Impressions of Participation in Learning Circles in 2011

I enjoyed LC participation, but some things didn't. Positive moments - creating presentations and sending Welcome Packs. Negative moments - not all the participants came to the end and we've received only one Welcome Pack from Ukraine, although there was arrangement with four teams.
Team work was great, it's exiting and amazing to search the information about my country and other countries, learn something new about Russia, Ukraine, the USA, Canada. I've learned a lot of useful information and informative things. I think I will take part in LC in future.

Liza Mataeva 

Taking part in LC projects is fun. I liked to work in team, make projects, watch presentations from our partners. I've learned to print quickly in English and to translate better. It's a pity we have got only one Welcome Pack from Ukraine and not all the teams came to the end but I liked our LC very much. 

Yulia Moroz

I liked to create projects because it is interesting and exiting. Ive learned to do computer  presentations. 

Irina Shavkunova

We got good marks for our projects and I liked it. With the help of projects from other countries (the USA, Canada, Ukraine, Russia) I've learned about their sights, culture, education, nature and so on. I'm going to take part in LC in future. To do presentations is fun and isn't difficult. 

Veronika Klimovich

I enjoyed the projects about cultural traditions from different countries and I liked the participation. I liked to answer  questions and learned a lot of new things.

Elena Dubitskaya

I liked to search information in the Internet (photos, pictures, recipes, texts) but sometimes it was boring. I've learned a lot of useful and interesting information.

 Alexandr Potachits

I liked the participation in the LC projects because a lot of countries took place in them. I've learned a lot of about traditions and customs of these wonderful countries (the USA, Russia, Ukraine). I enjoyed the group work with my classmates. I'm going to take part in these projects once more.

 Vladimir Parashchenko

I loved LC projects participation very much. We've studied a lot of useful  and interesting things about different countries, their traditions, places of interest and about people. Thanks to the projects we could study English more. Creating and watching presentations is fun. I think I'll take part in iEARN projects in future.

Elizaveta Senkovskaya

I liked to participate in LC projects because it was interesting. I've known a lot about  different countries, their customs and so on but it isn't easy to prepare presentations, it takes plenty of time.

Ilia Epikhov 

English Party

It's a team game. Participants are divided into two teams.

 Game 1 “A Telegram” 

Every team get a word from 4 letters. The task is to think a word on each letter in the word to make a logical sentence.

Model: West

We

Eat

Smashing

Tomatoes

Game 2 “An Artist”

You need two bags with the words ears, nose, face, lips, eyes, hair and two scarves to close eyes, two A4 papers and two markers. Every participant of the team pulls a word and draws it or them with close eyes on the piece of paper. As a result every team should draw a person.

 Game 3 “A Tail”

You need a large picture of a donkey, a scarf and a tail (make it from a rope). Every participants should try to fasten a tail to a donkey.

Game 4 “A Deaf Telephone”

Every team stands in a line and gets a very long sentence.

They should transfer it to each other.

Model: One day Little Red Riding Hood was running with a basket through the dark forest to her old Granny.

Game 5 “A Fridge”

You should prepare a picture of a fridge with a lot of products. Show the fridge to the teams during 10 seconds. They should write all the food they remembered.

Game 6 “A Ball”

The first participant takes a ball, name the word on letter B and pass it to the second participant. The second participant should name the word on the last letter of the previous word and so on.

Model: Banana – Ant – Telephone – Elephant – Topic – Cake

Game 7 “Riddles”

1.  A dog before two dogs, a dog behind two dogs, one dog in the middle. How many dogs? (3)

2.  Steven lives with his father, his mother, his brother, a dog, two cats and two parrots. How many legs do they all have? (24)

3.  If you have it you want to share it. If you share it you do not have it. What is it? (a secret)

4.  One Sunday two weeks ago Ben said: “Yesterday we went to the cinema. Tomorrow we’ll go to the park”. On what day did they go to the park?

5.  My father has a son. He isn’t my brother. Who is he? (I myself)

6.  If a blue stone falls in the Black Sea what will happen?

(the stone will be wet)

Game 8 “Wordmaker”

Every team gets a very long word. During 1 minute they should write as many short wards as possible using only the letters of this word.

Model: interpretation (tea, pit, eat, pot, port, tin …)

March of Frogs

Today, on the 16th of February, we've taken part in a global ENO climate change campaign "March of Frogs". The students of the 7-8th forms were the most active. Lisa Mataeva, Liza Senkovskaya, Veronika Klimovich, Nastya Darenskikh went from class to class during the breaks and collected pledges. So we have collected 177 pledges!!! At the beginning of the lessons we sang a song "You Control The Climate Change". My special gratitude to Tatiana Posniak and Natasha Lapanick for their help and support. This film is about our activity.

Spring Session of Learning Circles Have Started

      Yes, it is true! And I'm sure that it will be very exciting, fascinating, magic time for all the participants of our circle.
      I'd like to greet  Mark Cullen from Seattle, Washington, United States, Svitlana Dyka from Kirovohrad, Ukraine, Tannis Hendra from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, Lidiya Petrovna Khabirova from Belebey, Bashkortostan Republic, Russia, Larisa Khrykina from New Tselina, Rostov region, Russia, Karen Ritter from Wheeling, West Virginia, United States, Lynn Rody from Seattle, Washington, United States and Tatiana Visheratina from Kortkeros, Komi Republic, Russia.
      I wish you to have a good time and good luck!

Learning Circles autumn session 2010

   So, dear friends, we've finished our second participation in Learning Circles. How to work in Learning Circles I've told earlier and now I want to tell some words about our main activities. There were 8 teams from Belarus, Russia, Romania, the USA and India. My students of the 7th form were active participants of this circle.We worked on 6 projects: Food for Life,  National Holidays, People Who Migrate and How They Adapt, Getting nostalgic - remembering our past, School Life and Your Favorite Holiday. Our sponsoring project was "Your Favorite Holiday".  
   Veronika Klimovich, Dasha Tatur and Sasha Potachits made a project "Food for Life" 

http://media.iearn.org/v/Activities/learningcircleppm2_001/food.ppt.html?g2_GALLERYSID=TMP_SESSION_ID_DI_NOISSES_PMT

   Yulia Moroz told about our national holiday "Inderpendence Day" 

http://media.iearn.org/v/Activities/learningcircleppm2_001/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.ppt.html?g2_GALLERYSID=TMP_SESSION_ID_DI_NOISSES_PMT

  Ivan Kovalev, Liza Senkovskaya, Veronika Klimovich, Dasha Tatur prepared some projects about the monuments in Starye Dorogi and belarus for the project "Getting nostalgic - remembering our past" 

http://media.iearn.org/v/Activities/learningcircleppm2_001/monumentsxofxbelarus.ppt.html?g2_GALLERYSID=TMP_SESSION_ID_DI_NOISSES_PMT

 http://media.iearn.org/v/Activities/learningcircleppm2_001/monumentsxofxxtaryexxorogi.ppt.html?g2_navId=x86bc3e30

   Liza Senkovskaya, Irina Shavkunova and Lena Dubitskaya made a project about our gymnasia 

http://media.iearn.org/v/Activities/learningcircleppm2_001/xyxgymnasia.ppt.html?g2_GALLERYSID=TMP_SESSION_ID_DI_NOISSES_PMT

   Liza Mataeva, Yulia Moroz and Ilia Epukhov told about thier favorite holidays 

http://media.iearn.org/v/Activities/learningcircleppm2_001/happyxbirthdayxxataeva.ppt.html?g2_GALLERYSID=TMP_SESSION_ID_DI_NOISSES_PMT

http://media.iearn.org/v/Activities/learningcircleppm2_001/newxyearxxoroz.ppt.html?g2_GALLERYSID=TMP_SESSION_ID_DI_NOISSES_PMT

 http://media.iearn.org/v/Activities/learningcircleppm2_001/myxfavouritexholidayxxpikhov.ppt.html?g2_GALLERYSID=TMP_SESSION_ID_DI_NOISSES_PMT

At the end of the session we prepared a final project "Our Favorite Holiday"

http://media.iearn.org/v/Activities/learningcircleppm2_001/xelarusxxurxfavouritexholidays.ppt.html

 We want to say thank you to our partners: Rodica, Greeta, Jan, Tatiana, Svetlana and Barry (our coodinator). I hope will meet again. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

iEARN project Six Common Things

Imagine that you have only six common things: 1)a pencil, 2)a plastic water bottle, 3)a plastic shopping bag, 4)a piece of rubber band, 5)a paper clip, 6)a piece of white paper approximately 210mm × 297mm (A4) or 8.5 inches × 11 inches in size.

What can you create using them? 

Our students of the 8th form: Nastya Dmitruk, Nastya Darenskikh and Margarita Mazneva suggest you to make a rose with a plastic bag, a pencil and a piece of rubber.

And using a bottle you can make a wonderful vase for this flower.

Another idea is a decoration for Christmas tree. Use a plastic bottle and a paper clip. 

 Good Luck!

Участие в прокте Learning Circles весной 2010 года

Участие в проектах Learning Circles (Spring 2010) :  

1)      Существует 5 основных направлений (“Places and Perspectives” (Места и перспективы), “Computer Chronicles” (Компьютерные хроники), “My Hero” (Мой герой), “MindWorks” (стихи, басни, сочинения), “The Bat-Chen Diaries” (Твой дневник)

2)      Интенсивное общение.

3)      Участие группы учащихся или класса (нескольких классов).

4)      Длится 4 месяца, работа строго разделена на этапы и недели.

   С 1 февраля началось наше участие в Learning Circles, которое продлилось до 15 июня. Наш проект назывался Places and Perspectives (Middle School). Мы были объединены в группу (ppm1) из 10 команд из 8 стран (США(2), Россия(2), Украина, Португалия, Марокко, Пакистан, Канада, Беларусь). Количественный состав команд очень разный – у нас в команде 7 учащихся, а в США (Вашингтон) – 68, все учителя имели разный опыт работы, кто-то принимал участие уже 5-й раз, кто-то первый.

  Работа в Learning Circles разделена на 6 этапов.

   1 этап (1 неделя 30 января - 7 февраля) – подготовительный (знакомство с участниками, и правилами участия).

  

   2 этап (2 недели 8 февраля – 21 февраля) – открытие (учителя отправляют сообщения о себе и своей работе, проводится так называемое Classroom Survey (исследование класса), в котором мы рассказали об участниках нашей команды (хобби, любимая еда, любимые писатели, телевизионные программы и др.), о нашей гимназии (количество учащихся, гимн, эмблема, история гимназии, количество компьютеров и др.), о нашем городе (ближайшие большие города, промышленность, место расположения, население). А также создание Welcome Packs. Команда из Португалии предложила всем участникам нарисовать листочки деревьев и написать на них свои мысли о любви, дружбе, мире. Затем, когда мы получим письма из всех стран, мы из этих листочков сделаем дерево нашего круга.

 

    3 этап (2 недели 22 февраля – 7 марта) – планирование проектов. Каждая команда предлагает свои проекты на темы, которые больше всего интересуют учащихся. Среди таких тем: «Достопримечательности региона», «7 чудес региона», «Природа и климат», «Традиционные блюда», «Мы граждане одного мира» и многие другие. На данном этапе идет активное обсуждение проектов, в результате которого буду выбраны проекты для последующей работы.

   В результате активных дискуссий (Бари Крамер отметил, что наш «круг» самый активный) было определено 6 тем проектов, над которыми мы работали и которыми мы обменялись в последующие 6 недель: 1) Как мы живем: наша повседневная жизнь – один день из жизни, (Португалия, США) 2) Где мы живем: география нашей страны, достопримечательности и чудеса, природа, климат, стихийные бедствия, (Беларусь, США), 3) Наше место в мире: мы граждане одного большого мира, (Украина) 4) Наши природные ресурсы: вода, ценность воды, (Канада) 5) Проблемы общества: традиции и проблемы при вступлении в брак, пожилые люди нашего общества, роль религии в нашем обществе (Пакистан), 6) Приятного аппетита! Что мы едим: традиционная еда (Беларусь, Португалия).

  

   4 этап (6 недель 8 марта – 18 апреля) – обмен проектами по выбранной теме. Каждый участник нашей группы работал над одним или двумя проектами.

   1) Как мы живем: наша повседневная жизнь – один день из жизни -  над этим проектом работала Лиза Матаева, учащаяся 6 «А» класса, она создала презентацию «Our Daily Routine – One Day of My Life» http://media.iearn.org/v/Activities/learningcircleppm1/xurxxailyxxoutines-xnexxayxxfxxurxxife.ppt.html

   Сеньковская Елизавета, учащаяся 6 «А» класса и Михалькевич Виктория, учащаяся 6 «В» класса работали над проектом 2) Где мы живем: география нашей страны, достопримечательности и чудеса, природа, климат, стихийные бедствия. Вика подготовила презентацию о семи чудесах Стародорожчины “The Seven Wonders of Starye Dorogi Region” http://media.iearn.org/v/Activities/learningcircleppm1/thexsevenxwondersxofxstaryexdorogixregion.ppt.html?g2_navId=x2e294642 , а Лиза о географическом положении Беларуси “Geography of Belarus” http://media.iearn.org/v/Activities/learningcircleppm1/xeographyxofxxelarus.ppt.html .   

   Проект 3) Наше место в мире: мы граждане одного мира заинтересовал Настю Даренских, учащуюся 7 «Б» класса (“We Are The Citizens of One Big World” http://media.iearn.org/v/Activities/learningcircleppm1/wexarexthexcitizensxofxonexbigxworldxxourxplacexinxthexworldx.doc.html?g2_navId=x350454b5 ).

   Мазнева Маргарита, учащаяся 7 «Б» класса, работала над созданием презентации для проекта 4) Наши природные ресурсы: вода, ценность воды, ее проект “Water World of Belarus” http://media.iearn.org/v/Activities/learningcircleppm1/xaterxxorldxofxxelarus.ppt.html?g2_navId=xde45e063 .

   Над проектом 5) Проблемы общества: традиции и проблемы при вступлении в брак, пожилые люди нашего общества, роль религии в нашем обществе трудились Настя Дмитрук и Маргарита Мазнева, учащиеся 7 «Б» класса. Настя подготовила презентацию о роли религии в Беларуси (“Religions Of Belarus” http://media.iearn.org/v/Activities/learningcircleppm1/xeligionsxofxxelarus.ppt.html ), а Маргарита о свадебных традициях Беларуси (“Belarusian Wedding Traditions” http://media.iearn.org/v/Activities/learningcircleppm1/xelarusianxweddingxxraditions.ppt.html?g2_navId=x1352895c ).

   6) Приятного аппетита! Что мы едим: традиционная еда – о традиционной белорусской еде рассказала Мария Мельник, учащаяся 6 «В» класса в своей презентации «Belarusian Traditional Food»

http://media.iearn.org/v/Activities/learningcircleppm1/xelarusianxtraditionalxfood.ppt.html?g2_navId=x4d70ba94

   5 этап (3 недели 19 апреля – 9 мая) – оценка проектов, обмен мнениями. Получив ответные проекты и внимательно изучив их, наша команда подготовила финальный проект на тему “World Of Wonders” http://media.iearn.org/v/Activities/learningcircleppm1/finalxproject.ppt.html?g2_navId=xc6e67078 , в котором мы рассказываем о достопримечательностях Беларуси, Канады, США, Португалии и Пакистана.

   6 этап (5 недель 10 мая – 15 июня) – закрытие.

  

Хочется отметить, что участие в Learning Circles очень интересное и не сложное.

Участие в проектах iEARN дает большую языковую практику, стимулирует стремление совершенствовать навыки работы с компьютером как у учащихся так и у учителей, способствует расширению кругозора и накоплению разного рода материалов о своей стране и других странах. Всегда присылают очень подробные инструкции по созданию того или иного сообщения или проекта.

Learning Circles (spring session 2010)

   From February,1 the team of Gymnasia #1 (Starye Dorogi) is taking part in Learning Circles Project (Places and Perspectives Middle School).  There are 10 teams in our LC: 2 teams from the USA and from Russia, and by one team from Portugal, Morocco, Pakistan, Ukraine, Canada and Belarus.Our work is divided into 5 stages.
    1 stage (January,30 - February,7) - Getting Ready. Our coordinator, Barry Kramer, acquainted us with all the participants and the rules of LC.
    2 stage (February,8 - February,21) - Opening the Circle. First of all all the teachers told about themselves (family, work, hobbies, personal qualities), then we made Classroom Survey to find out favourite occupations, food, books of our students. We also wrote about our schools and communities a little. The main part of this stage was the creation of Welcome Pack (it's a letter which is posted by snail mail and contain something that reflect your country). The team from Portugal suggested to draw leaves and write thoughts about love and friendship on them and we all agreed Every team sent letters to all the team-participants. When we get all the letters we'll make a tree using these leaves.
     3 stage (February,22 - March,7) - Planning the Learning Circle Projects. Every team suggested projects which were interested their students, among them were "Sights of the region", "Nature and Climate", "Traditional Dishes" and so on. After our active discussions we chose 6 projects:
1. How We Live: Our Daily Routines – A Day in Our Lives

2. Where We Live: Geography of Our Region: Wonders, Sights, Nature, Climate, Distinctive Features, Geographic Hazards

3. Our Place in the World: We Are the Citizens of One Big World

4. Our Natural Resources: Water World

5. Our Important Social Issues

6. Our Tummies! What We Eat: Food from Around the World/Traditional Food Dishes/Bon Appetit!

     4 stage (March,8 - April,18) - Exchanging Students Work. Now we are working actively creating our projects. On the March,23 we've got the first Welcome Pack. It was from Canada. My students were very happy!

Natasha Belozorovich

Gymnasia #1

Starye Dorogi

Belarus 

Scottish Sport

HIGHLAND GAMES

  The Highland Games go back to contests of strength among the clans in ancient times, a way for the chiefs to choose the strongest men as their warriors. King Mael Coluim III, in the 11th Century, summoned contestants to a foot race to the summit of Craig Choinnich. This may have been the origin of today's modern Highland Games.

  During the Celtic revival of the early 19th Century, there was a renewed interest in the traditions of the clans of the Scottish Highlands. Various Highland Societies, beginning in the 1780s, began to organize events which eventually led to the Highland Games we know today.

   This modern revival of the Games received an enormous boost with the visit of King George IV to Scotland in 1822, although events had been held in previous years. In the 1840s, in Braemar, the Games began as a fundraising effort by local artisans and in 1848, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert began to patronize them. The following year, they were moved to the grounds of Balmoral Castle itself.

   In the 19th Century, Baron Pierre de Coubertin visited a number of athletic competitions in prepara­tion for the forthcoming Olympic Games, in order to examine the technical organization of such a com­petition. Among them, he visited a Highland Games event in conjunction with the Paris Exhibition of 1889. That event, in addition to what we today would call track and field events, also contained wrestling, tug-of-war, cycling, as well as competition in piping and dancing.

Heavy Athletic Events

Standard Highland athletics events:

Caber toss: a long tapered wooden pole is stood up­right and lifted by the competitor who balances it vertically in his hands. Then he runs forward and tosses it end-over-end, "turning the caber". Cabers vary greatly in length, weight, taper and balance.

Stone put: this event is similar to the modern-day shot put in the Olympic Games. However, instead of a steel shot, a large stone, of variable weight is often used.

Scottish hammer throw: this event is similar to the hammer throw in modern track and field competi­tions, though with some differences. In the Scottish event, a round metal ball is attached to the end of a shaft. With feet in a fixed position, the hammer is whirled about the head and thrown for distance over either shoulder.

Weight throw: This is two events, one using a light (28 lb) and the other a heavy (56 lb) weight made of metal with a handle attached. It is thrown with one hand and the longest throw wins. Weight over the bar, is where athletes at­tempt to toss a 56 pound weight with an attached handle over a horizontal bar using only one hand. Each athlete is allowed three attempts at each height.

Sheaf toss: A bundle of straw (the sheaf) weighing 20 pounds (9 kg) and wrapped in a burlap bag is tossed vertically with a pitchfork over a raised bar like that used in pole vaulting.

   Учителя английского языка гимназии №1 г. Старые Дороги 16 января провели среди учащихся 5-6-х классов свои "Шотландские забавы" .