特別ポスト- ECA (英語基礎表現) II (Super A): writing about music (Part 1)

Hello to my Eigokisohyougen students,

Image "On The Stage" courtesy of George Stojkovic/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Once again Happy New Year! Here, I am posting some of your writing about music that you did in November and December. I would like you to re-read these to remind yourselves of the good work you can do. I'm posting these with the videos I showed you before to compare your writing with the music. 

Hope you enjoy these again! I also hope they can help you with your final writing project. 

Above is the first piece of music you wrote about - Jacques Loussier's "Siciliano in G Minor." The next video below is the second piece of music you wrote about - Ronny Jordan's "After Hours." 

Here's what you wrote about the Jacques Loussier piece: 

A man plays the piano alone. This music motif is his sadness story. He fight against himself past.

It is gentle rhythm. I can hear piano and drum. When I listen to this song, the image which comes to mind is a girl who sits on the chair of park in sunny day. This song makes me relax and comfortable. Although it maybe make me sleepy, it will take a great dream to me.

It is a raining day, a man and a women, they are taking an umbrella and they meet in a bridge by chance. They loved each other, but they can not love together. They do not say anything to each other, but in their hearts, it likes the raining day.

I think there are two people, they are long time since they last time meet each other. Now they are together, so they are very happy with that. They have a nice talk and have a good time. But time is very soon. One of them have to leave. So finally they feel sadly.

A girl is depressed. But the girl goes to a dance party by chance and the girl meets a best partner.

About this music, I feel something relaxing and comfortable of this music. I will try to listen it when

I am going to take relax.

I think it is not fine, but it is gentle.

Some very interesting reactions! Now here's what you wrote about the Ronny Jordan song: 

Some young people go to a trip and they come to a minority country. The people in here are very warm, they have a campfire to welcome they come. They are singing and dancing, they are very happy and joyful.

It's a nice music. Some people are dancing. It's beautiful. Maybe they in town. Beautiful dance and beautiful scenes. There have smile and laughing.

When I listen to this music, the image comes to me is a wonderful restaurant. There is a beautiful girl is sitting who is drinking the red wine.

This music is about the midnight city. I am in the golden bar and having a cocktail to take a golden

time.

The image is like our life. The world change in everyday. Yesterday has gone, today is hurry, and tomorrow will come.

It is very beautiful. I feel it is quiet and tastefully laid out and elitist. 

Some more interesting reactions - some very different from one another. That's good! I will post more reactions in a follow-up post. 

Videos uploaded from YouTube. I do not own the rights to these videos or the compositions. No copyright infringement intended. Uploaded for educational purposes. 

週13 - ECA (Speaking) I & II (D, J & A): 方向「道を教える」

Hello to my speaking students,

Happy New Year! I'm sorry I missed our last class in 2013 from the noro virus. 


I'm okay now. So let's go forward and talk about directions (方向)!    

Activity

Look at these pictures. They are the directions to Seigakuin from a train station, but the pictures are not in the right order (違う順番). With a group or a partner, can you put these pictures in the right order? 

When you are finished, can you talk about these directions? Here is some language you can use for the order (順番) of the directions: 

First...    go straight...    down this street...    turn right...    turn left...   

next to the...    between (the)...    across from (the)...    at (the corner)...    

on the left...    on the right...     

Try it! The picture at the top of this post is the first picture. I'll post it here again: 

A. #1

B. 

C. 

D. 

E. 

F. 

G. 

H. 

I. 

J. 

K. 

Homework

Take 4-5 pictures of the way from your train station to your home. Bring them to the next class and show your classmates. Talk about your directions from your station to your home.

Have fun!

特別ポスト- ECA (Speaking) I & II (D, J & A): 話すをするのポスターズ

Hello to all my speaking students,

How are you? As I said in class, I would post some of your great pictures from your interesting stories posters in December. The picture at the top here comes from one of the posters. Isn't it great?

I will not say much about them, because I will let the posters tell the stories themselves. Here's the first poster, with the part I have shown at the top. 

Here's another one, in two parts:

That was a great one! Now here's another, in four parts, with very little in words. What kind of story is told here? Try to guess it! 

That's an interesting one! Now check this one out - only with pictures and not with words. Now what kind of story is this? Take a guess!

There are many I could show here, but I thought I would give a small sample of your work. 

Take care! See you next time in class!

週12・13リーポスト- ECA (Survival English) II & (英語基礎表現) II (Super A): 観光

Hello to all my students,

Image "Take Off At Sunset" courtesy of Time Beach/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Happy New Year! How are you in our new year 2014? 

This is a repost of a post I made before our holiday - but I got too sick to come to the university for us to do this. 

So let's try this post again on sightseeing (観光). Where would you like to go and what would you like to see? 

Activity
Look at these pictures. What are these places and what countries are they in? Take some guesses!

1. 

2. 

3. 

4.

5. 

6. 

7. 

Homework

Find 1-3 pictures of a place you would like to go to and bring it to the next class. Talk about the place you would like to go to and why you want to go there. 

Have fun!

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

Photo credits: 1. "Vintage Eiffel Tower" (courtesy of chrisroll) 2. "Machu Picchu" (courtesy of Arvind Balaraman) 3. "New York Times" (courtesy of Antoine Henrich) 4. "Angkor Wat Sunrise" (courtesy of J Frasse) 5. "Sydney Opera House At Night" (courtesy of Susie B) 6. "Great Wall Of China" (courtesy of cescassawin) 7. "Ancient Ruins In Delphi" (courtesy of thephotoholic)/All pictures from FreeDigitalPhotos.net

週11リーポスト- ECA (Reading) II (Super A): January book report presentations

Hello reading students,

Happy New Year! How are you? How was your new year's celebrations? 

This is a repost of the information which I gave you before the holiday about your book report presentations for January. Take a look at this post again.

Points to follow

I would like you to bring together the points of a book report with the points of a presentation. You will write about the book you are reading outside of class, but with a difference - you can show pictures about the story as part of your presentation. 

This is one basic example of a poster layout. It should be on A3 paper or larger, like poster paper you can get at a place like Loft. 

You should have 3-4 pictures on it showing different points about the book you read. At the top you should have the title of the book you have read. Each picture should show these points: 

Story outline (あらすじ)

Main characters (主人公）
Plot (プロット)
Plus - your own review of the story (what you thought of it, who your favorite character was, what the bigger theme of the story was)

You can write this by hand, or write it on a computer and cut and paste it out onto your poster paper. 

*Special note
If you want to do a Power Point presentation, that would be okay - but come and see me about it!

Prepare a talk for around 8-10 minutes or so. 

I will give you a bit more information about this in the Eigokisohyougen class.

See you next class!