Welcome!

Welcome!

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

ECA (英語基礎表現) II (P): 地図・地理の描写

Hello!



How are you? Today, let's look at maps (地図) and geography (地理) - and how to describe (描写して) and match some points about countries. The map above is of Mongolia

Activity
On a separate sheet, you have some descriptions (描写) about countries. Mongolia has already been done for you - it's the first picture.

Now look at the maps of different countries below. Can you match the right countries with the right descriptions? 

Ireland

Saudi Arabia

Switzerland

Costa Rica

Nepal

Have fun! 

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Images: Top - from www.journal.forces.gc.ca/Ireland map - from www.voyagesphotosmanu.com/Saudi Arabia map - from Zawaj.com/Switzerland map - from Maps of World/Costa Rica map - from World Atlas/Nepal map - from University of Texas Libraries/All rights reserved to respective copyright holders. No copyright infringement intended. Uploaded for educational purposes only.

ECA (Speaking) I (All): クリスマスの伝統

Hello!



How are you? The picture above is a close-up photo of a Christmas tradition (伝統) in Ireland - making candle holders with colored paper and put in people's windows.

Let's look at these other Christmas traditions from around the world. Let's ask some questions about these traditions:


What country do you think people do this in?
Where do you think people put these lights?
Why do you think they put them in lines and circles? 


What country do you think people do this in?
Who does this?
Why do you think they put these presents in shoes?



What country do you think people do this in?
What does this tradition mean? (この伝統はどういうみですか?)
What's inside it?
What do you think the figures mean?



What country do you think people make this in?
What is it?
What's inside it?
Is it hot or cold?



What country do you think people make these in?
What are they?
What's inside them?
Do you think anything happens when you separate them?



What country do you think people make these in?
What are they?
What's inside them?
Do you think they have a special meaning?

Have fun asking these questions and answering with your ideas! Remember - it's okay to guess (I think…)!

I have the answers about the countries that these traditions are done in - if you can't guess them all, ask me!

See you after the holidays! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


Images: Top and all other photos taken as screenshots from ParentTrap.com. All rights reserved. Screenshots uploaded for illustrative and educational purposes only. No copyright infringement intended. 

Monday, December 19, 2016

ECA (Global Understanding): 神秘について、不思議なストーリーズ

Hello!



How are you? Today I'd like to post a few of your own stories about some mysteries (神秘). 

These are imagined stories about mysteries around the world - strange, but all in good fun. Here's one of them about the picture above - the Bermuda Triangle

Under the Bermuda triangle, there is Ryugu Castle. Across the area, people hear mystery singing voice. And then, people go to Bermuda Triangle, to make sure who sing the song. When they go there, people surprised. Because there is mermaid. She is so beautiful!! She is smiling. She asked to them, "Do you wanna come to Ryugu Castle?" Of course, people follow her. And then, there are still no people who come back. Well, is there heaven or hell? Nobody knows the answer.

Very interesting! A mermaid and a castle are responsible for all those ships and planes that go missing! Here's another one, about Easter Island: 


The official name is Rapa Nui Island. There is on island made of submarine volcanoes. Green when there is the rich land at the same time is a solitary island in the distant sea where several strange images are built. Their image is called Moai. All of the images are facing the sea. They have a far look like appeal to something far away in anticipation.

In this island there is a tradition from the ancient times. 1,200 years ago, an immigrant group was in this island. They created the altar and the Moai in order to worship the great ancestors. In the eyes of this image it was believed that spiritual power dwells. However, influential people increased the population when each of the village clans had split. They began making the altars and the Moai in every village. Tribes began fighting each other. Images that would enshrine the ancestors also crushed the people in the battle of the villages. Therefore, a legend is that the images have sadness every night from the wailing spirits of poor. It’s happening such phenomenon even now.

Wow! That's incredible. Wailing spirits…now here's another one, about Stonehenge - or more exactly, the "Miracle of Stonehenge"


We think around 3,000 years ago, in that place they had a wedding. Two big tribes made a wedding for their next generation. So they want it as luxury as much as they can do. They brought some big ice in the Northern country, but they couldn't move it because it was too heavy.

At the same time, some fairies came there and saw that. So they decided to help them. But the rules of heaven is do not let the human know that fairy is real, so they had an idea that they will change into aliens. They helped them brought ices from the Northern country to move to England.

Why we choice the title is because they brought an ice of the north but why now it is a hard rock. We thought in the Northern have somewhere human did not discover before so maybe from north they have a hard rock that have been covered by ice.

They brought it when an ice still in a hard rock and temperature at that time was cold. But now global warming made ice melt, so now what we can see just hard rocks.

Incredible! Fairies and ice! 

These were interesting stories about your own ideas on these mysteries.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you in January!

Images: Top - By Bermudan_kolmio.jpg: Alphaiosderivative work: -Majestic- (talk) - Bermudan_kolmio.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6916509/Easter Island - By Aurbina - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=133096/Stonehenge - http://www.history.com/topics/british-history/stonehenge/All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. All rights reserved.

Thursday, December 15, 2016

ECA (英語基礎表現) II (Super A): 作文6の附記、サポート

Hello!


How are you? Here is more support for our 6th writing assignment (作文6) about the people affected by the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami in the Tohoku.

While we read and hear about refugees coming to Europe from the Middle East (中東), in a way Japan has its own refugees - the people affected by the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami in the Tohoku.

It has been over five years since then, and many people in Fukushima, and other parts of the Tohoku, have still not recovered. Many are still living in temporary housing and are not able to go back to where they were living in the areas that were affected, while some have left the area and are living in other parts of Japan.

Characterization (性格描写)
For the 6th writing assignment, one thing I'd like you to do is to characterize (特徴付けて) yourselves as people in the Tohoku who experinced the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Below are some examples of characterization about a related theme on refugees (難民) my Super A students did two years ago. Take a look at these as great examples for you to think about in your characterizations about the experiences in the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami:


I am in the hospital now. Because I undergo an examination to go to Japan. Not only me but also my family undergo it. In other words, my family and I are doing to move Japan. My family is my father, mother and one sister. Only I haven’t finished an examination yet. I’m afraid of an injection. I wish I’m not injected.

Moving to Japan is sad. Because we are leaving our hometown soon. Also I must make my farewells to my friends. I don’t know when we can meet again. I received letters and pictures from my friends yesterday. They are my important treasures. Although leaving my hometown is sad very much, I am looking forward to living Japan. I think Japan is a beautiful country, I want to learn Japanese culture and I’m interested in Japanese. Japan seems a fun country. However I have a question. “Is Japan a beautiful country?” I have been told about Japan from my parents. “Wars aren’t happened in Japan. Japanese environment is good and Japan is a developed country. But there are some troubles even Japan. They are relations to other countries, political problems, homeless and so on.” Although it’s difficult for me to understand them, I’ll learn about them.

Here's another: 

 

I feel very depressed at this moment on the boat. I usually don't get sea-sick, but I feel like I'm about to throw up. Too many people on one boat. I see some girls crying, grabbing mother's sleeves. Some adults are singing the national anthem for not to forget our mother country. I didn't want to leave my country. I asked my girlfriend, well, mu 'ex' girlfriend to come with me, but she said "no". Here I am. Standing on the boat with my pals, sharing our least moist cigarettes. 

Few of my pals are very pumped up and excited to go to Japan, but I'm not. Is it because of my ex, or my anti-fish feeling? I don't know. I guess I'd have to start very slowly to get used to new cultures. I'm feeling melancholic. I don't care how my life's going to be. I don't mind living in the city or country. I don't mind living with ten other people in one tiny room. My only wish is only her. Oh boy…I can't swim. 

Here's one more:

 File:Evstafiev-travnik-refugees.jpg

I’m 76 years old now. That story is when I was 40 years old. My wife is gone, because my wife was dead by war. I’m so sad and I can’t live without the wife. But I have to live. So I escaped my country seven years ago. I saving money now, because I’m hoping to go to Japan, and I want to have private business. I have two children, who is one boy and one girl. My job is making traditional things. So I want to know a lot of people that what kind of my job and what is the traditional things. My country’s traditional things are textile and ceramic ware. It is my pride to make traditional things. I go to unknown country called Japan and want to spread this traditional quality.

When I was 40 years old, I got a visa to go to Japan at last. Children were delight with me, but we were full of uneasiness. We tanked people who were taken care of so far and on the day to go to Japan, went to the airport. We boarded an airplane. When we arrived at Japan at the first time, it was very cold and it snowed in winter. We were so surprised because we saw snow for the first time. There was our house in the place called Azabu. There was the town which was quiet and seemed to be safe. When we opened the shop, Japanese people were interested in and they saw it. Article and we. Five years later, I thought Japanese people is so kind but introverted and so negative. Some people is positive but almost negative. But now, we are used to life in Japan and live happily. We love Japan. My job and life is success!!

Special note about the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant disaster (福島第一原子力発電所事故
To give you some more background that might help you with your writing, here is a video produced in the U.S. in 2011 after the 3/11 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami about the health risks from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant disaster.

In 1979, in the U.S., a nuclear power plant in the eastern U.S. called Three Mile Island had what was the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history. The plant had to be closed. This video is in part about the Three Mile Island disaster, but then goes into the Fukushima nuclear accident. It's in English, but with Japanese subtitles (字幕).

It's a little long, but watch this video. The subtitles are good, but watch the video more than once - or as many times as you need:


Please remember - the deadline for our 6th writing assignment is next week (12/22).

Good luck! 

Image: Top - by Tamaki Seto - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17307607/
Boy - from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asylbewerber_-_15.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Asylbewerber_-_15.jpg/Boat - from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Refugees_on_a_boat.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Refugees_on_a_boat.jpg /People - from - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Evstafiev-travnik-refugees.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Evstafiev-travnik-refugees.jpg
All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Video uploaded from YouTube. I do not own the rights to this video. Uploaded for educational purposes only. All rights reserved to the copyright holder(s).

ECA (英語基礎表現) II (P): 観光

Hello!


How are you? Today let's look at sightseeing (観光) places! 

Where would you like to go and what would you like to see

The picture above comes from my summer trip to Vietnam. I took it from my hotel room. I presented at a conference (研究会), then I went sightseeing after. The place I was in had a famous fort (), and I took some pictures. This place was so big! Here's a picture of one part of the fort, with me in it:



What sightseeing places would you like to go to in Japan, or other countries? 

Activity

Look at these pictures. Do you know what these places are? Do you know where are they? Take some guesses!


1. 

2

3.


4.


5.

6. 

7.

Have fun!
Photo credits: A. "Business Meeting" (courtesy of Ambro) B. "Adorable Couple Watching TV" (courtesy of imagerymajestic) C. "Woman Asleep" 

Images: Top picture, #1, & 3 - personal photographs/2."New York Times" (courtesy of Antoine Henrich)/4. "Ancient Ruins In Delphi" (courtesy of thephotoholic)/5. "Angkor Wat Sunrise" (courtesy of J Frasse)/6. "Sydney Opera House At Night" (courtesy of Susie B)/7. Unattributed image from Taiwan  (downloaded directly from the internet)/Images #2, 4, 5, & 6 from FreeDigitalPhotos.net/all rights reserved on personal photographs.

ECA (英語基礎表現) II (Super A): 作文6

Hello!


How are you? Take a look at this picture above. It shows the Tohoku coast near Sendai before the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011 (2011311日の東北地方太洋沖地震).

Now look at this picture below. It shows what happened to the coastline near Sendai after the tsunami:


You can see a big difference, can't you? This shows the great impact on the natural environment (自然環境) of earthquakes and tsunami. 

What about the impact on the people where the earthquake and tsunami happened? Here is one video - a TED talk in Japanese about the impact on the human lives of the people in the Tohoku from the earthquake and tsunami of 3/11/2011:


Here is another video that is shorter, but is unique: In 1933 a big tsunami hit the same part of the Tohoku. The woman in the video made a picture show of the impact of the tsunami on her village and talked of her memories of that time. She speaks in Japanese with a voice-over in English, but the pictures are very powerful. 

I have no questions about these videos, but I would like you to watch them - they are both short. Watch them as many times as you want or need. 

作文6
So here is your assignment - imagine that you are a person in the Tohoku after the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami. What kinds of difficult decisions do you make about where to live and what to do in your life? Do you try to still live in your area, or do you move away and go somewhere else?

Write a 2-4 paragraph composition (作文) on this theme.

The deadline (締切) is next week (12/22).

See you then!

Image: By NASA / Goddard Space Flight Center - http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=49634, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14589779/modified for clarity and educational purposes by sekaijin.
Videos uploaded from YouTube. I do not own the rights to the videos or the content. Uploaded for educational purposes only. All rights reserved to the copyright holder(s). 

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

ECA (Speaking) I (D): グロバル・グロバルプレゼンテーションのノート

Hello!



How are you? Here are the board notes today (12/12) for all the Kodomo Shinri students. Here are the rest of the notes - first, the topic choices:


Now here are the notes about the displays - first, the posters:


Now, about Power Point


I hope these notes will help refresh you. 

See you next class!

Images: Personal photographs of classroom board notes. All rights reserved.

ECA (Speaking) II (A): グロバル・グロバルプレゼンテーションのノート

Hello!



How are you? This is a quick post for all of you in the Obei speaking class about the notes today (12/12) for our presentations next week. 

Here are the rest of the board notes with your group names and members:



See you next class!

Images: Personal photographs of classroom board notes. All rights reserved. 

Monday, December 12, 2016

ECA (Speaking) I (J): グロバル・グロバルプレゼンテーションのノート

Hello!



How are you? Here are the board notes from today (12/12) for all of the Nichibun speaking students for the global-glocal presentations. 

Here are some more board notes. Look at these and refresh yourselves about what you and your groups have to do. 


This is two of the groups - 緑の日(Green Day) and ハッピーターン.


Here are two more groups - シスコン and Omusubi.

Here are the poster guidelines:


I hope this will help all of you. I'll look forward to seeing all of you in the next class. 

See you then!

Images: Personal photographs of classroom board notes. All rights reserved. 

Friday, December 9, 2016

ECA (Speaking) I & II (J, D, & A): グロバル・グロカルのプレゼンテーションテーマ

Hello! 



How are you? Here are some great student posters on global-glocal themes. These are ideas you can research about for your presentations. We will do these in class before our Christmas and New Year's holidays! 

Speaking I (J) 
プレゼンテーションは日本に有名、名高い外国人とかハーフジャパニーズ、日系の人達、移民のことをプレゼンテーションします。下にこのテーマ、学生のディスプレイの例えば:


上のポスターの部分:


それで下に他の例えば:




Speaking I (D)
For your presentations, you can research with partners on one of three themes:

  • immigrant communities in different countries and some problems they have 
  • refugees (難民) coming to Japan and difficulties they have
  • educational systems in different countries 

I decided to add two more themes - about refugees and educational systems - to our presentation topic ideas to give you more ideas to choose from. Here are some examples of past student posters on these themes:






Speaking II (A) 
For your presentations you can research with your partners on different indigenous or ethnic groups, communities, and languages around the world. The blogpost you saw about the Ainu was one example of this kind of community.

Here are some other indigenous peoples, communities, and languages you could choose from for your research. Because you are European and American Culture majors (Obei), I have made a list of unique peoples, communities, and languages from Europe and North America:

The Travelers (Ireland)
Bretons (northern France)
Welsh language (Wales, the UK)
The Basques and their language (northwestern Spain/southwestern France)
The Sorbs and their language (eastern Germany/southwestern Poland)
German minorities of Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan
Hungarian minority of Romania
The Sami people (northern Norway and Finland)
Metis people of Quebec (Canada)
The Haida (British Columbia, Canada)
Hasidic Jews of New York (U.S)
The Lumbees (east central cost of the U.S.)
Cherokee language (Oklahoma, the U.S.)
Cajun (Acadian) people of Louisiana (the U.S.)

Or - if you can think of another unique minority community or language in Europe or North America, you can choose that too.

I hope these displays and ideas can help you with your presentations!

Good luck! See you next time!

Images: Personal photographs of student posters. All rights reserved to students.