The Great Gatsby

My students have recently studied an important American book called The Great Gatsby.  It takes place in the 1920s.  The book is about a man named Jay Gatsby who has a romantic relationship with a young woman named Daisy.  He is poor; she is rich.  He is a soldier sent to Europe to fight in World War II, which ends the romantic relationship.  Daisy is an impatient young lady who cannot wait for Gatsby to return from the war, so she marries another man named Tom.  Gatsby returns and, after five years during which he becomes rich, tries to win Daisy back from Tom.

Most of the book is about Gatsby's actual struggle to make Daisy a part of his life again.

The book has many themes:  the limits of getting what one wants in life; the dangers of being too optimistic and focused on one goal; the carelessness of the rich.

This is a link to some projects some of my students have recently done over The Great Gatsby.  Some of the projects are soundtracks to a movie that is coming out next year in May.  Other projects are missing scenes from the book.

Source:  http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/the-great-gatsby-release-moved-summer-2013-358594

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear friends,
We are glad to congratulate you!

T is for turkey on Thanksgiving Day,
H is for «Hurry, I’m hungry!» we say.
A is for Auntie, she works and she mends.
N is for Native American friends.
K is for kitchen, the oven’s on low.
S is for silverware, set in a row.
G is for Grandma, the one we love most.
I is for inside, where we’re warm as toast.
V is for vegetables, eat them we try.
I is for ice-cream on top of the pie.
N is for never do we have enough dressing.
G is for Grandpa, who gives thanks for our blessings.

                            

          

School Tour

Hi,

Select this link to go on a tour of our school.

Enjoy!

Art and Theater in Farmington

This is a post for Ludmila and Vera:

At the left is a drawing of St. Basil's Cathedral
done by one of my students last year.  (She thought I ought to see it because she knew I had an interest in Russia.)  We have a very good art program at our school; our students are always creating interesting and thoughtful pieces.  In the spring, they put on a big show of work they've created throughout the year.

Our school and our town (Farmington) are also active in theater.

We have a theater-related class in our high school as well as theater productions throughout the year.  In March, we usually have a student directed play acted by teachers (I've done that several times – it is lots of fun.)  For many years we've also had a student written and directed play.  Our school theater group's next play will be "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, I think.

The town of Farmington has a theater group called the Sandy River Players.  Years ago, my wife and I met because we were both in a Sandy River Players play together.  Neither of us have been active in theater for several years because we have young children, but I'm sure we'll return to theater when our kids get older.

Christmas Card Exchange

          Christmas is a  wonderful time for bright holidays,

          magic expectations and 

        unforgettable presents! 

It became a tradition to exchange Christmas Cards with our partners abroad.  

In October my students make holiday cards and send them to different countries by post.

It's great time to show students' creativity and talent.

Students use all means of decoration they have: coloured pencils, felt-tip pens, paints, coloured paper and stickers.   They draw Christmas trees, Santa Claus, Father Frost or just winter pictures. 

The students are happy to take part in this project. In December and   January they look forward to envelopes with Christmas cards from our partners.
What a wonderful pleasure is to open the envelope and find beautiful Christmas cards from Canada, the USA, Taiwan, Slovenia, Poland, Belarus!.                
             

These are Christmas Cards made by my students.                    

 

     
                                                                                                
               




 










                                                       

Our Hobbies

         Hi!
         My name is Ludmila. I'm 13.
         I study in the 7th from, school №4.
         I have some hobbies. The first is drawing.
         I like to draw very much. Every week I go to School of Art
         and develop my skills.
         I like to take part in different competitions and win prizes.
         The second hobby is reading.
         I attend optional lessons of  Literature.
   Last year I went to Krasnoyarsk for students competition.
   I successfully recited a poem there.
   Sometimes I compose my short poems.
   Playing sport games is my next hobby.
   On Saturdays I go to the  school sports ground for playing
   football with my classmates.
   Though I am not a good football player
   but I get a great pleasure having time with  my friends.
   I like to take care of my animals.I have a cat and two dogs        at home.
                                                                                                                                                                                                         (Ludmila Z., 13)





People spend their spare time in different ways. They try to do everything they like most of all. There are many kinds of entertainments and hobbies for everybody.
I have many hobbies too, but one of my favourite is theatre. In my free time I act parts in the theatre "The Globe" in our town. .
"The Globe" is twenty-three years old. Students from different schools act parts in plays. Our theatre group has visited some festivals in Krasnoyarsk, Yeniseisk and Moscow.We are the participants of the Baikal Festival for eight years. We like this festival very much. For our successful performance we rehearse for six hours every day in our studio in summer. We prepare our costumes and scenery in advance. What a creative atmosphere there in the festival! A  lot of participants from different towns and cities, bright performances and famous celebrities are there! It seems to us W.Shakespear's words "The whole world is the theatre" are suited to the events here.
Baikal is a unique place in Russia. The nature is very beautiful, the air is fresh here.
Also we show spectacles for schools in our town. Every year we have new plays written by A.Ostrovsky, R. Kipling, M. Bartenev. The leader of our group usually chooses dramas.
Not everyone can act parts in dramas because actors must be creative, loving theatre, strong and patient. I love my hobby and always I get pleasure spending time with my partners.
                                                                                                                   (Vera B., 13)

Our School

Hello!
We are the students of School №4. We are in the 8th form. We have different school subjects: Russian, Literature, Mathematics, Geography, Biology, History, Physics, Art, Technology. English is one of the school subjects too.
In the lessons of English we study language and work to improve our skills. We read and discuss different texts, do grammar tests and write short stories.We want to tell you about our school.
Our school is the oldest school in our town.It is over 70 years old. It is two-storeyed building with many classrooms. The classrooms are  big and light with desks and chairs for students. There is a teacher's table and a school board in every classroom. There are computers in some classrooms.
Our school is the only school in the town with an ecological centre .Different kinds of animals live there such as hamsters, mice, rabbits, parrots, pigeons, turtles, hens, cockerels, grass-snakes, snails, fishes and others. A lot of different  plans and flowers you can see there. Students from other schools visit the ecological centre and enjoy all the animals and plants.
There is a new sports ground in the school yard. Here we play different sport games in the lessons of PE or after lessons in our spare time.
Here in the photo you can see our school before repairing works. Now our school building is closed for students and teachers and we are studying in the neighbour building. Soon we will be glad to come into updating school and go on studying.

                                                                                                                         

                                                                (Tatiana Z., Tatiana K.)