Writing English A: Comparing & contrasting music・音楽が比較対照

Hello!

How are you? Here is a new post for today - writing comparison and contrast (比較対照) with pieces of music. 

Activity/homework
Check out these four (4) video files. Listen to them as many times as you want or need. Select two (2) to write about. Compare and contrast (比較対照して) them with each other. They are instrumental pieces of music only - there are no words or vocals. 

Important notes: 
Take notes about these pieces of music you select. Which do you like better? What qualities (質、優劣) do they have? 

Also - what do you believe the artists are expressing (発送して) through their music? What might the sounds give you feelings about? 

What kind of scenarios might each piece of music give you feelings about? What do you imagine as you see and think about them? You can imagine people, characters, animals - anything that comes to your mind as you listen is okay!

When writing your comparison and contrast, write about the instruments (楽器) that are playing - for example, piano, brass, guitar, violins, and so forth. 

Now listen to all four (4) of these files - then choose two (2) for your comparison and contrast: 

File #1

File #2

File #3

File #4

I hope these pieces of music give you ideas and feelings to try out a different kind of writing. 

Take care! See you next week!

Images: Top - by Henri Matisse - State Hermitage Museum , Saint Petersburg, Russia, PD-US, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26957974/Board notes - personal photographs. All rights reserved.

Video files uploaded from YouTube. I do not own the rights to the files or the musical compositions within them. All rights reserved to the copyright holders of the files and compositions respectively. 

Culture through English A: Refugees・難民

Hello!

How are you? Today I would like to introduce a new topic about people in difficult situations - such as refugees (難民).

Look at the picture above. Why are so many people on a boat? Where are they going? Talk about this with your classmates. Make some notes about it.

Activity
Now do the same with these two following pictures. Who are the people in the pictures? What are they doing? Where are they going? Where might they be coming from? What are they feeling?

Most importantly - what's your opinion of their situations? Make some notes in your notebooks about them.

See you next time!

Images: Top - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Refugees_on_a_boat.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Refugees_on_a_boat.jpg/Boy - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asylbewerber_-_15.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Asylbewerber_-_15.jpg/People on grounds - "Evstafiev Travnik refugees" http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Evstafiev-travnik-refugees.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Evstafiev-travnik-refugees.jpg/Man with passport and children - by Alemaugil - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2956803/
All images from Wikimedia Commons. 

Writing English A: Opinion writing about refugees・難民のオピニオン

Hello!

How are you? Today let's look at refugees (難民) and the places they come from - and where they may go.

Activity
Look at the following four (4) pictures. What are they doing? Where are they going? Where might they be coming from? 

One thing they all have in common is that they can't live in the places they come from any more. What are some reasons why they have to leave where they come from? Moreover, what might be they feeling about leaving?

Most importantly - what's your opinion of their situations? Make some notes in your notebooks about them.

See you next time!

Images: Top - By © MONUSCO/Sylvain Liechti, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32470185/Boy - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asylbewerber_-_15.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Asylbewerber_-_15.jpg/Man with passport and children - by Alemaugil - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2956803/Boat - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Refugees_on_a_boat.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Refugees_on_a_boat.jpg/People on grounds - "Evstafiev Travnik refugees" http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Evstafiev-travnik-refugees.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Evstafiev-travnik-refugees.jpg
All images from Wikimedia Commons. 

Writing English A: Writing assignment 1・作文1

Hello!

How are you? Here is our first writing assignment (作文1) - writing about interesting people or places   (面白い人達、場所、位置). 

Choose one (1) of these - writing about an interesting or unique person, or writing about an interesting or unique place. 

I am gathering writing on this topic into two books – one called The Small Book of Big People, about your most interesting or respected people – and another called Places & Traces, about special places and other things that people remember. The best of your writing on these topics could go into these books, so write to the best you can! 

How much to write

I would like you to write as much as you can, because your work may be published (出版した) on both this blog and in The Small Book of Big People and Places & Traces books. I would like to see maybe 2-3 paragraphs' worth of writing – but if you can write more, go for it! I encourage you to write as much as you can.

Task (choose one)

About people 

Who do you think are some interesting or special people in Japan or the world today?  What are they famous for? You can write about people you know such as your mother or father, brother or sister, or a best friend. 

When you write about a person, include this information:

• What they look like
• How they dress (if they have a unique fashion sense or style)
• What they are known to you for (or what they are famous for)
• What is unique or interesting about them

About places

What are some interesting or special places you know of? You can write about a place you have been to, or a place you haven’t been to but want to go to. It can be a place in Japan, or a place in another country. It can be a local place, a historical (歴史的) place, or a famous place – or a place that has all of these things. When you write about a place, include this information:

• Where it is
• What is special about it (to you)
• What special things are there (mountains, famous buildings, and so on)
• How to get there

You can look at the pictures again in the blogposts about describing and characterizing people, and the one about describing places. They can help you with your writing. 

Deadline (締め切り)

There will be two (2) deadlines - June 16th (6/16) for a rough draft (下書き), and June 23rd (6/23) for the final version. 

So, please send me your rough draft for review and individual comments by 6/16, and then, a final version by 6/23. 

Before that time, if you need any advice or guidance, message me anytime.

Good luck! I look forward to reading your great writing about people or places!

Image: screenshot from http://evarazdin.hr/zanimljivosti/muski-kutak/zene-vise-vole-visoke-muskarce-358897/

I do not own the rights to the original upload from the screenshot. Uploaded for educational purposes only. All rights reserved to the copyright holder(s).

Writing English B: 11/27 board notes・11月27日のボードノート

Hello!

How are you? Here are the board notes for our classes on 11/27. Above are the main board notes. 

Now below are the other board notes:

See you next week!

Images: Personal photographs. All rights reserved. 

Writing English B: Comparing & contrasting music・音楽が比較対照

Hello!

How are you? Here is a new post for today - writing comparison and contrast (比較対照) with pieces of music. 

Before we begin, here are the board notes for our classes on 10/30 and 10/23:

Now let's look at our activity!

Activity/homework
Check out these four (4) video files. Listen to them as many times as you want or need. Select two (2) to write about. Compare and contrast (比較対照して) them with each other. They are instrumental pieces of music only - there are no words or vocals. 

Important notes: 
Take notes about these pieces of music you select. Which do you like better? What qualities (質、優劣) do they have? 

Also - what do you believe the artists are expressing (発送して) through their music? What might the sounds give you feelings about? 

What kind of scenarios might each piece of music give you feelings about? What do you imagine as you see and think about them? You can imagine people, characters, animals - anything that comes to your mind as you listen is okay!

When writing your comparison and contrast, write about the instruments (楽器) that are playing - for example, piano, brass, guitar, violins, and so forth. 

Now listen to all four (4) of these files - then choose two (2) for your comparison and contrast: 

File #1

File #2

File #3

File #4

I hope these pieces of music give you ideas and feelings to try out a different kind of writing. 

Take care! See you next week!

Images: Top - by Henri Matisse - State Hermitage Museum , Saint Petersburg, Russia, PD-US, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26957974/Board notes - personal photographs. All rights reserved.

Video files uploaded from YouTube. I do not own the rights to the files or the musical compositions within them. All rights reserved to the copyright holders of the files and compositions respectively. 

Writing English B: Scenarios about relations between people・人間関係のシナリオ

Hello!

How are you? Here is a post on scenarios about human relations (人間関係).  

Activity

Look at these four (4) pictures below. Choose one (1) of them and write a 1-3 paragraph scenario about what is happening between the people in it. 

What do you think are their relations? What feeling do you get from these pictures? What could be the cause (原因) of their good (or bad) relations - and what is the effect (結果)?  

If there was a problem between the people, what was the solution (解答) to their problem(s)? 

You can give names to the people in the pictures you choose for your scenarios! 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

NEW - here are the board notes for our class on 10/2:

Have fun with these! 

See you then!

Images: Top - by Touzrimounir - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36884016/Man and woman in park - "Woman Do Not Look Happy Standing" (courtesy of nuttakit) - FreeDigitalPhotos.net/People on grounds - "Evstafiev Travnik refugees" http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Evstafiev-travnik-refugees.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Evstafiev-travnik-refugees.jpg/Woodstock couple - by Burk Uzzle/image reproduced from file courtesy of Laurence Miller Gallery/laurencemillergallery.com/Painting - Nighthawks by Edward Hopper - email, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25899486
All rights reserved to the copyright holders of original Woodstock and Nighthawks images. I do not own the rights to these images. Uploaded for educational purposes only. 

Writing English B: Scenarios about relations between people・人間関係のシナリオ

Hello!

How are you? Here is a post on scenarios about human relations (人間関係).  

Activity

Look at these four (4) pictures below. Choose one (1) of them and write a 1-3 paragraph scenario about what is happening between the people in it. 

What do you think are their relations? What feeling do you get from these pictures? What could be the cause (原因) of their good (or bad) relations - and what is the effect (結果)?  

If there was a problem between the people, what was the solution (解答) to their problem(s)? 

You can give names to the people in the pictures you choose for your scenarios! 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

NEW - here are the board notes for our class on 10/2:

Have fun with these! 

See you then!

Images: Top - by Touzrimounir - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36884016/Man and woman in park - "Woman Do Not Look Happy Standing" (courtesy of nuttakit) - FreeDigitalPhotos.net/People on grounds - "Evstafiev Travnik refugees" http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Evstafiev-travnik-refugees.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Evstafiev-travnik-refugees.jpg/Woodstock couple - by Burk Uzzle/image reproduced from file courtesy of Laurence Miller Gallery/laurencemillergallery.com/Painting - Nighthawks by Edward Hopper - email, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25899486
All rights reserved to the copyright holders of original Woodstock and Nighthawks images. I do not own the rights to these images. Uploaded for educational purposes only.