Blog Lingua Inglese
Welcome to the new English blog
"Nothing will work unless you do"
Maya Angelou
Here is the school blog dedicated to the activities done by students and teachers. You'll find news, events, interviews, projects, reports and much more...
A good way to keep in touch!
Student exchange programs
To the families interested: on Thursday 14th November at 6 p.m., the Auditorium of Liceo Regina Margherita will host a meeting with representatives of organisations that promote student exchanges abroad. It is the perfect occasion to obtain information on exchange student programs from 2 months to a whole school year.
Giovedì 14 novembre presso l'Aula Magna del Liceo Regina Margherita si terrà una riunione informativa per le famiglie interessate ai soggiorni studio all'estero. Saranno presenti i rappresentanti di varie associazioni che organizzano soggiorni della durata di 2, 3, 6 mesi o dell'intero anno scolastico.
A visit to Vallere Park
The classes 3 BL and 4 BL have been selected to represent the communication office of the Ente Parco Po Torino. They are going to develop a CLIL learning unit aimed at middle school students, to raise environmental awareness and to promote the rich history of the area of Turin between the hills and the river Po.
On the 15th of January the class 4 BL visited Vallere park. Here is a brief account of the field trip they went on, written by Gabriel Rodriguez, a student of 4 BL.
Gli studenti delle classi 3 BL e 4 BL sono stati nominati collaboratori del reparto di comunicazione dell’Ente Parco Po Torino. Dovranno preparare materiali didattici con metodologia CLIL destinati agli studenti delle scuole medie, col fine di educare alla sensibilizzazione ambientale e promuovere la ricca storia dell’area compresa tra le colline e il fume Po.
Qui di seguito potrete leggere un breve resoconto della giornata, che si è svolta il 15 gennaio, scritto in lingua inglese da uno studente di 4 BL, Gabriel Rodriguez.
Today we have been to the Vallere Park in order to do an activity concerning the flora and fauna which distinguish our territory. First of all I have to say that we had already been there last year to take part in a workshop on citizen science called bioblitz, where, with the aid of our phone, we were able to find and classify the plants and trees of the area.
Today’s activity started at half past eight. At first we took a walk along the river Po, which is the most relevant element in this ecosystem. During the walk the park ranger told us about the history of the morphological changes of the place due to human impact. It was very interesting! Except for the fact that we were freezing! Every now and then we saw some birds such as cormants (cormorani) and mallards (germani reali).
Most of the animals that live in the area have been introduced by men, for example the gray squirrel, which has quickly replaced our native species of the red squirrel.
Then we went into the park offices, where we were shown around the premises and were then told about the school project we are going to work on. They told us we have to organize a workshop for a few classes from the last year of middle school, teaching them what we have learnt during the day.
Overall, it has been a great experience. Personally, I love staying in contact with nature and getting to know our territory better.
A Day In The Life Of An Exchange Student
Giovanna Strumia, a student of the class 4 BL, is spending this current school year abroad, on a student exchange program. She is staying in British Columbia, Canada. I asked her to write about her unique experience and she is willing to share with us some impressions about her amazing adventure.
Giovanna Strumia, una studentessa della classe 4 BL, sta trascorrendo un anno nella Colombia Britannica in Canada, con un soggiorno studio all’estero. Le ho chiesto di scrivere della sua esperienza ed è contenta di condividere con noi alcune impressioni sulla sua straordinaria avventura.
Well, talking about a day in the life of an exchange student in general is not that easy, because every single day is different. I am going to talk therefore about a usual day in my life here in Parksville, British Columbia. It took me around two weeks to get used to this routine. So, every morning I wake up around 7:00am to go to school. I have breakfast and I make my lunch, since we have lunch at school every day. School starts at 8:40am and finishes at 3:00pm. The school system is totally different from the Italian one: we basically have 4 classes and every class lasts 1 hour and 20 minutes.
But this is going to be my program in the second semester. In fact, in this semester I am doing a program called ROAMS: river, ocean and mountain school. It's a really cool program that consists of practicing different sports such as surfing, rafting, rock climbing, kayaking, canoeing, skiing (in the wintertime) and also other activities related to the nature as caving (we cleaned caves in which some guys had sprayed with the spray-can). So, almost every week we spend one or two days doing activities related with nature and outdoors activities. The other days we attend normal classes, and my favourite one is political studies. It sounds weird as I'm not really interested in political topics, but I also realized how important it is to know how politics works around the world. Oh, I almost forgot! Literally every morning we watch the news and of course some videos against Donald Trump. It's hilarious seeing how much Canadians and Americans in general make fun of him.
In the second semester, school will be totally different because I won't be in this program anymore. After school my routine can change: sometimes we have normal homework to do but most of the times we have projects to do in groups. When we have projects to attend to, we usually go to someone's house. That's a good way to get to get to know each other. I met some beautiful people from all over the world, and it's really interesting to get to know different cultures. Here comes that part of the day that I spend with my host family: we have dinner around 6:00-6:30, which may seem really early for our culture, but I got used to it. I really get along with my family and with my host sister, and I feel very lucky for this. We talk about how the day went, we always do high-point and low-point of the day and we compare our cultures. After dinner I usually finish my homework and then I hang out with my host sister. We've become really close friends lately. We watch movies or we chat. Sometimes we cook together: she's from the Czech Republic, so we like to share our best known recipes from our countries. Sometimes we make fire and we eat s’mores. I usually go to bed around 11:30pm, when it's early morning in Italy.
I also wanted to talk about some features that all the exchanges students share:
- every exchange student has to get used to being laughed at for their pronunciation by native people, even though they understand your effort and they find your pronunciation cute.
- a lot of exchange students feel homesick, and I think that the only cure is the time. Personally, I've never felt homesick and I'm grateful for this.
- I realized that if I don't know how to say something perfectly, I can easily find other ways to say it.
- no matter how much English you've studied in your high school, there will always be some sayings and slang expressions that you don't know. That's one of the challenging parts, but it's also really fun to learn the slang and the language. Every day I learn something new, by talking, watching movies and writing in English, or simply by listening to other people talking.
Until now I'm really enjoying this beautiful experience and I'm grateful for the opportunity that I was given!
Thank you for your time,
Giovanna
One Pagers
The students of 5BL picked their favourite literary work from the ones studied in their final school year and made a one pager: a way to visually share key ideas and information from what they have learned, using both visual symbols and important words to clearly and concisely share their most important takeaways. Here are some of their works.
Gli studenti del 5BL hanno scelto la loro opera letteraria preferita tra quelle studiate nell'ultimo anno scolastico e hanno creato un "one pager": un modo per condividere visivamente idee e informazioni chiave di ciò che hanno appreso, utilizzando sia simboli visivi che parole importanti per condividere brevemente i punti più salienti. Ecco alcuni dei loro lavori.
MUN in New York
One of our students participated in the MUN, a simulation on the United Nations in New York! Here is her report of an unforgettable experience.
Una nostra studentessa ha partecipato al MUN, una simulazione delle Nazioni Unite che si è svolta a New York! Ecco il resoconto di un’esperienza indimendicabile.
My New York experience
by Rebecca Ierardi, 3AL
rom 14 to 22 March I left for New York to live one of the most beautiful experiences of my life: I had the opportunity to participate in the MUN (Model United Nation), a UN simulation, and be able to play the role of a real delegate representing a country.
I entered the competition in September, I had an interview in English and after a day of anxiety I received the wonderful news: they chose me. I couldn’t believe it, I read the email several times and kept on wondering: "Why did they choose me out of all those people?".
As time passed the anxiety and excitement increased, until the day of departure arrived. I remember all the emotions I felt: the anxiety of the outcome of the Covid test, the hope of not having forgotten anything and the adrenaline to take the plane after so long. After 10 endless hours I arrived in the “concrete jungle where dreams are made of”. I couldn’t believe to be in New York: it felt like a dream.
The first days I had the chance to visit the city. My 3 favorite places are: the Brooklyn Bridge, the Moma and the Edge.The Brooklyn Bridge because you can enjoy the magical New York view at night; Moma because I could see many paintings of famous painters, like Van Gogh’s Starry Night; the Edge, more than the Empire State Building, because you can admire the best sight of New York.
After a full-immersion of a city tour, on Friday we started the MUN. I can’t hide that I was really worried at first: I was afraid of doing something wrong or not being understood.
Fortunately, during the first commissions and the first speeches I gained much more confidence in myself and I finally jumped. At the end of the simulation they organized a party for us delegates where I could have fun with my friends, dancing and singing.
SupportUkraine
Our school, together with many others, joined the charity campaign carried out by Sermig and managed to collect an incredible amount of items, from long-life food to medical supplies. Our students felt the need to learn more about the Ukrainian crisis, attending several seminars. But we also wanted to provide them with an opportunity to share their feelings and be creative about it. The students used the art of a collective of Ukrainian illustrators as a springboard to express themselves creatively, through drawings, collages, poems, short stories and free thoughts. No corrections, no marks, no teachers’ intrusions!
La nostra scuola, insieme a tante altre, ha aderito alla campagna di beneficenza portata avanti dal Sermig ed è riuscita a raccogliere una quantità incredibile di articoli, dal cibo a lunga conservazione alle forniture mediche. I nostri studenti hanno sentito il bisogno di saperne di più sulla crisi ucraina e hanno partecipato a diversi seminari. Ma volevamo anche offrire loro l'opportunità di condividere i propri sentimenti con creatività. Gli studenti hanno utilizzato l'arte di un collettivo di illustratori ucraini come trampolino di lancio per esprimersi in modo creativo, attraverso disegni, collage, poesie, racconti e pensieri liberi. Nessuna correzione, nessun voto, nessuna intrusione degli insegnanti!
This picture makes me think about Rupert Brooke’s poem and De Andrè’s song “La guerra di Piero”. When i was a kid listening to De Andrè’s songs I used to think that nature would live regardless the mistakes that the humankind makes, but growing up I realized that war is extremely destructive; today we are dealing with a nuclear threat and I’m deeply concerned about the consequences that would occur in a third world war scenario as only 50 nuclear bombs would make the planet earth not habitable (there are more than 13000 nuclear weapons in the world). There’s a strong contrast between the Russian military suit and the image of Ukraine created by the sky and the field. This makes me think about the fact that the dead Russian stepped in a foreign land on account of a delusional person who sends innocent teenagers to the front. I wish that one day we could put aside all the differences and all the borders and just realize how similar we are. Putin criticizes the Western countries as they defend different values, but I think that under democracy multiple values can coexist, and that it certainly guarantees freedom, which is a privilege that was taken away from the Russian.
Simone Tricarico 5BL
Here is the link to the students' creative contributions: click here
Reinterpreting Robinson Crusoe
This work, carried out in groups by the students of the 4 C, is a creative writing task. It deals with the re-interpretation of Robinson Crusoe and Friday's meeting in Daniel Defoe's masterpiece "Robinson Crusoe". If the novel presents the reader only with Robinson's point of view, this project aims at figuring out other possible perspectives of narration, implying that the same story can be told - and hence read - in different ways, depending on the voice narrating it and on the emotions, values and culture embodied by the person to whom that voice belongs.
Questo lavoro, realizzato in gruppi dalle studentesse della 4C, è un esercizio di scrittura creativa, Si tratta della re-interpretazione dell'incontro tra Robinson Crusoe e Venerdì nel capolavoro di Daniel Defoe "Robinson Crusoe". Se il romanzo mostra al lettore solo il punto di vista di Robinson, questo progetto mira a immaginare altre possibili prospettive narrative, lasciando intendere che la stessa storia può essere raccontata - e dunque letta - in modi diversi a seconda della voce narrante e quindi delle emozioni, dei valori e della cultura incarnati dalla persona a cui quella voce appartiene.
1.Gabriella Armagno, Irene Ottieri, Francesca Reale, Chiara Bertetti
Shortly after I recovered from the adventure with cannibals, I noticed the stranger who had helped me to escape from that dangerous situation. He was just a man who had arrived on the island from a faraway country, but I started to see recognize him as my wonderful hero! Physically, he was so strange in comparison with me, because he was very pale, like sea foam, with long brown hair and a beard that amplified his proud look. He walked along the street with pride and the attitude of a very powerful man. He continued to talk with me in a very strange language, with a lot of noises and gestures, and he looked at me as if I were a monster, so I was completely terrified. I had never seen people with different skin colours and, when he started to point at my nose and mouth and to laugh, I tried to touch them because I had never seen my appearance, except in the water of the “Big Lake'' near the village.
2. Federica Piló, Lucia Peretto, Bedane Milanese, Martina Cipriani, Eleonora Coste
(...) Suddenly I heard noises, so I leaned behind a tree and I saw not an animal, as I thought, but a man. He was tall and white as the milk: I had never met someone like him. He had brown dishevelled hair with some white locks, his eyes seemed smart and he had a big red nose. He didn’t have any teeth, maybe because he had had an abrupt landing. I thought he was a pirate or something,because he had a big scar on his back. He looked like a crab with long legs, not so nice to see. I didn’t know how to behave, he didn’t look good and his eyes didn’t seem kind. I decided that I would behave as if he were my master, so I ran to him and knelt at his feet but the man made me get up and he started talking to me.
3. Arianna Varriale, Angelica Bruno, Marzia Franceschini, Alondra Girleanu
He was a handsome boy, about twenty, with pale dead skin, lighter than my own; he was different from any person I'd seen in my life. Although it was clear that he had been here for a long time, he had maintained that diversity that distinguished him from this island, almost as if he were a man of another world. He had strange clothes: I didn’t recognize that material, it was delicate and, even if it was dirty, I was fascinated by that cloth I had never seen before. He also had a thick beard, but not too thick, straight teeth and a tired but determined look, perhaps even with a certain air of superiority. I woke up and realized that I had fallen asleep in the cave.I immediately thought that I had to thank that gentleman who had saved me, but I didn't know how to talk to him, not knowing his language; but I tried, in fact I came out of the cave and, seeing him milking the goats, I instinctively ran to him, threw myself at his feet and used all possible signs of subjection and servitude to make him understand that I would be grateful to him for all my life.
4. Giorgia Lamia, Giulia De Vita, Erika Zedda, Giulia Sabra
My life was saved from a group of cannibals who kept me prisoner: my saviour was a young man and he was very different from me.He had a long, white beard, a big nose, and his skin was pale. I consider myself pretty well- built: I'm tall, well-shaped and good-looking. I’m young – I’m only 26 years old – and I'm not intimidating, my expression is not fierce and I think I look pretty friendly. I'm smart, I have a great vivacity and sparkling sharpness in my eyes. My hair is long and black, not curled, and my skin colour is very tawny, an olive colour. My skin is darker than his. My face is round and plump, with a small nose, and I have straight white teeth and thin lips.
You can read the full stories here: Four reinterpretations of Man Friday.pdf
Creative Writing
After working on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, 5 DL students wrote alternate endings for the novel. They came up with authentic, original and very beautiful sequels, showing the fact that when students are left free to experiment, they are able to be creative, even in a foreign language!
Dopo avere lavorato su Frankenstein di Mary Shelley, gli studenti di 5 DL hanno scritto dei finali alternativi del romanzo. Questa è la dimostrazione del fatto che gli studenti, lasciati liberi di sperimentare, sono in grado di realizzare lavori autentici, originali e molto belli, riuscendo ad essere creativi persino in lingua straniera!
Sequel n. 1
by Bianca Brinatti, Alessia Calabria, Rosabel Cole, Virginia Ferrara
After the death of the scientist Victor Frankenstein, the monster he created escapes from the ship and begins to wander in the mountains, fearful and confused. Suddenly, he hears the screams of a woman in danger. Without hesitation he rushes to her aid. When he reaches her, he sees a cabin engulfed by flames. He decides to enter the cabin to try to save the woman's life. He finds the woman on the floor, coughing, nearly overcome by the smoke. With some difficulty, he manages to pick the woman up and take her outside. The woman, in a state of shock, continues to tremble after they reach safety. The monster tries to calm her down, despite being worried that she might be further frightened by her appearance."Thank you." she says still slightly shaken.
Sequel n. 2
by Stefania Rapetti, Federica Rinaudo, Alice Simonetti, Carlotta Sinisi
[twenty years later]
«No way! It must be him» a sudden shiver ran under my skin as I noticed the location of the last murder. “Strangled man in San Frediano Street. Witness from across the street describes the offender as a tall frightening figure, almost like a supernatural being. The victim has three big marks on his throat but no other signs of abuse.” «Jeremy! It’s near us, are you listening?» A slight snort came from the phone and I could already predict what was coming for me… «You’re still on that research, aren’t you? How many times do I have to tell you there is no such thing as a monster created by a crazy doctor with parts of corpses? Nicole, you have gone too far with this, not only aren’t you working anymore but you are ruining your chances to succeed as a journalist since no one is going to hire a homeless woman or worse - a dead one. You’re putting yourself in trouble and I’m tired of going on and on about this everytime.» He just didn’t get it, he didn’t believe me but I knew it did exist: and now it was near me, the last attack had been in Turin but now he was finally here in Pisa.
Sequel n. 3
by Valeria Schiavi, Gloria De Filippo, Maria Ferreo, Marta Colombara
When the glaciers started melting heated by the weak sunshine, the monster came back to life. The first thing he saw was the immense expanse of ice surrounding him. It was freezing cold but never like his lifeless body. He tried to move his stiff limbs but the only thing he could have control on was his confused mind. The last thing he could remember was the extreme heat of the flames surrounding him, the feeling of loneliness and the hopelessness of never having found the meaning of his existence, a life without love. By the time he could move again with the help of the warm sun, he started wandering around, looking for something familiar that could make him feel safe. He walked for miles for days, perhaps a whole week, but the only thing that kept him company was the endless coat of snow and the rhythmic sound of waves crashing in the distance.
Field trip to the Botanical Garden
This presentation, carried out by all the students from the 2B, is a brilliant outcome of an equally brilliant experience: a recent school trip to the Orto Botanico in San Salvario. The students actively worked together to present their experience, focusing on: 1) a thorough illustration of the different natural species they saw and 2) free expression of the feelings triggered inside of them by such experience. Their work is not only compelling, accurate and visually pleasant, but it first and foremost unveils a delicate sensitivity to nature and beauty. Congratulations, 2 B!
Questa presentazione, creata dagli allievi della 2B, è il resoconto brillante di un’esperienza altrettanto brillante: la gita svolta di recente presso l’Orto Botanico a San Salvario. Gli studenti hanno collaborato attivamente per presentare la loro esperienza, concentrandosi su: 1) un’esaustiva illustrazione delle specie naturali incontrate e 2) la libera espressione delle emozioni suscitate in loro da quanto vissuto. Il loro lavoro, oltre ad essere avvincente, preciso e ben curato, mostra anche una delicata sensibilità nei confronti della natura e della bellezza. Congratulazioni 2B!
Inspiring people
This project-work was carried out by a group of students from the 2C. They depicted, within the space of few captivating slides, the complex personality of a contemporary pop icon: Harry Styles. Their portrayal of the world-renowned British singer is accurate and full of interesting details without being long or boring. Enjoy your reading!
Questo progetto è stato realizzato da un gruppo di studenti della 2C. Con poche slide accattivanti sono riusciti a catturare la complessa personalità di una icona del pop contemporaneo, Harry Styles. Il ritratto del cantante britannico di fama modiale è accurato e ricco di dettagli interessanti senza essere lungo o noioso. Buona lettura!
A chat with exchange student returnees
Sara and Diego from 5AL tell about their experience as exchange students in Canada.
Sara e Diego della 5AL raccontano la propria esperienza di exchange students in Canada.
Interview with Diego and Sara
Good Morning everyone!
We are Angelica, Helena and Serena from 4BL.
Today we are here to interview two students that have spent a semester in Canada, they are Diego and Sara from 5AL.
A.H.S. : Good Morning guys, it's a pleasure to have you here with us today. Can you just tell us something about your experience?
D&S: We were both in British Columbia, Canada. Our experience started in January, we left Italy on 16th January 2021 and we came back in July.
A.H.S. : It sounds amazing! Well, what were your host families like, were they good?
D&S: We loved them, we had such a good and strong relationship with them.
S: My family was made up of my host mother and a sister, she was from Germany and she was an exchange student like me and we travelled a lot.
D: I liked my family too. I had a host father, a brother and a sister.
A.H.S. : You were really lucky. We know that in Canada you can choose the subjects that you want to study, what did you choose?
D&S: we studied very different subjects from criminology to wood work, from art to PE. You could choose few subjects due to Covid-19, the number of subjects depends on the school.
A.H.S. : You were very far from your family and friends, right? Was it hard to make new friends?
D= It was so hard for me because it takes so long for me to build close relationships. I started making friends in the middle of the experience.
A.H.S. : You started your experience in a difficult period, were there lots of rules for Covid-19?
D&S= Oh yes and the difference from Italy was that everyone respected them! The toughest one to respect was to be at home at 10pm.
A.H.S. : Well guys, you know, we are very popular for our Italian food, but how was the food there?
D&S= They eat a lot of fast food, it’s just like the stereotypes.
D= I’ve tried chili for the first time in my life and I also cooked my own food to make my host family try it and I also ate pancakes for breakfast, , but they make it with a specific flour.
A.H.S. : One of the most important decisions for the exchange year is the choice of the agency, which one did you choose?
S: I chose YOUABROAD and I was satisfied with it because there was a very good organization and I chose it for this reason.
D: I chose WEP but it was the wrong choice in my opinion because they don’t think about you but their only thought is the business. With my plan I could choose the district but not the school. If you are interested in the plan for the school you have to pay more.
A.H.S. : Well, this is really good and useful information! But what about the life there, is it expensive?
D&S: Of course, it costs more than the one in Italy. Healthcare is cheaper than in the USA but it costs a lot, so just a suggestion: don’t hurt yourself!
A.H.S. : Did you receive any gifts from your family?
S: I received a bottle of maple syrup and the bottle is shaped like a maple’s leaf.
D: And I received a collection of old Canadian dollars as a gift because it is one of Canada’s symbols.
A.H.S. : Did you notice any differences in terms of standards of living?
D&S: You can clearly see who is lazy and who is active and it is the same at school and even at school it’s just like in the movies. There are also days where there is a theme, such as the “princess day” where you have to dress up like a princess.
A.H.S. : Ok guys, just one more question: How do you feel after this semester?
S: I feel more independent and I started doing lots of things by myself
D: I got better at English and I changed the way I see people.
A.H.S. : Guys the time is up, thank you so much for your time!
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eTwinning Quality Label
It is a great pleasure to announce that the project "Today or Mayday" has received the national Quality Label! A special thanks to the students of the 4AL, who last year showed great commitment and dedication to this multicultural project on sustainability.
E' con grande piacere che annunciamo che il progetto sulla sotenibilità ambientale "Today or Mayday" ha ottenuto il Certificato di qualità! Ringraziamo gli studenti della 4AL che nel corso del passato anno scolastico hanno mostrato grande dedizione e impegno nella realizzazione di questo progetto multiculturale.
Stay Safe Online
Article and works by Ms Turrini and the students of 2AS
Staying Safe On Line: DOs and DON’Ts in Your Digital Life
Given the hard, digital life of this pandemic year (starting from warm up activities out of our school book), and with the purpose of making technology a socialising factor as well, here are some
examples of group work and/or individual work concerning advantages and risks of web life.
Of course, as digital presentation and with graphics and technical tricks on students’ side..
For privacy reasons, we are not allowed to publish the acclaimed video-news of one group, but only its transcript.
Just all students’ work out of rather boring teacher’s guidelines.
Rimanere on line e in sicurezza: cosa fare e non fare nella tua vita digitale
Data la vita digitale e dura di questo anno di pandemia (prendendo l’avvio da attività dal libro di testo) e con lo scopo di rendere la tecnologia anche un fattore di socializzazione, eccovi qualche
esempio di gruppo di lavoro e/o di lavoro individuale riguardante i vantaggi e i rischi della vita sul web.
Ovviamente, come presentazione digitale e con grafica e trucchi tecnici da parte degli studenti.
Per questioni di legge sulla privacy, non possiamo pubblicare il video giornale acclamato dalla classe, ma solamente la sua trascrizione.
Tutto lavoro degli studenti, sulla base di linee guida alquanto noiose dell’insegnante.
Give answers for safe behaviour about the following dangerous situations on the web; find at least one image example/screenshot for them.
List your ideas in two columns DOs/DON’Ts or organise your thoughts about it into a mind map
1. What are the possible risks/dangers of the following situations and how you should react:
- Not changing often your password/PW
- Receiving a message about a prize they say you won
- Pop-up during your surfing on line
- Unattended privacy settings of your social or email account
- People you only know on line/Internet dating and in case follow up/meeting personally (especially for girls)
- Requested web site cookies
2. Are any of your on line practices potentially dangerous? How can you make them more secure?
Click here to view the presentation by Emanuele.pdf
Click here to view the whole presentation.pptx
Staying safe online
by Riccardo, Giulia, Olga, Alessandro, Alice
Today, in the 21st century, the technology is avantgarde and in continuous progress.
And therefore, even cyber-criminal use advanced techniques.
For these reason to keep safe from any attacks, you must be always careful and know how to act to safeguard your digital security.
So you should follow this simple steps:
- Change often your passwords!
Because some Hackers could easily steal your personal data, your money and your identity.
- Pay attentions at messages about a prize that you won.
They are absolutely fake and someone can steal your private informations.
- Pop-up during your surfing online.
They can put Virus in your device or lift your credentials.
- Unattended privacy settings of your social or email account.
There is a risk that someone could enter in your profile and steal your contact and also read your private emails and sell your photos and data.
- Pay attentions to people that you meet online.
You have to be really careful because they can make you a “Catfish”, you might have met a Stalker or they could scam you.
- Take care of web site’s cookies.
They can sell you your photos and data.
We offer you a list of DOs E DON’Ts.
Click here to read the full article and find interesting videos.pdf
Mind maps
Given the fact that mind maps originated within companies and firms through their creator Tony Buzan, in order to organise top managers’ thoughts, here’s to you an example for everybody of students’ mind map for one small section of the English language: e.g. adjectives, suffix –ful/less ☺
Visto che le mappe concettuali, ovvero mentali, sono nate all’interno di aziende e multinazionali tramite il loro ideatore Tony Buzan, per organizzare i pensieri anche di top manager, ecco qui un esempio per tutti di una mappa mentale ad opera di due studentesse, per una piccola sezione della lingua inglese: es. aggettivi con suffissi ful/less ☺
Olivia e Chiara, 2AS
Where is the Love?
Here is an example of how to engage students with music: songs are not only a valuable source of authentic listening material, but also a great way to activate our students' critical thinking. After listening to two different versions of the song "Where is the Love?", the class 1AS was asked to compare them, express their own opinions and preferences and pose their personal questions on today's world.
Ecco un esempio di come si possano coinvolgere gli studenti attraverso la musica: le canzoni, oltre a fornire materiale autentico di ascolto, ci permettono di attivare il pensiero critico dei nostri studenti. La classe 1 AS ha svolto una serie di attività sulla canzone "Where is the Love?": dopo aver ascoltato due versioni diverse della canzone, le hanno confrontate, hanno espresso le proprie opinioni e preferenze e hanno posto delle domande personali sul mondo di oggi.
Caption from official video Where Is the Love? lyrics © Emi Blackwood Music Inc., Reservoir 416, Bmg Sapphire Songs, Tennman Tunes, Nawasha Networks Publishing, I Am Composing Llc, El Cubano Music, Printz Polar Publishing, Apl De Ap Publishing Llc, Universal Music Z Tunes, Songs Of Universal, Inc.
Classe 1AS
Song “Where Is the Love?” by The Black Eyed Peas
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Justin Timberlake / Will Adams / Jaime Gomez / Allan Pineda / Printz Board / Michael Fratantuno / George Jr Pajon.
Activity designed by Ms Turrini on the song “Where is the Love?” by Black Eyed Peas:
1. Listen and watch both versions of the song on video
2. Compare versions and decide which one you like best and explain briefly why
3. Highlight the sentences that struck you in the lyrics and explain your feelings about them
4. Write down YOUR own question for these times…
Second, official video version – remake 2016
First official video version, with subtitles - 2009
Giulia
I choose the second video, because in addition to liking the melody more, I really like how the video is interpreted, so I really like the images because they are full of meaning.
The sentence I’ve chosen is where is love, father father father help us and finally, one world
I have chosen these phrases and words because in addition to being full of meaning, I think nowadays these words are needed more than ever, because what was said in the song still happens today and it's just getting our souls.
Marco
The most beautiful song in my opinion is the original, you can feel the American atmosphere of social tensions already inserted in the fabrics of the USA.
Where's the love, y'all (come on yeah)
This is my favourite sentence from the text of this song.
My question is: “where is the peace?”
Lorenzo
After listening to both tracks of "where is the love?" both the original version and the remake in 2020, I came to think that I like the original version more because I think it’s made better than the other and then, musically speaking, I like it more and it’s more catchy.
One of the sentences that I found most important or most significant is "There is one world", which specifies the fact that there is only one world and we must treat it carefully.
The sentence that I picked is instead:
"What’s wrong with the world, mama
People livin' like they ain’t got no mamas
I think the whole world’s addicted to the drama"
Cristina
I prefer the second version of the song because it has a livelier rhythm and brings much more happiness; I prefer the flow of the singers.
The sentences that I most like are:
“what’s wrong with the world, mama people livin like they ain’t got no mamas”
“only attracted to think so that’ill bring you trauma”
“take control of your mind and meditate”
“why are there pieces of love that don’t belong?”
I really like these sentences because they are very important for the mind.
Alice Ti.
I personally liked the 2003 version of the song more than the revised version because I always prefer listening to the original product made in the same context it was written in. Obviously the meaning doesn’t change though, and I think this song contains a very important message regarding the discrimination, more specifically racism, that infects the USA and the rest of the world. I also loved the video because it shows some realistic and true examples of systematic racism. The ones that hit me the most are the scenes of police brutality against people of colour.
My favourite sentences:
There are two parts of the song that struck me the most:
1. But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah
These lines are direct and they tell the truth about how most of white people approach: we’re used to thinking we’re always kind to everyone but we don’t realise that our “everyone” only includes people of our same race, gender, sexual orientation and physical conditions. This is an attitude we have learnt from the society we grew up in and we need to stop ignoring this issue and change for good.
As the quoted lines say, to discriminate only generates hate, and this can be extremely dangerous.
2. Most of us only care about money makin'
Selfishness got us followin' the wrong direction
This one hit me simply because it is so true and I love to hear that these problems are addressed. I think discrimination all comes from selfishness, in my opinion that is the cause of most of the social problems we have.
Alice Tr.
I prefer the second song because it has a livelier rhythm, I like the chorus more and I prefer the flow of the singers.
The piece of the song I like most is
“I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colder
Most of us only care about money makin'
Selfishness got us followin' the wrong direction
Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images, is the main criteria
Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria”
because it explains the sad reality and represents what teenagers like me think about the world and what the future of my generation could be.
Tommaso
I prefer the second song because the beat has more rhythm and the lyrics and the flow of the singers are better. My favourite phrases are:
“Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity
Whatever happened to the fairness and equality
Instead in spreading love we're spreading animosity
Lack of understanding, leading us away from unity”
because it goes against discrimination and reminds us that we are all equal.
Alexandro
Honestly, I prefer the first version although it is slower than the second version. I think that the first version with its slowness and tranquility is able to better communicate the message of the video, even if the first version is older compared to the second, the events are anyway the same and the questions posed by the video are the same that are asked today to the society, so I prefer the first version which is the original.
I report below the phrases that struck me most, explaining the reason next to them:
Father, Father, Father help us
Send some guidance from above: this sentence struck me because it seems just like a desperate cry to our god who created us and we ask for help because we are self-destructing ourselves, so the only possibility we have left is to pray that a higher force will intervene in our favour.
Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images, is the main criteria
Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria
Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinemas: this sentence struck me more than the others but more for a personal factor. As you can guess the sentence is a direct accusation to the forms of media that transmit false news and to all today's social media if we update it, and these news affect the minds of young people just like the song says and I agree with that but it is also for a personal fact that I am not explaining, but yes, I too would give a good blame to social media.
eTwinning project: questionnaire results
After completing the questionnaire, the class 3AL took note of the results from the schools that took part in the survey. First of all, the students analysed the results of the area they had focused on. Then we came together as a whole class, compared the results and drew our conclusions, which have been written down by Martina Brandolese.
Dopo aver completato il questionario, la classe 3 AL ha preso nota dei risultati del sondaggio delle varie scuole. Gli allievi hanno analizzato singolarmente i risultati della propria area di ricerca, poi come classe hanno paragonato i risultati e tratto le proprie conclusioni, che trovate riassunte da Martina Brandolese.
Increasing air quality
The results reported from the poll show that most people care about the problem and are actually willing to do something to fix it, but others don’t really act to solve it or do nothing about it.
Reduction of pollution
The results reported from the poll show that most people throw their garbage in the correct rubbish bin and tell the others to do the same, so we don’t pollute our environment while we’re outdoors.
Eco-friendly diet and nutrition habits
The results reported from the poll show that there are some people who are aware of what an eco-friendly diet is, but there are others who are not.
Reduction of chemical use for cleaning
The results reported from the poll show that most people don’t know that chemical products are negatively impacting the environment.
Preserving water resources
The results reported from the poll show that most people are aware of the issue of wasting water and try to save it everyday, but others don’t notice it.
Sustainable agriculture
The results reported from the poll show that most people buy organic products when they find them, others always buy this type of products, but many others don’t have the possibility to spend money on these eco products. There’s another part of people who think it isn’t necessary to purchase these products.
Reducing waste and promoting recycling
The results reported from the poll show that most people do not recycle at home.
Reducing the impact of Covid19 on the environment
The results reported from the poll show that most people agree that covid has increased the use of plastic.
Earth Day
eTwinning project: Today or Mayday
Survey about individuals' habits and their impact on the environment
After working together in multicultural groups, the students of 3AL and their peers from other European schools have created a survey to investigate our habits and their impact on the environment. They have worked on a wide variety of topics, including recycling, indoor air pollution, sustainable agriculture, nutrion habits and so on. Here you can find the links to the survey, which is anonymous. Everyone is welcome to take part in the survey: not only pupils but their parents and siblings too, as well as our school community.
Link to the survey in English: Click here
Link to the survey in Italian: Click here
Progetto eTwinning: Today or Mayday
Sondaggio sulle abitudini degli individui e il loro impatto sull'ambiente
Dopo aver lavorato in gruppi multiculturali, gli studenti della 3AL assieme ai loro coetanei di altre scuole europee, hanno prodotto un sondaggio per esaminare le nostre abitudini individuali e il loro impatto sull'ambiente. Hanno analizzato varie tematiche ambientali, quali il riciclo, l'inquinamento negli ambienti interni, l'agricoltura sostenibile, le nostre abitudini alimentari e così via. Qui troverete il link per prendere parte al sondaggio, che è anonimo. Tutti sono invitati a partecipare: non solo gli studenti, ma anche anche le loro famiglie e l'intera comunità scolastica.
Link al sondaggio in inglese: clicca qui
Link al sondaggio in italiano: clicca qui
Together for a better internet
February 9th is Safer Internet Day, an international landmark event sponsored by the EU, promoting a safer and more responsible use of online technology by young people across the world. The goal of Safer Internet Day is to raise awareness but also help by concrete actions to provide protection and empowerment of young people online. After working on digital safety with 3AL and 3BL, we are happy to share some great tips to stay safe online.
Il 9 febbraio è Safer Internet Day, un evento internazionale sponsorizzato dalla Comunità Europea per promuovere un uso più sicuro e responsabile della tecnologia da parte dei giovani di tutto il mondo. L'obiettivo di questa giornata è quello di sensibilizzare, ma anche di contribuire con azioni concrete per garantire la protezione e l'emancipazione dei giovani online. Dopo avere lavorato su questo tema con le classi 3AL e 3BL, condividiamo alcuni consigli per navigare su internet in sicurezza!
Be nice to people online
This is my favourite tip because many people think that they can be rude just because they are behind a screen. People should start taking responsability for what they do online too. I don't think people would have the courage to spread hate so easily in real life. We should take care about what we write on the internet and think that the message will arrive to a human being, obviously, with feelings.
Melidia L. 3AL
Something that often happens online is that people that don’t know you can misinterpret your message or comment what they have seen. So we must always try to write kind things even if we aren’t of the same opinion with the others.
Irene P. 3BL
Take care with what you share
Shared posts can be manipulated by people with bad intentions. You have to choose your posts carefully because people remember what you post and can speak badly about you for a long time.
Nicol L. 3BL
This is my favourite tip because it's one of the hardest situations that teenagers face, which could bring about problems of various kinds, since everything you post, remains on the web for an unlimited time, and everyone will be able to see it. Even if you have a private account, somebody might save that post and show it to someone else, creating a vicious circle. You should always pay attention and think about the concequences of what you share online.
Jennifer C. 3AL
Keep personal information private
Personally, I think that we all know that we shouldn't share personal info, but what deceives us is the underestimation of how wide the net is, and how many people (surely less than good people) are there only to defraud or swindle anyone they can.So we should take care of our personal information, and always know who are we sending anything like photos or videos or even a credit card number. In the end i think we should stay alert but just with some tips we can improve our online skills.
Tommaso B. 3BL
Know how to report posts
There are many many things shared on social media that don't follow the guidelines. I have repeatedly seen videos portraying bullism and illegal content in general. It's not much of a shock to me anymore, but I do remember how I felt while seeing those things for the first time, and it definetly wasn't pleasant. I don't want any child (or anyone really) to feel the way I felt. Every time I spot any of those posts/videos/comments I report them and ask my closest friends to go and report just like I did. Most of the time that shared piece gets cancelled, but when it doesn't I feel resentment. Please, whenever you see something that you dont like or that disturbs you, report it! The more we are doing it, the less we will find anything like that in our "For you page".
Giulia P. 3BL
My favourite tip is how to report a post that could make someone feel uncomfortable because of the photos or the words used towards a person. This is actually useful for all the users of this platform: this option will protect them from coming across online bullying or trolls, present in every type of websites. For example, on Twitter, when you report a content or a whole account, you'll receive a notification that updates you about your report and will tell you if they've found something dangerous for the community.
Martina B. 3AL
This is my favourite tip because i think it is very useful to report things that may affect the sensitivity of those who see the posts or the accounts. It will protect the creator of the posts from getting bullied.
Marta P. 3AL
Never meet anyone in person that you’ve only met online
I think that this tip is the most important to me. More and more often we hear of cases in which young girls and boys are tricked and maybe even abused by someone they had met online. That person had lied about their name, their age, where they live, and many other things: behind the profile with which they made friends, another person was hiding. Sometimes I get contacted by these profiles, without a profile image and with a strange nickname, and without hesitation I immediately block them.I believe that the youngest generations should be taught never to trust people known online and above all, if these 'people' ask for a meeting in person, we must absolutely refuse.
Maria Paola S. 3BL
I think that this is the most important tip, because when you meet someone online, you cannot really know that pearson. it's very easy to post and share false information online and anyone can hide behind a profile. For example, a person that you have known online could be different from how he described himself. So you have to be careful before meeting people online.
Linda P. 3AL
Keep your passwords safe.
I think the password is a delicate tool because it allows us to protect our personal data. Losing it would be a danger since all our data is now digital. Very often hackers manage to steal passwords and this compromises personal information, in fact you should never let your guard down: keep your password to yourself, do not give it to third parties and change it often.
Alice T. 3BL
In my opinion this is the most important tip, because by keeping the passwords safe, all our private accounts are safe. To make your password safer it must be complicated so that it is only known by the one who'sset it. The passwords are also used to protect our accounts from those who try to hack them.
Giorgia S. 3AL
Sinking Islands
The class 5BL has attended a very interesting online conference: “Sinking Islands”, organised by the University of Turin within the event: “European Researchers’ Night 2020”. Two students have written a report on the most relevant issues concerning climate change and the Pacific Islands.
La classe 5BL ha partecipato alla conferenza online: “Sinking Islands: isole che affondano nel Pacifico”, organizzata dall’Università degli Studi di Torino, all’interno dell’iniziativa: “Notte Europea dei Ricercatori”. Due studenti hanno scritto un articolo mettendo in risalto alcune delle principali conseguenze del cambiamento climatico sulle Isole del Pacifico.
Sinking Islands
By Federica D'Epiro and Piergiorgio Pugassi
How has climate change affected the Pacific Islands? Here is everything you need to know...
In the 16th and 17th century some explorers discovered the islands of Guam, Philippines, New Zealand and Fijis. Then in the 19th century they were divided into three areas: Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia. These populations were perceived as inferior and underdeveloped. Some travelogues and romances were written about these natural paradises: for example “Le Marriage de Loti” by Pierre Loti, “South Sea Tales” by Jack London, and also some adventure stories like “The Coral Island: A Tale of the Pacific Ocean” by Ballantyne.
Even the notorious painter Paul Gauguin visited the islands of the South Seas, and it was so amazing that he created a painting that represented the exotic islanders and atmosphere of that azure sea.
Another novel that tells about the Pacific Ocean is “Our Sea of Islands” by Epeli Hau’ofa (1994). The author underlines the importance of the Sea in their culture, because the water is not seen as a barrier, but as their home. It also emphasises the importance of the connection between the islands across the Sea, for the welfare of the villagers.
In the 19th century the powerful Western countries carved up Oceania, which became a variety of colonies. This passage led the islands to three consequences. The first is the exploitation of the local resources, like the minerals in the island of Banaba. That led to the second effect, the cultural, economic, and political dependence on the colonial state. Thirdly, the exploitation of the territory by the colonizers has led to the devastation of natural habitat and pollution.
Between 1946 and 1958 the U.S.A. used the atolls of Bikini and Enewetak as testing sites for nuclear energy. The islanders had to evacuate the islands, and due to the radiation exposure they suffered from diseases like cancer, paralysis and birth defects.
Climate change is a phenomenon that is affecting the entire planet Earth, but it has catastrophic consequences on the Pacific Islands. Because of the sea-level rising and the coastal erosion, there are fewer and fewer lands to farm and the weather events are getting more extreme. As a consequence, the local population can’t produce the crop for itself, depending more and more on imported food.
In 2015 an agreement between 194 nations was stipulated, and the purpose was to keep the rise of global warming below 2°. Donald Trump in 2017 decided to withdraw from it, but one of the goals of Biden’s presidency is to re-join the Paris agreement.
A person who has been fighting climate change is Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner, a poet activist that wants to deeply touch people, to communicate stories from the past and to sensitise society about climate change.
The poem that has made Kathy famous is “Dear Matafele Peinem”, which was read during the opening ceremony of the 2014 UN Climate Summit. The writing is a letter to her then seven-month-old daughter, Matafele Peinem.
In the poem Kathy expresses the will to protect her daughter and her homeland from the corrupt desires of a selfish society. She promises her that she and the islanders will fight for change, and for a future that shall be greater than mere survival.
In 2017 she published her first collection of poetry, entitled “Iep Jāltok: Poems of Marshallese Daughter”.
It is considered the first book written by someone from the Marshall Islands.
A famous work from this collection is “The Butterfly Thief”, which tells about the progressive and increasingly worrying extinction of butterflies and bees because of climate change. But bees and butterflies will take the whole world to their grave, considering that they are almost the totality of the pollinating species.
The same thing is happening to the “sinking islands”: for example in just ten years the island of Ellekan will have become a desert.
So, if we don’t save the Pacific Islands, who will be next?
eTwinning project
The class 3 AL is taking part in a civic education project on climate change: "Today or May Day!". The class will explore climate change and sustainability in the 21st century, in collaboration with partner schools from Turkey, Moldova and Spain. A great opportunity to communicate in English and to become better citizens!
La classe 3 AL partecipa al progetto di educazione civica in inglese: "Today or May Day!", in cui si lavorerà sul cambiamento climatico e sul concetto di sostenibilità, così importante nel periodo storico che stiamo vivendo. La classe collaborerà attivamente con scuole provenienti dalla Turchia, dalla Moldavia e dalla Spagna: un'ottima opportunità per comunicare in inglese e diventare cittadini più consapevoli!
US Election 2020
On October 26th, the class 5BL attended an engaging online lesson on the American elections, held by Corriere della Sera. Two students of the class decided to look into the complex process of the American voting system and tell you all about it!
Il 26 ottobre la classe 5BL ha partecipato ad una interessante lezione online sulle elezioni americane, tenuta dal Corriere della Sera all’interno del progetto “Insieme per capire”. Dopo aver approfondito l’argomento, due studentesse vi raccontano tutto quel che c’è da sapere sul sistema elettorale americano!
American ELECTIONs
Everything you need to know
By Gaia Luoni and Miriam Fantino
Hi everyone,
It's Miriam and Gaia from 5BL and today we are going to show you how politics work in the USA.
November the third was Election Day, on which American people expressed their vote concerning the choice of the next President. However, this event doesn’t involve only the Land of Opportunities, in fact we are talking about the most important elections of the world, which will have consequences all over the globe. But do you know everything about American electoral system and how voting takes place?
Don’t worry, Gaia and Miriam are here to clear your minds.
First of all, you need to know that, since 1776, the USA is a confederation of 50 States united under a Federal Republic headed by a President. The chief of State can be elected for up to two warrants of 4 years each and in the course of history only 11 out of the 45 presidents haven’t been re-elected.
Let's see how the election of the President is held.
Firstly, there are Primary Elections, during which American citizens vote for the candidate that they want to run for the Presidency. This phase has been in force since 1972 and all the candidates have the same chance to be elected. Americans choose the contender between two political parts: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party.
The first faction is popularly known as the “Grand Old Party" and it is represented by the colour red and the image of an elephant. It is the Conservative Party, which means that Republicans are more inclined towards the preservation of the old values and they have a nationalistic view focused on internal issues.
The second one is the Democratic Party, represented by the colour blue and the image of a donkey. It is a more modern Party, based on liberalism and progressivism, and it believes in the importance of international relationships.
During Primary Elections, citizens gather and discuss their own opinions in order to persuade the others to switch to their Party. These meetings are called Conventions and they are the proof of the democracy of this system.
Then come Presidential Elections, where the most voted contenders compete with each other to become the President of the USA. The population votes indirectly through the figure of Electors. On Election Day, citizens give their vote to the Elector that they support, who will express their preference for the President during the next phase, which this year will be on December the 14th. Each state has a certain number of Electors, related to the number of the inhabitants and in total America counts 538 Electors, but the conquest of the White House requires at least 270 of these votes. The peculiarity of this system, called “Winner takes all", is that what really counts is the majority because the Party that gets the most votes, takes all the Electors’ preference.
What is important to be aware of, is that some States are historically attached to a certain Party, for example Texas or rural States have always been a Republican State, and on the contrary Washington and generally big cities have always supported Democrats. But the most counting States are the Swing States, such as Florida, Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina. These countries play a fundamental role to determine the winner and for this reason contenders pay much more attention to these States, so during their electoral campaign, candidates spend much time and do more meetings and conferences in these key countries in order to gain their consent.
This year, we saw two big contenders running for the White House. On the Republican side, there was the incumbent President Donald Trump, whereas for the Democratic Party, the candidate was Joe Biden, who was the Vice-President from 2008 to 2016.
These Elections were deeply affected by the Coronavirus Pandemic.
First of all, the electoral campaign was modified in order to keep everyone safe, so most conventions and rallies didn’t take place, making social networks the fundamental device for the contenders to collect consensus and spread information.
Another effect brought by this sanitary emergency was that more than ever Americans voted through the postal system, and also the early voting was a key feature of this year, which means that people could vote from two weeks before Election Day. This avoided big crowds and gatherings that would have provoked infections and the spread of the virus.
What made these elections unique was also the number of voters, which was the highest in the history of the USA. America has seen an increasing in votes from many categories of people, such as youngsters from the Z-Generation and blacks, due to the Black Lives Matter movement, that pushed them to vote against Trump, who has always shown contempt towards this protest; or women, who were encouraged by a series of campaigns aimed at raising awareness.
The 2020 Elections, signed by this difficult period, brought Joe Biden to conquer American government, backed up by his Vice-President Kamala Harris, the first black woman to gain such an important position in American politics, even if the ex-president doesn’t want to admit his defeat.
To conclude, these Elections represented a turning point in American culture and history because they implied the overcoming of prejudices and narrow minds, making American great and united again.
If you want to know more about this interesting and important theme, here are some websites that you can check to dig deeper:
Thanks for your attention,
Gaia Luoni & Miriam Fantino
Book reviews
We all know that reading books is a great way to pick up new vocabulary and develop your understanding of a language. But reading in English can be a challenge: the hard part is choosing the right book for you. Here are some suggestions from your schoolmates:
The Daydreamer, by Ian McEwan; The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros; Reunion, by Fred Uhlman
Leggere romanzi è un ottimo modo per imparare nuove parole e migliorare la comprensione della lingua. Leggere in inglese però rappresenta una sfida: una delle cose più difficili è proprio scegliere il libro giusto! Qui potete leggere le recensioni di tre libri, scritte dai vostri compagni.
The Daydreamer, by Ian McEwan
Ian McEwan, the famous English novelist and screenwriter author of over 10 novels, in 1994 wrote his second book for children The Daydreamer.
The story is about a ten-year-old boy named Peter Fortune, who spends his days daydreaming. He has a lot of imagination and he often daydreams about something weird, wonderful and unpredictable. McEwan in fact makes us enter the head of Peter: he tells us about his fears, his strange thoughts and of course his dreams.
The book is made up of seven different but interlinked stories about Peter and his daydreaming life, full of funny and fantastic situations, like those where he discovers a cream that makes people vanish and makes his family disappear, or the one where he swaps bodies with his cat and lives in it for a day. His parents think that he is a distracted and difficult boy because of his behaviour, as his mind takes him out of the world, but in reality he is an infinite source of ideas, always dreaming about a crazy world where anything can happen. McEwan thinks that Peter’s dreaming is a very mature way to grow up, as it can help children to develop the bravery they need to face the difficulties of reality.
I recommend The Daydreamer to the people of all ages who still like to dream and are not afraid to stop and daydream, letting their mind fantasize. It’s a well-written novel, and it makes us think about all the crazy ideas that we had when we were children, trying to understand the world while we were growing up.
Fabrizio Mogni, 4BL
Peter is a daydreamer. Grown-ups consider him a difficult child
because they don’t understand his desire for solitude and because he always seems deep in thought. The first chapter is an introduction about his family, his life and his future. Every chapter tells a different story in which he imagines to be a different person or animal.
The chapter that I like the most is The Cat, because he swaps bodies with the family cat and changes his point of view: ‘How wonderful to see into the dark corners, to feel every vibration of the night air on his whiskers and to make himself invisible.’
Peter is an interesting child who understands more than the others think he does, he can empathize with other people and see beyond appearances. In fact, after getting in a fight with the school bully, he understands his reasons and his suffering and changes his opinon about the boy. He also demonstrates his ability as a detective, when he can figure out who the invisible thief is, silent and without fingerprints. Sometimes imagination helps him understand the world better than those who only use reason. Imagination can help us to see our life in a different way, as in the unsettling chapter of The Dolls, where dolls are very far from the tenderness and affection they usually convey.
I would recommend this book to students with a lot of fantasy and those who love adventurous stories and the level of English used in this book is right for their path and can be a good pastime.
Miriam Fragomeni, 4BL
The inventor of dreams is Peter Fortune, a ten-year-old child whose parents and adults around him consider distracted and complicated, but who is actually a volcano of imagination. In fact, it often happens that little Peter is alienated from the surrounding world, intending, with his eyes lost somewhere, to create parallel universes and adventures, of which he is the undisputed hero. So, in one of the eight stories in Ian McEwan’s novel, Peter imagines himself to be a cat, and to act and think just like a cat. In another, he dreams of owning the formidable vanishing cream, which enables him to erase his family, who does not understand him and who bores him.
Dreaming for Peter is not only a way of escape, but also of growth. Can one in fact mature through dreams? Can dreams give us the strength to face reality more courageously? The answer you will find in the book is: definitely yes. If you've read more of the skillful English writer (it's no coincidence that he is called Ian "the macabre", since his protagonists are often murderers and sadists), this book will impress you, because it keeps the style clear and cultured and in addition it is enriched with irony and a great ability to identify with the childish world (which is not that childish).
It is not a simple book for children, even if sometimes it happens to be defined so. The Daydreamer is in my opinion part of that group of books, which, depending on the age in which they are read, give different impressions and messages. Actually the beauty of the books lies in this: we can take them, leave them and resume them whenever we want. I reccomend this book for its lightness and simplicity.
Giulia Giannoni, 4BL
The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros
“The House On Mango Street”, written by Sandra Cisneros, is a coming-of-age novel that showcases many important themes regarding our society, through the eyes of a twelve-year-old girl Chicana called Esperanza.
The novel starts with the girl moving with her family into a house on Mango Street, a poor district of Chicago. Just like the other places she has lived in, Esperanza feels like she doesn’t belong there and keeps dreaming of a place of her own where she can be independent. She is a good writer, and although she resents her roots, the book is a collection of stories she wrote about her neighbourhood and her life on Mango Street.
Cisneros mentions at the start of the book how every character she described was actually a mixture of people she counselled and people she met during her years living in the barrio. In fact, the book is a love letter to all the unprivileged people she left behind, especially women.
The first time I read the book, I had some trouble understanding the plot because I found it hard to enter the protagonist’s point of view, since the book is made up of very short chapters and the writing is very frivolous as it should come from a twelve years old. The second time, instead, I tried to put myself completely in Esperanza’s shoes and I was amazed by it.
The book often gives insights about racism and women’s position in society. It shows, through the life in the neighbourhood, how women’s future is often influenced by men and patriarchal expectations. It mentions abuse and sexual harassment, all through the eyes of a girl who is starting to understand how hard it is to live as a woman and be independent at the same time. Another important aspect is also the
recurrent difference of privilege between Latin American immigrants and white people, which even a little girl can notice in her everyday life (especially at school).
I think people should read this novel because it has a strong message of growth as well as showing the struggles of being a Mexican-American woman. It takes the readers on a whole journey, where they get to be a part of these unfortunate people’s lives and relate to them on different levels. It makes readers feel like they are growing up with Esperanza and meeting the world with her.
What I found most inspiring and important about the novel is the protagonist’s constant desire of being independent from the life she was born with and her determination to rise up from her situation.
Martina Surace, 5FL
Reunion, by Fred Uhlman
Hans and Konradin, two German friends born and grown up in one of the most difficult contexts of History. We all know the events which took place during World War II: every year we spend a day to remember what happened during that period, but sometimes we don’t dwell on details, on the individual lives of those who died and of those who survived.
“Reunion” leads us to reflect on the story of Hans and Konradin, on their friendship, a friendship influenced by the historical period; Fred Uhlman focuses on values which transcend time and space, which can go through the years, overcome wars and never get spoiled.
As every other page-turner, this little book creates in the reader an ever increasing suspense and interest in the following events: we can’t do without needing to discover what happens next, where the author is going with this.
We can understand it only at the very last pages of the book, thus, we are spellbound by these pages and we turn and turn and turn them, until the end, until our questions find their answers.
Alice Fiornovelli, 5 BL
Uhlman’s short novel “Reunion” deals with many important themes, such as adolescent friendship, the weight of social differences, the senselessness of racial discrimination, the courage to make uncomfortable choices, the horror of war and the Nazi regime.
The narration is in first person, where Hans tells us directly with his voice what his life has been, focusing on the dramatic events that have driven him away from Germany and his friend Konradin.
The central theme of the novel is the friendship that is born, consolidated, broken and recomposed between the two main protagonists; this feeling proves to be stronger and more lasting than both the historical events that separate Hans and Konradin and of the hatred towards the Jews fuelled by the Nazi regime.
It’s the story of the friendship between Hans Schwarz, a shy and taciturn middle-class boy of Jewish origins, who loves to spend his time among the pages of books, and Konradin Count of Hohenfelds, a presumptuous and solitary high-class boy, who belongs to one of the most important and influential families in Germany. Despite their differences, the two boys are united by common interests shared throughout the days spent together. As the political situation in Germany degenerates, things get complicated. National socialist ideas disrupt the lives of the Jews: at school and in public life the signs of this change begin to manifest themselves. When racial laws are enacted, the boys’ lives are destined to change forever.
“Reunion” is a short but intense novel. A book that possesses the introspection of a diary, where the author has the ability to involve the reader and guide him almost by hand to the reflections that lead the protagonists to be deceived by different ideals. Perfectly describing the perception of life and society against the background of the early years of the rise to power of the Nazis
To conclude, “Reunion” is the most beautiful book I’ve ever read about Nazism. I think that this book helps us to reflect on feelings, on those values that we slowly abandon for fear or fighting. A touching story that marks the path to follow to find our emotions, our sensitivity and our courage.
Rebecca Pecorino, 5BL
This little book written by Fred Uhlman portrays the universal rule of friendship. A tragic historical period in Germany lays the foundation of a childhood friendship between two classmates, who have nothing in common except for mutual admiration. The first coming from a Jewish family and the other from a noble one, decide to challenge common sense until they’re compelled to separate forever.
This story brings us back to the perception of the world we had as children and makes us appreciate very little gestures that are forgotten today. You’ll enjoy this book for the simple beauty of life as a kid and feel guilty about your adulthood.
Emile Sassi, 5 BL
Holocaust Remebrance Day, 27 January 2020
On the occasion of the Remambrance Day, the classes 4E, 4F and 5F from Corso Caduti have taken part in a multilanguage reading of Primo Levi’s novel La Tregua, hosted by the University of Turin. The reading was held in the Department of Chemistry in Aula Magna “Primo Levi” where Primo Levi studied.
Ms Landolfi, their English teacher, says: “Most of the students were so interested and silent during the reading in foreign languages that are taught in the Department of Languages in Turin, that nobody even dared to speak or do anything else as it sometimes happens. At the end of the reading the students asked me: “Why haven’t we read or heard anything about it before?” and that was my great surprise!”
In occasione del Giorno della Memoria, le classi di Corso Caduti 4E, 4F e 5F hanno partecipato ad una lettura plurilingue dell’opera di Primo Levi: La Tregua, tenuta all’Università degli Studi di Torino. La commemorazione si è svolta presso il Dipartimento di Chimica nell’Aula Magna “Primo Levi”, dove lo scrittore ha studiato.
