English language school in the heart of the Japanese Alps, and English language learners sharing their experiences online. Teachers post regular items about teaching, learning tools, events in the school, their day to day experiences living & working in a foreign country. Students post on whatever takes their fancy - book reports, festivals in home towns, postcards from business trips etc. A little Brit of England in the guts of Japan!
Making the most out of even the simplest graded readers!
We returned to old school project work recently, breaking out the chalk to add some reality to the 'our bodies' topic in Everybody Up 1...we 'traced' each other (as well as the Big Boy himself) in our car park and added details to profiles (importantly, eyes, ears, fingers.... AND pants!). |
| Big Boy + Little Learners! |
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| Where's my neck? |
A feature in The Guardian Weekly news magazine is a round up of global headlines ("Global Report") which I've been using to create a regular quiz on Wordwall - a matchng task which requires skimming and scanning reading techniques, as well as a good grasp of colloquial language & newspaper headline jargon, and flexibility with synonyms & geography. All-in-all, a jolly good challenge.
You, dear reader, do not have the articles to hand - so how well up on the news have you been keeping?
This particular challenge is from the end of June, 2025.
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!
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 :)
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.
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
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.
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
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
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.
How are you?
I'm enjoying my life!
I'm going back to Japan February 17th
See you in the next lesson :)
From Sachiko
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
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
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.
Luna QR
Point your mobile phone at this http://www.at-ml.jp/59329 |
