Writing English A: Writing assignment 2・作文 2

Hello! 

How are you? Here is our second writing assignment (作文2) – writing opinions on news and issues (時事問題) topics.

Theme & topics

You have a lot of freedom with topic choices for this writing assignment. Choose any news item, or an issue in society – in Japan or another country – that you have an opinion about.  

But if you have trouble thinking of a topic, here are some choices for you. Look at these and choose one (1):

• The aging population (老齢人口) of Japan and what older people need for their support
• Social media and its problems (for example, fake news, or selling of people’s personal data by Facebook or other social media sites)
• Issues and/or things that need improvement for student life at Daito Bunka
• Voting rights (投票権) for 18-year-olds in Japanese elections (選挙)

For an extra challenge, here are two topics that are even deeper, but also even more timely and important. I will give extra points to students who try for writing about these topics. You have already seen a separate supporting blogpost for one of these topics: 

• Refugee issues (難民の問題) and what refugees need for immigration (移住) to Japan
• The responses of the Japanese government to the COVID-19 virus

I am gathering writing on these topics into a book called Voices & Ideas - this is a book about student opinion writing on news topics and social issues. The best of your writing on this topic could go into this book, so write to the best you can! 

How much to write

I would like to see at least 3-4 paragraphs' worth of writing - however, I would really 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 Voices & Ideas book. 

Deadline (締め切り)

There will be two (2) deadlines – July 7th (7/7) for a rough draft (下書き), and July 14th (7/14) for the final version. 

So, please send me your rough draft for review and individual comments by 7/7, and then, a final version by 7/14. 

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

Good luck! I look forward to reading your great writing on news and issues topics!

Image: Screenshot taken from https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/01/20/national/media-national/japanese-read-news-online-newspapers-first-time-survey-finds/#.XIdp9xhh3q1

I do not own the rights to the original photograph. All rights reserved on original photograph to the copyright holder(s). Uploaded for classroom purposes only.

Writing English A: Hikikomori and social adjustment・特別ポスト「引きこもりと社会適応」

Hello!

How are you? Here is a post for any of you who might be interested in social issues - as an example, about hikikomori. 

Activity/homework
This is a video of a TED Talk in Japanese of a mother who had an adult hikikomori son. This might give you also some more background, this time from someone directly a part of this issue, about hikikomori and what they need to re-enter society. 

Watch it as many times as you need. There are no questions - but note down your reaction. What do you think of it? 

Good luck with this! See you next class!

Image: By Hiroh Satoh from Japan - HIKIKOMORI night, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28635776/Video uploaded from YouTube. I do not own the rights to the video or content. All rights reserved to the copyright holder(s). Uploaded for educational purposes.

Culture through English A: Japanese-Brazilians・日系ブラジル人

Hello!

How are you? Today, let's look more on our topic about immigrants (移民). Let's look at a community of immigrants here in Japan - Japanese-Brazilians (日系ブラジール人). 

The picture above is an example of a Japanese-Brazilian business in Japan - a Brazilian supermarket in Shizuoka. But while Japanese-Brazilians have been in Japan for some time, they still have some problems living here. 

What do you know about Japanese-Brazilians? Do you know any famous Japanese-Brazilians?

Here is a picture of an educational center for Japanese-Brazilian people: 

Many Japanese-Brazilian communities in Japan not only have their own businesses, but their own schools as well. 


Activity/homework

Here is a video about the problems that many Brazilians have in Japan with education. Watch this video. What do you think? Make some notes about the video. When you are finished, answer these questions in your notebooks:

1. When did Japanese first begin leaving Japan for Brazil?

2. When did Japan first begin letting Japanese-Brazilians to come to Japan to work?

3. What is the name of the Japanese-Brazilian school in Toyoda?

4. What does the school do for the children’s parents who do not have jobs?

5. In 2009 how many Brazilians did Francisco Freitas say were in Japan?

6. What percentage of Brazilian children are not in Brazilian schools?

7. What problems do some Brazilian children have when going to Japanese schools?
8. What did Rodney Freitas say about how Japanese-Brazilians are treated in Brazil?

Here are the board notes for our class today on 6/26:

I hope this will be interesting for you!

Take care!

Images: Top - by Comessu - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8863459/Building - by English: Abasaa 日本語: あばさー (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons 
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Japanese_Brazilian_Center_Educational_Institute_in_Oizumi.JPG
Image 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 owner(s).

Writing English A: Writing assignment 2・作文 2

Hello! 

How are you? Here is our second writing assignment (作文2) – writing opinions on news and issues (時事問題) topics.

Topics

You have a lot of freedom with topic choices for this writing assignment. Choose any news item, or an issue in society – in Japan or another country – that you have an opinion about.  

But if you have trouble thinking of a topic, here are some choices for you. Look at these and choose one (1):

• The aging population (老齢人口) of Japan and what older people need for their support
• Social media and its problems (for example, fake news, or selling of people’s personal data by Facebook or other social media sites)
• Issues and/or things that need improvement for student life at Daito Bunka
• Possible problems and/or issues connected with the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics 
• Voting rights (投票権) for 18-year-olds in Japanese elections (選挙) 

For an extra challenge, here are two topics that are even deeper, but also even more timely and important. I will give extra points to students who try for writing about these topics. 

• Hikikomori and their problems of social adjustment (社会適応) in Japanese society
• Refugee issues (難民の問題) and what refugees need for immigration (移住) to Japan

I am gathering writing on these topics into a book called Voices & Ideas - this is a book about student opinion writing on news topics and social issues. The best of your writing on this topic could go into this book, so write to the best you can! 

How much to write

I would like to see at least 3-4 paragraphs' worth of writing - however, I would really 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 Voices & Ideas book. 

Deadline (締め切り)

It will be June 19th (6/19), so I want you to bring in a first draft (下書き) next week on 6/12 in your notebooks in pencil. I will go over more how you can build your opinion writing, with language for opinions - phrases, expressions, and vocabulary. Then you can write to the finish and turn in your work at the beginning of class on 6/19. 

Here are the board notes for our class on 6/5 about our new writing assignment plus evaluation criteria for writing assignments:

Good luck! I look forward to reading your great writing on news and issues topics!

Image: Screenshot taken from https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/01/20/national/media-national/japanese-read-news-online-newspapers-first-time-survey-finds/#.XIdp9xhh3q1

I do not own the rights to the original photograph. All rights reserved on original photograph to the copyright holder(s). Uploaded for classroom purposes only.

Writing English A: Opinion writing about hikikomori・引きこもりのオピニオン

Hello!

How are you? Here is a post for any of you who might be interested in social issues - as an example, about hikikomori. 

Activity/homework
This is a video of a TED Talk in Japanese of a mother who had an adult hikikomori son. This might give you also some more background, this time from someone directly a part of this issue, about hikikomori and what they need to re-enter society. 

Watch it as many times as you need. There are no questions - but note down your reaction. What do you think of it? 

Here are the board notes for our classes today on 5/29:

Good luck with this! See you next class!

Image: By Hiroh Satoh from Japan - HIKIKOMORI night, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28635776/Video uploaded from YouTube. I do not own the rights to the video or content. All rights reserved to the copyright holder(s). Uploaded for educational purposes.