Romanian School Amsterdam

Scope:

• Cultivate a positive attitude towards the Romanian language and recognizing its role in personal development and cultural enrichment
• Develop an interest in intercultural communication

Objectives:

• Form and develop the culture of communication in teenagers through the mastery of language skills and literary-artistic cultural skills
• Develop an apetite for information, knowledge, and openness towards new horizons
• Encourage youth on the path to intellectual exploration
• Form cultural representations regarding the values of the romanian language
• Develop oral and written communication skills in Romanian

Teaching methods:

The introduction to the study of the Romanian language, culture, and civilization will be undertaken through the interference of notions from different areas of interest for teenagers: literature, music, art, film, history, geography, etc. by using captivating presentations, videos, and discussions on predetermined themes.

Themes:

• Big names in Romanian culture: Dimitrie Cantemir – author of the first Romanian novel; Mihai Eminescu – “Luceafărul”  Romanian poetry; Ion Creangă – unmatched storyteller; Traian Vuia – the man who demonstrated that planes can fly; Constantin Brâncuși – creator of timeless operas; Gheorghe Zamfir – innovator of the nai (pan flute); George Enescu – the complete artist: composer, conductor, violinist, pianist, professor; Mircea Eliade.
• Literature as a cultural dimension showcasing the art of the written word (creative writing workshop);

• “Cartea bate filmul” (memorable screenings of famous books: Toate pânzele sus! by Radu Tudoran, Amintiri din copilărie by Ion Creangă

• Famous screenings: Life of Pi, The Champion, Lord of the Rings
• Important myths about the Romanian people (Monastirea Argeșului (Argesului Monastery) – the myth of the sacrifice for creation, Miorița – assumption and destiny);
• Knowledge and self-knowledge
• Debates on different topics: literature, music, art, geography, history, religion, etc.
• Traditions and habits specific to our people (Christmas, New Year, Ester, Sânziene etc.);
• Workshop on traditional crafts: sewing, crocheting, knitting.

Objectives:

• becoming familiarized with the Romanian language and culture by presenting a rich educational and cultural program that uses creative and playful methods. In this respect, the children will be acquainted with Romanian stories, mythology, songs, games, customs, and traditions;
• broadening the knowledge about the Romanian language, as well as and promoting and learning about the Romanian culture and spiritual values;
• encouraging the sense of community and of belonging to a culture in the context of belonging to and being in touch with other cultures.

Benefits:

• developing the ability to communicate verbally and in writing in Romanian;
• creating an automatism and the basic structures of the Romanian language;
• learning Romanian songs and poems;
• acquiring knowledge about the geography, history, traditions, and customs in Romania.

Method:

During classes a variety of topics dealing with the Romanian culture and our daily lives will be approached in a playful manner, tailored to the children’s ages and knowledge level.

By using teaching games, conversations, reading, explanations, and role plays, it will be easy and fun to learn Romanian language and culture concepts.

The materials used will be: posters, worksheets, stories, illustrations, short animations, CDs, and DVDs.

Indicative topics:

• discovering new friends and places;
• the magic of the fall season (on the path of fall, fall’s basket, flowers, scent, color);
• me and my world (the body, the senses, the family);
• museum and art;
• winter in pictures and words (playing outside, winter and animals);
• winter traditions and customs.

Objectives:

• Accumulate of basic knowledge about the Romanian language
• Familiarization with the pronunciation of specific sounds in Romanian
• Developing the capacity to understand simple contexts
• Developing the capacity to adequately answer different situations presented over the course of the lessons
• Acquiring a basic vocabulary

Methods:

The communicative method will be predominantly used, and the most often used language will be Romanian. If necessary, explanations can also be offered in English, French, or Dutch. Each lesson will also cover some cultural knowledge.

Benefits:

• pronunciation;
• vocabulary and basic knowledge.

We live in a world in which technology is an inescapable aspect of our daily lives. Most children have access to smartphones with cameras. Many of them, already from a young age, find themselves attracted to their parents’ cameras, trying, on one hand, to imitate them, and on the other, to follow their curiosity regarding technology, unconsciously choosing this as a medium of self-expression.

What is interesting, however, is the children’s perspective and the way in which they see the world. Their imagination and their intuition is most often innocent, yet also very interesting. You will discover that they see the world very differently from adults. Which is only natural.

On the other hand, the imagination of some children can be sparked further through the medium of photography, thereby discovering unique ways to explore and understand the world around them.

Alongside this, using technical and conceptual skills, as well as learning how to use and handle a camera, they can evaluate the way in which they express themselves through photography.

This course aims to spark the appetite for photography in children, first by presenting several elementary technical functions of a camera so they understand how it works. Then, they will understand that taking photos isn’t arbitrary, but that they can make choices based on perspective. Later, the children will be given freedom to explore and discover which type of photography they would like to experiment with.

It is important for every child to have their own small digital camera such that this other way of playing can start.

Objectives:

This course aims to be recreational, entertaining, and relaxational. Together we will learn how to play games a little differently.

The game helps solve many problems we often face in relation to school, all sorts of educational activities, or our personal lives.

The game itself consists of a little equation. It connects intuition with the subconscious, contributing, in a surprising way, to the resolution of a situation. Simultaneously, the game trains the body and mind, making us aware of our limits and how we can confront or overcome them, but also how vast our capacities are, supporting a harmonious development of our qualities.

Benefits:

• Articulate self-expression (physical and verbal) in front of an audience;
• Improvement of communication skills with family, friends, and at school
• Increased self-confidence

Methods:

This workshop is based, for the most part, on improv exercises inspired from theatre but also on other applications pertinent to other forms of expression, such as general culture, visual arts, dance, and singing.

The teaching methods vary based on the ages of participants and their preparation, but as a starting point and framework, Viola Spolin’s theatrical improv method and elements from viewpoints will be used. This American method was inspired by contemporary dance and aids in the structuring of thoughts, speech, and movement.

To begin, children will learn through improv to become conscious of their own feelings and analyze their source, becoming capable of gesticulating their emotions, speech, and behavior. Then, using these new abilities, they will engage in storytelling, studying texts in Romanian and beyond (poems, stories, scenes, songs), further gaining an awareness of their feelings and emotions, reaching a higher level of physical and mental training through the activity.

Objectives:

Children will come into contact with different materials and tools and ways in which they are utilized. In this way, they will learn:

• To distinguish between and name shapes and colors
• To obtain different efects when combining shapes and colors
• To visualize and model shapes in space using skills such as: overlapping, collages, spraying, blowing, folding etc.;
• To obtain plastic and decorative compositions

Benefits

• A space of creativity, expression, communication, and relaxation through drawing and color
• Stimulation and development of creativity and imagination
• Encouraging children to express themselves freely in a playful and interactive and manner, using varied support and techniques

Teaching methods:

Vary based on the age of children and their preparation

Objectives:

• Introduce children to complex musical compositions through musical games
• Teach songs that can be interpreted in different ways, enriched and transformed through play.

Music, the unifying element, the second form of communication after the mother tongue. A workshop for the whole family.

Benefits:

• We sing together and learn Romanian songs;
• We compile a collection of texts and, eventually, sheet music belonging to different genres
• Guitar lessons, mandolin lessons, piano initiation
• Choir.

ike a game, traditional Romanian dance is a complex activity which involves both body and mind. It can be performed by professional dancers, but also by amateurs, with one condition: the passion for tradition, accompanied by the desire to discover and know it.

Traditional Romanian dance can be performed individually or in a group, in a circle or in a line, or in pairs of two, three, or more.

All folkloric dances, despite their many differences, share an exciting music and rhythm, expressing the happiness and passion for a good time of each dancer, big or small.

By learning traditional Romanian dance, children will discover the magic of folkloric dance and of national identity, a medium full of music and harmony, a world filled with rituals, habits, and traditional symbols.

Even if this is their first experience, children will progress step by step from the music’s rhythm, to the basic steps, and then to more complex choreography. Each folkloric dance is repeated over the course of the lessons, in order for children to become capable of correctly performing every move and choreography.

Benefits:

• Familiarizing children with Romanian dances, habits, and traditions;
• Cultivating love and respect for cultural traditions; their knowledge and valuation;
• Implementing some dances and songs in combination with stories and traditional Romanian fairy tales;
• Stimulating and involving parents in a common activity.