Flipping good work - young learners on Zoom

Two of my students moved away in the spring, but wanted to keep learning together as they've been with Luna/in the same class since they were knee-high. They have adapted to taking classes online really well, because they have confidence in each other, trust me (a bit!) and realise that 'mistakes' are just part & parcel of the learning process...but once upon a time a hair-trigger for tears & red faces. Now, giggles galore and superb collaborative English adventure.

Having adopted/upgraded to online presentation tools for textbooks, & digital copies of graded readers (kids still need physical books in their hands...reading is a tactile sport!) for our teachers to exploit, we've been re-skilling at Luna Towers on the job.

Last night, only one student could join me at the last minute...we've just started a new text book and I didn't want to leave her buddy behind or have to retrace our steps next week. We've just finished a set of readers and the new order is literally in the post. My game plan crashed & burned.

Sherlock Holmes:
The Dying Detective

Imagine MY delight when she bounced off her chair squeeling when I showed her the front covers of the new readers "I love Sherlock Holmes!" ... Let's run with that enthusiasm :)

Ceeding control of my keyboard & mouse, we worked together to build a Quizlet set from the glossary of 'harder' or less familiar words in the story. How? 

I have a fair idea her vocabulary 'store' so:

• challenged her to spell 'known' or previously studied words (memory or a quick book dive) & then checking herself, by choosing an image (auto search is accurate enough) to suit. I liked this approach as her selections were different to mine!
• familiar words I typed and she told me what she thought it meant (some L1 here), then image search to confirm understanding
• obviously unknown & unique words to this story eg contagion or microbe, I added the word & found a suitable image & then checked for understanding ('corona?')

And there you go. Student generated content. Fully engaged both of us, and will be a great help to her buddy next week. Next mission with this set will be to make a copy, and have them both agree on a Japanese translation for the vocabulary. This will be a dictionaries open exercise if necessary, and another way we can flip our online classroom; after that game time in Quizlet and whatever else I can think of eg  wordwall or oodlu

The Quizlet set "Sherlock Holmes - The Dying Detective" OUP Dominoes "Quick Starter" graded reader produced by 'lunateacher' in our "Graded Reader - Young Learners" class. Feel free to join (it's free!) students and teachers!

Bus service in western of Matsumoto

“Community bus” is one of the transportation services in Matsumoto city.  The service started from 2012 in order to secure the effective public transportation way in western area of Matsumoto city.

There are bus stations, but you can get off wherever you like except the crowed roads like Route19.  In addition, you can amass points every boarding.  The points can be exchanged to some services at some corporate shops.

In the meantime, the bus doesn’t go to Matsumoto station.  If you would like to Matsumoto station, you need to go to the nearest stations like Hirata or Niimura by bus and then you make a transfer to the train to Matsumoto directly.  In addition, the bus runs from 6:00 to 20:00 and it doesn’t run on Sunday, National holidays and during the year change period.  In case you drink in night or holidays, you can’t use the bus.

However, the bus service is well received by elderly people who don’t have car or can’t drive car.

Science fiction helps you to learn new vocabulary.

Re:Genesis is a Canadian TV series about the scientists. NorBAC, "North American Biotechnology Advisory Commission," is the science lab which police ask for help when weird and struggling cases occur. Topics are what we are facing in the real world. NorBAC investigates wide variety of cases such as bio-terrorism, infectious diseases, sudden and massive fatalities of people or animals due to sudden mysterious changes in environment.

David Sandstrom, the leader of NorBAC team, has many issues like alcoholism and family issues. He is rather human-like character when comparing with Holmes. But sure you can enjoy thrilling action, love romance, family bonds, and the latest science technology in Re:Genesis. NorBAC team utilizes the most advanced equipment identifying much smaller details. A magnifying glass or a microscope cannot do that much.

Let me introduce one episode. Multiple blackouts in cities occurred and police started investigating for possible terrorism. However, police failed to find a single evidence which shows the presence of human being on sites and they asked NorBAC for help.

NorBAC team finds weird traces on power cables in power plants and further conducts DNA examination. As the results, the team identifies bacteria which eats artificial and synthetic substances causing blackouts.

When I watched this series during high school years and themes seemed unrealistic, yet we are now actually identifying various issues including strange climatic variation, radical shifts in ecosystem, and ethical issues in accordance with rapid developments in science like artificial gene synthesis.

In real world, Japanese scientists find bacteria eating plastic in 2016 and they expect to largely reduce plastic wastes. But what if such bacteria expands in public? The story can be realistic.

Re:Genesis is the one you need to learn science, math, medical science, politics and to gain your knowledge and vocabulary! Moreover, this drama is also good for someone who wants to improve your pronunciation and listening skill. Main characters speak Canadian, American, British, Latin and Asian English since the NorBAC lab has many staffs with different nationalities.

Crime Scene Investigation

CSI: Miami is an American police drama television series.

It was performed on September 23, 2002 for the first time. Starring David Caruso as Lieutenant Horatio Caine, Emily Procter as Detective Calleigh Duquesne, and Kim Delaney as Lieutenant Megan Donner. The series is the first spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

 Miami is the famous resort place in USA, beautiful beach, white sand and people enjoy the vacation. The tricky and gory crimes are hided in these luxury resort. The team of Miami is the group of expert for investigation with scientific method. They can identify the finger print of criminals by using UV light, and find out who he/she is with the special data base. They are not only stay at the science lab but also going out in order to arrest the criminal with their guns.

Horatio Caine who is the leader of this group is very smart and having a keen sense. He can find out a lot of things with a few clues at the scene. The team member respect him and co-working very well. His team looks perfect but sometimes shows humane side.

 If you are looking for any police drama, you should watch CSI: Miami!

The Last Sherlock Holmes Story - Holmes's final diary

April 1891 SWITZERLAND

I won’t have forgotten forever that I did have an irreplaceable friend Dr. Watson. I have enjoyed the life myself. Especially I have lived with my best friend Dr. Watson. I knew that something was wrong since I found my bedroom door was locked in Watson's house. I knew what happened. Dr. Watson was not Dr. Watson. He was not my best friend Dr. Watson. We had solved many cases together. There were some cases which we couldn’t forget. One of them is Berlin case “one in three”. But he couldn’t remember it. He forgot it. It surprised me and I doubted him.

When I tried to hit the man who came in the room I rested, he jumped away. And he wrote the letter to Lestrade, which said that I was the White Chapel murderer. What rubbish! He wasn’t Dr. Watson, of course.

Moriarty had killed my poor friend and taken his place. I saw him injecting himself with cocaine, but Dr. Watson would never, never do that. So I understood.

I’ll go to the Reichenbach Falles today. That is a wild and lonely place. He has asked me to walk with him. Certainly, he will try to kill me. But he will not succeed because I have put blanks in his gun. 

But I am sad, so sad. Because I lost my friend, Dr. Watson. When had he killed by Moriarty? Why I couldn’t help and save him? I’ll try to get the answer, but I don’t want to know it actually.

Posted for Naoko

After reading - the true villain

I think the true villain of story was the Duke of Holdernesse. He had deep darkness.The Duke talked to Sherlock Homes to own story.

"When I was a young man. I was in love . I wanted her to be my wife . but she died. She left me this one child. and I loved him because of her. But a goverment minister cannot tell the world about a love-child like this. so to the world ,James is my young secretary, not my son"

Mr James knows that the Duke is his father.and He hate the Duchess and hates his younger son Arthur. Arthur has everything, Arther has a name. a famous father, house, money, everything. James has nothing. and he wants to be the Duke of Holderness one day. That‘s not possible. of course,but James can`t understand

And next he kidnaped his younger son Arthur with Hayes. and unhappy the German teacher followed them. so someone killed him. Hayers? James? Of couse James was a bad boy. Hayes was bad person too! But really, The cause of the kidnapping and murder was the Duke` self-defense. I think so! 

Posted for Yoko

Sherlock Holmes and the Sport of Kings

After reading 5.

I found the fourteen words in the word search.

1. HORSE
2. TRACK
3. TRAINER
4. OWNER
5. TASTE
6. SCARF
7. SAFE
8. KICK
9. SHEEP
10. OWN
11. LAME
12. BET
13. MUD
14. WIN

I think the words in 1. to 4. can be make a headline for the hewspaper report.

Sherlock Homes and the sport of kings

After reading:#3: What did Sherlock Holmes say to Silas Brown?

Sherlock Holmes: Now, Mr. Silas Brown, I want to see Silver Blaze.
Silas Brown :He's not in my stables! And who are you?
Sherlock Holmes : My name is Sherlock Holmes, and I know that the horse is here.
Silas Brown : And how do you know that?
Sherlock Holmes : Because I found the tracks of your shoes on the moor, next to the tracks of Silver Blaze, and the tracks came here.
Silas Brown : The tracks...Oh. Oh dear.
Sherlock Holmes : Yes, Mr. Brown, oh dear! Now, have you got the horse here?
Silas Brown : Yes, I have. He's round the back. He's ... er... well, he's a different color now.
Sherlock Holmes : A different color? The police are going to find that very interesting, Mr. Brown.
Silas Brown : Don't tell the police, sir. Please! I can change the color back very quickly.
Sherlock Holmes : Then you must do it today. Is the horse well?
Silas Brown : Yes, very well. He's a wonderful horse, sir. He can still win the Wessex Cup, you know.
Sherlock Holmes : Yes. And he must win it! With your help, Mr Brown. Now, listen carefully, ...

Silver Blaze and Other Stories

Which is favourite story?

Favourite story is THE BLUE CARBUNCLE.

Why?

The jewel was hidden inside the goose.It is interesting.

What did you like about the main characters?

Homes is very clever.

Naoya

Silver Blaze & other stories

I like mystery story and I enjoyed reading this book. There were three stories in this book and all of them had a unexpected ending. Especially the third story " The six Napoleons" did. The speedy pace of change and unforeseen development pull me in to this story. In the last scene which shows how Holmes had solved the mystery, I had delightful surprise by his brilliant deduction.

Yukari

Silver Blaze and Other Stories

This book is Sherlock Holmes's short collection.

I read Sherlock Holmes's stories when I was a child, but there is no story that I read before. Therefore, all stories were able to be read being interested. I think the mystery is trivial when a reader knows the trick before reading. I think the third story "The Six Napoleons" is the most interesting. A mysterious event in the first half of the story and the end from which the mystery is beautifully solved is wonderful.

By the way, the Sherlock Holmes series are made into films many times. The famous actor who performed Holmes posts was Buster Keaton, Basil Rathbone, Peter Cushing, Jeremy Brett and Roger Moore. I hardly saw those films, but I think Roger Moore matches unexpectedly to the image of Holms. James Bond and Sherlock Holmes were good at combative sports and gun, actives, and heavy smoker.

[Points for Understanding]
THE BLUE CARBUNCLE
2-1 Inside the goose.
2-2 The Countess of Morcar.
2-3 At the Hotel Cosmopolitan.
2-4 Mr. James Ryder, he was under-manager of the hotel.
2-5 Someone had broke into the Countess's room.
2-6 He thought Henry Baker knows anything about Blue Carbuncle.
2-7 He advertised in the newspaper.

Silver Blaze and Other Stories

This book is made up of stories that Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson help the police with the strange cases. There are three stories in this book, Silver Blaze is the most interesting.

I predicted stories as follows before I read book at class. Someone will bet one horse at horserace, but He can't win. Then Someone had killed, so It's relation to a horserace.

I read a story actually, I was interesting and be supried. Silver Blaze is horse name and racehorse. This horse's trainer had been murdered. His name is John Straker. The mystery of muder has a unexpected answer. Sherlock Holmes inverstigated and slove with Dr Watson.

I am telling a bit answer, John Straker was thinking a trick and had been killed.

In reality, The murderer is Silver Blaze. Whoa!

Scandal in Bohemia

How did Holmes solve the mystery? Choose one of the stories and explain.

I choose "The Red-Headed League" in the stories. Sherlock Holmes did three main things to solve the mystery.
- Interview
- Deduction
- Demonstration

Interview;
Sherlock Holmes listened to the client, looked at objective evidences carefully and asked the client important questions about his explanation. Moreover, Watson's questions were very useful for organizing various information which the client brought for him.

Deduction;
Sherlock Holmes thought a lot about the mystery deeply for three-quarters of an hour in order to make a hypothesis. And then he finished reaching a deduction after he saw a suspect at the locality and looked around the square.

Demonstration;
Sherlock Holmes went to the bank near the locality with Watson and waited a long time for thieves with a banker and inspector. Finally, they could catch thieves as Holmes expected.

Sherlock Holmes solved the mystery by three main things.

(Posted for Hiroaki)

A Scandal in Bohemia

Why are the Sherlock Holmes stories so popular?

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There are a lot of people who love Holmes.
Some people send fan letter to 221B Baker Street.

Why is Holmes loved?

The Stories and person have a lot of charm. But I think another reason. The Sherlock Holmes stories has a huge volume of information that helps the reader's imagination and a space that reader can imagine freely. As a result, some creators made many movies, dramas and cartoons by own interpretations. Each works produced the fun, consequently the stories have became popular.

Why are the Sherlock Holmes stories so popular?
The stories has a huge volume of information that helps the reader's imagination and a space that reader can imagine freely.

A Scandal in Bohemia

Sherlock Holmes is often kind to the criminals that he cathes.

Do you think this is right? Why dose he act like this?

--------------------------

I think that it's right. To solve the mystery is pleasure to Sherlock Holmes. Crime is certainly bad things although, on the other hand they gave Sherlock Holmes the interesting mystery. I think that's why he act kind to the criminals.