WOA staff presented at the Libraries' conference

WOA staff PRESENTED at the LIBRARIES’ CONFERENCE
On November, 29 the DOUNB Library held a conference for the librarians of the province (oblast).
The title of the Conference was “Public Libraries and Safeguarding of the Local History”.
The WOA Dnipro staff members made two presentations at the conference:
-    about the museum type activities at the library (Svitlana Usenko)
-    about local history facts and Dnipro city promotion  while learning English at the library (Tamara Gavryliuk).
Participants number –  30 persons.

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Thanksgiving Celebration

Today’s session of the Gabfest Club (“Window on America”, Dnipro / Ukraine) had a topic Thanksgiving Traditions of the USA. Our American volunteer Mr. Jason also attended this session and added the first-hand experiences and comments about this traditional US celebration. He was sincerely thanked by the Club for his loyal friendship and offered a symbolic gift.
The Club members had an opportunity to speak about Thanksgiving. First, we spoke about the facts we knew. Then, the moderator offered the slides to read, translate and discuss. All of them were kindly commented by Mr. Jason, an American volunteer. His private experience of famous Black Friday was cheerfully discussed by the audience. Jason told us about interesting customs and shared his own ideas about the celebrations with us.  White House videos about the traditional Thanksgiving events immersed us into the Thanksgiving atmosphere. The pardoning of a turkey ritual was new to some of the club members.

The other tradition of our Club was also observed today – Speed English game: we expressed our attitudes to different holidays, the way they should be arranged and whether the tradition of Thanksgiving could be observed in Ukraine.
The second part of the session was a real Thanksgiving party. The Club members were offered a menu of traditional American dishes and snacks. The highlight of the menu was baked Turkey breast with cranberry sauce cooked by the WOA’s Head Ms. Svitlana Usenko. All the participants found the dish delicious.
During the dessert time we had a pumpkin pie competition. The winner was an American style pie baked by Ms. Lina and Ms. Ganna, the club’s activist who baked the Ukrainian style pie, also received compliments for the treat.
Mr. Nestor, one of the constant members of the Club, played harmonic very amusing. It added to our high spirits. In the heartwarming atmosphere of the Thanksgiving dinner the club members developed new friendships with fellow citizens and our American guest.

The Club members thanked the leaders of with party – Ms. Svitlana and Ms. Alexsandra – for the wonderful atmosphere created for the English learners.
And also a large number of members of the club did a great support of making such event as Thanksgiving Day. Without assistance of the volunteers this awesome event could not be held properly.
The session was most enjoyable and inspired to continue building bridges between American and Ukrainian people.
Participants number –  55 persons.
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Thanksgiving Day with teens

Window on America Dnipro (Ukraine) was visited by group of the local high school №141.
Svitlana Usenko and Aleksandra Myrgorodska, a longtime partner of the DOUNB Library,   have presented to them a popular American holiday – Thanksgiving – and the way it is celebrated in the United States. From the WOA’s slide presentation the students learned about the main characters  of this holiday. They watched videos.
Students received a good mood for the day, new cross-cultural knowledge and additional motivation to study English.
Instructors, pictures: S.Usenko, O.Myrgorodska.
Participants number – 9 persons.

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One book display - EUROMAIDAN History in the Making

#EUROMAIDAN – History in the Making is dedicated to Ukraine's 2013-2014 revolution. The movement's first sparks were ignited in Kyiv's Maidan Nezale-zhnosti (Independence Square), which stands in the heart of the capital. The revolution's mass protests forced Ukraine's corrupt President to flee and ushered opposition leaders into power. Through vivid photographs and an accompanying text, this book documents and explains Euromaidan as a historical event, as a set of shared values and as a form of self-organisation and creative expression.

This book assembles the most compelling photographs taken by Ukrainian photographers at Maidan from November of 2013 to February of 2014. Two articles open the book:

historian Yaroslav Hiytsak describes its sources, causes, and driving forces, philosopher Taras Liutyi explores the Maidan as an assembly of myths. A chronology of events, a map of the Maidan and a list of those who were killed during the protests accompany the images.
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Adult Gamers at DOUNB Library

Information and Resource Center "Window on America" (in Dnipro, Ukraine) joined the observance of the International Games Days (#IGD16).  Thousands of libraries worldwide under the initiative of American Library Association celebrate this date (November 19) for the 9th time.
The day turned into a week when the libraries of the world present modern library services to their communities and play funny and educational games.
This Saturday the GABFEST speaking Club members were s introduced to the WOA’s game collection. The Club members played board games from the game collection "Activate”: “Use a Word”, “What You Might Find”, “Name Your Favorite” under the guidance of the center’s staff and volunteers.
 The more knowledgeable students were initiated into the games:
- “Apples to Apples” – requires matching of nouns and adjectives;
- “Taboo”– requires us to describe a word avoiding tabooed words;
- “Scrabble” – requires our knowledge of many words and their spelling.
For gadget fans the game "Futaba was introduced. It involves four people at a time; they had to match a name and a picture.

All the proposed games have enriched the vocabulary of our Club members and improved their spirits.
English study may be fun even to adults. Look at the faces of the participants!
Instructor: O. Myrgorodskaya, T. Leus, Jason Rush.
Pictures and technical support:  S.Usenko
Number of participants – 47 persons.

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World Tolerance Day

This afternoon, the WOA’s Gabfest club members (Window on America center in Dnipro, Ukraine) observed the World Tolerance day.
As it was a difficult topic for discussion we decided to use infographics and define the term of tolerance with it.
Notions connected with this word – sharing, forgiveness, communication, judging and others.
The notion of tolerance was easy to explain with popular quotes. We read, translated and discussed several quotes about what should be tolerated and what should not be tolerated. The highlight of the discussion was Kofi Annan’s quote, which says that we all belong to one human Race irrespective of our religion, language or skin color.
The group was offered to share their funny stories about tolerance in everyday life. Most stories we heard were about how to tolerate “naughty” neighbors in urban living.

The medical context meaning of the word “tolerance” was also presented to the group to avoid misunderstanding (like “glucose tolerance test”, etc.).
The topic was educational and enjoyed by all participants.
Instructor: T. Gavryliyuk
Pictures: S.Usenko
Number of participants – 47 persons.

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Book Display “International Day for Tolerance”

To observe the International Day for Tolerance the WOA Center Dnipro presented to the patrons a book display “Colors of Tolerance”. The display highlights the books on tolerance from the DOUNB Library collection. In a world of diversity, tolerance is a prerequisite for peace. It is also a lever for sustainable development, as it encourages the construction of more inclusive and thus more resilient societies that are able to draw on the ideas, creative energy and talents of each of their members (UNESCO).
#УкраїнаSpeaking #DniproWOA #Dnipro #DOUNB #ДОУНБ
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The U.S. Veterans Day

Today’s session of the GABFEST Club (Dnipro Window on America center, Ukraine) was dedicated to the U.S. Veterans Day which is celebrated on November, 11. The club members who knew the symbolism of the date explained it to the others. November 11 was the date when World War I ended.
The Gabfest club regular members told the new-comers about our American volunteers Mr. Jason and Mr. Stephen who are American veterans. The group was offered several famous quotes about the Veteran’s Day for translation (“All gave some, some gave all“, etc.)  and discussion (tradition of  hoisting  US flags on the flagpoles in front of the buildings, traditional Veterans Day parades, tradition of having military cemeteries, etc.).
Our American volunteer Mr. Jason suggested a video for the Veteran’s day Gabfest session. It was a story about a retired US Marine veteran who lost all limbs in 2010 in Afghanistan. The soldier received a double arm transplant. John Peck is believed to be the second quadruple amputee veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan war to receive a double arm transplant, according to the Post. The hospital paid for the surgery, and the doctors volunteered their services.

 The group was impressed with the story and sends greetings to Mr. Jason and Mr. Stephen for the holiday.
In the second part of the session the group listen to the presentation about the Salvation army prepared by a Ukrainian head of the mission in Dnipro. The Salvation Army is a charity with good reputation in the United States, especially   due to its disaster relief efforts (the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake). American portrait of Xmas will not be complete without the Salvation Army’s use of bell ringers to solicit donations from passers-by. In the U.S. over 25,000 volunteers with red kettles are stationed near retail stores during the weeks preceding Christmas for fundraising. The tips for budget travel around the world were very helpful for the club members.
Number of participants – 50 persons.

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Speed English with Sasha to the Tolerance Day at DniproWOA

Today’s  Speed  English session at Dnipro Window on America center (Ukraine) aims at little but contribution to the tolerance between the people. Very often, we do not understand each other because of the differences in the languages we speak. That is why the topic of Speed English is the “Words which Trick on us”.  Some English words are very similar in sound to the Ukrainian and Russian ones but are quite different is their meaning! 
One of the long time missing club member joined us again today. He said that the atmosphere is more cheerful with Speed English in the club compared with what was before.
Number of participants – 38 persons.
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Librarian Award

День працівників культури та майстрів народної творчості
Особливо святковим був день для керівника інформаційно-ресурсного центру «Вікно в Америку» Світлани Усенко. Адміністрація бібліотеки відмітила всі творчі і фізичні зусилля співробітників центру докладені в роботу у «Рік англійської мови в Україні», кількість проведених заходів, надзвичайну кількість учасників, теплі відгуки відвідувачів. Пані Світлана отримала грамоту Дніпропетровської облради, музичне вітання в американському стилі та вітання директора ДОУНБ Надії Миколаївни Тітової. Вона розділяє  свою нагороду зі своєю колегою з центру "Вікно в Америку" Тамарою Гаврилюк.
 

Activate English Group in November

November, 8  – Activate English Group 4.5. 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 year 2016 in Ukraine is the year of the English Language. The Activate English Group - 4 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.
The participants of the group will be offered some revision activities to refresh their grammar skills. The vocabulary for the topics will be presented and illustrated with native-speaking videos to activate their comprehension skills.
The activation of the speaking skills will take place during the conversation pair practice.
The materials for the Activate English Group are compiled and presented by the qualified ESL teacher. They are based on original textbook by the reputable language house “Macmillan” and various free on-line resources for ESL study.
 All the participants found the session educational and helpful.
Number of participants – 43 persons.
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November, 15  – ACTIVATE ENGLISH group 4.6. at Dnipro Window on America center.

The Activate English instructor Tamara Gavryliuk checked how well the students made their homework – to be ready to talk about the authentic and gastronomic souvenirs from Dnipropetrovsk. The task proved to be difficult, so we did it again together. Now each participant of the lesson is able to recommend in English to foreign visitors of the city the following regional products as: Petrykivka painting, Millennium chocolate bars, AVK chocolates, cookies “Dnipro”, extra virgin sunflower oil from toasted seeds, dumplings and cured lard. The lesson was very educational; it provided a lot of cross-cultural information. It taught the students to describe their everyday life in understandable English.

Number of participants – 51 persons.

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On November, 29 – Activate English Group 4.8. The year 2016 in Ukraine is the year of the English Language.
This afternoon the Activate Group of the Express-English course in Window on America Dnipro had a very exciting lesson. It was attended by our US volunteers Mr. Jason and Mr. Stephen.
The students practiced with native speakers to talk about renting a flat in Dnipro. They had to discuss locations, the types of buildings, the condition of the property and rates.
In the second part of the lesson the new vocabulary was introduced to enable the students to talk about their favorite books and their work. The presence of the foreign guests showed how stressful it is to speak about simple things. But the students Serghiy and Volodymyr were brave enough to keep the conversation with American guests.
All the participants found the session educational and helpful.
Number of participants – 31 persons.

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U.S. Presidential Elections

This afternoon the Gabfest Club members in Dnipro Window on America center talked about the Presidential Elections 2016.
We were watching the videos that explain the US Presidential Elections 2016.
The VOA’s (Voice of America) Ukrainian language video with the same topic explained the things that were too complicated for auditing.
Participant numbers  – 43  persons.

Halloween & US Elections

This afternoon the Gabfest Club members in Dnipro Window on America center talked about the Halloween celebration again. The club members shared their stories of Halloween celebration/non-celebration in Dnipro. Apparently the holiday is still to gain the scale of popularity it has in the USA. But we practiced the vocabulary that was introduced at the first Halloween session.
The highlight of the session was the conversation about Halloween celebration at the White House. We started with the description of the photos from 2016 decorations. The group was amazed with the WH building decorations, especially the mechanized skeletons of rabbits at the portico, the webs and spiders on the lawns, the scary pumpkins on the balcony. The group managed to guess what was the theme for the year 2016 – it was “Alice in Wonderland”. The illustrative videos showed the work of floral designers and chefs who prepare the presidential treats for the WH trick-or-treaters.
 

The videos that stole our hearts was the one with President Obama and the children in costumes. We have learned a lot about the popular US characters for Halloween costumes as well as some unusual terms – POTUS (President of the United States), FLOTUS (First Lady of the United States) and others.
 
The second part of the session was dedicated to watching the videos that explain the US Presidential Elections 2016.
The WOA’s Ukrainian language video with the same topic explained the things that were too complicated for auditing.
Participant numbers  – 43  persons.
#УкраїнаSpeaking #americanspaces #DniproWOA #Dnipropetrovsk #library #DOUNB #ДОУНБ #Ukraine #EducationalActivities #LearnEnglish #Gabfest

 

Basic English Group in November

November, 3 – Students of all generations attend the Basic English lessons in Dnipro Window on America center at the DOUNB Library. 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.
This afternoon the group 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.
All the participants found the session educational and helpful.
Number of participants – 61 persons.
#americanspaces #DniproWOA #Dnipropetrovsk #library #DOUNB #ДОУНБ #Ukraine #EducationalActivities #LearnEnglish #УкраїнаSpeaking #BasicEnglish

November, 10 – Basic English Group 4.5 started to read.
In spite of the inclement weather conditions a big group of new comers arrived for the fifth lesson of the Basic English group at DOUNB Library and Dnipro Window on America center.  With big enthusiasm the group started to read easy English words.
The year 2016 in Ukraine is the year of the English Language.
The Basic English Group at DOUNB library is an integral part of the EXPRESS-ENGLISH course offered to the Window on America Dnipro patrons in year 2016.
All the participants found the session educational and helpful. So we’ll meet again very soon.
Number of participants – 50 persons.
#americanspaces #DniproWOA #Dnipro #library #DOUNB #ДОУНБ #Ukraine #EducationalActivities #LearnEnglish #УкраїнаSpeaking #BasicEnglish
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 On November, 17th – «International Games Day at DniproWOA» - We play and learn.Information and Resource Center "Window on America" joined the observance of the International Games Days (#IGD16).  Thousands of libraries worldwide under the initiative of American Library Association celebrate this date (November 19) for 9th time.

The day turned into a week when the libraries of the world present modern library services to their communities and play funny and educational games.
On this day, the Basic English group was introduced to the WOA’s game collection.
The group participants played board games with linguistic collection "Activate / Activate» (Use a Word, What You Might Find, Name Your' Favorite) guided by the center’s staff.
 The more knowledgeable students were initiated into, the game "Apples to Apples". It requires matching of nouns and adjectives.
For gadget fans the game "Futaba was introduced.. It involves four people at a time; they had to match a name and a picture.
All the proposed games have enriched the vocabulary of our students and improved their spirits. Learning English may be fun even to adults. Look at the faces of the participants!
At the end of the day the gaming session was offered to the middle students. They used WOA’s iPads to play word game “Futaba’.
Number of participants – 55 persons.

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Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Fountain, Invincible, I Robot

November, 3 – Tonight members of  “Wednesday Movie Club” at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine watched the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
It’s a 1969 American Western film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman (who won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film). Based loosely on fact, the film tells the story of Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, known as Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman), and his partner Harry Longabaugh, the "Sundance Kid" (Robert Redford), who are on the run from a crack US posse after a string of train robberies. 
 
The pair and Sundance's lover, Etta Place (Katharine Ross), flee to Bolivia in search of a more successful criminal career, where they meet their end.
 
In 2003, the film was selected for the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." The American Film Institute ranked Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as the 49th-greatest American film on its AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) list.
Number of participants – 11 persons.

November, 9 – The Fountain at #DniproWOA
Tonight we, the Wednesday Movie Club members (Dnipro Window on America center, Ukraine) proudly enjoyed watching an amazing movie which is considered to be a science fiction. But for us “The Fountain” turned out to be not just science fiction, but a strong mixture of reality with fantasy. The movie appeared to be a field of past, present and the future, the situation, which started in the past, continued in the present, but apparently, it did not end yet.
We were so amazed that the director showed us different lives of one and the same souls incarnated to solve the situation. We saw that and it made us discuss it for more than an half an hour, because we were frustrated that the main hero delayed with a cure against death, he was supposed to solve the situation in time, but he hesitated, and in the end he actually got a cure but sacrificed his life for it, and that’s why he incarnated again.

 It was really amazing to see how the director described it showing the situation in reality and doing the same as a metaphor. So we can consider our movie session to be successful and the discussion successful as well, and we want to say how much we enjoyed this movie, in which there was so much content, which made us think and express ourselves, which means the director successfully did his job and our discussion was the result of it.
Number of participants – 13 persons.

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 November, 16 – In the context of the Tolerance Day Wednesday Movie Club at Dnipro Window on America center: The Verdict.
Was main character tolerant?  
Tonight in the context of the Tolerance Day we, members of the Wednesday Movie Club, were proud to have watched “The Verdict”, a 1982 American courtroom drama film starring Paul Newman, about the lawyer, who almost gave up his practice because everything went wrong for him.
The film, which was directed by Sidney Lumet, was adapted by David Mamet from the novel by Barry Reed. It is about a down-on-his-luck alcoholic lawyer who takes a medical malpractice case to improve his own situation, but discovers along the way that he is doing the right thing.
And we were amazed how life began unpredictable and hard for him – unpredictable due to getting a case of a woman who suffered from the wrong treatment which cost her full life and she ended up in coma with a brain damage, and hard because that lawyer decided to let her case to go to trial which could cost medical license to physicians who mistreated her. This case was hard because according to circumstances there was no chance for that lawyer to win the case, and all this led us to a very intense discussion, and made us very happy that this lawyer actually managed to win the case.

The Verdict garnered critical acclaim and box office success. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Actor in a Leading Role (Paul Newman), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (James Mason), Best Director (Sidney Lumet), Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay (David Mamet).
Participants number – 13  persons.

November, 23 –  Science fiction: I, Robot.
Tonight we, the Wednesday Movie Club members, had an honor to enjoy the movie with movie stars like Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, Bruce Greenwood, James Cromwell, Chi McBride, Alan Tudyk and Shia LaBeouf.
I, Robot (stylized as i, ROBOT) is a 2004 American neo-noir dystopian science fiction action film directed by Alex Proyas. The screenplay by Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman is from a screen story by Vintar, suggested by Isaac Asimov's short-story collection of the same name.
The film received mixed to favorable reviews, with critics praising the writing, visual effects, and acting; but other critics were mixed with the focus on the plot. It was nominated for the 2004 Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
Plot: In 2035, a technophobic cop investigates a crime that may have been perpetrated by a robot, which leads to a larger threat to humanity.
WOA’s patrons enjoyed the film and the discussion that followed.
Participants number – 13 persons.

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November, 30 – Wednesday Movie Club – Dreams are not lived on the sidelines.
Tonight we, the Wednesday Movie Club members, had an honor to enjoy the movie with movie stars like Mark Wahlberg and Greg Kinnear – Invincible.

This movie is a 2006 American sports drama film directed by Ericson Core. It is based on the true story of Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg), a 30-year-old bartender from South Philadelphia who played for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1976 to 1978 with the help of his coach, Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear).
Participants number – 14 persons.

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What sport are you good at?

Activate English. 4.4.: “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 Dnipro visitors in year 2016.
The Activate English Group 4.4. had a session today. All the participants found the session educational and helpful.
Instructor: T. Gavryliyuk
Pictures: S.Usenko
Participants number –  68 persons.