Centro Cultural Nicaragüense Norteamericano
www.ccnn.org.ni
April, 2009
April Fools
and
Holy Week Talk about beginning with a bang! The first day of this month is a day where you have to be on your toes; people pretend to have heart attacks, your check gets lost in the mail, kids put cherry bombs in the plumbing and a variety of other things that are either too juvenile or too illegal to consider pranks. In Nicaragua, thankfully, people don’t know about April Fools Day (but they do know about pranks, just pull over in your car, ask anyone for directions you might very well be the unsuspecting victim of a bad info gag). Any day could very well be April Fools Day; remember, pranks are fun, but only when the prankster has ethical values to limit their sadistic enjoyment.
Communicative English This program is composed of Elementary, PreIntermediate, Intermediate and Upper-Intermediate and Advanced courses taught in twelve levels through which students are expected to develop the four abilities of the English Language: Listening comprehension, oral communication, reading comprehension and written expression. The program is based on a communicative approach of learning a second language. Each course presents topics of great interest to students creating opportunities to generate discussion and promote the development of linguistic and communicative abilities.
The highlight of this April is Holy Week or Semana Santa. Back in the day, this was a very religious celebration; some people even remember that on Good Friday children weren’t allowed to run (or even walk around) because it was the day that Jesus “fell to the ground” in death. Nowadays things are different; for most people, Semana Santa is the Nica Spring Break, which means going to packed beaches with jet-skis and surfers tearing up the waves, music concerts, summer swimwear fashions, and families catching rays and sharing eachother’s company. In the US April is in springtime, in Nicaragua its the last month before the winter monsoons so it’s also a last call to enjoy the hot sun and the abundant beaches that the land has to offer. The Editor.
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A month to enjoy the Nicaraguan version of Spring Break!
www.ccnn.org.ni
April, 2009
Workshop On Monday, March 9 international trainer Kate Cory-Wright gave a workshop to CCNN faculty called “What’s New in ESL?”. On Friday, March 13 she continued her work with her Nicaraguan colleagues in a seminar called ¨Cognitive strategies for vocabulary purposes¨.
Children’s
Prep Programs Students are instructed through methods based on experimentalism and an integral approach to the English Language through reading, listening, speaking and writing. The Experimental Method encourages children to make thier own discoveries and to advance at an individual pace, through fun class projects.
Children learn through their own curiosity CCNN’s prep programs for Children have been developed with the main goal of setting a strong foundation in the student’s process. This will be the base of learning more, at a greater pace later, in more demanding levels. Programs in CCNN have been carefully designed with the purpose of integrating activities that encourage, and make the learning of a new language an entertaining experience.
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On these two occasions CCNN educators and Kate Cory-Wright had an opportunity to share experiences, learn from eachother and to brainstorm solutions for challenges that arise in the professional instruction of the English Language.
www.ccnn.org.ni
April, 2009
Boo-Boo Slash (Coming Soon) Boo-Boo Slash is an upcoming CCNN produced short film. The film was written and shot by CCNN’s saturday level 10 teen students in Managua. This project represents an important advance in the professional instruction of the English Language because it takes full advantage of 21st Century technology.
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Children’s Program Coordinator, Asdrúbal Canelo is the man who’s vision is responsible for this innovative activity. This isn’t the first time Canelo assigns a media friendly task to one of his groups. “The student put all aspects of the language they listen for correct pronounciation, they read and memorize their lines and they not only write but also engage in creative writing”. The film is approximately seven minutes long and is still in post production, its a fun parody of the melodrama and the commercial action and adventure feature. “I believe that media literacy is an important component of being an English-Language speaker, English is the contemporary lingua franca and as such the world’s most important media is in Enlgish.” Students had a blast gathering wardrobe, rewrites and dialogue imrpov, finding location and also enjoyed the memorable bonding experience. Boo-Boo Slash will be presented in CCNN with the actors and crew present. Students from other groups will be invited for the grand world premier, Boo-Boo Slash will also be imbbeded in www.ccnn.org.ni with streming video and promises to be a CCNN classic.
Interconnectiveness Adolfo Beteta
I am a single solitary moment in time, A second in Eternity’s hourglass, a bubble in its wine Entwined floating with other moments from other lives, Other lines and trails of dust, Graciously swift glories that rhyme When carefully knitted tightly like family quilts. And although the remote possibility Of ever meeting you appear slim amidst Eternity’s quilt, It matters not, For twice I found you within and without me flowing through me Like a transient thought in travel So that you might see that my existence loses significance With the absence of your memory, And if that were to happen, declared deceased I’d be – Because you are the moment, the awareness I release. Performed by the Conversation Club honoring International Book and Poetry Day. It was a choral reading of one of Adolfo Beteta’s poems from his book “Autumn Whispers”.
www.ccnn.org.ni
April, 2009
St. Patrick’s Day Celebration On March 21st at 10:00 AM CCNN celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with the kids! All the weelads showed up in their greens, they also brought guitars and maracas. Mrs. Rubenia Borge animated and coordinated the merriment. Fun activities like music complete with sing-along videos were projected in the Emily Dickinson Library.
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American Corner
In the Nicaraguan Central Bank’s Library, AMERICAN CORNER has a small collection of audiovisual resources on topics like: American Music, American History, and Biographies. AMERICAN CORNER has three computers with Internet access. Located on the second floor in the Library’s reading area. AMERICAN CORNER schedules movie presentations every week, or by visitor’s request. All our services are free of charge.
Visit Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Tel. 255-7171 ext 238 americancorner@cablenet.com.ni Second Floor Biblioteca Roberto Incer Barquero Central Bank of Nicaragua Library By Pass 7 sur, Managua, Nicaragua
www.ccnn.org.ni
April, 2009
April Poetry Song
American Corner, EducationUSA
ACTIVITIES IN MARCH 09
March 17th: Visit to present programs to UNIVAL (local private university). Adviser and AC Coordinator promoted AC services, Fulbright scholarships and OG among attendees to the meeting. About 55 students attended this event. March 18th: Visit Two to Fundación Samuel School. AC and EducationUSA explained about the OG program and other programs that students and teachers can apply in Nicaragua to the school principal and other members of the staff in a formal meeting. Students who were in the previous activity on March 6th watched “Barack Obama Biography” this time. Note: As a result of this visit, 15 students from this school applied to the Micro scholarship Program at CCNN. This program is very successful because it allows students to get English proficiency and later they will become stronger applicants to OG, UGRAD, English Intensive, etc. March 19th: Visit to present programs to UNICIT (local private university). Adviser and AC Coordinator promoted AC services, Fulbright and OG program among attendees. Other presenters were Huguette Thornton (Consular section) and Carolina Rodriguez (IRC). About 50 students attended this event. March 25th: Meeting at BNC with different Fulbright programs applicants to clarify doubts and concerns about the application process, TOEFL, GRE and admission to universities in the US. Presenters were EducationUSA Adviser and Msc. Maira Vargas, US Embassy Public Affairs specialist. 15 students attended.
William Watson
Haiku It’s April I Know It’s April I know Apple blossoms dazzle in Pink laced fancy dress
Dorothy Holmes
Beautiful Day
April
It’s a beautiful April day It’s a beautiful April day It’s a beautiful April day And it’s almost May
Renda Writer
CCNN’s Newsletter General Director.............Diego Delgadillo Academic Director...........Jorge Moreno Children’s Program.........Asdrúbal Canelo Adult’s Program.................Franklin Tèllez Librarian............................Maria Victoria American Corner.......... Nubia Manzanares Adviser........................Alejandra Alemán Comments: AlvaroAVergara@gmail.com
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March 6th: Visit one to Fundación Samuel School in Unidad de Propósito. Samuel is a vocational/technical school and they expressed the interest of partnering with a US community college. Adviser and American Corner Coordinator promoted the OG program, EducationUSA services and American Corner services to 42 students from the Administration assistants program. Students watched the documentary “An inconvenient truth” as a way to promote environmental awareness among them.
APRIL, April, Laugh thy girlish laughter; Then, the moment after, Weep thy girlish tears! April, that mine ears Like a lover greetest, If I tell thee, sweetest, All my hopes and fears, April, April, Laugh thy golden laughter, But, the moment after, Weep thy golden tears!