China's snow bird - a writing & speaking project

 You've read the book, and enjoyed the thrills & spills with familiar characters...digested new vocabulary and recycled more; read bits out loud and shown understanding of the text.

Make your own character - a snow animal - including a bit of 'dictadraw' (add a scarf/hat etc), then write a description of your new animal with words from the glossary...and then read your work.

Win win using chatterkids app (students quickl learnt how to manipulate/edit/enhance their own creations!), following up our OUP Read & Imagine graded reader. After reading = fun activity & a legacy moment!

Talking text - Chiharu's Snow Rabbit

 

Listen to super Chiharu describing her "Snow Animal", an after reading project from OUP Read & Imagine graded reader "In the Snow". Extensive reading really works for our students' four skills and is an excellent outside of class  learning component; boosts language (grammar as well as vocabulary recyclying), imagination, reading large chunks of text & coping with comprehension questions quickly > great exam preparation too.

Creating this work = loads of fun as well - self & class as a group proof-reading & practicing, encouraging and giggling :)

The Scarlet Letter - A brief biography of Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) was an American novelist and short story writer.

He is known for Dark Romantic novels and stories such as "The Scarlet Letter" and "The House of the Seven Gables".
His works often focus on history, morality and religion.
 
He was born in Salem, Massachusetts, on July 4, 1804 and his family was a prominent Puritan
He was raised by his mother and relatives after his father died when he was four.
He enrolled Bowdoin College, graduating in 1825.
He published his first novel, "Fanshawe," in 1828 which is based on his experiences at Bowdoin College.
Horatio Bridge offered to cover the risk of collecting these stories in 1837 into Twice-Told Tales, which made Hawthorne known locally.
Regarding to his family, he married Sophia Peabody in 1842.
They had three children: Una, Julia, and Rose.
"The Scarlet Letter" and "The House of the Seven Gables," were published in 1850 and 1851, respectively.
He was rewarded in 1853 with the position of United States consul in Liverpool shortly after the publication of Tanglewood Tales.
He died in Plymouth, New Hampshire, on May 19, 1864.

Postcard from...Taipei, Taiwan

 

Hi! Jim!

I'm visiting Taiwan, just two days.

Taiwan like Japan, so I can't feel like travelling abroad.

But, Taiwanese food is delicious and quite different from japanese foods, so I'm enjoying to eat!

See you next class!

Makiko  :)

Salem: where Nathaniel was born

The author of this book, The Scarlet Letter is Nathaniel Hawthorne.  He was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804.  Salem is a famous historical place, where The Salem Witch Trials happened.  In 1692, some young girls acted strangely, and they claimed they were being hurt by witches.  The town of Salem set up a special court to decide who was a witch.  Many girls were arrested and put on trial, and 19 girls were executed.  Later, people realized the trials were wrong and all those were based on fears.  Through the Salem Witch Trials, many girls who didn’t do anything wrong were pulled to the court and wrongly sentenced as a witches.  Nathaniel’s great-great-grandfather was the Judge of the Salem court.  Nathaniel felt guilt for his family history, and he changed his family name by adding w to be different from his family’s dark past.  I think Nathaniel put the ideas from The Salem Witch Trials in his work, like sin, punishment, social criticism, etc.

My cute cousin Gouta

Of all my relatives, I like my cousin Gouta the best. He is ten years younger than me. He is a really cute boy and extremely funny for me.

He is now an elementary school student, and he plays baseball every day. He told me his dream is to become Ohtani Shohei , so he practices baseball extremely hard. He lives with his mother and father, and he does not have any sisters or brothers. His father always takes care of him.

 He also studies English, and the last time I met him he taught me how to say colors in English. He must be an international person in the near future.

He practices baseball and studies English really hard, so I am looking forward to his future. I believe he will be a successful and quite a rich person. Hahaha.

Posted for Yurina

"Hunting" should be illegal or not

 I believe that hunting is a complex issue with both moral and practical considerations. 

The first thing I thought was that hunting should be illegal. A lot of people believe that animals have a right to live freely. Actually, some species are facing extinction or have already disappeared from the earth due to humans’ overhunting. It is also one of the reasons for damaging the biological pyramid, which is a problem for humans as a result of its negative effects. 

If hunting is illegal, poachers would be punished strictly. It would protect extinct animals, then I believe it may return to us with good effects for humans.

On the other hand, I think it is necessary to hunt, and it shouldn’t be illegal.

Hunting can help manage wildlife populations, preventing overpopulation. It is kept in balance of ecology. Take an example, the number of deer and wild boars has increased, leading them to go to urban areas to search for food. There is a rising number of accidents with trains and cars. Also, they are causing significant damage to agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. 

From the perspective of human culture, hunting is not only a traditional practice but also an important part of way of life. Hunting provides food, clothing, and materials for various traditional crafts. Additionally, it is often relations with ceremonies that celebrate the relationship between humans and nature. 

Ultimately, I think whether hunting should be illegal depends on various factors.

The wonderful character in my workplace

 Let me introduce you to the member of my workplace! 

Tomoko-san is our manager. She is thoughtful. She has a wide perspective and she always helps us when we are in trouble. I think that it is wonderful how she expresses her opinions logically and confidently to anyone.

Miyuki-san is my supervisor. She is bright. Although her jobs seem very hard, she is always cheerful and keep smiling. I am able to get power from her! She thanks people for even the small things. I think she is a really kind person.

Ritsuko-san is my direct supervisor. She is kind and sedulous. She always answers my any question. Thanks to her, I have been able to learn many things about the details of my work. I think she is good at work. I want to be hard-working as Ritsuko-san in future!

There are also many other wonderful, kind, and cool people working at my workplace. I have a lot of respect for all of them!

Chinatsu

Postcard from Chicago, USA

Jim sensei,

Hello from Chicago!

Chinatsu and I had a business trip to the US. On Sunday afternoon we walked around Chicago downtown and took many beautiful pictures. We enjoyed American food with locally brewed beer. We will make efforts to improve our English so that we can communicate with our customers more fluently!

Chinatsu & Tomoko

 

How do you think about "Hunting"?

 We sometimes encounter wild animals due to some reasons. Wild animals may come near human dwellings to search for food as they are unable to find it in their territories due to climate changes and natural disasters. Humans may build their homes in the area where wild animals live.

I think that hunting is not immoral and shouldn't be illegal. Wild animals will face more challenges in finding food in the future due to climate changes and natural disasters. It is common knowledge that wild animals only search for food and do not intend to harm humans. To make wild animals aware of the danger of approaching human dwellings, it's best to return them to their area and to protect wild animals’ lives. However, wild animals have a habit of coming back again if they have tasted once. Thus, we will need to use Hunting continuously to protect people’s lives.

Each community should control land utilization and development plans (also known as land adjustment plans) to distinguish between areas where people and wild animals live. And then, if necessary, I think that hunting should be kept to the minimum needed to protect people's lives, taking into consideration the ecological effect.

These are why Hunting is not immoral and should not be illegal for me.

Postcard from the tropical rainforest - Malaysia

 Hello, Jim :)

How are you?

I'm enjoying my life!

I'm going back to Japan February 17th

See you in the next lesson :)

From Sachiko

The pros and cons of getting older

 Some people say that getting older is the best time of your life. However, getting older has noth advantages and disadvantages.

On the plus side, you can have more freedom. For example, you can vote, drive a car, drink alcohol, spend money and make decisions for yourslef. Also, you can gain more knowledge and experience.

However, for every plus there is a minus. One disadvantage is that getting poor health, so you have to eat healthy foods and exercise. Also, you become too busy, because you have to work, so you don't have much free time for hobbies and interests. Maybe you will become stressed.

In conclusion, I think that getting older you will have less free time and poor health, but you can gain a lot of experience. Both childhood and getting older have good points.

Posted for Ayumi

Postcard from Maroc - Morocco

 My dream came true at last!

I am travelling around Morocco!!

I feel like travelling different countries each day. What a exotic, wonderful country!!

Especially I was really excited to see the sun rise at the Sahara Desert. The colours of the sand  and sky were changing every moment. It was a unforgettable experience.

Teruki

Beats Studio 3 - product review

 Awesome headphones for any situation

I use my awesome headphones when I simply want to listen to music, or to study, but also on a train or on an airplane. The noise cancelling function it has works very well, so that any noise in a cafe, train or airplane won't bother me at all! However, this function might be dangerous if you use it while you are on a street, since you cannot notice bikes or other vehicles around you.

The quality of sound is also pretty good. It has strong bass, which is great for rock music. I chose the red ones, but there are many other color options. Also, since Beats is an Apple brand, they are very easy to connect to your device by Bluetooth. 

Although they are an awesome product, there are some negative points. First, they are expensive - worth it, but at about Y40,000, beyond the pockets of most students. Second, when I wear them for a long time, my ears start to ache. They are not too tight, but somewhere squeezes my ears in an unnatural way.

Apple has released new color collections, as well as updated the product in 2022.

Why don't you try the? I strongly recommend them.

Posted for Yuto...following his final English lesson with Jim, as he is heading off to university.

Celebrating New Year in Japan

Praying at our local shrine, New Year's

In Japan, New Year's festival started a very long time ago. We celebrate it on the first of January. It's a
public holiday. We celebrate with family in my grandparents' house, because we want to enjoy the start of the year together.

People eat 'osechi' on New Year's Day too. It's a special meal with different foods, and each dish has a meaning. For example, black beans mean good health, and sweetened fish cake means a long life.

New Year's festival is important in Japan because it brings families together to share special wished for health & happiness.

Posted for Ceilidh

I hate it when you leave

Jim, with an absolute
"worldy" of a student
 in 2018

This time of year is heartbreaking for language school owners like myself...

The inevitable scribbled note from a mum that your favourite student, who has made such awesome progress since her first lesson, which started & ended in a flood of tears/hiding behind mummy's leg/crayon throwing tantrum/hands in pockets refusal to enjoy a song & dance etc...now quitting to focus on 'juku' (cram school) or 'club activities' (only Despina Deguchi will ever win an Olympic Gold Medal from around here!) from next month.

Of course, all our departing students are welcome back with open arms - by which time 'romaji damage' has been permanently inflicted (you learnt how to read and spell phonetically accurately with me, but then want to end every word with a 'u' on the end...); you'll rely on an electronic dictionary to translate your every thought into incoherent word salads; you'll use AI to write any creative writing ideas you might have; you'll want to translate everything back & forwards through L1 and not even be able to say big numbers properly. You will have lost any idea of reading for fun; your fun intonation will have been flattened like a rib-eye before a BBQ, and you will be wondering why EIKEN is not recognised in the school you want to go to in Canada or Australia...and not be able to get an IELTS score good enough to get you a visa. Can we catch up for the years in juku/club activities? Methinks not.

I hate this time of year...am I young enough to wait for you to come back & rescue your English language learning any more? I'm afraid I don't think so...nor do I want to start another generation of learners from the floor (I'm old enough to be your mother's grandad - and my knees hurt). "I hate it when you leave" 

I hate it when you leave....

How do we celebrate New Year in Japan?

Many people in Japan go to a shrine on January 1st because it is New Year's Day. This is when we celebrate New Year's Day, which is one of the most important celebrations of the year.

Osechi

On New Year's Day, everyone eats traditional food with their families. We always invite our grandparents 
to dinner for Japanese food. We usually eat 'osechi', which is a famous traditional variety of hot and cold delicacies. 'Osechi' has many dishes, like 'konbu', which means celebration, 'Kuroname' which means being able to live diligently and other things.

On the day, grandparents and relatives give money to me and my brother and sister. We watch 'Kohaku Utagassen', when many singers sing their songs on TV. We watch as a family in our grandparent's house, which is in Aomori. New Year's Day is fun, but it's important  to meet and talk with grandparents and relatives. The day makes us enjoy the new year. All in all, it's a wonderful day and a great time for our family.

Posted for Hikari

Hakamata crime

In the early hours of 30th June 1966, a fire broke out at a miso manufacturing company in Shizuoka city. The accident almost destroyed the building. The bodies of four members of the managing director’s family were found in the burnt-out house. At that time, the police arrested Mr. Hakamata who was a live-in employee for murdering the family, setting fire to the home, and stealing 200,000 yen in cash. He initially denied murdering the family and robbery, but later he confessed following beatings and interrogations that lasted up to 12 hours a day. A year after Hakamata’s arrest, some clothes were found in a miso tank. Those clothes were bloodstained and were used to incriminate him. 

During the trial, he maintained his innocence, but he was sentenced to death, and the sentence was finalized in 1980.

For years, however, Hakamata’s lawyer argued that the DNA recovered from the clothes did not match his. They also further suggested that police could fabricate the evidence.

Their argument was enough to persuade the Judge and Hakamata was released from jail in 2014 as remains on confirmed death row as a row prisoner and was granted a retrial.

In March 2023, the Tokyo High Court allowed a retrial to begin, and after a total 15 hearing, the court was acquitted. It had been 58 years and a month passed before he was innocent.

Postcard from Kakisa Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada

 

Hi Jim!

My friend and I participated Northern Lights tour three nights and we could see northern lights every nights!

Actually, northern lights were not green like a calendar first time. I had seen it white colour. But I could see green colour 2nd day. That is it takes some getting used to see northern lights.

Were going to Seattle via Vancouver tomorrow, then I'm visiting the museum of pop culture! I can't wait!

Best wishes,

Makiko

Attack by terrorism in Japan

 I still remember the two incidents.There were gas incidents that exploded in Matsumoto and in the Tokyo subway.Both incidents were caused by terrorists in a religious organization named Aum Shinrikyo.

In June 1994, the first one in Matsumoto happened and lawyers were targeted because Aum Shinrikyo was trying to build a branch and there was a dispute over the land contract. The 1st informer Mr. Kono was suspected of murder due to media feeding frenzy and poor investigation by police because we had never heard “Sarin”. At that time, one of his children was a student at same high school and I suspect that she had a really difficult time with an incorrect assumption about his father.

In March 1995, they attacked the Tokyo subway using Sarin. It was called “Tokyo Sarin Attack”. They targeted people in Kasumigaseki, where government ministries and the Metropolitan Police Office are situated.

A lawyer Sakamoto and his family perished prior to the sarin gas incident in Matsumoto. Sakamoto, the lawyer, was in charge of handling matters related to Aum Shinrikyo.Aum Shinrikyo always targets individuals and society that are against Aum Shinrikyo.

The most of criminals was already punished. However, some religious organizations from Aum Shinrikyo are still working. I am afraid what purpose the organizations have and what action they take in the future.