Thanks to the European Union Student Exchange programme called Erasmus Plus Programme and thanks to Rachel, LDB amazing Music teacher, 10 motivated LDB students have won a free trip to the island of Malta.

Malta

Here is what 4 very lucky LDB students have written about it:

"We are Simon, Théo, Dorian and Léo. We live in the East of France and we go to LDB school in Ancemont. We are 14 years old. We are participating in an Erasmus Plus European project called Comenius project.

This is the Comenius logo. It is a photo montage designed by last year's students. It represents the European flag and the five flags of the countries which are participating in the project : France, Belgium, Malta, Hungury and Italy. All the flags “dive” into the water.

There are ten officially selected pupils from LDB school, out of fifteen at the beginning.

We are going to Malta from November 30th to  December 6^th to represent France. We are flying from Paris airport with 3 teachers."

TO BE CONTINUED...

After watching a few extracts from the film Ruby Bridges, we studied this painting by Norman Rockwell:

The Problem we All Live With

Arthur and Thomas wrote: "This a painting by Norman Rockwell. It is an oil canvas painted in 1964. It is The Problem we all live with.

It shows Ruby Bridges, a 6 year-old little black girl, walking to school escorted by 4 US marshals in New Orleans in 1960. Ruby is wearing white only because white is the colour of peace and innocence. She is carrying her school stuff. She doesn't seem scared, she seems calm and confident.

We can't see the faces of her bodyguards. They are wearing suits and yellow arm bands.

We like this painting because it is beautiful."

Pauline C. and Elodie wrote: "The painting measures 36 inches high by 58 inches wide. We like it because it is against racism. We think Ruby was brave."

Hugo said : "I don't like this painting because the people were racist." 

We have studied this sculpture in class and this is what some of my 14-year-old pupils think:

Emilie : "This is a picture. On this photo I can see a sculpture of an American woman pushing a shopping cart full of junk food. This sculpture looks real. The sculptor is Duane Hanson.

Supermarket Lady by Duane HANSON, 1969-70

The woman isn't elegant, she is overweight. She is unattractive. She doesn't seem cheerful. She isn't smiling. She is middle-aged, maybe she is in her forties.  She is wearing a pink top, a blue skirt and light blue slippers. She has got  a yellow necklace, a bracelet and a black handbag. She has got curlers in her hair and she has a yellow scarf on her head. She is smoking a cigarette.

In her trolley there is so much bad food. For example, there is chocolate, sugar, cans, cakes but she doesn't buy fruits and vegetables ! I think she rarely does the cooking. Maybe she is a couch potato.

Duane Hanson wanted to denounce mass consumption in the USA in the 60's.

I like this sculputure because it is realistic, but I don't like it because the woman is ugly. So, I don't know if I like this sculpture or not."

Théo : " Duane Hanson was a Pop art artist. He wanted to criticize overconsumption and the consumer society."

Alice : "Duane Hanson was an American sculptor. He was born in 1925 and he died in 1996."

Paul : "The woman is unattractive. She is pushing a trolley full of fatty food in a supermarket."

Mathilde H. : "The woman is horrible. She is chubby."

Clarice : "The sculpture seems real."

Mathilde L. : "The full-scale sculpture is 1,66 m tall. The woman always eats fast food and she never eats healthy food. She should go on a diet or she should do sport !"

Justine : "I don't like this sculpture because it is not beautiful."

These texts were written by the pupils without any help. They didn't use the internet nor their notebooks.

To learn more about Duane Hanson, click here.

To discover more sculptures by Duane Hanson, click here.