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Festablog

Il blog per imparare a condividere

THE SEASONS ON EARTH

A season is a division of the year, marked by changes in weather
Seasons result from the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the plane of revolution.

During June, July and August, the northern hemisphere is exposed to more direct sunlight because the hemisphere faces the sun. The same is true of the southern hemisphere in December, January, and February. It is the tilt of the Earth that causes the Sun to be higher in the sky during the summer months which increases the solar flux

 stel
The Earth's axis is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees. This tilting is what gives us the four seasons of the year - spring, summer, autumn (fall) and winter. Since the axis is tilted, different parts of the globe are oriented towards the Sun at different times of the year.
Summer is warmer than winter (in each hemisphere) because the Sun's rays hit the Earth at a more direct angle during summer than during winter and also because the days are much longer than the nights during the summer. During the winter, the Sun's rays hit the Earth at an extreme angle, and the days are very short. These effects are due to the tilt of the Earth's axis.
 
                 
 
  gradi  solst
 
 

Solstices
The solstices are days when the Sun
reaches its farthest northern and southern declinations. The winter solstice occurs on December 21 or 22 and marks the beginning of winter (this is the shortest day of the year). The summer solstice occurs on June 21 and marks the beginning of summer (this is the longest day of the year).

Equinoxes
Equinoxes are days in which day and night are of equal duration. The two yearly equinoxes occur when the Suncrosses the celestial equator.

The vernal equinox occurs in late March (this is the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of fall in the Southern Hemisphere); the autumnal equinox occurs in late September (this is the beginning of fall in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of spring in the Southern

Spring Equinox : day and night are each 12 hours long and the sun is at the midpoint of the sky.

Summer Solstice: the longest day of the year, when the sun is at its most northern point in the sky.

Autumn Equinox: day and night are each 12 hours long and the sun is at the midpoint of the sky.

Winter Solstice: the shortest day of the year, when the sun is at itsmost southern point in the sky.

 

  solstice

CHINESE NEW YEAR

Chinese New Year is the biggest holiday celebrated among Chinese people. It is often referred to as the spring festival because it signals the beginning of spring. It is a time when families and friends get together to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new. It originally lasted for about 4 weeks, but now only lasts for 3-5 days.

The holiday originated when a beast named Nian (which means year in Chinese) came out the night before the new year and started to prey on the people in the villages. Of course, the people were very frightened by this monster and so a brave old man went up to the beast and said to him that instead of eating the people of the villages, he should eat the other beasts that frightened these people. Nian followed the old man's request and all of the beasts were chased into the forest. The old man rode away on Nian's back, and as it turns out, the man was an immortal god. The people of the village were very grateful to the old man for giving them a peaceful life. Before the old man left for good, he told the people to put up red paper decorations on their windows and doors at the beginning of each new year because the color red scared the beast. They also set off firecrackers to scare away the horrible beast. This is only a legend about how Chinese New Year

 dra  dra

An interesting thing about Chinese New Year is that very few people know when this holiday is celebrated without looking at a traditional Chinese calendar because it never falls on the same day. The ancient Chinese used a lunar calendar. (Today we use solar calendars.) On a lunar calendar, the new year begins the first night of the new moon after the sun enters Aquarius. This date is anywhere between January 20 and February 19 (on a solar calendar).

In 2010, Chinese New Year is celebrated on February 14. In the Chinese calendar, it is the year 4707, and the Year of the Tiger.

 

During the Chinese New Year's celebration, people participate in many traditional activities. The Chinese believe that as they enter a new year, they should put behind them all things of the past. They clean their houses, pay off debts, buy new clothes, paint their doors and window and even get new haircuts. These activities symbolize new life and new beginnings.

Homes are decorated with flowers and paper decorations stating wishes of prosperity, good luck, happiness, good fortune, wealth, and longevity for the coming year. Decorations of the incoming zodiac animal are also displayed. Red and gold are very popular colors to decorate with. Red represents power happiness, vitality (and scares away beasts). Gold represents wealth and good fortune.
One very important tradition of the Chinese New Year is exchanging gifts

 cal

The dragon is another popular symbol for Chinese New Year. It is a symbol of strength, goodness, and good luck, and supernatural forces. The dragon is said to be a mythical combination of many animals. During New Years, one of the main events is a large parade down the city streets. As part of this parade, people dress up in dragon costumes and dance down the streets. These costumes are made of brightly colored silk and decorated very extravagantly. Some of the dragons are 100 feet long! Men and boys perform intricate dragon dances with one person manipulating the head of the dragon and the rest moving the body.

A Chinese New Year celebration would not be complete without fireworks. There are many beliefs about why fireworks are used. One is that the noise wakes up the dragon who will fly across the sky to bring the spring rain for the crops. Another belief is that the noise of the fireworks is supposed to scare away all evil spirits and misfortunes, preventing them from coming into the new year. In fact, gunpowder was invented in China over 1000 years ago for that very purpose. Firecrackers are thrown at the feet of the dragons in the parade to keep them awake for the celebration. The dragons are believed to sleep the rest of the year.

capodanno   dragon

GOOSE and TURKEY

   

                                   

The two birds traditionally eaten at Christmas time are the goose and the turkey. Eating of goose dates from the days of Queen Elisabeth I.

Legend tells that she was eating this particular dish on Christmas Eve in 1588, when news came that Spanish Armada had been defeated by English troops.
 The Queen declared that goose should always be eaten as Christmas celebration.

 
Queen Elisabeth I

 

It’s also told that her father KingHenry VIII was the first person recorded to have eaten turkey on Christmas Day.             

 
King Henry VIII

 

Originally the turkey came from the country of Mexico. It was introduced to Europe after the Discovery of America, but it was too expensive for most people. In northern England roast beef was the traditional dish for Christmas dinner while in London and the south England, goose was favourite.

 

 Only by the end of the 19th century most people feasted on turkey for their Christmas dinner.

 
Queen Victoria I

 

 Immagine di Silvia

 
Immagine di Silvia

Nowadays, turkey has taken over from goose and beef as the most festive dish.

THE UNITED KINGDOM and THE UNION JACK

The United Kingdom includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
 the capital city of England is London;

thecapital city of Scotland is Edimburgh;

The capital city of Wales is Cardif;

the capital city of Northern Ireland is Belfast.

The Flag Of United Kingdom is called
Union Jack

The Union Jack includes three different flags with different crosses:

The cross of St.George, the patron saint of England;

The cross of St. Andrews, the patron saint of Scotland;

The cross of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

 The flag of Wales is green and white with a red dragon in the middle. It’s the emblem of St. David, the patron saint of Wales. It isn’t included in the Union Jack because Wales was already united to England when the Union Jack was designed in 1606

The flag was called Union Jack because “Union” stands to symbolize the union of the nations, but historians do not agree on the origin of name of “Jack”.

Some say it’s the nickname of King James I who, in 1603, united England and Scotland;

Others say it’s called Jack like the “Jack staff”, the tall pole of the ship where flags wave

FEELINGS

Her football team has won the cup:
She's happy
 (Erik and Luca)

Her mum and dad give her a present:
She' shappy
(Matteo and Letizia)

She took a bad mark:
She's sad
(Emilia and Sofia)

She's fallen from her bike:
She's sad
(Sara e Corinna)

His pencil's broken:
He's angry
(Alessandro)

She's scared because there's a bee in the classroom
(Lorenzo)

There's a monster in the cupboard:
He's scared
(Leonardo and Fabio)

She's played volleyball all day long:
She's tired
(Eugenia)

   

BRIEF STORIES

 

IN THE AFTERNOON AT SCHOOL CAMP


 AT HOME

 

 

CHRISTMAS TRADITION



                                                                                                                  Riccardo C.

 Giada Gnignera

WATER CYCLE

HALLOWEEN HISTORY and ORIGIN

The origin of Halloween comes from the tradition of the Celtic people. They held celebration near the end of our month of October, which they called “Samhain”.
Samhain is a festival to celebrate the end of summer. Celt people offered food to the Gods.
During this festivity, they often went from door to door to collect food to donate to their deities. Young Celts asked for wood, and take it to top of the hill for the Samhain bonfire.
That ‘s the possible origin of “ trick or treat ’’.


Valentina

Samhain was fire festival. Sacred bonfire were lit on the tops of hills in honor of the Gods. People took an ember from the bonfire to their home and re-light the fire in their family hearth
The ember was carrier in an empty pumpkin. That’s the possible origin of Jack o’ lantern. 


Giorgia

Later, Romans celebrated the Pomona festival at the same period .
Then
, Christian people celebrated the All Hallow’s Eve (October the 31st), at the same period.
 That’s why nowadays the festivity is called Halloween
 


Denis


Giulio


Benedetta


Alessandro e Andrea M.

CHOCOLATE IS DELICIOUS

 


The first people who made chocolate were Maya and Aztec from Mexico and Central America.They used to grind cocoa seeds and mix them with water, then they used to add various seasonings to make a spicy, frothy, bitter drink.                                                               

Before chocolate was a sweet candy, it was a bitter and spicy drink.

About in 1521, a spanish conqueror, Hernaldo Cortès, brought the cocoa plant to Europe.
In Europe, the drink’s popularity spread throughout the continent.
New technologies and innovations have changed the texture and taste of chocolate.
the first Chocolate House was opened in London in 1657.

 COCOA TREE
Since the cocoa tree needs to grow in tropical climate, the Europeans exported it to
some regions of Africa.
Cocoa trees make pods which turn yellow when they are ripe.
The cocoa pods are full of beans.
The beans are  roasted and ground to make chocolate powder.

     
    Filippo                  Gaia               Greta

   
   ClaudiaV.   
               

Nowadays Everyone

Likes Chocolate

 
                  Roberta

 

                              
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

VAN GOGH and his ART

Learning Art in English

Vincent Van Gogh is a very famous painter.
He was born in Holland in 1853.
Van Gogh's first paintings were about poor people.
In the beginning his paintings were dark and sad.
He spent some year in France where he got in touch with impressionist painters.
Characteristics of Impressionist painting include visible brushstrokes.
Van Gogh was very poor and he wasn't famous when he was alive. He became famous only after his death. He died in 1890

His Paintings


1885

 The Potato Eaters
In the foreground, the painting shows five peasants sitting around a table.
The peasants' faces are serious and sad because they are very poor people. (Greta and Roberta)

Van Gogh 's self-portrait.
This is VanGogh 's self-portrait when he was 34 years old.
In this painting the brushstrokes, typical of the Impressionist Art , are quite visible. (Paolo and Alex)


1887

Starry Night.
It's a very famous painting.
In the foreground there are some cypresses, in the background you can see a small village and a starry sky. (Erika and Carlotta)

Van Gogh Paintings

Our Paintings

 

Erika

 

 

Claudia V.

 

 

Gaia

 

 

Roberta

 

Carlotta 

 

 

Greta

 

 

Marta

 

 

Claudia C.

HALLOWEEN

 

PREMIO LETTERARIO

In un mondo sperduto dove la campanella suona circa dieci volte al giorno, i più forti del reame lottano per la sopravvivenza scolastica.

 Quest'anno, lottando ...lottando, non ci siamo accontentati della vincita per il nostro blog, ma.......

Leggete.....leggete......

Abbiamo vinto anche il premio letterario indetto dalla nostra scuola.

 

Hip hip urrà in prima media si va!!!    

                             

 

Ecco la motivazione del premio letterario:
Buona raccolta poetica composta da poesie brevi ed originali che fanno un uso accorto della parola e creano nel lettore delle emozioni suggestive.
GRAZIE ALLA GIURIA!

Le poesie che abbiamo presentato al concorso sono pubblicate su questo blog.

A RHYTHM

Follow our rhythm

 

 

L'INFINITO ed OLTRE

Riportiamo in chiaro un feedback  di Rosa, mamma di Silvia, e la ringraziamo del suo   prezioso contributo alla nostra ricerca
 "L'Infinito ed Oltre"
                                                                                 

Care ragazze e ragazzi, siete veramente molto bravi. Ho letto i vostri commenti sulle poesie di Leopardi e ho pensato a quanto sia triste la solitudine e quanto sia bella l'amicizia. Vi mando  un testo che parla di amicizia. a me è piaciuto e a voi? (Rosa)

C'era una volta un ragazzo con un pessimo carattere. Suo padre gli dà un sacchetto pieno di chiodi e gli dice di piantarne uno nella palizzata del giardino ogni volta che perde la pazienza e/o che bisticcia con qualcuno
Il primo giorno ne pianta 37 nella palizzata del giardino.
 Le settimane seguenti, impara a controllarsi e i numeri dei chiodi piantati nella palizzata diminuisce di giorno in giorno: scopre che è più facile imparare a controllarsi che piantare i chiodi.
Finalmente, arriva il giorno in cui il ragazzo non pianta
 nessun chiodo nella palizzata.
Allora va dal padre e gli dice che oggi non ha avuto
 bisogno di piantare nessun chiodo.
Suo padre allora gli dice di levare un chiodo dalla palizzata per ogni giorno che riesce a non perdere la pazienza.
I giorni passano e finalmente il ragazzo può dire al padre che ha
levato tutti i chiodi dalla palizzata.
Il padre conduce il figlio davanti alla palizzata e gli dice:
« Figliolo, ti sei comportato bene ma guarda quanti buchi hai lasciato nella palizzata »
Non sarà mai come prima.
Quando litighi con qualcuno e gli dici delle cose cattive,
gli lasci delle ferite come queste.
Puoi infilzare un uomo con un coltello, e poi toglierlo,
 ma lascerai sempre una ferita.
Poco importa quante volte ti scuserai, la ferita rimarrà.
Una ferita verbale fà altrettanto male di una fisica.

Gli amici sono dei gioelli rari, ti fanno sorridere e ti incoraggiano.
Sono pronti ad ascoltarti quando hai bisogno,
ti sostengono e ti aprono il loro cuore.
Mostra ai tuoi amici quanto li ami.

    

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