CLIL: Guernica (Museo Nacional Reina Sofía - Madrid)

In 1936 the Spanish Civil War broke out.

In Spain, a Republican government had been elected. But it was overthrown by General Francisco Franco and his forces. Franco was a dictator and ruled Spain until his death in 1975.

In April, 1937, the town of Guernica in northeast Spain was bombed by Germans who were helping Franco and his men. The bombs fell on market day. More than sixteen hundred people - men, women, and children- were killed. Almost nine hundred more were injured. There was no military reason for the attack.

Picasso was outraged by the murder of all these innocent people. With all his passion, he painted a huge twelve-foot-high-by-twenty-six-foot-long painting called Guernica. It is his most famous painting. He finished it in just three weeks. His girlfriend, Dora Maar, took many photographs of him working on it.

In gray tones, the painting shows a screaming horse, a fallen soldier,a screaming woman on fire from a burning house, and a mother holding her dead baby. There's a cutoff arm holding a sword and a severed head. There is a bull amid the chaos, which may symbolize the hope of overcoming Franco. Guernica is a very strong and disturbing portrayal of the horrors of war.

When he was asked to explain the painting, Picasso said, “It isn’t up to the painter to define the symbols. Otherwise, it would be better if he wrote them out in so many words!”

by True Kelly "Who was Pablo Picasso?"

Tutti al lavoro per la festa di Halloween!

Sarà una bella festa!

Inizieremo con la proiezione di Playing Frankenstein.

Playing Frankenstein è un cortometraggio in italiano e in inglese, realizzato a maggio del 2019 dai ragazzi delle terze della Scuola Fogazzaro, diretto da Nives Carli e Cecilia Prosperi, con il supporto tecnico di Alessandro Buoso, nell'ambito del Laboratorio di teatro proposto dall'Associazione Peter Pan.

Continueremo con delle storie di mostri per i più piccolini... 

Alcuni classici della letteratura per l'infanzia verranno letti da Chiara, Elena, Mattia, Greta, Emilia, Andreagiulia, Aurora e Carolina, delle classi seconde e terze della scuola secondaria di primo grado di La Salute di Livenza, che hanno seguito il corso di lettura animata, tenuto da Denise De Bortoli.

Inoltre giocheremo, mangeremo dolcetti e bruceremo tutte le nostre paure, facendone un bel falò!

Vi aspettiamo numerosi!

My name is Victor Frankenstein

On a ship in the Artic, Victor Frankenstein – ill and tired  - tells the story of his sad life to the British man of science, Robert Walton. He talks of his family and friends in Geneva, and of his love for the beautiful Elizabeth Lavenza. He speaks, too, about the terrible creature that he made from dead body parts when he was a university science student. He hates this monster, which has destroyed his life. But how does the monster feel about its maker?

Frankenstein: i grandi temi dell'opera

I temi del romanzo di Mary Shelley Frankenstein sono almeno tre.

Il più evidente è il tema della scienza oltre i limiti: il giovane Viktor Frankenstein sembra infatti volersi sostituire a Dio nella sua funzione di Creatore, da qui il sottotitolo dell’opera “moderno Prometeo”.

Un altro tema è quello del doppio, visto che Victor Frankenstein e la creatura, alla fine, sembrano quasi essere l’uno il doppio dell’altro: se da una parte lo scienziato vuole creare la vita dalla morte, il mostro invece crea morte. 

Molto forte nel romanzo Frankenstein è, anche, la tematica del pregiudizio di cui è vittima la creatura, per via del suo aspetto fisico inquietante.

Il mostro non “nasce” cattivo, lo diventa a causa della solitudine che è costretto a subire, che gli  procura, inizialmente, tristezza e malinconia, per poi trasformarsi in una crescente rabbia alimentata dal domandarsi il perché di tutto ciò, cioè il senso dell'abbandono da parte di chi l’ha creato.

Analizzando i temi di Frankenstein, ci rendiamo subito conto che questo libro, data la grande attualità dei temi, è un classico, cioè, come direbbe Italo Calvino, un libro che non ha ancora finito di dire quel che ha da dire.

IIIBL

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851): "Attenti: Siccome non ho paura, posso fare qualsiasi cosa!"

C'era una volta una ragazzina che si chiamava Mary e che aveva perso la mamma pochi giorni dopo la sua nascita. La matrigna non era gentile con lei, e Mary sentiva tantissimo la mancanza di una madre. La sua unica consolazione era l'enorme biblioteca di casa, da cui prendeva ogni giorno un libro diverso che poi andava a leggere sulla tomba di sua madre.

I libri la affascinavano e la trasportavano lontano da quella casa in cui si sentiva sola e infelice. Ben presto cominciò a scrivere lei stessa racconti e poesie.

Un giorno conobbe un giovane poeta di nome Percy. I due si diedero appuntamento per la prima volta sulla tomba della madre di Mary, e lì capirono di essere profondamente innamorati. Il padre di Mary, però, era contrario al loro amore, così furono costretti a fuggire a Parigi per stare insieme.

Viaggiarono attraverso l'Europa, facendo amicizia con molti altri artisti e scrittori.
In una notte di tempesta, Mary, Percy e alcuni amici cominciarono a raccontarsi storie del terrore. Dopo un po', uno di loro propose che tutti tornassero nelle proprie stanze a scrivere storie di fantasmi, per poi vedere chi sarebbe stato l'autore della più spaventosa.

Quella notte, a Mary venne l'idea di un folle scienziato che creava un mostro composto da pezzi di cadaveri e lo riportava in vita tramite l'elettricità. Furono tutti d'accordo: la storia del dottor Victor Frankenstein era quella che faceva più paura.

Il romanzo di Mary, Frankenstein o il moderno Promoteo, ebbe un successo strepitoso. Ancor oggi, a duecento anni di distanza, la gente ama leggere del dottor Frankenstein e della sua orrenda creatura, invenzioni della straordinaria fantasia di Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.

biografia tratta da "Storie della buonanotte per bambine ribelli 2" di Elena Favilli e Francesca Cavallo

Amnesty International

Amnesty International is a non-governmental organization focused on human rights. 

The organization has over 7 million members and supporters around the world.

The stated objective of the organization is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated. "

Amnesty International was founded in London in 1961, to go against capital punishment that is "the ultimate, irreversible denial of human rights". The organization was awarded the 1977 Nobel Peace Prize  for its "campaign against torture", and the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights in 1978.

The United Nations (UN)

The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization tasked to promote international cooperation and to create, maintain international order and prevent conflicts. 

The headquarters of the UN is in Manhattan, New York City. Further main offices are situated in Geneva, Nairobi, and Vienna. 

The organization is financed by contributions from its member states. Its objectives include maintaining international peace and security, promoting human rights, fostering social and economic development, protecting the environment, and providing humanitarian aid in cases of famine, natural disaster, and armed conflict. 

The UN has six principal organs: the General Assembly (the main deliberative assembly); the Security Council (for deciding certain resolutions for peace and security); the Economic  and Social Council (ECOSOC; for promoting international economic and social co-operation and development); the Secretariat (for providing studies, information, and facilities needed  by the UN); the International Court of Justice (the primary judicial organ); and the UN Trusteeship Council (inactive since 1994). UN System agencies include the World Bank Group, the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, UNESCO, and UNICEF. The UN's most prominent officer is the Secretary-General, an office held by Portuguese António Guterres since 2017. Non-governmental organizations may be granted consultative status with ECOSOC and other agencies to participate in the UN's work.

The organization won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001, and a number of its officers and agencies have also been awarded the prize. 

The Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prize is a set of annual international awards in several categories (Chemistry, Literature, Peace, Physics and Physiology or Medicine, Economics), given by Swedish and Norwegian institutions in recognition of academic, cultural or scientific advances.
The will of the Swedish scientist Alfred Nobel established the prizes in 1895.
The prize ceremonies take place annually in Stockholm, Sweden (with the exception of the peace prize, which is in Oslo, Norway). Each recipient, or laureate, receives a gold medal, a diploma, and a sum of money that has been decided by the Nobel Foundation. (As of 2017 €944,000).

...something about Switzerland

The population of Switzerland is divided into four ethnic groups, each identified by one of the four official languages of the State: German, Italian, French and Romansh.

Romansh is spoken in the Canton of Graubünden and it is similar to Ladin.

The Swiss consider themselves citizens of a single State, with shared history, customs, institutions and principles, such as neutrality and religious tolerance.

The most common religions are Catholicism and the Protestant Christianity of the Swiss Reformed Church.

Immigration has always been intense and today immigrants make up 20% of the total population.

IIAL

Blowin' in the wind (1963, Bob Dylan)

This song speaks about humanity, war, peace and other questions that people refuse to answer.

Click and listen!

How many roads must a man walk down

Before you can call him a man?

Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail

Before she sleeps in the sand?

Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannonballs fly

Before they're forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many years can a mountain exist

Before it's washed to the sea?

Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist

Before they're allowed to be free?

Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,

Pretending he just doesn't see?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

The answer is blowin' in the wind

How many times must a man look up

Before he can see the sky?

Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have

Before he can hear people cry?

Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows

That too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

The answer is blowin' in the wind. 


BOB DYLAN RECEIVED THE NOBEL PRIZE FOR LITERATURE IN 2016.

Focus on France

WORK IN PROGRESS...

DUE TO ITS SHAPE, FRANCE IS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS "L'HEXAGONE" (THE HEXAGONE).

ITS LAND BORDERS CONSIST OF BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG IN THE NORTH EAST, GERMANY AND SWITZERLAND IN THE EAST, ITALY AND MONACO IN THE SOUTH EAST, ANDORRA AND SPAIN IN THE SOUTH AND THE SOUTH WEST.

IT IS BORDERED BY THE NORTH SEA IN THE NORTH, THE ENGLISH CHANNEL IN THE NORTH WEST, THE ATLANTIC OCEAN IN THE WEST AND THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA IN THE SOUTH EAST.

...BETWEEN WONDERFUL CASTLES

AND NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

Spotlight on European Countries: Portugal

The national Assembly has legislative power and the Government has executive power.

SOMETHING TYPICAL

LISBON: THE CAPITAL AND THE LARGEST CITY OF PORTUGAL

The TAGUS is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula (1.007 km)

IIAL

The Rainbow Flag

The Rainbow Flag is the International Peace Flag (first used in Italy at the Peace March, from Perugia to Assisi, in 1961).

It has seven colours (violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red) with, in the center, the Italian word "PACE" which means "peace".

The rainbow is the symbol of the peace between the earth and the sky, after the great flood, so by extension, among all men.

4 October: Dialogue, Understanding and Coexistence Day

The Coexist image (often styled as "CoeXisT" or "COEXIST") is an image created by the Polish, Warsaw-based graphic designer Piotr Młodożeniec  in 2000 as an entry in an international art competition sponsored by the Museum on the Seam for Dialogue, Understanding and Coexistence (Jerusalem). 

The image consists of the word COEXIST in all capital letters, with the C replaced by an oversized Muslim Crescent, the X replaced by an oversized Star of David, and the T replaced by an oversized Latin Cross.

The image was one of dozens of works displayed as large outdoor posters in Jerusalem in 2001.
Variations of this artwork have been used as bumper stickers and elements in rock concerts.