Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Writing English 2B: Writing assignment 4・作文4

Hello!



How are you? Here is our fourth writing assignment (作文4), and first for the fall semester – writing about a problem, with a solution.

While I have given all of you the handout about the assignment, I am posting it here as well to help remind all of you as two what you can do for it. 

Topics
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 [微妙] to you, even if it had a good solution.)


How much to write

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 than that – go for it!


Deadline (締め切り)
It will be October 31st (10/31), so I want you to bring in a first draft (下書き) next week (10/24) in your notebooks in pencil.

Next week, I will give you some important points for your final draft on the Daito Learning Pages blog. Please follow these important points! Then write to the finish outside of class and turn in your final draft on 10/31. 



Good luck with this! I hope you can have learn from writing about a problem and a solution with this assignment.


Image: Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45304

Writing English 2B: 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? Are they happy with each other - or perhaps not so happy? Most importantly - what could be the cause of their good (or bad) relations - and what is the effect? 

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

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 


I have added one more picture to this list for you to write about, if you like!

Have fun with these! Keep your scenarios with you to use in class next week! 

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. 

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Culture through English 2B: Short presentation 3・ショートプレゼンテーション3

Hello!


How are you? Today I will give all of you our third presentation assignment (ショートプレゼンテーション 3) – presenting about names from other cultures and languages.

Look at the picture above. It's a set of Egyptian hieroglyphs (ヒエラグリフ、象形文字) showing the name of a member of the Egyptian royal family. Egypt was in a part of the world where some of the oldest names in any language came about. 

While I have given all of you the handout about this assignment, as always I am posting it here as another way to help remind all of you about what you can do for it.

Topic
You can choose to present about either surnames (名字), or first names, from another culture and language. What do the names mean, and are there any names with the same, or similar meanings, in Japanese?

Guidelines
Whatever kinds of names you choose from whichever languages, you have to present these points:
  • What the name is
  • What it means
  • How common it is in the language and country(s) it is used in
  • Any famous people with this name
  • What same or similar meanings there may be in any names in Japan
Like before, you can design it anyway you want - but please have the pictures and the writing be about the points above.  

We will present in small groups to each other for around 5-7 minutes, including a Q&A from the classmates we will present to. 

Deadline (締め切り)
Our presentation day will be on October 17th (10/17), so you have one (1) week to prepare them.

We will do some presentation practice in class before we do the real presentations. These presentations will be the only things we will do on October 17th.  

Good luck! Have fun making these posters about names from other cultures and languages.


See you next week with your great posters!


Image: By HoremWeb - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6908046

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Culture through English 2B: Most common names in Spain・スペインの一般的な名字

Hello!



How are you? Let's look today at names in Spanish!

The picture above shows the most common surnames in Spain. You can see that overall, the most common surname is Garcia. 

Activity/homework
There are some interesting points about naming in Spanish that is different from both English and Japanese. 

Watch this video about Spanish names. Watch it as many times as you want or need, then answer the questions below it in your notebooks.

(If you cannot see the video, go to this link, or go to YouTube and look for "Primer Nombres y Apellidos" at https://youtu.be/HUosdlR6Gy8)



1. What is the first name called in Spanish? 
2. What has had the biggest influence (影響) on names in Spanish in history? 
3. What is another influence on naming that is talked about in the video?     
4. What are last names (surnames) called in Spanish? 
5. How many surnames do Spanish people use? 
     *Which name comes first, and which name comes second? 
     *What is traditionally used to connect the two surnames?  
6. What does the ~ez at the end of some surnames (like Gonzalez, or Martinez), mean? 
7. What does the de mean in surnames?  
8. In the example of Pablo Picasso, which side of the family does “Picasso” come from – his father’s, or mother’s? 

I hope you find this interesting. See you next time!



Image: By anonymous (No machine-readable author provided.) Alfanje~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). - No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims)., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1430242
Video uploaded from YouTube. I do not own the rights to the content. All rights reserved to the copyright holder(s). Uploaded for classroom purposes only.