The Love of a King - after reading

I read “ The Love of a King” and chose After reading #3.
Do you agree or disagree with these sentences?

1.    Edward was right to marry Wallis. Love is the most important thing in the world.

->It’s quite difficult question for me to decide, although I agree this sentence. A lot of people said that Money is important and I understand Money is necessary to live. The women can marry with rich man without Love, she just wants his money to live rich life or buy everything she wants. I cannot do that, I want to spend my time with person I loves.

2.  Wallis married Edward because he was rich and famous.

    -> I disagree with this sentence. She loved Edward not as a King. I think she knows that rich and famous are not important for her because she experienced married life with two men.

3.  The British Royal Family were very unkind to Edward.

-> I disagree because they have long story, if they accepted to Edward to marry Wallis, it damage the dignity of British Royal Family. I think Japan has also such a problem that the emperor should be a man etc.. People think about to do in the future.

4. Photographers should leave royal families alone. They need a private life just like other people.

 -> I agree with this sentence. Excess chase royal families like paparazzi lead to tragedy that Princess of Diana was died.  I think they need the private time as a person.

I’ve never known Edward story. Before reading this book, I watched “ The King’s speech” which is Edward’s brother Gorge story. He could not speak in front of people, so he practiced to be able to make a speech grandly. In the film, Edward is depicted a playboy and he doesn’t care country. It’s important for him to be with Wallis. After watching, I thought Edward is not good man, but I read this book my thinking was changed. I’m impressed that he abdicated and he married divorced women Wallis. During I was reading story, I could feel Edward spend good life with much Love for his after age. And I think if I would be faced to decide money or love, which I choose. I wish I could choose love like Edward.

ABC dominoes

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All kinds of weather

listen to ‘All kinds of weather’ on Audioboo

ET1 abc on Tuesday

listen to ‘ET1 abc on Tuesday’ on Audioboo

A Conference from a different perspective - photographer

The weekend of May 18-9 I was asked to be the official photographer for JALT PANSIG Conference 2013, held at Nanzan University in Nagoya.

I was very excited to have been asked, and thank David Kluge for the leap of faith. I should also thank all the presenters etc who tried to ignore me scuttling in & out of rooms. I tried my hardest to be unobtrusive & uninvasive. I sincerely hope I managed that, and that the shots I did achieve captured the lovely feel of the Conference - very friendly, co-operative and calmly professional. My regret is that I did not spend any time in any presentations for long enough, but I did get a taste of a lot more than usual, and got to meet a lot of inspiring educators.

A lot of people worked very hard to put the Conference together, and a testament to their hard work was that you couldn't see any obvious signs of panic!

This slideshow highlights the people I portraited during the first day:



After a long day for presenters and audience alike, there was a short walk to a local Italian restaurant, which tried valiantly to refresh an hungry & thirsty crowd. It was a very confined space with everyone diving for the plates & topping off each others' drinks. Like everyone else, I was starving and keen to talk to friends - such as Theron Muller - and less worried about the actual photography.



This slideshow features some of the people I could catch on the second day:



Every Conference needs a volunteer team on the day to do all the running around, finding cables, carrying umbrellas & telling presenters when to stop...the "Green shirts" at PANSIG were very cheerful as well as efficiently organised. One of the perks of my job this weekend was to take their 'official' photos.



I have the feeling I took far too many pictures, but my encouragement to anyone doing this kind of assignment is keep looking & keep shooting. A theme will emerge although you probably will not realise until you get home and start looking through your raw shots. While shooting you have to keep checking thumbnails & adjusting your settings - try not to be too ambtious with zoom indoors (so be nosy & get closer - "ignore me" works wonders!). I prefer to avoid using my flash in intimate groups, so think about natural light from windows (awfully hard if presenters draw curtains & turn the lights off to show a slideshow...come back later near the end if you can). Lean on stuff as much as possible to get steady (I should have taken my monopod). Clutches of people in conversations in corridors are as much the conference experience as listening to presentations, and often the speaker will be more relaxed chatting with interested audience members when they have finished presenting & not in the flustered setting up stage. Don't be shy about asking co-presenters to pose for you as a team, and get Plenaries & other VIPs to give you a few seconds for a banker (try stepping outside for some greenery background & warmer lighting). Most importantly, keep track of where you have been! Your metadata will give you times shots taken, but you will not remember which rooms you were in/which presentation was which - certainly not after 2 days in 3 floors of rooms with 26 different Special Interest Groups! My solution was to scribble a timeline on my conference schedule & circle any speakers in it as I went. Another solution would be to snapshoot the door number before you go in. And talk to people; they will have no idea who you are or why you are aiming a camera at them all the time - especially outside the presentation rooms - so say hello & chat early. They will relax & ignore you (photographically!) as the event progresses allowing you to 'pry' and get better candids.

I loved this opportunity to get my tired 10D out of its bag. You can find the whole weekend of PANSIG right here http://www.flickr.com/photos/saint_george/sets/72157633731993876/  If anyone wants a picture without the copyright notice, please drop me a quick email with the jpeg number & I will happily oblige. Likewise, if you are in a photo and would rather not be, let me know & I will take it down.

Important last note - make sure the organisers have included a 'photo release' clause in the registration process.

The Death of Karen Silkwood - After Reading

After Reading #1:
8 (The policeman) ‘’I’m afraid we have some bad news about your girlfriend, sir.”
4 (Drew) “What’s happened to her?”
9 (The policeman) “She’s had an accident, in her car.”
1 (Drew) “What kind of an accident? Where is she?”
12 (The policeman) “We took her to the hospital. But I’m afraid it was too late.”
7 (Drew) “You mean that she’s dead? What happened?”
3 (The policeman) “We found her car lying on its side below the road, next to the bridge wall.”
2 (Drew) “But she was a good driver. Was something wrong with the car?”
6 (The policeman) “No, nothing. She was tired. She probably fell asleep while she was driving. It happens very easily.”
11 (Drew) “But she was coming to meet me. She had some important papers with her.”
5 (The policeman) “We didn’t find any papers, sir.”
10 (Drew) “I’m going to look for them myself.”

After Reading #2:
It was dark when Karen left the factory. She was driving carefully along the road to the hotel and she saw the lights of another car behind her. Karen was very frightened so she drove faster. The car came right up behind Karen and began to hit the back of her car again and again. Her car left the road and turned over on its side. Karen hit her head and died. A man got out of the other car and opened the door of Karen’s car. He took the brown envelope from Karen’s bag, and then he drove away.

After Reading #3:
I prefer the Activity 2. I wanted to know who killed Karen. She was very brave and did the right thing for the people working at factory. She was too young to die, and I think Drew wanted to know what happened to her. In Japan, the nuclear power system has been the hot topic since the big earthquake in March 2011. I myself cannot judge what is the best way to create the power for the people and the future, but the safe and/or health is always the most important for living life.

Our recent training sessions - slideshow

Think you will enjoy this slideshow review of the training Luna has conducted over the last three months, in Tokyo & Nagoya. 



Think you have what it takes to become a Cambridge English speaking examiner? Get in touch.

Jim's training courses

Jim's training courses, a set on Flickr.

Since the end of February I have run several examiner training sessions in Tokyo, as well as examiner certification/professional development workshops there and in Nagoya. This is hard work for all concerned, as you can probably see?

Thought it would help students to see that they are not the only ones having to study, do homework, have to worry about getting their answers 'wrong' etc!

We are always very grateful for our examiners' time - these examining commitments do occupy whole weekends. We also thoroughly enjoy the professional challenge of continuing to make these workshops effective, relevant and interesting...teachers are not easy people to teach!

As you can see, we have been lucky to practice with some volunteers as well. This makes the examiners realise how important and difficult the actual examining taks can be, and the candidates can get over their stage fright & have a free practice go. Thank you Trevor at King's Road for your continuing loyal support, help, & encouragement!

Thank you everyone who has attended these workshops lately, and all the travelling you have had to do as well. We are looking forward to having you examine soon - some will be in action as soon as June 8th, when FCE/First will be happening in both Tokyo & Nagoya.

The next training session will be taking place on July 20th in Yamagata city, for Young Learners; certification next day (also in Yamagata) for YLE as well as KET & PET.

There will be a training sessions at Sugiyama University in Nagoya for KET & PET on July 27 or 28. Details soon.

Jim will be presenting to Hamamatsu JALT, about the Cambridge English examinations, on May 12th. Racking up the miles!

Via Flickr:
Jim is one of very few Cambridge English examiner trainers in Japan. A chance to meet the people he works with when he isn't at Luna at the weekends!

1st ABC try

listen to ‘1st ABC try’ on Audioboo

The "Can you...?" song

Balloon Safari!

Last Saturday afternoon was workshop day with our younger young learners, and the theme was "Treasure Hunt in the Park". Unfortunately, the weather was not great last week so the plan got tweeked a bit (couldn't leave clues in the rain!)

Secondary problem was that two of our less controllable young boys were coming, and we were going to be walking along the road. Inspired idea, even though I say so myself, was tying them together to make it a more co-operative, three-legged walk. The result was hilarious...trying to go in different directions, not listening to each other, both trying to be the leader, falling over etc but NOT going anywhere quickly or off course! Couldn't stop laughing!

I had chalked a course along the side of the roads, to lead us to a nearby park, with a balloon icon & arrows to the next clue. The chalk will wash away. I had tied some balloons around the park, with their names written on them, atop the slide, climbing frame, etc with a small bag of smarties (OK, M & Ms) as a prize. Oddly, the balloons more cherished! No longer three-legged, the boys got brave & climbed to rescue their names!

We played catch in the park, and wore ourselves out, before marching back, locked in step, to count our balloon markers. Counting in context - they pointed back along their course visualising the marker locations - and together. Memorable giggle for me; I thoroughly recommend taking YLs to the park - if safe & you have permission - to get some fresh air and different dynamic. And try tying the miscreants together?

Oh - anami party! The slideshow edition

Once again we were lucky with the weather - glorious sunshine if a tad windy!

Our usual spot was just about "free" when Jim turned up at 11am. A frantic 1 hour set up and the St. George flag raised at noon = BBQ started! Parking hassle is a nuisance, and the wooden tops patrolling as killjoys no help...but everyone found us sooner or later, and a massive turn out.

Thank you everyone for all your delicious contributions to the BBQ - and all the other food & drink you brought. Big thank yous to Sho for looking after all the younger children - BIG job today! - Michael & Susumu for grill detail. Especially lovely to see so many babies this year - some very large ladies last year ;)

We are always so happy to be able to introduce different families from our community at events like this, and this year was a bumper edition. Brilliant to see so many old friends as well - Yuki-chan especially. Please enjoy the slideshow, as we enjoyed today!

Planting children - Luna's indoor garden party!

 Last year we had a lot of fun watching the tomatoes we planted with the pre-school children grow. And grow. AND grow! I kept having to move them, until I couldn't move them any lower and they still reached the ceiling! Bit disappointed at how few tomatoes we could enjoy - maybe too much energy spent growing tall?!

We have gone for a bit more variety (and mystery) this year. I have blatantly stolen this idea from Mayuka Habbick, and a presentation she made for Shinshu JALT last year. I pretended to be a silly teacher (?) and that I had lost the packets of the seeds. Children drew a picture of each different kind of seed, then drew a picture of what they thought it would become. Some really cool ideas, which I hope reality will not be a disappointment!

This was a lot of tactile fun, and gave children time to look carefully at the various seeds, taking in the shape, colour, texture, size.

More tactile, and messy, was the planting stage! Inevitably going to get soil etc spread around, so make sure you use a tarp or old newspapers to cover the table/carpet? (We are not blessed with a garden, but we do have a lot of nice warm windows)

We put in some stones at the bottom, them some nice 'snacks' (nutrients) for the plants to send roots down to. A bit of earth, then nestled our seeds around carefully and labelled the pot 1/2/3/4/5 as per our sketches. Then we put them to bed (covered them up with more soil) and finally added the magic ingredient - water. Oh, and a bit of hippy "grow, grow" chanting!

Now the anxious wait for something to happen!

Ear-rings from Frankfurt - after reading

Jennifer is a quiet, sensible person, and she is a kind sister, so she can never say ‘no’ to Richard, but she is sometimes cross with him.

Richard is Jennifer’s brother, and he is fifteen years younger than she, and he has had a lot of girl friends, but he thinks Wendy is very, very special. 

Wendy is Richard’s girl friend, but she couldn’t find him after her birthday party, so she went to his sister to ask for help.

Kelly was Richard’s and Wendy’s boss, and he uses other people for criminal business but he is a criminal, so he is in prison now. 

I have sisters and if they ask me for help, I try to help them . Of course they are good sisters, not like Richard. First I thought Richard was a bad brother for Jennifer , but when I finished reading this book, I didn't think so. I think if person do a very good thing, it can cover the bad things which the one did before. I think person is able to make a new start in life when he/she change a mind. 

It was interesting story and it was fun.  

Posted for Yuri

iPad Literacy Project by David W. Malone

This is what I want to next with Luna`s resources. What do our parents think?

Reluctant singer Yuya!

listen to ‘Reluctant singer Yuya!’ on Audioboo

I can sing faster!

listen to ‘I can sing faster!’ on Audioboo

What is CEFR?

Monday morning ABC song!

listen to ‘Monday morning ABC song!’ on Audioboo

Here you are - Friday

listen to ‘Here you are - Friday’ on Audioboo

Ireland - after reading

I’m interested in lots of places in Ireland.

They have big nature, different view of coast to Japan’s.

Since they have a long history, they have old castle, too.

They had been a battle for a long time because of religious problem, Protestant and Catholic.

It must be hard for them to insist and keep their faith during the time.

They are brave and amenability.

The battle is not over. It’s just lulled.

However, Ireland people naturally like peace and nature.

They have pub and entertainment like river dance.

They meant me that it’s worth to visit there. 

Posted for Yumi

What is it

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Ear rings from frankfurt - after reading

After reading 1

Jennifer is a quiet, sensible person, and she is a kind sister. Jennifer is sometimes cross with Richard, but she can never say “no” to him. Richard is Jennifer’s brother and he is fifteen years younger than her.

Wendy is Richard’s girlfriend. Richard has had a lot of girlfriends, but he thinks Wendy is very, very special. Wendy couldn’t find Richard after her birthday party, so she went to his sister to ask for help.

Kelly was Richard’s and Wendy’s boss, but he is a criminal. Kelly uses other people for criminal business, so he is inn prison now.
 

February highlights - a slideshow

A month of snow flurries and icy roads, sniffles & sneezes, colds and cold feet!

But also a lovely month to make things - especially chocolates (for the teacher -we like!) and Valentine's cards for loved ones. I think you'll agree, we had a very nice time :)

We really do like milk!

My little class on Friday announced they really did not like milk...and we had to re-write their song a little bit, much to the chagrin of author Patrick Jackson! My class today were very much in favour of cow juice, and were more than happy to sing as loudly as they could.

listen to ‘We really do like milk!’ on Audioboo

I tried to change the lyrics again later, but they refused to sing "I really really really like Jim". Rotters!

Season's greeting: "Sorry, we are leaving - next week"

It's that time of year again when families get shunted around the country at very little notice because daddy's company/employer decided so. Language schools dread the forlorn-looking mums who come into the school apologising profusely. What can you do?

The school manager immediately thinks loss of revenue & agonise; have to change the schedules again.

The teacher sighs and shakes their head; another long-term lanague learning project shot down in flames. A class dynamic now likely to flounder or the other girl in the class will quit without her pal to rely on...Maybe they'll get lucky and find another good school (do I know one near their new neighbourhood in Ehime prefecture??). As the teacher, I can't remember ever being asked to write up a student's learning history/profile for their next school. I could - I've been their teacher for the last xyz years and have put everything they can do (not just names of animals etc - all that invisible learning, "how to" stuff & strategies, confidence) on a plate for them. I'd love to be asked. I'd love to hand over their learning portfolio, all shiney & electronically unbattered & without bits missing. Maybe I invested to much in this class/student again?

So when the conversation in school turns to "So the other teacher can teach your 4 o'clock, half an hour later, and you can start a new toddlers class..." I want to scream. Of course, it will make sense because that solves a car parking issue, means another mum can bring younger son early for the new class on the same day (she likes my class style, too) & anyway I am good with the younger ones...all possibly true. But I have ambitions too, such as getting beyond single vowel phonics with a group & graduating from carpet-based lessons. I want to push my flashcard-eating nightmare class of 5 years ago into taking their YLE Flyers before they are eleven; they can sing & dance as well as read & spell after all.

Am I starting to rant? Sorry!

As a school owner for over a decade, I know we are looking at another sink-hole openning up beneath us at this time of year - been there, got the t-shirt & lost hair over it years ago. I am not emotionally attached to money; I know what comes around comes around; somebody else's prize learner will cross our threshold at random, with a bruised homework book if we are lucky. But that's it, isn't it? Luck. For my school, it's financial. For our students it's a crap shoot...Japan has no regulatory body to approve language schools & there are no industry-wide standards. Too often we are tarred with a dirty brush and assessed by the lowest common denominator. Price? Parking? Personality?

Tomoro reveals a magician's secret - Snapguide

Tomoro came to class with a pack of cards and a magic trick; flummoxed me!

So we made this easy to follow "How to" on the Snapguide app on my iPhone. Very easy - please excuse the typo (mine!) btw.

Check out How to Do a Magic Trick by Jim George on Snapguide.

What do you think of Snapguide? I think it's really cool for explaining a sequence of events.

I really hate milk!

listen to ‘I really hate milk!’ on Audioboo

Black Cat Song

listen to ‘Black Cat Song’ on Audioboo

Akiho's & Mizuki's favourite drink

Check out How to Make the Perfect Cocoa by Jim George on Snapguide.

What's your favourite drink? Share a recipe!

Ran tells a Neverending Story

listen to ‘Ran tells a Neverending Story’ on Audioboo

The Love of a King - after reading

I read " The Love of a King" and I did after reading #1.

'Edward, Mr Baldwin has just been to see me'
'And what did he say to you, George? '
'He said that you cannot marry Mrs Simpson. '
'Why can't I ? Is it a crime to want to marry ?'
'Don't be stupid. Of course it's not a crime. But the Church won't have this woman as the Queen.' 
'Don't call her "this woman" - her name 's Wallis. I'm going to marry her, and I'll give the crown to you.'
'But I don't want it ! It's your job to be King, not mine ! I've never wanted to be King.'
'But someone has to be King, George. And it will have to be you because I can't live without Wallis, or without love.'
'Love ! You must put your country before love ! If you marry her, I never want to see you again. '
'But you will come to my wedding, won't you, George? '
'No, I won't. I don't like that woman, and I don't want to see her as your wife.'

I have never heard this story before. I am envious of Edward and Wallis, because they could meet each other and got real love. I hope so, too.

Posted for Yuri

Red Dog - after reading

I enjoyed reading "Red Dog" while thinking of my dog (white one). She gives my parents and me a lot of works, but cannot hate her. I would like to care about all of my dogs as long as possible.

After reading 2.

1. This new girl, Nancy, gets on the bus and sits down on the seat behind the driver, where Red always sits. Red didn't like that at all! First he shows his teeth and then he tries to push her off the seat. We were all laughing.

2. It was difficult getting the claws out, but luckily they didn't hit anything important. He's a strong dog, and I think he'll be fine. Next week he'll probably be at a barbecue, stealing somebody's burgers and eating them!

3. Here's that dog again, visiting people in the caravans. I don't like it. This is my truck, and I live here. He'll try and chase me, like all dogs do. When he does, I'll use my bullets on his nose. That's ll teach him a lesson...

4. Don't worry, I know what to do. I'll show this letter to everyone, and tomorrow morning everyone will drive their cars and park in a circle around Mr Gribbage's caravan. The he won't be able to pull your park away.

Posted for Chinasa

Where I live ~ Shinshu, Japan

 Matsumoto Castle Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Shinshu is about 170km north of the capital, Tokyo. It is one of the most beautiful regions in the country.

There is a historic old castle, beautiful blue lakes and large peaceful forests. The historic old castle is one of the most famous castles in Japan.

Our region is famous for it's apples, watermelons, lettuce and peaches. We have some of the best ski mountains in the world, and we also have some of the most relaxing hot springs in the country. Our soba noodles are some of the most delicious in Asia.

Our winters are cold and wet, and it's quite snowy, but our summers are hot, with temperatures around 25
degrees C.

I hope you will have a nice trip.

   Best wishes

Yuya

Ear-rings from Frankfurt - police interview (after reading)

                              On Saturday Richard went to the police about the 'eggs' letter.

Richard: I have something to tell you about the Joe Kelly
Police: Joe Kelly? Go on, Mr Walton, we're listening.
Richard: He's got some stolen jewellery and-
Police: And you and your girlfriend went to Frankfurt to get the jewellery for him, didn't you, Mr Walton?
Richard: Yes, we did, but the German police asked us to bring it back. They had a plan---.
Police: Plan? We don't know anything about at plan, but we want this jewellery. Where is it, Mr Walton?
Richard: it's in Kelly's house, in three egg boxes, and --
Police: How do you know it's in Kelly's house?
Richard: Because I saw a letter in his office. And he's meeting some people at his house at eleven o'clock.
Police: Eleven o'clock? Right. You wait here, Mr Walton. We'll talk to you later.

Posted for Reiko

Chocolate - after reading

I've read "Chocolate" and I chose after reading #4.

Do you agree or disagree with these sentences? Why?
1. People in western contries eat too much chocolate now.
    ->I don't think so. I think chocolate is more popular in around the world now, of course Japan also.
2. It is fine for children to eat chocolate sometimes.
    ->It is not good for children to eat a lot of chocolate because they will get fat, but I think that they eat it a few pieces are OK.
3. Chocolate needs to be a lot more expensive. Then the workers on the plantations can get more money.
    ->I disagree this comments because if the chocolate will be more expecsive, it is difficult for people who  are not rich to buy it easily and it will become to reduce cacao demands. Finally the workers will lost their workplace.
4. People must stop selling chocolate that is not Fairtrade chocolate.
    -> I agree. We should know the workers in plantation are faced some problems. I think if people can understand what is the fairtrade (especially developed countries people) the world would be more peaceful.

During I'm reading I wanna eat chocolate!! I was surprised that chocolate has been eaten or drinked since three thousand years ago. I'd like to try their chocolate drink. I think that is quite different taste between current chocolate. The ancient people and present people love chocolate. The chocolate has a power to attract people and some people become be addicted to chocolate! Oh, I found chocolate in my hands!!!!!
Next month, the girl have to buy or make a chocolate to present boys in order to show their love. I disagree this culture since I cannot make sweets. Anyway enjoy eat chocolate :)

Posted for Miyuki

England - after reading

The Romans lived here for 400 years or more.
The Vikings came from Denmark and Norway.
Some of the stones at Stonehenge come from 217Km away in the Preseli mountains in Wales. Others come from 20 or 30 Km away.
In 1066, William of Normandy - the famous William the conqueror- invaded England, bringing French-speaking people to the country.

Take a ferry boat across the Mersey for good views of the waterfront.
You must try fish and chips because it is a traditional food.
Half a million young people go clubbing in England because they enjoy it.
Take long walks across Dorset's high cliffs or along its empty beaches.

Posted for Reiko

Animals in Danger - after reading

I read "Animals in Danger" and I chose after reading #3.

1. Stop the pollution of reivers and the sea.
2. Do not wear clothes made from wild animals.
3. Do not buy medicine made from sild animals.
4. Leave some fish in the sea for dolphins and sharks.
5. Do not buy a wild parrot to have in your home.
6. Ask politicians to make more natonal parks.
7. Give money to animal charities.
8. Walk or go by bicycle, not by car.
9. Eat less meat.
10. Visit good zoo and learn about animals.

I think that the people need to change our living habit to live with wild animals.

Posted for Miyuki

Henry VIII & his Six Wives

Katherine Howard was much younger than Henry.

Anne Boleyn felt calm the day before she died.

Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard died in the Tower of London

Anne Boleyn was beheaded with a sword

Holbein’s job; artist

Anne Boleyn sent Henry a necklace for Elizabeth.

Henry wore yellow when Katherine of Aragon died.

Catherine Parr found letters in a box.

Henry broke with the Catholic Church in Rome.

Henry married six times because he wanted a son.

Thomas Culpeper was Katherine Howard’s lover.

Margaret’s job; maid 

Posted for Yuri

Why YLE?

Hi there.  I own English Adventure, a one teacher school in Okaya, Nagano Prefecture.  For the first time two of my students took the YLE Starters exam at Luna International last October.  

They were a little nervous on the day of the exam, but the friendly atmosphere at Luna soon made them feel better.  Afterwards they both smiled and said, “Fun!” (even though the Reading & Writing section was challenging). 

When they got their results, they looked really excited, and their mums were very pleased too!  One of these students sometimes lacked confidence in his English ability, but it was great to see how much taking this exam boosted his confidence and made him realise what he could do.

I think this is one of the best things about YLE – students can have fun AND improve their English.  The YLE is well-designed, too, and children can understand the point of the questions.  Even though it has lots of pictures and fun activities, it is a reliable, high quality exam that is also suitable for children who are not suited to taking more traditional exams yet. 

Moreover, unlike Jido Eiken (Junior Step) or lower levels of Eiken (STEP), it examines all the four skills of Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing, and it contains more natural English.

Like Jim, I hope that more school owners in Japan will embrace it and realise that integrating it into your school can make it more special and eye-catching.

Magnus

Get the stressed in speaking - and get successful!

As a speaking examiner and examiner trainer for Cambridge ESOL, I can't tell you how important it is to speak clearly. That does not mean speaking quickly or sounding like the Queen...far from it! When you learn new words, you need to remember where the stress is. If you are from a country which does not have a very "bouncy" language, like Japan, then you really have to do something 'strange' to sound 'right'!



Don't worry about "accent" - I don't...

Pronounce the words nicely (last sounds are important - like the /t/ in important!) but remember they are not individual units; they need to join up. The words that give information will probably need to be stressed; the "grammar" ones inbetween less so.  My Japanese is terrible, and when I am not sure about a particle or something, I say my thing really quickly and hope any mistakes get lost  in the message. eg Party....9pm...beer...girls. Message understood?!

How to use Quizlet? Look no further than Sandy Millin

A lot of people ask me what the point of twitter is. Very simply, I have met teachers worldwide and learned so much from them, as a result of twitter, that I really can't imagine not using it. I love finding stuff, and the remarkable (ever growing) like-minded teachers I come across on twitter are constantly coming up with great ideas, games, tips, flops, success stories, inspiration...and sharing them.

My students know I love Quizlet. A lot of them need a lot of help 'getting' it. Imagine my unconfined delight when I was pointed to this unbeatable explanation by @sandymillin  As I read, I was nodding like mad muttering Yes, Yes, Yes! Please follow this link to Quizlet explained. When you are finished, remember we have created a TON of materials for Luna's students (and therefor the planet as well) as "LunaTeacher". Sign up, join our classes, and enjoy learning even more.

http://independentenglish.wordpress.com/2012/03/13/quizlet/

On twitter, Jim is @oyajimbo. Luna International is @lunaIntnl

What did we do in January?

Mostly tried to keep warm - lots of singing & dancing, and quizzes to make Jim think hard!



And already February - is spring coming already (we hope so - we hate the paraffin heaters!)