Personality: George Washington

This is the beginning of a gallery of globally important historic personalities. The name of the gallery is PERSONALITIES WHO CHANGED THE WORLD. The gallery opens with the report on George Washington, the military leader who brought the 13 colonies to victory over their suppressors, and the first President of the newly born state. The report, which you can read HERE  
has been prepared by Anna KUDOVBENKO of Group 45-Ph.
 
General George Washington at Dorchester Heights

Presidents' Day

Two great Americans were born in February: George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. That is why the third Monday of this month (which is today) has been made a special day to commemorate their achievements. Anna Samar of Group 24-H has submitted an article about the holiday to the HYDE PARK. You can also read it HERE .

Martin Luther King Jr. - a person who changed the world

On January 18 this year many people around the world marked MARTIN LUTHER KING's DAY. He did not manage to live a long life and was assasinated when he was just 39, but the world has never been the same since then. Martin Luther King = civil rights. Even his death contributed to the issue. HELEN SKRYPKA of Group 24-H has prepared a report about this outstanding personality. It can be found in the Hyde Park and HERE .

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

THANKSGIVING DAY is marked on the last Thursday in November making that weekend a really long one. All generations of every family sit together at the feast table on that day. The Thanksgiving weekend gives the start to the Christmas season.
This holiday has a long history, which started in 1620 when a Protestant religious group known today as ‘Pilgrims’ arrived in the New World on board of the ship called Mayflower, and settled in what is now known as the state of Massachusetts. Their first winter in America was full of hardship and drama. They arrived too late to farm the land, so they starved. Half of the colony died from disease. The following spring the local tribe of Native Americans taught them how to grow corn and other crops. They also helped them to hunt and fish. In the autumn of 1621 the Pilgrims got a rich harvest of corn, barley, beans, pumpkin and other vegetables. They prepared a feast and sat together with the Indian chief and ninety other natives at the abundant dinner tables. Of course, prior to dining they praised the Lord, and thanked Him for all the food and wealth He gave them. This is how the festivity got started.
In the years that followed colonists in many settlements celebrated the harvest with a feast of thanks. After the United States gained Independence the congress recommended a single day of thanksgiving for the entire country. George Washington, the first president of the USA, suggested November 26 as Thanksgiving Day. It was Abraham Lincoln who established the holiday on the last Thursday of November after the end of the Civil War.
A traditional Thanksgiving meal consists of roast turkey stuffed with herb-flavored bread, cranberry jelly, mashed potatoes, and a pumpkin pie. Other dishes may vary regionally: ham, sweet potatoes, creamed corn, maple syrup etc.
Vlad BUDCHENKO and Ann ATAMAS of Group 33-E have prepared more detailed information about all that HERE .

And here are some funny Thanksgiving Day cartoons for you to enjoy!




Do they celebrate THANKSGIVING in CANADA? No, they dont... or do they? Anna ATAMAS knows the answer. It is hidden right HERE .

Quarantine Assignment for Groups 32-E and 33-E

I am happy to inform you that in December you will have to show your excellent knowledge of the two following topics:

#1. The Political System of the USA (which you will be able to find by clicking HERE ).
#2. The Spanish-American War (which you will be able to find by clicking HERE ).



Juicy opportunity to get another excellent mark:
The Hyde Park needs a refreshed material about the Thanksgiving Day, its history and actual celebration. Contribute it and I guarantee a reward.

Quarantine Assignments for Group 24-H

The two weeks of the flu quarantine plus the preceding week of regular school holidays make the gap in learning process really scandalous. So, here is the task to keep you, students of GROUP 24-H busy, and make you ready for the checking in the beginning of the Second Term. Firstly (#1):Be ready to answer the following questions:
1. How many people live in the USA?
2. Which European nation was the first to settle in the New World?
3. When did American Colonies proclaim independence from England?
4. When was the slavery abolished?
5. What is the fastest growing ethnic group in the USA?
6. What is American economy based on?
7. What happened in the early 1930s?
8. Is it true that the government influence on the economy reduced since the 1930s?
9. What shift is observed in the modern US economy?
10. Do children pray in public schools?
11. What is the dominant religion in the United States?
12. Which Christian denomination prevails in America?
13. Which Christian church makes the largest religious group?
14. Which religion prevails in Utah?
15. How many marriages end in divorces?
16. What is the woman’s role in traditional families?
17. Are there more or less children in American families nowadays?
18. What is a “reconstituted family”?
19. How many Americans will have been over 65 by the year 2020?
20. Can you name 3 basic levels of the US secondary education?
21. Do they pay for studying at public schools in the USA?
22. What are most private schools associated with?
23. Students’ drama clubs, school sport teams, school newspaper… what are they?
24. How long do they study at community colleges?
25. What is the lowest academic degree?
26. How do they call the subjects that students are free to choose?
27. What is the most popular source of entertainment in the USA?
28. What are the FOUR major professional sports events?
29. Speaking about TV, what do many people complain about?
30. What is a “New Year’s Resolution”?
31. Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.?
32. Which two great Americans had birthdays in February?
33. What do Americans celebrate on the 4th of July?
34. What do Americans celebrate on the first Monday in September?
35. What do Americans celebrate on the last Thursday in November?
36. How do people rule in an indirect democracy?
37. Who can vote in the USA?
38. When was the US Constitution written?
39. What is the Bill of Rights?
40. What did the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments do?
41. What are the Chambers of the US Congress?
42. How many representatives are there?
43. How many senators are there? Why?
44. Who is the head of the country?
45. How many Departments does the US Administration include?
46. How do the judges of the Supreme Court get their appointments?
47. Who is the leader of an individual state?
48. What are the major political parties in the USA?
49. Which symbol belongs to which party?
50. Which party does the current US president belong to?

Secondly (#2): Study the material about the US National Symbols which you will be able to find in the middle (on Page 4) of the USA, Part 1 by clicking HERE .

Thirdly (#3): Study material on pp. 17 - 31 of SPOTLIGHT ON THE USA (the unit about New England). That's all for now.

P.S. I remember both about Harry Potter and the dictation-translation. We have some work to do. Take care.

APRIL 12 - A MILESTONE IN HISTORY

Every country that used to belong to the Soviet Union marks April 12 as the day when, in 1961, the first man went into orbit around our planet. It was Yuri Gagarin, who became a world-famous charismatic figure. However, it was just an episode in the epic competition between the USSR and the USA for the world domination known as "SPACE RACE". You know who won it. Vlad KUZMENKO published an article about this period in The Hyde Park bulletin. You can find it HERE . However, his article did not contain some facts that the editor (guess who?) considered to be important. That's why a dovetailing factfile was published. You can enjoy it by clicking HERE .

HOLLYWOOD

What are the Olsen twins doing out there? Read about that and a lot more after clicking HERE . The text is for the 2nd course students (chiefly).

New York City

Attention 2nd course students! The text about the biggest city in the USA can be found HERE .

MARMOT'S DAY

If a marmot (or a groundhog)came out of his burrow in Kyiv yesterday, he would go back to sleep, as it was sunny, but frosty. We seem to have about six weeks of winter left. I came to this conclusion after reading Vlad Kuzmenko's article in the Hyde Park. You can do the same by clicking HERE .

US History in Brief

Attention 2-course students! Here you can find a VERY abbreviated version of the history of the USA. To see it click HERE . The most difficult thing was to squeeze all that into a four-page format. So, there isn't a single unnecessary fact. Enjoy and learn.

Oh, Obama. O-B-A-M-A...

Quite unusual, though not totally unexpected. I have been studying English for about forty-some years, and I have never come across such an Anglo-Saxon name as "BARACK". The other day one of my 11-grade students while doing a routine excercise composed the following statement:"What's ridiculous is that an Afro-American lives in the White House." Isn't it amazing that a normal UKRAINIAN student cares about the one who sits in the Oval Office across the ocean?

LIVE AND LEARN:

1. That's how stereotypes work. America is NOT a WASP (White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant) country any more.

2.That's how globalization works. The decisions taken in the White House are REALLY important here, in Kyiv.

If I were a US citizen I would definitely vote for McCaine. You know, somehow I trust a person who has some experience in confrontation with the global plague armed with all sorts of modern weaponry. I trust fighter pilots who have survived: all their decisions had been the right ones. I trust men who know the practical meanings of the words "duty", "dignity" and "responsibility". And who is that Barack Obama?

The answer is very simple: the 44th president of the USA. The nation's choice, God bless them.

I may not trust Obama. I may not trust the voters. But I trust America as a system created more than 200 years ago. It has unique built-in mechanisms of turning all its wrongs into rights. So, CONGRATULATIONS, MR. PRESIDENT!

To read the Hyde Park article created by Ann ATAMAS (Group 23-E) and Vlad KUZMENKO (Group 22-E) click on OBAMA ARTICLE .

To see some funny cartoons from Obama's presidential campaign click HERE .

AMERICAN HOLIDAYS

Left: X-mas tree on the Capitol Hill, Washington D.C.

Thanksgiving Day has already been celebrated... However, it marks the beginning of another holiday season: CHRISTMAS is coming! It is accompanied by the end of the 1st semester and credits. So, the time has come to publish the sixth, and the last topic from Country Studies: USA to be presented by students - 'Holidays and Celebrations in the USA.' It is found HERE .
The essay covers Independence Day, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, St. Patrick's Day and Easter. Such prominent events as Veterans' Day, Columbus Day and New Year are not included. You can do it yourself: search for the information, organize it as a text, add illustrations, bring (or send) it to me, and get your EXCELLENT MARK. Happy holidays and good luck for your credits and tests!

The USA in Brief, Part 1.

ATTENTION 2nd COURSE STUDENTS (AND TEACHERS)! Here you can obtain the first part of material about the USA covering the following topics: "General information", "Geography, climate and wildlife", "US symbols" and "Population". It is based on Wikipedia articles but is easier to consume. In November I plan to finish the job publishing the rest of the required topics. To get your copy of "The USA in Brief" click HERE .

ALARM! "Scribd" are rebuilding their domain, so some problems may occur. If you haven't got direct access to the document do the following:
Step 1: click HERE - you will be directed to Scribd.
Step 2: type zabolotnyi61 in the "Search" window and click "Search".
Step 3: No documents but "People(1)" will be found. Click it.
Step 4: Click the blue "zabolotnyi61" and you will see all my documents. Choose by clicking - help yourself to some country studies.

Spanish-American War of 1898

For some unknown (or well-known) reasons official history curriculum in Ukraine practically ignores events of the Spanish-American War of 1898. This fact creates numerous opportunities to manipulate people's views on the events of modern history. What were US troops doing on the Philippines in 1941? Is Puerto Rico a colony or an independent state? Why were the USA so much concerned about Vietnam? How can a Communist regime of Cuba tolerate an imperialistic US naval base in Guantanamo? I am quite convince that one cannot understand America without learning about that "splendid little war", which brought the USA onto the global scene. To read the material I have prepared click HERE .

Learn about Native Americans

CHIEF SITTING BULL

Just as I promised - enjoy the research done by Irene Petrashchuk of Group 34-E. You can find her work HERE .

Pocahontas - True Story

After extra vacations caused by the flu epidemic menace (which tends to become traditional) we are back to school and working. I was extremely pleased with two dedicated learners of Group 34-E - Helen Mykhailenko and Irene Petrashchuk, who submitted their works on early American history. Today we publish Helen's product - the true (non-Disney) story of "Pocahontas". (Actually it was NOT her real name.) Enjoy, comment, learn and retell it to others (including teachers) and get your good marks. The original text can be found by clicking HERE .

Washington D.C. Pictures

U.S. Capitol Building



White House

I am practicing in posting images that will illustrate some of the country studies lessons.

Cherry blossom in spring

"The Pencil" - George Washington Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

Vietnam War Memorial at Arlington National Cemetry

DOD (Department of Defense) building known as "The Pentagon"

The Hall of Dinosaurs in the Natural History Museum

US history - more materials about Valley Forge

The surrender of Lord Cornwallis became possible because of what had happened at Valley Forge. Want to know more?

Valley Forge is considered to be the turning point of the American War for Independence.Iryna Titova and Nastya Tymoshenko of Group 44-H has submitted a story, which is the result of their research work. You can find it HERE .

More information about the USA

Project work by Group 44-H has more results. Oleksiy Tormyshov adds his report on the FBI. You can find it HERE . For those who are interested, Oleksiy has mu-u-uch more information.