gavryliyuk
Pictures: S.Usenko
Number of participants – 32 persons.
August, 09 - FLEX Alumni and DOUNB Library meet European Youth Parliament.
WOA’s friend and volunteer Olga Chychycalo asked for partnership of the WOA Dnipro and DOUNB Library in hosting an international youth event.
A FLEX Alumni Olga presently works as a coordinator at the American Councils for International Education in Ukraine.
She organized a team-building session of the European Parliament session in Dnipro on the premises of the DOUNB Library. We are proud of the Olga’s growing skills and her international aspirations!
Number of participants – 27 persons.
August,9 – Activate English Group 3.3 – What’s he like? What does he look like?
The year 2016 in Ukraine is the year of the English Language.
The Activate English Group at DOUNB library is an integral part of the EXPRESS-ENGLISH course offered to the Window on America Dnipropetrovsk patrons in year 2016.
The Activate English Group was created for people who have been studying English for several years, but are too shy to speak. The objective of the course is to activate the passive knowledge and enable the students of English to express themselves in English no matter how small might be their vocabulary.
Activate English Group – 3: Lesson 3 – The Group’s Instructor T. Gavryliyuk was pleasantly surprised to hear the participants who were able to describe the attractions of Dnipro. In pair conversations the students of English practiced the phrases from the topic “Asking Permission”.
The Activate English group practiced to describe the local attractions (Orthodox and non-Orthodox churches) and gave directions to them.
The new structures were phrases for asking permission “May I… ?”. “Would it be all right if I… ?”, etc.
All the participants found the session educational and helpful.
Instructor: T. Gavryliyuk
Pictures: O.L.
Number of participants – 33 persons.
August, 10 – SURPRISE VISIT of a US GUEST
The WOA Center was visited by a surprise guest from the USA.
Mr. Spencer is a young student currently on a religious mission in Ukraine. The WOA’s patrons introduced themselves to the foreign guest. They asked him many questions about his home state Florida.
The younger generation enquired about Spencer’s hobbies, educational aspirations and professional ambitions.
Mr. Spencer studied the WOA’s collection of books and videos. He opened to the group a curious fact.
While in our part of the world the only Chopin we know is a composer Frederick Chopin. In the USA there is another popular Chopin - Kate Chopin ( 1850 –1904 ), a U.S. author of short stories and novels.
Number of participants – 10 persons.
August, 10 – Wednesday Movie Club at 5:00 p.m.
August, 11 – Basic English 3.3.
Basic English group is studying diphthongs and practices reading.
Number of participants – 33 persons.
August, 13 – The Anglo-Grasshoppers at WOA Dnipro.
WOA's volunteer O.Myrgorodska conducted a session of the English summer club for young learners. Both kids and parents had fun studying English.
Number of participants – 11 persons.
August, 13 UKRAINIAN OLYMPIANS explained to AUSTRALIANS.
Today’s session of the Gabfest Club had a big group of newcomers. The regular members told them about the Club’s background and rules, introduced the staff of the WOA and the DOUNB Library.
The official topic of the session again dealt with the Rio Olympics. We were very glad to welcome in Ukraine our volunteers from Australia – Mr. Eric and his Ukrainian wife Iryna. First we talked about Olympic mascots and compared the Sydney Olympics mascots with the Brazilian ones.
The Club members briefed the guests about the performance of the Ukrainian sportsmen, the number of medals they have got. We also discussed the Ukrainian Olympians in Rio who live in the city of Dnipro – a famous swimmer and several judo- wrestlers.
The informal part of the session was a Q&A about the trip from Australia to Ukraine.
The new comers were thrilled to meet a real native speaker, the regular club members were glad to see Eric and Iryna back in Ukraine safe and sound.
We played Speed English with our guests. Today’s topic was Sports in our Live. All the members wanted to use the opportunity to communicate with Mr. Eric and Ms. Irina. It was very interesting to learn some new things about the country we have never visited before.
Participants number – 31 persons.
August, 13 – ESC Gabfest at 2:00 p.m. – Speed English
Participants number – 28 persons.
August, 16 – Activate English 3.4.At the lesson the Express-English group had a pleasant surprise – our US friend Spencer came over and actively participated in the first part of the session. Each student had a chance to introduce himself to the young American and to ask one or more questions. The Q@A practice allowed the Ukrainian students to ask questions about family background, hobbies, travel and knowledge of Dnipro attractions. The comprehension was not complete, but the answers were dubbed in the understandable format.
The second part of the session was dedicated to the constructions for apologizing.
Participants number – 33 persons
August, 17 – Wednesday Movie Club at Dnipro Window on America center.
Today the Club offered for big-screening a comedy-drama “The Big Chill” (1983).
Movie critic Gary Susman named the film “the Boomer Nostalgia Classic”. He wrote: ”The movie threw all these characters together at the funeral of one of their own, whose mysterious suicide forces them to realize how unfulfilled their lives seem compared to the world-shaking dreams they had as college classmates in the 1960s. They've gone from hippies to yuppies, selling out their ideals and goals with alarming ease and speed. Their weekend reunion brings about some soul-searching and maybe even a little guilt, but by the end …, they've convinced themselves that they're still cool because they still have a spark left of that rebellious, free-love spirit of the Age of Aquarius….The movie also had an impeccable soundtrack of Motown classics and other period hits”.
Number of participants – 14 persons.
August, 18 – Basic English 3.4.
The WOA’s Basic English group this afternoon learned the rules of vowels reading according to the syllable type. We practiced reading clusters of words to obtain the proper articulation speed.
The practice of short/long vowel and voiced/unvoiced consonant in pairs was also very useful for the students. The sight words charts were introduced to accelerate the reading skills. The students were encouraged to learn the meaning of the words at home.
Participant number – 41 persons.
August, 20 Ukraine’s Independence Anniversary explained to Foreign Friends.
This Saturday the #Gabfest Club session was truly international. It was attended by our American guest Mr. Spencer and Australian friends Mr. Eric and Mrs. Iryna.
The official topic of the session was the 25th Anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence. The group was familiarized with the political terms “failed state”, “fragile state” and “fake state”. The complicated notions were defined and illustrated with relevant internet images and YouTube video.
The challenging task for the group was to prove to our foreign guests that after 25 years of independence Ukraine is not “a failed state”. We expressed hope that its “fragile state” status is temporary.
Our list of Ukraine’s achievements included: freedom of speech, political freedoms, freedom of movement, getting rid of nuclear weapon, abolishing of capital punishment, de-communization laws and nationwide change of communism era toponyms.
The most colorful Ukraine’s anniversary posters in English were produced by Ukrainian communities in Australia. They even issued a stamp to commemorate the date. So for the second part of the session the floor was given to Mr. Eric to tell some fun facts about Australia.
The group was very grateful to our foreign guest for participation in the Club’s session.
Participants number – 37 persons.
August, 20 – ESC Gabfest at 2:00 p.m. – Speed English
Participants number – 34 persons.
August, 23 – Activate English 3.5. in Dnipro Window on America center.
Ukraine’s Flag Day at the Express-English Course started with the surprise visit of our American guests.
Mr. Spencer and his friend Mr. King visited the DOUNB Library, but they could not make it for the lesson. So they extended their regards to the group as well as Independence Day greetings.
During the session the group talked about the symbolism of the Ukrainian flag and the preparation for the Independence Day in Dnipro. The new material was the topic “Sport” and questions about one’s indulgence into sports.
29 persons.
August, 25 – Basic English 3.5.The WOA’s Basic English Group reached the middle of the course. After the reading drill of difficult letter combinations we passed over to reading short texts. The group is now ready for personal introductions.
Participants number – 28 persons.
August, 27 – Jubilee Dates to Remember.
This Saturday the WOA's #Gabfest Club had another international session. Guests from USA and Australia arrived in bigger numbers. The official topic of the session was “Ukrainian Jubilees” in August. The session’s moderator T. Gavryliuk reminded the group the name or an event and the club members were to explain to the foreign guests the importance of the person or event for Ukrainians. Among the important persons were: born in Dnipro Madame H.P. Blavatsky, the founder of the American Theosophical Society, and Ivan Franko, the classical Ukrainian poet No.2. The event to remember was the 20th anniversary of the Ukrainian currency introduction. The Club members had to explain to the foreign guests who were the persons on the bank notes and what buildings were on the reverse side of the notes. The guests listened to the stories about Ukraine’s founders, poets and politicians.
The second part of the session was a Q@A. The guests were asked about their home states, their families and impressions of Ukraine. The group recommended to the young Americans gastronomic souvenirs of our region.
Participant number – 29 persons.
Speed English – 26 persons.
August, 30 – Activate English Group 3.6. – “What sport are you good at?”
The year 2016 in Ukraine is the year of the English Language.
The Activate English Group at DOUNB library is an integral part of the EXPRESS-ENGLISH course offered to the Window on America Dnipropetrovsk readers in year 2016.
The Activate English Group 3.6. had a session today.
All the participants found the session educational and helpful.
Instructor: T. Gavryliyuk
Pictures: S.Usenko
Number of participants – 25 persons.
August, 31 – Wednesday Movie Club at Dnipro Window on America center.
The film Cold Mountain was offered for big-screening at WOA’s Movie Club.
Cold Mountain is a 2003 American epic war drama film written and directed by Anthony Minghella. The film is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Charles Frazier. It stars Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, and Renée Zellweger in leading roles as well as Natalie Portman, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Melora Walters, Jena Malone, Donald Sutherland, Brendan Gleeson, Ray Winstone, Jack White, Kathy Baker, Cillian Murphy and Giovanni Ribisi in supporting roles.
The film tells the story of a wounded deserter from the Confederate army close to the end of the American Civil War, who is on his way to return to the love of his life.
Cold Mountain opened to positive reviews from critics and won several major awards. Renée Zellweger won the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for her role in the film. It was also a success at the box office and became a sleeper hit grossing more than double its budget worldwide.
WOA’s patrons enjoyed the film and the discussion that followed.
Number of participants – 13.
