Kobzar’s Days at the specialized school No.141 continued this week. The WOA staff was invited to make a presentation in English for a big group of students.
The WOA Director S. Usenko presented the DOUNB Library and the resources of the WOA centre.
The WOA Staff member Tamara Gavryliuk prepared a slide show “Kobzar’s Testament Riddle”.
We had a fresh look on Shevchenko’s poem “My Testament”. A local historian D. Synytsia analyzed the text of the poem and suggested a new hypothesis. According to this hypothesis the poet wanted to be buried on a Scythian mound in Dnipropetrovsk region. The slides illustrated the facts that support D.Synytsia’s view. The students recollected the facts about Shevchenko’s memory in Dnipropetrovsk city and oblast’.
The fresh look on the famous poem impressed both the students and teachers. The school head thanked the WOA Staff for the educational presentation and expressed hope for the further cooperation in the future.
Number of participants – 118 persons.
Today’s session of the Gabfest Club (at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine) was dedicated to the up-coming Taras Shevchenko’s 200th anniversary. We were lucky to have American guests for this session – Mrs. Linda and Mr. Joseph.
The group had a chance to explain important details of Shevchenko’s art and poetry to the foreigners. The slide show about Shevchenko’s friendship with an American actor Ira Aldridge was the highlight of the session. This unknown fact impressed both the group and the American visitors.
The Club’s activists prepared recitals of Shevchenko’s poems - both in the original and in the professional translation into English. The foreign guests appreciated the efforts to present the poems in English.
The group was familiarized with a slide presentation “Kobzar’s Testament Riddle” that offered a new approach to the background of the classical poem “My Testament”. The local historian D. Synytsia analyzed the text of the poem and suggested his own interpreting of the facts. According to the researcher Shevchenko wanted to be buried in the vicinity of the modern Dnipropetrovsk city. In the slide show we took a fresh look at the poem’s text and found confirmation to D. Synytsia’s hypothesis. The new facts from Kobzar’s biography impressed the group. The group was thrilled by the Testament’s riddle that caused so much confusion and deprived the city of the nationwide Shevchenko Memorial.
To wrap up the session the group had an opportunity to ask questions to the guests about their background, their home states and impressions about Ukraine.
Number of participants – 24.
Have a look at more pictures, please
"Ira Aldridge - Kobzar’s American Friend" and "Kobzar’s Testament Riddle"
On February, 28 the staff of Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk (Ukraine) were invited to school #22. Our long time partner, the English language teacher Valentina Shvydka invited Svitlana Usenko and Tamara Gavryluik to talk about Taras Shevchenko’s biography facts.
They conducted 4 lessons for the students of various ages (approx. 125 students, 6-8-9-10 grades). Svitlana Usenko informed the students and their teachers about the books 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.
Tamara Gavryluik offered to the following interactive presentations with vocabulary tasks were offered to the attention of the students.
The following activities were offered to the attention of the students:
• Slide show «Ira Aldridge - Kobzar’s American Friend»
• Slide show “Kobzar’s Testament Riddle”
The presentations were both educational (enriched vocabulary) and enjoyable .
Number of participants – 135 (teachers of English – 10, pupils – 123, librarian – 2).
"Kobzar’s American Friend" and "Kobzar’s Testament Riddle”
On February, 27 the Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk (Ukraine) was visited by a big group of senior students from local school # 141.
An informative slide shows «Kobzar’s American Friend» and “Kobzar’s Testament Riddle” was presented to the group. A set of quiz-type questions reminded the students the basic facts of Shevchenko’s biography with the focus on his talent of a portrait painter. This allowed to introduce to the students the personality of Ira Aldridge who ordered a portrait by Taras Shevchenko.
They were offered a slide presentation “Kobzar’s Testament Riddle” that offered a new approach to the background of the classical poem “My Testament”. The local historian D. Synytsia analyzed the text of the poem and suggested his own interpreting of the facts. According to the researcher Shevchenko wanted to be buried in the vicinity of the modern Dnipropetrovsk city.
In the slide show we took a fresh look at the poem’s text and found confirmation to D. Synytsia’s hypothesis. It really seems that after a visit to Ekaterinoslav region and the exploration of the Cossack heritage the poet wanted to be buried on a Scythian mound (“on mohyla”) with a view on the greatest Dnipro river rapid – the Insatiable, aka Roaring. Both objects are located not far from Dnipropetrovsk city. The hypothesis is supported by the original Shevchenko’s painting and the memoirs of the local dwellers about the noise produced by the rapids (before they were submerged in the water reservoir).
The new facts from Kobzar’s biography impressed the group. The kids were thrilled by the Testament’s riddle that caused so much confusion and deprived the city of the nationwide Shevchenko Memorial.
Number of participants – 21 persons.
Have a look at more pictures, please
