Writing English 1B: Cause & effect・原因結果

Hello!

How are you? Today for your pre-class preparation for next week, let's review how to write about some basic cause and effect (原因結果)!

Pre-class preparation (for 11/8)

1. Look at these sentences. In your notebooks, copy the sentences, then write the effect (what happens) and the cause (why it happened). 

a. He went to the Family Mart near his house because he wanted some snacks.
Effect: (What happened?)___________________________________________
Cause: (Why did it happen?) ________________________________________

b. She could only eat a little soup because she was feeling sick.
Effect:___________________________________________________________
Cause:___________________________________________________________

c. The mother was very quiet because the baby was sleeping.
Effect:___________________________________________________________
Cause:___________________________________________________________

d. The man bought a vacuum cleaner because he wanted to clean the house.
Effect:___________________________________________________________
Cause:___________________________________________________________

e. The driver stopped the car because the traffic signal turned red.
Effect:___________________________________________________________
Cause:___________________________________________________________

f. The student raised his hand because he had a question.
Effect:___________________________________________________________
Cause:___________________________________________________________

2. Now look at these sentences. What is the effect, and what is the cause?

a. A piece of wet metal changes color to brown because of contact with the air.
Effect:___________________________________________________________
Cause:___________________________________________________________

b. The dog started barking because the Yamato delivery person came to the door.
Effect:___________________________________________________________
Cause:___________________________________________________________

c. He was sick this morning because he drank too much beer and wine last night.
Effect:___________________________________________________________
Cause:___________________________________________________________

d. The student didn't do well on the exam because he didn't study hard enough.
Effect:___________________________________________________________
Cause:___________________________________________________________

e. She couldn't sleep because she drank too much coffee in the afternoon.
Effect:___________________________________________________________
Cause:___________________________________________________________

See you next time! 

Image: By aussiegall - [1], CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4428411

Writing English 1B: Citing, quoting, & referencing in writing・書き、作文の引用と参照

Hello!

How are you? Here are the screenshots of the Power Point display I showed you in class about citation, quotation, and referencing in academic writing. 

If the pictures are too small, touch on the picture of the slide on your smartphones to make them bigger to see.

So here are the slides! Look at these as many times as you want or need. The picture at the top is the title slide, so here are the rest of the slides:

I hope these can help you. Good luck - and take care. See you next week!

Images: Screenshots of personal Power Point slideshow. All rights reserved. 

Writing English 2B: Some British & American English vocabulary differences・英・米のいろいろな違い語彙

Hello!

How are you? Today, as part of our reading in class, let's go through some differences between British and American vocabulary. There are many differences, and too many for this post here! But I will go through some key ones here.

First, look at the picture at the top. Look delicious, don't they? In the U.S., they're called cookies - generally, in Japan, you would also call them by this name, perhaps as an American influence (影響).

But in Britain, and other countries where English is more influenced by Britain, such as Australia, or perhaps India or Singapore, these sweets in this box are biscuits.

Now in the U.S., these are called biscuits:

But to people in Britain, as well as in Australia and many other British-influenced countries, they are called scones. Confusing, isn't it?

Warmer/activity
Look at these pictures. What do you think they are called in British and American English? I show the different names below each picture - which one is the British English name, and which one is the American English name?

crisps/potato chips

aubergine/eggplant

elevator/lift 

convertible/open car

football/soccer

line (of people)/queue 

How well could you guess? We'll check these when you're finished!

Good luck! See you next time!

Images: Top - by Pudding4brains - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1015344/Biscuits (Scones) - By User:-sche cropped a public domain image - File:Runny hunny.jpg, cropped to focus on only the biscuit which has been broken open to show its interior., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38742913/Crisps (Potato chips) - by Evan-Amos - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11926930/Aubergine (Eggplant) - by Horst Frank - 投稿者自身による作品, CC 表示-継承 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15538/Elevator (Lift) - by Another Believer - 

Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31223018/Convertible (Open car) - Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=303343

Writing English 1B: Notes & support for 4th writing assignment ・作文4のノート、サポート

Hello!

How are you? Here is one more new post of notes and support for the 4th writing assignment (作文4). 

The notes above are an example of a chart for block-style organization for comparison-contrast (比較対照). They come from today's (10/18) class.    

The notes below are about point-by-point-style organization:    

    

How to get Japanese subtitles (日本語字幕 ) for the videos if you need them
I have one more set of pictures to show all of you. Now - you might need Japanese subtitles (日本語字幕) for the videos. But it might be difficult to get them if you watch the videos on your smartphones. 

So try this: Access my blog on a computer - not on your smartphones. If you do this, you'll see the YouTube name at the corner of the video screen on my blog, like this: 

Click on the YouTube name - you will then go to YouTube from my blog:  

You will see the settings icon - I have put a red circle around it. Click on it. You will see this below:

Now - a box will come up. It might say 字幕, or maybe 翻訳, on Japanese YouTube. (In English, it says "subtitles"). Click on it. You will get this below: 

It might say "English (auto-generated)", or maybe even 「日本語 」.  Click on it - you will get this: 

You will see "Auto-translate" (そんな感じ直接翻訳する). Click on it and scroll down to get Japanese 「日本語 」, like this: 

Click on Japanese 「日本語 」. You will get this: 

Now - you can see Japanese subtitles (日本語字幕 ). 

I hope this can help you watch these videos. Once again - I'm very sorry for any trouble you might have had in watching these videos. Take care!

See you next week!

Images: Top and second board shot: Personal photographs. All rights reserved.

Screenshots of YouTube video sections uploaded for classroom use only. I do not own the rights to the video images depicted within the screenshots. All rights reserved to the copyright holder(s).

Writing English 1B: Foreign education systems・外国教育のシステム

Hello!

How are you? The picture above is of a classroom in Russia. I decided to show this as an example of what is on this blogpost, because I have three short videos for you about educational systems in three different countries - Finland, India, and South Korea. 

This will go with the 4th writing assignment (作文4) I will give you on comparing and contrasting educational systems between Japan and other countries. 

Special note: I'm very sorry that I have the problems I have with the display of the videos on this post. It will be better for you to watch these videos on a computer, and then go directly to YouTube to watch them - if you need Japanese subtitles (字幕), you can get them there.   

Pre-task preparation (for 作文4) 
Watch these videos outside of class. Answer these questions after you watch:

1. Do you recognize anything of your educational experiences in any of these?
2. Which one of these is most like your experience?
3. Which one is the least like your experience?
4. How would you compare and contrast any one of these systems to Japanese education? 

Here are the videos. The first one is about education in Finland, and the video is called Inside Finland's education system: 

This next one below is about India. It's called Education in India: Profile of a Poor Public School: 

This last one is about South Korea. The video is titled The South Korean Education System:

Watch these videos as many times as you want or need. I'll be interested to read what you have to say and will value it greatly.

See you next week!

Image: Top – by eropdfklcvnm - My own foto, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4871126

All videos uploaded from YouTube. I do not own the rights to these videos. All rights reserved to the copyright holder(s). Uploaded for classroom purposes only.

Writing English 1B: 4th writing assignment・作文4

Hello!

How are you? The picture above is of Quoc Hoc high school in Hue, Vietnam. This is one of the most high-level high schools in Vietnam, and the statue outside the main building is of Ho Chi Minh, who, as a teenager, went to this school under his real name, Nguyen Tat Thanh. 

I show this picture as a way to illustrate our fourth (4th) writing assignment - comparing and contrasting educational systems between Japan and another country.

While I have given all of you the handout about the assignment, I will post about it here as another way to remind all of you on what you can write about. 

Topic

In this topic, compare and contrast similarities and differences in educational systems between Japan and another country.

Choices within the topic

While the topic is fixed, you can choose any country to compare and contrast with Japan. While I showed you the videos on the blogpost about education in Finland, India, and South Korea, you do not have to limit yourself on education in those countries - in fact, I encourage you to find other videos and readings on educational systems in other countries. 

You can choose any level of education as your point of comparison and contrast – elementary, junior high school and high school, and university. (Please remember to compare and contrast the same levels of education – for example, elementary school in Japan with elementary school in Germany, or high school in Japan with high school in Russia).

In addition, you can choose the organizational style you make your comparison and contrast with – a block method, or point-by-point method. (Just remember – if you want to show more how two things contrast, the block method is better. If you want to show how two things compare, then the point-by-point method is better).

How much to write

I would like you to write around 3-4 paragraphs' worth of writing – though I would also like to see you write with as many points of comparison and contrast as you can. This might make your paper longer – say, 4-5 paragraphs’ worth, or maybe even a little longer – but for a topic like this, the longer, the better.  

Deadline (締め切り)

It will be November 1st (11/1). Bring in a first draft (下書き) next week on October 25th, in your notebooks in pencil – with an article about an educational system in a country you want to compare with the same level of education in Japan. I will then go around and talk to as many of you as I can to review your work, and you can change things about the draft as you need to, then type up your final version on a Word document and turn in your work on November 1st. 

I will show you the format for what I want the typed final version to look like on November 1st.

Good luck with this! We will begin to write a little more deeply, this time with final versions typed up. 

I look forward to reading your great writing on this topic! See you next week!

Image: Personal photograph. All rights reserved. 

Writing English 2B: 4th writing assignment・作文4

Hello!

How are you? Today I will show you the first writing assignment for the fall semester - the 4th writing assignment (作文4) in total - writing about a problem and a solution.

While I have given all of you the handout about it, this post is a reminder for you in another way about what you can do for this assignment.

Task

You have two (2) choices on what to write about. Choose one (1) of them:


1. Write about a problem with a roommate (based on the textbook review pg. 55)

In this topic, look at the brainstormed notes on the textbook pg. 55. Follow the steps on the page in choosing what the problems are and what the solutions are. Write a 3-4 paragraph paper on the problem shown on pg. 55, and a solution to it. I would like you to go deep and far with it – in it, be creative and really show an interesting solution to the problem. Please remember that your solution does not have to be like a classmate’s solution – the more different, and especially the more unique, the better!

2. Write about a real problem you had that had a real solution

In this topic, follow this as it says – think of a real problem you have had that you found a real solution to. It could be about anything – something at school, at a part-time job, or within your family. (But if you have had a real problem that is very serious and you don’t want to write about it, that’s okay – you do not have to write about something that is sensitive to you, even if it had a good solution.)


How much to write


As I show at the top, I would like to see around 3-4 paragraphs. (Make the paragraphs at least a little longer!) But if you can write even a little more – go for it!


Deadline (締め切り)

IIt will be October 26th (10/26), so I want you to bring in a first draft (下書き) next week (10/19) in your notebooks in pencil. 

Next week, I will give you another handout, and post the same information on the handout, about some important points for your final draft on this blog. Please follow these important points! Then write to the finish outside of class on and turn in your final draft on 10/26. 


Good luck with this! I hope you can have fun with this, and enjoy writing about a problem and a solution.

See you next time!

Image: "Puzzle piece" (courtesy of pakorn)/FreeDigitalPhotos.net