March in Review & Star Wars : May the 4th Be with You !

May The 4th Be With You 2020

Lego Star Wars

via brickfinder

Star Wars has released a heartstring-tugging new video montage celebrating the holiday with a subtle message in light of the coronavirus pandemic that might just restore our faith in the galaxy.

Star Wars Day began as an unofficial fan meme, occurring annually on this date because of the convenient wordplay on the film’s tagline, “May the 4th be with you.” The holiday has since been officially adopted by the Star Wars organization.

The one-minute, 40-second video features sentimental snippets from various Star Wars productions going back to the 1977 original, and including spinoff cartoon Clone Wars. Halfway through the reel, a voiceover reads one line: 

“When you find people who need your help, you help them - no matter what.”

Clone Wars

This day also marked the long-awaited finale to The Clone Wars (cartoon), which began in 2008 but was abruptly canceled in 2013 during Disney’s acquisition of Lucas film, leaving fans to wonder what had been in store for the final seasons. 

Taika Waititi

credits: PA/ Disney

By the way, Oscar-winning writer-director Taika Waititi Jojo Rabbit has been confirmed to create Star Wars film adventure in Star Wars universe with 1917 writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns. The movie does not yet have a release date.

However, you have the last Star Wars 2019, Star Wars episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker  by J.J Abrams:

Star Wars episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

J.J. Abrams, 2019

https://www.imdb.com/

In the riveting conclusion of the landmark Skywalker saga, new legends will be born-and the final battle for freedom is yet to come.

All the characters you have ever loved prepare to fight to the death against the Dark Side. But in spite of all the horror, this is Star Wars. And there is hope, always hope, and the power of the mysterious Force...

And now, time to the review of the most popular posts of March...

Here are the most popular posts of the month:


Civics Education : Zero Discrimination Day : some information

Let's talk about Water Day & COVID-19 : Clean Care is Safe Care !

Au revoir M. Albert Uderzo : hommage

World Poetry Day & Spring time : let's talk about poetry & hope !

Hoping you're enjoying to teach online. Your students need you! It's fun to teach online. I love it!

If you're already back to school, or will be back soon, stay safe!

Hope and resilience! Be kind to those who need you. And patient with your students! It's a difficult time to you and to them.

They would never thought to watch the horrendous news and images. And sometimes feeling apart from their family, a grandmother or a grandfather. Missing the school mates and friends, even from teachers and school.

 "When the world is running down, you make the best of what's still around."

Sting

G-Souto

04.05.2020

Copyright © 2020G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

March in Review & Star Wars : May the 4th Be With You by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Schools : And now, World Poetry Day !

World Poetry Day 

©Shutterstock

https://www.unesco.org/

We have not wings, 

we cannot soar; 

But we have feet to scale and climb 

By slow degrees, by more and more, 

The cloudy summits of our time.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"Poetry is a window onto the breath-taking diversity of humanity."

Irina Bokova, Former Director General, message on World Poetry Day 2017

At a time when the challenges we face – from climate change, inequality and poverty to violent extremism – seem so steep, the words of the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow give us hope.

Those are the first words from Irina Bokova's message for World Poetry Day 2017.

Held every year on 21 March, World Poetry Day celebrates one of humanity’s most treasured forms of cultural and linguistic expression and identity. 

Practiced throughout history – in every culture and on every continent – poetry speaks to our common humanity and our shared values, transforming the simplest of poems into a powerful catalyst for dialogue and peace.

@aoyagi_unesco

UNESCO first adopted 21 March as World Poetry Day during its 30th General Conference in Paris in 1999, with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.

In celebrating World Poetry Day, March 21, UNESCO recognizes the unique ability of poetry to capture the creative spirit of the human mind.

One of the main objectives of the Day is to support linguistic diversity through poetic expression and to offer endangered languages the opportunity to be heard within their communities.

World Poetry Day

credits: UN

https://www.un.org/

World Poetry Day is the occasion to honor poets, revive oral traditions of poetry recitals, promote reading, writing and teaching of poetry, foster the convergence between poetry and other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting, and raise the visibility of poetry in the media.  As poetry continues to bring people together across continents, all are invited to join in.

credits: UN

https://www.un.org/

 

The Nobel prize poet Pablo Neruda wrote, “poetry is an act of peace.” Poetry is unique in its ability to speak across time, space and culture, to reach directly the hearts of people everywhere. This is a wellspring for dialogue and understanding – this has always been a force to challenge injustice and advance freedom. 

As UNESCO’s new Goodwill Ambassador for Artistic Freedom and Creativity, Deeyah Khan has said, all art, including poetry, “has the extraordinary capacity to express resistance and rebellion, protest and hope.” 

Google Doodle:

Nowruz 2017

https://www.google.com/doodles/

"Nowruz is a field where reconciliation and dialogue can take their roots."

Irina Bokova, Former Director General,
Message on International Day of Nowruz 2017

March 21, is also International Day of Nowruz. For more than 3,000 years, people of Persian ancestry have been celebrating Nowruz, the return of Spring and the start of a new year. 

Google celebrates as well the 21 March Nowruz Day with springtime flowers, like the hyacinths and tulips in today’s Doodle.

A combination of the Persian words “now” for new and “ruz” for day, it is often celebrated at the exact moment of the vernal (spring) equinox, when the days start getting longer, and the celebrations can continue for up to two weeks.

Nowruz is a time of joyous renewal. Visits with friends and family, a clean house and new clothes, and special spring foods are traditional ways to celebrate the holiday. 

Perhaps the most enduring image of Nowruz is gathering together with friends and family around a bonfire. People also like to decorate with springtime flowers, like the hyacinths and tulips in today’s Doodle.

Nowruz traditions

https://www.bbc.com/

Inscribed in 2009, and extended in 2016 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as a cultural tradition observed by numerous peoples, Nowruz is an ancestral festivity marking the first day of spring and the renewal of nature.

It promotes values of peace and solidarity between generations and within families as well as reconciliation and neighborliness, thus contributing to cultural diversity and friendship among peoples and different community.

Persian Poetry: Omar Khayyam. Rubáiyát

Translated by Edward FitzGerald with illustrations by Arthur Szyk 

New York: Heritage Press, ca. 1946

https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/

The rich Persian poetry is an ancestral art. The modern Persian speaker comprehends the literature of the earliest Persian poets including founder of the Persian poetry and literature Rudaki (approximately 1150 years ago) all the way down to the works of modern Persian poets. 

I saw a bird near the city of Sarakhs It had raised its song to the clouds I saw a colorful chador on it So many colors on its chador

Abū ‘Abdallāh Rūdakī (858–ca. 941)

Often referred to as the father of modern Persian poetry, the ninth-century Persian poet Abū ‘Abdallāh Rūdakī (858–ca. 941) 

World Poetry Day
credits: Elyx
https://www.facebook.com/ElyxYak/

So, on World Poetry Day, teachers promote teaching poetry, restore a dialogue between poetry and the other arts such as theatre, dance, music, painting and other arts to  create an attractive image of poetry in the school so that the art of poetry will no longer be considered an outdated form of art but one.

Activities:

For different activities, you will find some interesting proposals on my Poetry Day post (2016) here

Poetry Day, UK

https://nationalpoetryday.co.uk/

Education:

World Poetry Day is an opportunity for children to be introduced to poetry in at school (all levels). It is a time when classrooms are busy with lessons related to poetry, in which students examine poets and learn about different types of poetry. 

Students love poetry! Poetry is a good part or Languages and Literature. So here are some ideas that teachers can include into curriculum.

I love poetry. I read often poetry books. Here the reason why I'm always write 

about World Poetry Day and the importance of Poetry in our life. Poetry must be a part of children's education for the next citizen generation, women and men.

In adult life, they will be women and men of dialogue. Only dialogue can be established in difference and respect for difference. And who knows some among our students will be writers and poets.

All the Activities must be adapted to the levels you teach, of course. You will do wonderful I know. Include attractive poems into your lessons, so that the art of poetry will no longer be considered an outdated from of art but one. Poetry is a fundamental expression of peace.

World Poetry Day is symbolic. We can celebrate poetry every day.

"Poetry is not a luxury. It lies at the heart of who we are as women and men, living together today, drawing on the heritage of past generations, custodians of the world for our children and grandchildren. 

By celebrating poetry today, we celebrate our ability to join together, in a spirit of solidarity, to scale and climb “the cloudy summits of our time.” 

We need this to take forward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, to implement the Paris Climate Agreement, to ensure no woman or man is left behind."

Irina Bokova, Former Director-General of UNESCO

G-Souto

20.03.2017
Copyright © 2017G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

Schools : And now World Poetry Day ! by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

World Poetry Day in school ! Resources

© Peter Reynolds drawing

https://www.peterhreynolds.com/

"In celebrating World Poetry Day, UNESCO wishes also to promote the values that poetry conveys, for poetry is a journey – not in a dream world, but often close to individual emotions, aspirations and hopes. Poetry gives form to the dreams of peoples and expresses their spirituality in the strongest terms-- it emboldens all of us also to change the world."

Irina Bokova, Former Director-General of UNESCO

Message for the World Poetry Day

Every year on 21 March, UNESCO celebrates the World Poetry Day. A decision to proclaim 21 March as "World Poetry Day" was adopted during the UNESCO’s 30th session held in Paris in 1999.

The aim is to promote the reading, writing and teaching of poetry:

According to UNESCO: 'World Poetry Day is an invitation to reflect on the power of language and the full development of each person’s creative abilities'.

So, Poetry Day means to support poetry, return to the oral tradition of poetry recitals, promote teaching poetry, restore a dialogue between poetry and the other arts such as theatre, dance, music, painting and so on, support small publishers and create an attractive image of poetry in the media so that the art of poetry will no longer be considered an outdated form of art but one.

credits: The Stick Guy

https://markewbie.weebly.com/

Education:


World Poetry Day is an opportunity for children to be introduced to poetry in at school (all levels). It is a time when classrooms are busy with lessons related to poetry, in which students examine poets and learn about different types of poetry. 

Students love poetry! 

I would like to celebrate on this day the Portuguese poetry for chidren and youth. So I suggest two books from the Portuguese poet Manuel António Pina who died last October, 2012.

Manuel António Pina, awarded with the famous Prémio Camões 2011. He didn't wrote only for youth. Manuel A. Pina is one of most important Portuguese poets. His books are translated in Spanish, Danish and Bulgarian.

O Pássaro da Cabeça& mais versos para crianças

Children's poetry | Primary Education

Manuel A. Pina

illustrations: Ilda David

credits: Assírio & Alvim

Todas as Palavras/ Poetry

Youth poetry | Secondary Education

Manuel A. Pina

illustrations: Ilda David

credits: Assírio & Alvim

If you are a teacher who teaches Portuguese language and literature in Portugal or foreign countries, you may like to promote Manuel António Pina poetry in your lessons in "World Poetry Day 2013".

There are other poets present on this blog: Fernando Pessoa at Google doodle celebrates Fernando Pessoa or Jorge Luis Borges at Google doodle celebrates Jorge Luis Borges.

credits: unknown

Some Activities:

• Encourage your students to read and write their own poetry in the classroom. For some ideas, please read my post: It's About Twiter and Poetry (World Poetry Day 2011);

• Award your students for best and creative poems! Students love 'awards'!

• Invite to learn from the proverbs of your country, and discover the poetic teachings of others;

• Read up about riddles, limericks and sonnets with students to liven up your school libraries;

• Promote a contest of poetry between different classes at you school or other schools;

• Share some little Portuguese poems written by my students here or here (the blog is for my students in Portuguese Language curriculum): students read some traditional Portuguese riddles as inspiration for their creative written;

• Invite a young poet to talk about his poetry with your students at school;

• Go on the city, at book stores, metro stations, gardens, and inspire your students to read some poetry. Remember Let's Play Music! (World Music Day 2012);

• Promote some exhibitions and poetry events in your school to be held to showcase the work of various 'young poets' (school  students) on or around March 21 to coincide more or less with "World Poetry Day";

• Support Poetry by inviting your students and their parents buying books of young poets (sometimes, parents ask teachers for some advices about books for their children);

• Support poetry on school radio, in school journals and display videos about poets! Bright Star by Jane Campion is a lovely film about poetry and John Keats' poetry;

• Finally, if you have decided to introduce the Portuguese poet Manuel António Pina, you can display in the classroom as a motivation the video tribute to the poet (Portuguese language as mother tongue or foreign language).

Documentário Manuel António Pina from Terra Líquida Filmes on Vimeo.

All the activities must be adapted to the levels you are teaching : Primary education to Secondary and Vocational Education.

"Poetry is one of the purest expressions of linguistic freedom. It is a component of the identity of peoples and it embodies the creative energy of culture, for it can be continuously renewed".

Irina Bokova, Former Director-General of UNESCO

G-Souto

21.03.2013

Copyright © 2013G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

World Poetry Day at school by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.