Is history important to you?

Today’s Speed English (at the Window on America center in Dnipro, Ukraine) was quite interesting and touched the hearts even of those who did not like to study history at school. Discussions in pairs made us so enthusiastic in our considerations on the past and the future of our Ukraine that we forgot about the time and extended the time assigned for the Speed English event. 
It is pleasant to note that there are people among us who feel that are ready to create the new history of contemporary Ukraine!
Participants number – 25 persons.

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John Paul Jones

The event of  DniproWOA was devoted to John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) who was the United States' first well-known naval commander in the American Revolutionary War. He made many friends and enemies—who accused him of piracy - mong America's political elites, and his actions in British waters during the Revolution earned him an international reputation which persists to this day. As such, he is sometimes referred to as the "Father of the American Navy" (an epithet that he shares with John Barry and John Adams). He later served in the Imperial Russian Navy, subsequently obtaining the rank of rear admiral.
Participants number – 25 persons.

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Tea with Mussolini

A story of civilized disobedience
At “Wednesday Movie Club” in Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine.
The drama film Tea with Mussolini (1999) is a story of civilized disobedience that was presented to all who wish to improve their language skills.  Starring American actress Cher and Lilly Tomlin.
Tea with Mussolini is a Anglo-Italian semi-autobiographical film directed by Franco Zeffirelli, scripted by John Mortimer, telling the story of young Italian boy Luca's upbringing by a circle of British and American women, before and during the Second World War.
A group of elderly women, who the Italians have named the Scorpioni, have chosen Italy, specifically Florence, as a place to live to blend their proper British sensibilities ...
WOA’s patrons enjoyed the film and the discussion that followed.
Number of participants – 9.
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Celebration of the Columbus Day in the USA

The "Window on America" Center (Dnipropetrovsk / Ukraine) staff was invited to visit local high school No. 22 and present a letter on US traditions and holidays. Due to the date of the school visit it was natural to select the topic “Celebration of the Columbus Day in the USA”.
The presentation was offered to three groups of students the 6th, the 9th and the 10th graders. All groups were offered the slideshows with fun facts about the Columbus trips to the New World. The senior students already new many facts about Columbus, but they appreciated the new vocabulary that was introduced during the presentations. The focus in the presentations for senior students was on the impact the Columbus’s trips had on the European countries and the population of America.
 

The junior students were excited with less complicated presentations that involved cartoon materials and were illustrated with songs about Columbus in English. The students had to demonstrate their auditing skills as the songs were offered without sub-titles or lyrics.
Both groups were interested in the video-illustration of the topic- a video about the Columbus Day parade in New York in 2013. The students were informed about the Italian community active participation in the parade. In year 2013 the highlight was a show of Italian cars in the streets of New York. The tricky task for the groups was to enumerate the logos of the car brands shown in the illustrative video.
The teachers were grateful to the WOA staff for a lecture that increased the students’ knowledge of American traditions.
Number of participants – 85 persons.
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The 24th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence.

Today’s session of the Gabfest Club ("Window on America" (Dnipropetrovsk / Ukraine) was dedicated to the 24th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence.
Our US volunteer Mr. Jason came to congratulate the Club members with this important holiday. His presence allowed the group to demonstrate their knowledge of patriotic symbols and explain them to the foreigner. We have discussed the basic attributes of an independents state: the coat of arms and a national flag, national anthem. Each attribute was illustrated with a relevant video or image. The club members were encouraged to explain the symbolism behind the attributes as well as other controversies. Some artifacts of Ukrainian decorative art where used to provide the topic for conversation about folk art. The modern tradition of celebrating Independence Day was also discussed.
 

Our surprise guests from Australia Mrs. Irina and Mr. Eric joined the conversation as well. They were given an insight into the Independence Day traditions in Ukraine.
The second part of the session was dedicated to the Australian guests’ presentation. We were told about the national symbols of Australia and their meanings. The Club members put numerous questions to the guests about Australia.
The session was educational for all the participants.
Number of participants – 23 persons.

VE Day – the 70th Anniversary

To commemorate the victory over the German Nazis in Europe  anniversary the Window on America center in Dnipropetrovsk presented a new book and image display “VE Day – the 70th Anniversary”. It  displays the books and videos from the WOA’s collection that deal with the events of World War II and the Cold War.
US soldiers took part in WW II, American historians researched the wars’ events  and published their findings in books, American libraries store the information and provide researchers with materials.
The films about the events of World War II include such movies as "Schindler's List" (director Steven Spielberg), "The Pianist" (Roman Polanski), "The boy in the striped pajamas " (Mark Herman), "Good German" (Steven Soderbergh).
 

 The displayed  films tell about the tragic events, ruined human lives, they urge  to honor the dead, to appreciate peace  and to do  everything possible to prevent  the horrors of war.
The display will  provide the WOA’s patrons with important information and will touch  their emotions.

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Martin Luther King day in USA

Today’s session of the Gabfest Club (Window on America center Dnipropetreovsk, Ukraine) was dealing with complex topics from both Ukrainian and American cultures.
This Saturday we were glad to see again our longtime friend Mr. Josh. The club members used this opportunity to introduce the American guest to the winter celebrations and traditions in Ukraine. The group explained to him in detail the traditions of the Orthodox Christmas and the coming feast – the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan. The guest was recommended to visit the St. John’s church and to see the traditional rite of the faithful – the immersion into the cold waters of the river. Mr. Josh was fascinated with the symbolism and traditions of this religious holiday.
The second part of the session was dedicated to the celebration of the Martin Luther King day in USA. The group was offered to read and translate an article which explained the basics about Dr. King’s philosophy. MLK was often labeled as “American Ghandi” as he freely credited Indian leader’s strategies of personal commitment, nonviolence, and passive resistance for the effectiveness of his own campaigns in areas such as integration and voting rights. The group was offered to watch a documentary video of Dr. King delivering his speech “I have a dream”. He impressed the audience as a powerful and compelling orator.
The group was also introduced to the song that is very symbolic for all people fighting for their rights – “We shall overcome”. The version of the song performed by Diana Ross was very enjoyable. In the discussion that followed the club members told the American guest about famous Afro-Ukrainians.
The session was enjoyed by all the participants as it gave an insight into complex topics.
Participants number – 22 persons.
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«Library – an extra learning opportunity» - 7, 8

WOA’s series of library events for school children in May consisted of 9 events for school children of various ages – from primary school to high school.

Today’s meetings at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine ware dedicated to the topic “The 180th anniversary of the DOUNB Library”. Window on America center invited a group of schoolchildren from local school no. 23 and no. 22 (with focus on the English language study).
A slide show about the history of the DOUNB library explained the role of the ethnic foreigners (Herzenwitz , Ullmann , Reimer )  in the development of the Library in the 19th century. Interesting historical facts and rare old books from the library funds were presented to the group.
Svitlana U. showed the children an animated cartoon about the rules of conduct in the library. The cartoon explained how to select and borrow books from the library; how to return the books in time and to keep them in good condition.  The children enjoyed the American cartoons about the library.
 The group enriched their English vocabulary with new words for the topic “Library. Books. Reading.”
The lecture was funny, informative and educational.

Number of participants – 57 persons.

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Library – an extra learning opportunity - 3

«Library – an extra learning opportunity» - library events for school children.
Today’s meeting at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine was dedicated to the topic “The 180th anniversary of the DOUNB Library”. The Library is the headquarters of the Window on America center.

The WOA staff member Tamara G. prepared a slide show about the history of the DOUNB library. The focus of the presentation was on the foreigners’ role in the development of the Library in its early stages. 
Svitlana U. showed a presentation, this slide-show urged the group to remember and present in English the historical facts about Katerinoslav/Dnipropetrovsk and its history.
The group was impressed by the information about the library’s rare collection of the old books in English. Some of the old books were printed in the USA. It was very interesting to examine the old English textbooks from the pre-revolutionary and Soviet period.
We also watched cartoons about the library.
Participants numbers – 15 persons.

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Library – an extra learning opportunity - 1

«Library – an extra learning opportunity» - library events for school children.
Today’s meeting at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine was dedicated to the topic “The 180th anniversary of the DOUNB Library”. The Library is the headquarters of the Window on America center.

The WOA staff member Tamara G. prepared a slide show about the history of the DOUNB library. The focus of the presentation was on the foreigners’ role in the development of the Library in its early stages. 
Svitlana U. showed a presentation, this slide-show urged the group to remember and present in English the historical facts about Katerinoslav/Dnipropetrovsk and its history.
The group was impressed by the information about the library’s rare collection of the old books in English. Some of the old books were printed in the USA. It was very interesting to examine the old English textbooks from the pre-revolutionary and Soviet period.
We also watched cartoons about the library.
Participants numbers – 30 persons.

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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).

Independence Day of Ukraine

Today’s session of the English Speaking Club at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk was dedicated to the Independence Day of Ukraine. The session was planned as a cross-cultural presentation and dealt with phenomena of American and Ukrainian culture.

The starting task for the Club members was to render into English the content of two Ukrainian articles.

The articles announced the publishing of the first Ukrainian comic book. It has an unusual title “DAO HOPAK”. To understand the author’s idea we had to explore the following topics

-  American comic books as a combination of art and writing

-  Zaporizhja  Cossacks  as   fighters for the  Ukrainian independence

-  Traditional Ukrainian dance Hopak and Combat Hopak, a martial art based on the traditional dance.

We had several foreign guests at the session: our American friends Sam and Mr. Joseph and a visitor from the Netherlands, Ruud. They have been very grateful for the explanations of the historic and cultural facts about Ukrainian Cossacks. The videos that illustrated the Hopak dance and Combat Hopak impressed our male guests and they asked for more information about this martial art.

The facts that brand “Cossaks” is popular in the world’s showbiz was illustrated by the video of Madonna featuring a Ukrainian dance group.

The topic of “comics versus normal books” triggered a lot of debate. The comics format as we know it today is a unique art form and literary medium that originated in the U.S. in the late 1800s. Our American and Dutch guests turned out to be fans of this genre and gave their arguments in favor of comics. It was suggested that a separate session should be prepared about the American comics as they are a good tool to learn the spoken language.

The books about Ukraine in English were presented to support the topic.

The session was a success and provided an educational value both for the Ukrainian and foreign participants.

The number of participants – 20 persons.

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