The University of Tsukuba Cross Cultural Awareness and English Trimester 3 Week 7: Project Part 2

Hello everyone,
I found something very interesting, a Konkatsu app! It's called Shall we date? "KONKATSU" for marriage. You can see a screen shot of the app in the image on the left. It's available in the American Apple App Store. Interestingly, I couldn't find this app in the Japanese App store.




Today we are going to write the second draught of our project reports. First, let's study some vocabulary. Please click the link: Cross Cultural Awareness and English Vocabulary. Please click the link to download the Writing Error Codes handout. Also, today, we are going to learn how to support ideas using personal experiences, facts, and quotations. We'll also learn how to cite references. 
You must show where you got your information in two places, first in your report, and then in a list at the end of the report. Look at the examples below:

In-text citations

According to Wiktionary (2010, February 26), omiai is,  “A Japanese custom in which unattached individuals are introduced to each other to consider the possibility of marriage.”

Japan Close Up (2009, October) says, one in five singles in Japan and around the world are looking for a potential partner on the Internet.

Konkatsu was first coined by a Chuo University professor called Masahiro Yamada in 2007 (Ito, 2011, November 1)

Below is an example reference list in APA style.

References

Miai. (2013, January 27). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 19:36, January 28, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Miai&oldid=535082381

Inada, M. (2009, June 29). Japan has a new name for the mating game: Konkatsu. In the Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 04:40, January 28, 2013, from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124623617832566695.html

Now rewrite your reports. Correct your errors and add references. 

Your final draughts are due on:

Monday 4th period class - the 8th of February (Friday)
Tuesday 2nd period class - the 5th of February.

Enjoy!

The University of Tsukuba IE Phys. Ed B3 Trimester 3 Wk 6

Hello everybody,

Today we are going to talk about obesity. Let's go to our vocabulary flash card set on Quizlet to find out what obesity means. Please click the link: IE-PhysEd B3 Vocabulary.

Look at the image on the left. It shows the how quickly obesity is growing in the United States. Which states had the highest percentage of obese people in 2008?

OK, now let's read and listen to the article. Please click the link: English Speaking Nations Most Overweight.

What do you think? Is obesity increasing in Japan? If so, why do you think so? Please post a comment.

The University of Tsukuba Academic English Presentation I Trimester 3 Wks 6 & 7

Hello everyone, I hope you had a nice week-end. Let's begin to day by watching an interesting video made by a Chinese speaker of English. How does he recommend that you open your presentation?


OK, today we are going to learn how to write effective introduction. This will be the first step in preparation for our final presentation.

The University of Tsukuba IE Engineering C1 - Trimester 3 Week 6

Hello everyone,
Today we are going to review your homework, and then study chapters 16 and 17. First, Let's study some vocabulary. Please click the link:
Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles Vocabulary.

For homework, please finish the story.

See you next week.

The University of Tsukuba Academic Writing II Week 6

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Hello everyone,
Today we are going to post our paragraphs about our lives at the University of Tsukuba to our class writing blog. Then we are going to read our peers' posts and make some comments. After that we are going to continue learning about supporting the main idea with personal experience, facts, and quotations.

First, let's study some vocabulary.  Please click the link:Academic Word List.

Ok, now let's go to our class writing blog. Please click the link: The University of Tsukuba Academic Writing Blog.

Please post your paragraph about your life at the University of Tsukuba. Then comment on your peers' posts.

See you next week!

The University of Tsukuba Academic Writing I Week 6

Good afternoon everyone,

Today we are going to write our second draught of Task 2. Then we are going to start our third task. Our third task will be to write about our best or our worst experience, but first let's study some vocabulary. Please click the link: NSDU J-E Academic Wordlist. 

OK, now let's rewrite Task 2. Click the link to download the Writing Error Codes handout. When you are finished please send your second draught to me as an e-mail attachment. Don't forget to follow the style guide. 

Now let's go to our class writing blog and reply to comments made on our posts. 


Please click the link:  The University of Tsukuba Academic Writing Blog. 

We will continue working on our third writing task in class next week. 
See ya!

The University of Tsukuba Academic English Presentation II Trimester 3 Wk 6

Uploaded to Pixabay by Nemo

Hello everyone,
Today we are going to continue talking about visuals and we are going to start working on our next presentation too. Please click the link to see earlier posts about using visuals.

Your next presentation will be a comparison presentation. Choose two countries to compare. Please prepare 7 slides:

• A title slide
• An outline slide
• 3 Data slides
• A Question slide - make one question about each of your data charts.
• A conclusion slide

Please bring your slides on a USB memory stick to our next class.

See you next week!

The University of Tsukuba Cross Cultural Awareness and English Trimester 3 Week 6: Project Part 1

Photo by Osamu Uchida

Hello everyone,

Today we are going to start our project. We will work on the project in today's class, and in the next class. 

Please pay attention to these important dates:

Tuesday 2nd period class

• 26 January (Sat.) First draught due. 
•  5 February (Tues.) Final draught due. 

Monday 4th period class

• 1 February (Fri.) First draught due
• 8 February (Fri.) Final draught due

I will check the content, spelling and grammar and make comments on your work. Then I will return your first draught to you so you can rewrite it (書き直す). 

You will need to do research in order to complete this project. Please remember to keep a record of the website URLs, book titles and any other resources you use. Also, DO NOT COPY AND PASTE TEXT FROM THE INTERNET! This is plagiarism (盗作).

Plagiarism is serious. It is academic dishonesty. 

All students found guilty of plagiarism will receive a grade of zero for the project. This project is worth 30% of your grade!

Before we start the project, let's study some vocabulary. Please click the link: Cross Cultural Awareness and English Vocabulary.

Please click the link to download the project task sheet: 

The University of Tsukuba Cross Cultural Awareness and English Trimester 3 Assignment

Photo by Okinawa Soba

Have fun doing the project. See you next week!

The University of Tsukuba IE Engineering C1 - Trimester 3 Week 5

Hello everyone, Today we are going to review chapters 12 and 13. Then we will read chapters 14 and 15. First, let's study some vocabulary. Please click the link: Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles Vocabulary.  Now, let's watch a video and do a quiz.

Please read chapter 16 for homework See you next week!

The University of Tsukuba Academic Writing II Week 5

Good morning!
Today we are going to edit the first draught of Task 2: My Life at the University of Tsukuba. After that we are going to learn how to support the main idea of a paragraph using personal experience, facts, and quotations.

First, let's study some vocabulary. Please click the link: Academic Word List.

Finally, let's comment some more on our classmates posts on our class writing blog.

For homework, please finish the second draught of Task 2. Please send it to me by next Monday at 6 pm.

See you next week!

The University of Tsukuba IE Phys. Ed B3 Trimester 3 Wk 5

HapiFork

Hello everyone,

Today we are going to read another interesting article from Breaking News English.com about amazing technology and diets. The article is called Digital Fork Helps You Lose Weight.
Before we read the article, let's study some vocabulary. Please click the link: IE-PhysEd B3 Vocabulary.

Now let's scan the article for words we don't know. Then let's add the words we don't know to our Quizlet flashcard set. Please click the link to download your worksheet: Digital Fork Helps you lose Weight Lesson pdf.

Now let's listen to the article.

Have you ever gone on a diet? What kind of food did you eat? Please leave a comment below.

The University of Tsukuba Academic English Presentation I Trimester 3 Wk 5

Uploaded to Flickr by wutsunu

Hello everyone,

Today we are going to do our demonstration presentations. Then we are going to start talking about "the visual message". 

Look at the photo above. In the photo you can see Garr Reynolds. Garr Reynolds is one of the best presenters I've ever seen. His slides are great. He has a very good book that I recommend called Presentation Zen. 

Like zen, and bentos, the key to a great presentation is balance and simplicity. 

Please click the link to see Garr Reynolds top 10 slide tips.

OK, in your next presentation you will compare two countries. You will have to gather some data and make some slides. You need a title slide, a slide for your outline, 3 data slides, and a slide for your questions. Please bring your slides with you next week.

The University of Tsukuba Academic English Presentation II Trimester 3 Wk 5

Hello everyone,
Today we are going to do our second presentations. Then we'll move on to our next topic: Using Visuals. First, let's watch a video made by a great teacher in Japan called Tom Kenny.


OK, now let's learn more about using visuals. Click the link to see some previous posts about visuals.

The University of Tsukuba Cross Cultural Awareness and English Trimester 3 Week 5

Hello everyone, Today we will continue discussing Love and Marriage. Look at the picture above. This is a picture I took of a Bangladeshi bride and groom at a wedding reception I attended in Dhaka, Bangladesh. In the photo below you can see me with my colleagues. The men, including me, are wearing a traditional Bengali shirt called a "panjabi". This shirt is called a Kurta in India. We were a little embarrassed because all the Bangladeshi men wore European business suits. 


 


Let's listen to two people talking about Love and Marriage in Bangladesh. Some people in Bangladesh have arranged marriages. Let's listen to a conversation about arranged marriages on my friend Todd Beukens' great website English Listening Lesson Library Online (ELLLO). Please listen to the conversation and do the quiz. 

Next, let's study some vocabulary. Please click the link: Cross cultural awareness and English vocabulary.

Now, let's learn more about Bengali weddings. Please click the link. Read the article and answer the questions:

1. What is a Ghotok?
2. What are the four parts of the Bengali wedding?
3. What is Gaye holud? 
4. What is the Mahr?
5. Who arranges the wedding ceremony?
6. What do many of the wedding ceremony traditions revolve around?
7. Who arranges the reception?
8. What is the "flower bed" ceremony?

Finally, please leave a comment. What do you think of Bengali wedding traditions?

The University of Tsukuba IE Engineering C1 - Trimester 3 Week 4

Photo by Se Bon

Hello everyone, I hope you enjoyed the holiday. Today we are going to review. Then we'll do a quiz about chapters 1-11.

First, let's study some vocabulary. Please click the link: Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles Vocabulary.

Now let's do the quiz. Click the link and download the quiz: Hound of the Baskervilles Week 4 Review Quiz.




Finally, for homework please read chapters 12 and 13.

Enjoy!

The University of Tsukuba Academic Writing II Week 4

Good morning everyone, welcome back. Today we are going to start with some review. First, let's study some vocabulary. Please click the link: Academic Word List.

Next, let's comment on some posts made by our peers on our University of Tsukuba Academic Writing Blog.

Our next task will be to write about life at the University of Tsukuba. Let's read what students at Shibaura Institute of Technology say about their life at university. Please click the link: Life at Shibaura.

Finally, please write a paragraph of 200 words or more about your life at the University of Tsukuba. Send your first draughts to me by e-mail. Please don't forget to refer to our writing style sheet. Please send your first draughts to me by noon Tuesday 15 January.
Enjoy!!

The University of Tsukuba Academic Writing I Week 4

Hello everyone, welcome back! I hope you enjoyed the holidays. I suspect that most of you didn't use English during the break. I saw only a few comments on our University of Tsukuba Academic Writing Blog, and I didn't see many English Tweets by University of Tsukuba students either. So, I think we need some review.

First, let's study some vocabulary. Please click the link: Academic Word List.

Next, let's comment on some posts made by our peers on our University of Tsukuba Academic Writing Blog.

Our next task will be to write about life at the University of Tsukuba. Before we start writing, let's read what students at Shibaura Institute of Technology say about their life at university. Please click the link: Life at Shibaura.

Finally, please write a paragraph of 200 words or more about your life at the University of Tsukuba. Send your first draughts to me by e-mail. Please don't forget to refer to our writing style sheet. Please send your first draughts to me by noon Friday 11 January.
Have fun writing, and see you next week!

The University of Tsukuba Academic English Presentation II Trimester 3 Wk 4

Hello everyone, welcome back! I hope you enjoyed the holidays.
Last time we learned about formal and informal introductions, and how to make introductions better. We talked about stating your purpose too.
Today we are going to talk about effective openings. An effective opening grabs the audience's attention. It creates interest in your presentation. One way to create interest is to surprise your audience.
Look at the image on the left. Who are the people in the image? What do you think they have in common? I think the answers to these questions will surprise you....

Your second presentation will be a repeat of your first presentation. This time you must rewrite your introduction so that it is informal,  has an effective opening, and it states the purpose of your presentation.
Enjoy!

The University of Tsukuba IE Phys. Ed B3 Trimester 3 Wk 3

Hello everyone, welcome back. Today we are going to read an article about soccer. The article is called, "Heading a soccer ball can injure brain". The article comes from a great website called BreakingNewsEnglish.com.

In the article we learn about an injury called "concussion" (脳震とう). Let's study some vocabulary. Please click the link: IE-PhysEd B3 Vocabulary.

People can get a concussion while playing many sports. Can you think of three sports in which a concussion is a common injury? I'll give you a hint. Concussions are a big problem in my favourite sport.



Have you ever had a serious injury while playing a sport? Please post a comment.

The University of Tsukuba Cross Cultural Awareness and English Trimester 3 Week 4

Hello everyone! Welcome back. Today we are going to review what we've learned about love and marriage in Botwana, China and Crete. Then we'll learn about some Jewish wedding traditions.

First, let's review some vocabulary. Please click the link: Cross cultural awareness and English vocabulary. After you have studied for five minutes, scan pages 147 and 148 in your textbook. Add any words you don't know to our vocabulary flashcard set.

Now let's learn about superstitions have Jewish wedding customs special.

What do you think of the superstitions you have read about. Are you superstitious? Can you think of any superstitions associated with Japanese wedding customs? Please post a comment.

The University of Tsukuba Academic English Presentation I Trimester 3 Wk 4

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you enjoyed the winter break. Since we haven't had a class for a couple of weeks, today we'll start off with some review. Then we are going to learn about voice inflection - stressing, stretching and pausing. After that we will prepare for our next presentation. Our next presentation will be a demonstration speech. To demonstrate means to show. Usually a demonstration shows how to do something. Let's watch a video. This video shows how to make miso soup. This video is a step-by-step demonstration. Enjoy!

The University of Tsukuba Academic English Presentation II Trimester 3 Wk 3

Merry Christmas everyone,

Today we are going to do our very first presentations. Then we are going to start all over again from the beginning and fine tune our presentations skills starting with introductions.

Next week you will repeat your first presentation with a new and improved introduction. Today you will learn some important phrases to help you write both formal and informal introductions, to state your purpose clearly and to have an effective opening.

Have a nice holiday. See you next year!

The University of Tsukuba Christmas Day Lesson

 メリークリスマス！Nollaig shona duit! Joyeaux Noel! Merry Christmas everyone! Today Christmas Day is being celebrated in many countries around the world. However, the 25th of December is not the only day Christmas is celebrated on. Christmas Day will be celebrated on the 6th of January in Armenia, and it will be celebrated on the 7th of January in Ethiopia, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, the Republic of Macedonia, and the Republic of Moldova. 

In Japan, Christmas is mostly a secular (世俗的な) commercial celebration. Interestingly, Christmas Eve has become a time for Japanese couples to have romantic dinners and exchange gifts. 





Our Cross Cultural Awareness and English lecture today will be on love songs sung on the island of Crete in Greece. By the way, "Merry Christmas" in Greek is Καλά Χριστούγεννα!
Click the link today's lecture topic: The University of Tsukuba Cross Cultural Awareness and English Trimester 3 Week 3

The University of Tsukuba Academic Writing II Week 3

Hello everyone,
Today we are going to review the structure of a paragraph, edit our self introductions again, and post to our class writing blog. Actually it is a blog for both of my writing classes, so you will have a chance to read posts by students in my other class too. An important part of the writing process is sharing your writing with friends and colleagues. The comments you receive from your friends and colleagues will help you improve the content of your writing and also help you develop an understanding of your readers.






Let's get started. Please click the link: The University of Tsukuba Academic Writing Blog. Read the posts written by the students in my other writing class. Then post a comment. Please comment on at least 3 posts.
Happy holidays!

The University of Tsukuba IE Engineering C1 - Trimester 3 Week 3

Hello everyone, Today we are going to review chapters 5 -9 of The Hound of the Baskervilles. First, let's study some vocabulary. Please click the link: Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles Vocabulary. Now, let's do a quiz. Please answer the questions in the Quiz form below. Some of the questions are the same as the questions in last week's quiz.

Now let's watch a video. Please click the link: Sherlock Holmes and the Baskerville Curse Part 2. Watch the video and take notes.
Now please click the link and download today's worksheet: Hound of the Baskervilles Chapters 1-9 Worksheet.
For homework please read chapters 10 and 11. There will be another quiz next class.
Happy holidays!

The University of Tsukuba Academic Writing I Week 3

Adapted from an image uploaded to Flickr by stevendepolo

Hello everyone,
Today we are going to review the structure of a paragraph, edit our self introductions again, and post to our class writing blog. Actually it is a blog for both of my writing classes, so you will have a chance to read posts by students in my other class too. An important part of the writing process is sharing your writing with friends and colleagues. The comments you receive from your friends and colleagues will help you improve the content of your writing and also help you develop an understanding of your readers.



Let's get started. Please click the link: The University of Tsukuba Academic Writing Blog. 

The University of Tsukuba IE Phys. Ed B3 Trimester 3 Wk 3

Hi everyone,

Look at the image to the left. What do you think we are going to talk about this class? Write 5 questions about the picture. Have a 2-minute English conversation with a partner.

Before we continue discussing today's topic, let's study some vocabulary. Please click the link: IE-PhysEd B3 Vocabulary.

OK, today we are going read another article from BreakingNewsEnglish.com .
Please click the link to go to the article:
Energy Drinks Irreversibly Damage Teeth.




So, what do you think? Will you stop drinking sports and energy drinks? Please post a comment.
See you next class!

The University of Tsukuba Academic English Presentation I Trimester 3 Wk 3

Hello everyone, Today we are going to do our first presentations.

After that we are going to learn more about gestures.

Look at the picture. What does the gesture mean? Do you ever make this gesture? When? Where? or Why?

Your next presentation will be a layout speech. For homework, please prepare your speech. You will give your presentation at the beginning of next class, so don't be late!

Your presentation must be one minute.
See you next week!

The University of Tsukuba IE Phys. Ed B3 Trimester 3 Wk 2

Hello everyone, I hope you had a nice week-end. Let's start today with a video. Watch the video. Where was the video taken? What is happening in the video?

 

Now let's study some vocabulary. Please click the link: IE-PhysEd B3 Vocabulary.

Today's lesson is about the 2012 Copa Sudamericana Final between Sao Paulo and Tigre. Please click the link to download today's worksheet: South America soccer title won after riot. Today's worksheet was adapted from a lesson written by Sean Banville (@SeanBanville on Twitter). Sean has an excellent website called BreakingNewsEnglish.com. You can see the original lesson that this lesson is based on by clicking the link: http://breakingnewsenglish.com/1212/121215-copa_sudamericana.html
So, what do you think about violence in sport. Please post a comment.
See you next week!

The University of Tsukuba Cross Cultural Awareness and English Trimester 3 Week 3

Hello everyone!

Today we are going to learn about μαντινάδες (Mantinades), which are love poems sung at weddings on the island of Crete. Crete is the largest island in Greece. It was once the centre of the ancient Minoan civilization, which was the oldest civilization in Europe, so Crete has a rich cultural tradition. This rich cultural tradition has given the people of Crete some wonderful wedding customs, including the Mantinades.

Before we learn about the Mantinades, let's study some vocabulary. Please click the link: Cross cultural awareness and English Vocabulary. 
Now let's listen to a mantinades. The song is called Please click the link: 

Ο ΥΜΝΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΜΑΝΑΣ - ΓΙΩΡΓΟΣ ΖΕΡΒΑΚΗΣ . 

The title means, "Hymn to Mother". The singer says that there are many kinds of love in the world but the one kind of love that stands out is love for one's mother. Why do you think that a man might sing a song about his love for his mother at his wedding?

Ok, now please turn to p. 142.

What do you think of Mantinades? Are there any similar types of poetry in Japanese culture, or in the cultures of other peoples? Post a comment below.

See you next week!

The University of Tsukuba Academic English Presentation I Trimester 3 Wk 2

Adapted from an image uploaded to Flickr by MML

Hello everyone,
Today we are going to start learning how to give good presentations.
First, let's look at the course outline.
Now, lets look at a bad presentation. Watch the presentation and take notes. What mistakes are the presenters making?

Last week we learned a little about good presentation posture and good eye contact. Let's review.





Your first presentation will be an informative speech. For homework, please prepare your speech. You will give your presentation at the beginning of next class, so don't be late!

Your presentation must be one minute.

See you next week!