Mike's Lucky Day

What is Mike going to do after this story? Is he going to be a student again?

Mike and Jennifer are going to become a lover. They are going to out on date every week. However, her father doesn't admit the relation between them. Mike is going to study hard and graduate from the university. Mike is going to work hard because to become independent and to admit to her father. His father is going to admit him.They are going to marry. Lucky them!

(Takeho)

Talking the talk

I had a couple of fun lessons today which I'd like to share.

This morning I was up at Daiichi, where we were learning some more adjectives - enthusiastic, jealous, frustrated and some other juicy ones. As usual, Chihiro & Nomado got really into it. Always helps when you have a couple of performers in a class, as they give the quieter students a bit of cover - as well as a level of participation they can try to rise to. I've noticed lately some of the very reluctant girls have been trying harder, which is great. Last week we built adverbs out of the adjectives we already knew (mostly adding -ly) and mimed out some strange sentences eg tap dance confidently, kiss your grandmother angrily etc, which turned out to be rather hilarious!

Later in the day, I was with my cool class at the Korean school. This class are soooo much fun. They learn really quickly, and help each other out which I really respect. I only see them once a month or so, so we have to motor through stuff; nevertheless they 'get' it. They can now confidently tackle short /a/, /e/ & /i/ sounds. From this launch pad, reading & spelling is a breeze. Sadly, our year together is nearly finished...and another class I taught ten years ago graduates next month.

Getting old :(

Happy Valentine's Day

This is supposed to be a romantic day! A day of hoping for that special person to notice you and send you some lovely flowers anonymously, or for some chocolates to arrive on your desk mysteriously, a trinket to appear for you, or a poem handwritten & dedicated to you in an unsigned card...

Ladies: you do not have to do anything today except look lovely, expectant, and lovely again.

Guys, you've got it all wrong. There is NO "Giri Choco". YOU should be busting a nut doing something special for the lady (or ladies) in your life - or for that one you've had your eye on but not been brave enough to act yet. Today's the day. Strike while you have the golden opportunity! Go for it!

There is NO White Day. This is a rubbish invention to sell more chocolate. This 'day' does not exist anywhere else on this planet. If you can't be romantic & spontaneous today, forget it. White Day is for losers!

"But what happens if I forgot?" Well, you're in the dog house! Only an expensive restaurant with a decent bottle of wine, flowers, a present, and you all dressed up posh will save your bacon. Don't panic; be cool, pretend you had a surprise all planned out...

So get your act together gentlemen (and I do mean "gentlemen"). Top Ten Tips:

1. Ladies first today (should be everyday, anyway, right?)
2. Open doors for ladies (ditto above)
   
3. Make her day - say it with flowers (a dozen red roses the norm)
4. Do something unusual - buy her something cute...or sexy?
5. Cook dinner, or book a table somewhere nice. (Got kids? Get a babysitter!)
6. Send an I.L.Y. text message
7. Candles & incense tonight, turn the TV off (and her on!)
8. Say "I love you" in another language!
   
9. Put a heart on her desk/car/pillow/dog
10. Don't wait - do it NOW. Go on. NOW.

What do you think?

What indeed?

We recently added this ad to the Town pages. Please have a look & tell me what you think?
What? Where?

Click on the title to be redirected!

Young Learners Exams

This evening I have been checking speaking test scores for children who took YLE over the weekend in Hokkaido, where 3 schools altogether entered candidates in two separate locations (Sapporo & Obihiro). My job is to upload scores to Cambridge online, and return the papers by mail (which is expensive!)

In order to arrange all of this, the process started over 7 weeks ago when the schools sent us applications to have the exams. I contact Cambridge & arrange for enough papers, CDs etc to be sent, and ask for (qualified) Oral Examiners to volunteer to conduct the speaking tests. Once we receive the material in Matsumoto (from the UK), we forward it to the schools with personalised mark sheets, interview schedules etc. which we print out.

Once our parcel arrives in the UK, qualified examiners mark the reading/writing, and listening papers; results are calculated and then certificates printed for ALL the children who took the exams - there is no pass/fail. Instead, their certificate shows how well they did. This is less competitive & generally makes all candidates feel as though they have achieved something...which indeed they have. Taking an exam in English is a brave thing to try!

We recommend schools make a big fuss about the certificates - arrange a formal ceremony to mark the occasion etc.

Meantime, I have 6 schools who have already applied to have their YLE sessions in March...

One Hundred - not out

Just a quick word to note that the 100th correspondent signed up for the blog in the last day or two -woo hoo!

I should also note that we had the 1,000th 'hit' over a month ago - we're now about 1,500. All of which is excellent news and means that your good work is being noticed - according to the map, in about 39 countries!

Keep up the good work and remember, you don't have to be asked before you start writing! Jim

Girl meets Boy

Do you like dancing and discos? Yes,I like dancing. Why/why not? Because dance make me happy and feeling so fine. I like hip hop dance very much and started learning at dance school last spring. But I don't like discos. Because I like dance only as sport and don't want another things.

Do you like holiday on boats? Yes I do. Why/why not? Because I hanker for luxurious holiday very much. Holiday on boats is the most luxurious for me. It needs many days to make a voyage and spend a lot of money.

Are you shy? When? No, I am not. I can become a friend easily if I meet somebody whom I have never meet. I think friend are important treasure. Friend make person happy and support and help each other.

(Posted for Shin)

Pele

Today is January 11,
Dear Dico,

How are you?
Your father and I miss you every day, but we hope you are very well. How is the life with Santos? Do you have many friends? I’d like to see you and live with you.

If you have any trouble, inform us immediately. We can help you. If you would like to come back home, please let me know. You are always welcome.
Anyway, we will support you, so do your best.

Love,
Celeste

Postcard from San Francisco

Hi Jim,

How are you? I'm writing this card in San Francisco. I walked around at center of the city. It's so nice place, because the old buildings harmonize well with the modern, and there are many public transportations (not so much cars). When I can come back here, I want to take a cable car. See you in next class.

Cordially, Jun

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Michael Jordan

I read "MICHAEL JORDAN".
I write ten questions for Michel Jordan.

1)When did you start basketball?
2)Why did you chooes basketball?
3)Do you think basketball's appeal?
4)How long did you play basketball every day?
5)Which did you like basketball or baseball?
6)What is your shoe size?
7)What did you like to do except baseball and basketball?
8)How many times did you visit to Japan?
9)What is your hobby?
10)Do you have a dream of your life?

HANA (Noriko Yada)

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

I think Tom is a really good boy, because he is very kind and extrovert. He told Huck to go to school and shared money with his friend. He hoped to make his friend happy.I like him very much.

Posted for Shin

Exam Results - November

Late November Luna organised Cambridge ESOL's KET & PET exams at two venues in Niigata & Tokyo (see previous posts).

Unlike other exams (that shall remain nameless), Cambridge ESOL results do NOT give candidates a numerical breakdown of their performance. Rather, Statements of Results show how well or poorly candidates did in each paper - including speaking. Personally, I think this is a much more realistic way of interpreting a person's particular & overall abilities to understand, use and function in English. I'll get off my soapbox!

Just wanted to share with you how our candidates fared (though I take no credit for successes nor blame for disappoinments, as I taught none of the entries - which is annoying!)

KET : 20 candidates.

• 14 passed, 3 "With Merit". (2 "Narrow Fails")

PET candidates: 26 candidates.

• 22 passed, 4 "With Merit". (2 "Narrow Fails")

Which I think deserve a round of applause, don't you?

Of course, I encourage all of our students to prove how good they are...KET & PET are both available in Matsumoto, on June 7th. Why not have a go? Who knows, you might surprise yourself!

Jim

Six Sketches

Writing: There are some nervous people in these sketches.Why are they nervous? When are you nervous?

"I'm Right"
The ticket inspector is nervous when the old man and women are talking about their thicket. Because the old men and women are always wrong.

"Cheese"
People are nervous. People come to a photographer for their photographs and they're nervous.

"A good Match"
David is nervous when United lose a game. David supports United.

"Wedding Day"
David is nervous. He puts on the wrong shoe.

Yasuhiro.

The Full Monty

The Full Monty is a very popular and funny British file!

Gaz and five others decide to form a strippers’ group. None of the men has stripped before. Gaz must make sure the local women come to the show, so he tells them that the group will take all their clothes off. Will these unlikely strippers dare to go for the ‘full monty’?
Click here to find the story in Japanese.

Writing #24
Imagine you are a reporter working on the Sheffield Star. Write about the show for the paper’s front page.

Male strippers “HOT METAL” coming soon!
Six unemployed men have formed a male stripper group, HOT METAL. They were worker at steel factory in Sheffield and unemployed, because the factory was closed by competition. They got to know each other at the job club while they are looking for a job, and decided to form the male stripper group to earn the money. They exercised their dance at their factory warehouse. Gaz who is the leader of this group said they will take all their clothes off. It means "The Full Monty".

Michael Jordan biography

Dear Larry,

How are you? I think you are very well.

As you know, I'm now playing baseball in Chicago White Sox.
But I can't play now because of money trouble in our team.
I love baseball but I can't play now. I'm now 31 years old, and it is not very young to play. So I can't wait the day that I can play baseball.

I'm now wondering whether I should wait for baseball or not.
Larry, what do you think about it?

Regards,
Jordan

The Black Cat

A detective novelist "Edogawa Ranpo" is well-known in Japan. Do you know his name comes from an American novelist "Edgar Allan Poe" who wrote about terrible people with strange lives? "Black Cat " is one of his masterpieces.

There's a man who loves animals and keeps a beautiful and intelligent black cat. At first he lives happily with the black cat but he changes slowly to be unkind, selfish and violent because of alcohol.

Eventually he cruelly kills the black cat. Some days after he finds another black cat and keeps him. One day he kills his wife because she stops him killing the new black cat. He buries her dead body in the wall but it is found by the police because a voice like a child crying comes from inside of the wall. When her dead body appears, the black cat is standing on her head covered with dried blood.

This story will frighten you!

The Adnentures of Tom Sawyer

Is Tom a good boy or a bad boy? Why? Write about it.

I think he is a good boy.

He showed a courage to confess innocence of Muffy Potter.

He loves a friend.(Huck and Becky etc..) He is masculine.(He protects Becky.)

He is a mischievous boy, but he might be clever because hit on a lot of mischief.

I had good feeling in innocence and an adventure spirit of him.

I feel envy it. I lost....

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.

The Last of Mohicans

Sorry, I'll delete this post soon.
Instead of this post, I'll add a comment to the exsitent article.

Six Sketches

There are some nervous people in these sketches. Why are they nervous? When are you nervous?

In the sketch of "Wedding Day", David is nervous, because he wears one black shoe and one brown shoe. He made mistake to wear odd shoes.

In the sketch of "The English Teacher", the students are nervous, because smoke is coming under the door.Mr. Brown don't understand it.

I am nervous when I quarrel with my wife or when I make mistake in my work, when I take an English exam and I receive the results.

(Posted for Masaya)

1984

This novel was written in 1949, however the given circumstances of the story is today's world. In the story everyone is under watch and be tightly-controlled both physically and mentally, and freedom of thought is not guaranteed. Under such circumstance, brain-freeze is only one technique to live in easily and safety. I think that's exactly today's world! And the author must have written the story as a warning against today's society.

Rain Man

Charlie tells Raymond: 'You're like a computer. 'Write about the special things that Raymond can do.
------------
Raymond has a excellent memory, observation power and calculation ability. He can remember a lot of telephone numbers on a telephone book at night. At a restaurant, a waitress was surprised because he told telephone number of her to Charlie. Moreover, he can count a lot of things quickly by his excellent observation power. He counted accurately the toothpicks that had dropped on the floor by the waitress.

In addition, he can win in the casino by his excellent memory, observation power and calculation ability. Of course, He accurately remembers prizes (eg. $89,796). He is exactly like the computer.

However, the most special things that he can do is, a change of Charlie. Charlie was selfishness. Raymond changed Charlie into gentle man. This is the most special things.

Michael Jordan

You are Michael Jordan in the summer of 1994. Write a letter to your brother, Larry, about your job in baseball

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

Dear Larry
I have a news that surprises you. I challenge new job this year. What it do you think?The work uses the ball, but it is not basketball. When I was a child, it often played. So,it is a baseball. I am a baseball player on the Chicago White Sox.My number is 45. It is your old number when you are a high school student.I want to win the championship. I want to get award of baseball too.Please come to see my play. Let's meet in the baseball stadium.
best wishes,Michael

Postcard from Chicago, U.S.A.

In Chicago, it is very cold today - negative 17 degrees C.
It's colder than Nagano, Japan. And it is also very windy
downtown, where I am staying (at Omuni Hotel). I enjoyed a thick crust pizza and a Chop House Steak, and a bottle of Goose Island.

From a member of your class, Junichi.

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GIRL meets BOY

Do you like dancing and discos? Why/why not?
No, I don't. I'm not good at the dancing.However, I have feelings that want to go to the disco once.

Do you like holiday on boats? Why/why not?
No, I don't.I live in Nagano where doesn't have the sea. I have not taken the ship for a long time. Maybe I get seasick.

Are you shy? When?
Yes, I am.I'm shy of strangers for the person of the first meeting.I'm not good at standing in the presence of others.

(Takeho)

Mike's Lucky Day

What is Mike going to do after this story? Is he going to be a student again?

I think he is going to ask her to many dine. And he is going to make a date with her, watching movie, driving, swimming, travel, and so on.
They are going to make a love.

But her father doesn't permit the relation between Jennifer and Mike.
Because Mike is a student yet. Then Mike is going to graduate from college, he is going to work in Jennifer's shop. Of course he works with her. They will make a happy very well.

Yasuhiro.

Marcel goes to Hollywood

I read "Marcel goes to HOLLYWOOD".
Two French mice are heroes of this story, thier names are "Marcel & Celine". Marcel is a detective and Celine is a painter.

DAY1:
They arrive in Los Angeles. They go to Hollywood from airport. They stay Mr.Waldman's house.
At 10 o'clock they go to bed. But 12 o'clock Marcel hears noise, he opens his eyes. He goes to the kitchen. He finds a kidnapper's massage. They kidnap "Lois Waldman". She is Waldman's daughter, fifteen years old.

DAY2:
In the morning, Mr. & Mrs. Waldman read the massage.
At 10:05 the kidnapper to ring Mr. Waldman, they tell him "Bring $1 million to room 309 on the Queen Mary".
Mr. Waldman goes to bank and puts $1 million in the suitcase. He goes to "Queen Mary room 309".Marcel and Celine go, too.
Mr. Waldman hands kidnapper $1 million. But he doesn't get his daughter.
Marcel and Celine in the suitcase, go to kidnapper's house with kidnapper.
They find Lois in a bedroom.
At 11 o'clock, Marcel telephones the police.
Police finds kidnapper and saves Lois.

Marcel and Celine take a lorry go back to Waldman's house.

Noriko Yada

E.T

I read "E.T" for three weeks at the end of Dec 2007. Because I have never watched this movie, it was a little bit difficult for me to understand the relationship of characters. I wrote my thinking that I looked at the photo on page 34 in the book.

1. What is happening ?
The boys rode away with E.T by bike to the forest in order to take him to his spaceship.
2. What is going to happen ?
E.T is putting up his finger and the bikes are going up into the sky. Five bikes fly over the police, their cars and over the houses.
3. What is E.T thinking ?
E.T is thinking of Elliot like a brother and he wants to go back to his star with Elliot.

Masanori Yagasaki

Poster Project

Recently asked my high school class to do a bit of research - we had been studying about countries, the nationalities of those countries and the languages spoken there. Some of the lads started shouting out names like "Ronaldo", "Beckham", and "Ichiro", and I quickly got the impression there was a well-spring of latent knowledge & interest to push the boat out a bit.

A teacher is always taking a bit of a risk asking students to produce unstructured work. A 'mistake' I made years ago with my refugee students in Thailand was to ask them "How did you get here?". Obviously, each story was shocking; reading 50 or so made me think long and hard about what I was trying to do as a teacher and how little I had to complain about. I recently re-read some of their accounts when I was sorting through boxes of old stuff at my brother's place in Australia - still very harrowing.

Anyway. Rie & I asked our students to produce a poster highlighting a particular country. We suggested a couple of websites, and we brainstormed ideas as to what they might include. As you can see from the postings below, some of them really got their teeth into it. Which is the best poster? You decide - there's a poll on the right, so please take a second to cast your vote. (And by all means post a comment under them.)

Poster project - Argentina

Poster project - Australia

Poster project - Brazil

Poster project - Canada

Poster project - Colombia

Poster project - England

Poster project - France

Poster project - Germany

Poster project - India

Poster project - Indonesia 1

Poster project - Indonesia 2

Poster project - Japan

Poster project - Korea (South)

Poster project - Mexico 1

Poster project - Mexico 2

Poster project - New Zealand

Poster project - Norway

Poster project - Pakistan

Poster project - Portugal

Poster project - Singapore

Poster project - South Africa

Poster project - Spain

Poster project - Taiwan

Poster project - The U.S.A.

DRAGON HEART

#14 Sir Bowen and Einon have very different ideas about Old Code.Write about their ideas.Who do you think is right?

Sir Bowen thinks that all kings and knights must live by the Old Code. If they do so, kings are kind to peasants and knights help kings, everybody in the country are happy. So Bowen wanted Einon to live by the Old Code in the future and to change the country.

Einon thinks that the Old Code is worthless, and kings don't have to live by the Old Code.　He is cruel king than his father now!

I think Sir Bowen is right. Because I think that kings have to be kind to everybody in the country, and the Old Code means this. The Old Code is the way of making country to be happy.

PS. If you want to know an outline of this story, check this site.

Heidi

#13 You are Clara. It is the week after Heidi arrives in Frankfurt. Write a letter to a friend. Tell her about Heidi.

Dear Johanna,

I have some big news!

I made a new friend. Her name is Heidi. I heard her Christian name, but she wants us to call herself Heidi. She arrived at my home with her aunt a week ago, and she is living with us.

As you know, I am an only daughter. I'm very happy it seems I have a young sister. She is eight years old.

Many things happened that surprised us for this one week. When I meet you next time, I talk about them directly. She also told me a lot of things about beautiful landscape of her hometown Alm, a wonderful sound of tree, her lovely goats, and her kind grandfather. I hope to visit Alm someday with Heidi.

I would like to introduce her to you as soon as possible. I think you like her, too.

Regards,

Clara

Gone with the Wind - Part One -

This is one of my favorite films. I watched it more than 20 years ago. After reading this book, I can see it happening all over again in my mind’s eye. I’ll have to read “Part Two”.

(Writing 39) When the Confederacy lose the war, Mammy and Pork – like all negro slaves – are free to go wherever they want to go. Why do you think they choose to stay at Tara? What do you think happens to other slaves after they leave the families they have worked for?

I guess the Mammy and Pork’s family was considerate of them like real family. Then they didn’t leave the family and took care of Scarlett’s mother and girls. About the other slaves, I think they were taken prisoner by Yankees.

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