Toyo Gakuen University Open Campus Lesson 2010

J-Pop Stars Picnik collage
Originally uploaded by Toyo Gakuen University English Classes

Hello and welcome to Toyo Gakuen University. Today we are going to learn English through J-Pop. Some J-Pop stars sing in English too. Look at the picture below. Do you know these J-Pop stars?









You can learn more about J-Pop stars singing in English here:http://mrstoutsblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/toyo-gakuen-university-open-campus.html


Now let's enjoy some music!

Toyo Gakuen University 応用英語1-3A Writing Spring Semester 2010 Final Lesson

Hello everyone!
Today is the last lesson of this class, so I have a special treat for you, but first let's review some vocabulary. Please click this link: 基礎英語ステップ２.
Look at the video below. I made the movie. A Shibaura Institute of  Technology (芝浦工業大学) student wrote a paragraph about his ideal partner, and used it to make the movie. Please watch the movie, and listen. After please answer the questions below.





1. What kind of partner does Daisuke want?
2. Why does he want a partner with these characteristics?

Now let's make our own movies! Please click this link: xtranormal - create an account.

After you register, open your "My Ideal Partner" second draft file. Select all, copy, and paste. Then you can make your movie.
Enjoy!

The Dalai Lama has the courage to speak "broken English". Do you?

Last month, His Holiness The Dali Lama visited Japan. My friend Larry Cisar  invited me to see the Dali Lama at the Foreign Correspondents' Club press conference. Unfortunately I had to work that day. I hope I can see him the next time he comes to Japan.  I am always moved by the Dalia Lama's words. I was especially happy to read the words quoted in the image below. His words made me think. If a great man like the Dalai Lama is willing to risk losing face (顔が立たない, 恥をかく) by speaking "imperfect" English, why are so many English language learners afraid to practice speaking English? Why is it such a source of embarrassment to them? Ichirou has lived in America for many years now. He uses English in his day-to-day life, but he never gives interviews in English. Why? Is he better than the Dalai Lama. Are you better than the Dalai Lama? Of course not. If the Dalai Lama has the courage to speak broken English so should everyone. ダライラマが出来るなら、皆も出来るね。

Image by Garr Reynolds and JUDIT KAWAGUCHI

You can see the entire quote in the image above in Japanese. Please click this link: http://preview.tinyurl.com/2d5mwpp
These images were made by a great teacher called Garr Reynolds. I've learned much about giving presentations from him. Mr. Reynolds used a photo from an article about the Dalai Lama's visit on Judit Kawaguchi's Blog.

Have courage. Practice what you learn, not only English, but everything you learn, and make a contribution to the world.

Toyo Gakuen University Introduction to Business English 1A 2010 Final Exam Study Guide

Adapted from a photo uploaded to Flickr by Abdullah Al-Jowair

The Final Exam is Monday the 12th of July 2010. Yeah!!!

The exam covers Units 4 and 6, pp. 34-40 and pp. 50-56, 58,59 (テストの範囲は ユニト4と6です). The exam will include listening, reading and writing.

* Do Unit 6 on the self-study CD ROM
* Do the iKnow, Dictation and Brain Speed lessons on smart.fm
* Study the writing file on p.130
Study hard!

楽天：英語を１２年中に社内公用語化 English will be the official language of Rakuten!

Do you know Rakuten? I think you know Rakuten. Of course you know Rakuten! Rakuten is going to make English it's official language.
You can read about this in English. Click this link: http://preview.tinyurl.com/39w4szu
You can also read about this in Japanese. Click this link: http://preview.tinyurl.com/39fgvd5
 Fast Retailing Company, the parent company (親会社) of popular clothing store chain Uniqlo is also going to make English its official language.  Furthermore, all business meetings at Nissan are held in English. 
European companies, including the German companies BMW and Siemans do business in English. The largest English speaking country in the world is China. Over 300 million people in China speak English! That's three times the entire population of Japan! 
Little by little Japanese will have real motivation to learn English.

Toyo Gakuen University 応用英語1-2A Reading Final Exam Study Guide

Original illustration by Yuji Tachikawa from the eBook version.

Hello everyone!
Well the semester is almost over. Today we are going to review the story we have been studying this semester - The Inverted Eagle. The final exam is next Friday 9 July at 10:40. The exam will be an hour long. The exam is worth 40% of your final grade. Please study hard, and please go to the English lounge for Self Study Support if you need help. I'm the Self Study Support teacher on Wednesdays from 12:15 - 12:50.
OK, here's your study guide:

The final exam has two parts: Vocabulary and Comprehension.
Vocabulary - 10 points
Please review the vocabulary list on smart.fm: 応用英語1-2A Reading.
Also, please review the vocabulary sections of the quizzes, and the puzzles in your textbook on pp. 16,17; 28,29; 40,41; 50,51; 63,64; 75,76. Please be sure that you have written every word in your detective's notebook including each word's part of speech (POS 品詞), an English definition (定義), and an example sentence (例文). You should use an example sentence from the story.
Comprehension - 30 points
The comprehension section includes questions from Quizzes 1-6. It also includes questions from the chapter puzzles. The question types include multiple choice (多項選択式の問題), true/false, fill in the blanks (空欄にご記入), and short answer questions. You will also have to fill in a timeline of the crime, and write a short summary.
Don't forget to review all the mind maps posted on this blog too.
Good luck!

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day everyone!
I discovered a really cool music video. The video is called Canadian, Please. The music is like rap. You can read the lyrics as you watch and listen.
Enjoy!

Toyo Gakuen University 応用英語1-3A Writing Lesson 11 An ideal Partner

Hey there!
Today we prepare for our next task. Our next task is a paragraph describing our ideal partner. First, let's learn some new words. Click this link: 応用英語1-3A Writing.

Now let's look at a paragraph written by a student at Shibaura Institute of Technology.

My Ideal Partner by Yuri K.

Adapted from an image uploaded to Flickr by Mark Sebastian

               What kind of partner do I want? First, I want a partner who likes traveling because I want to go to a lot of places around the world with my partner. I like traveling very much. I’d like to go to Italy someday. I sometimes go to Tokyo to see the architecture. It is a very interesting time for me. Second, I would like a partner who likes animals because I like animals very much. I want to have a dog in the future. I think a person who likes animals is kind person. Third, I would like a partner who likes eating because I like cooking very much. I want to cook a lot of dishes for him. When I cook, if he doesn't eat my dishes, I will feel very sad.

I think Yuri's paragraph is very good. I think you can write a good paragraph too.

Your first draft is due next Tuesday, 7 July 2010, at 6 pm;

Enjoy!

Toyo Gakuen University 応用英語1-2A Reading. The Inverted Eagle Chapter 6 Review

Hello everyone!
Today we are going to review Chapter 6. First, let's study some vocabulary. Please click this link: 応用英語1-2A Reading. Do the iKnow lesson, Dictation lesson, and play the Brain Speed game. After that, review your detective's notebook. Add new words from chapter 6.

Now let's look at our suspects mindmap. I have added the final suspect, Nancy Reed. Click the image below to make it bigger. Nancy Reed is now red. Her lies and motives are in large bold letters. Add the information to your detective's notebook.

The Suspect #3

Now let's review Martina R's summary of The Inverted Eagle on Kalingo English. Now write your final report in your detective's notebook.
Next week I'll give you a study guide for the final exam.
Finally, let's read a message from Marcos Benevides, one of the authors of Whodunit.

Toyo Gakuen University 応用英語1-3A Writing Students make fotobabbles about their special places

Today students in the writing class at Toyo Gakuen University made fotobabbles about their special places.

Image from fotobable facebook page.

Fotobabble is a web 2.0 application that, "enables you to create Talking Photos in just three clicks".
At the beginning of the class I returned the students second drafts of their "My Special Place" task. Like the first drafts, I error coded the second drafts. I didn't require the students to correct their second drafts before they recorded a fotobabble, and some students simply read and recorded their second drafts without any editing, but others were keen to edit. Perhaps this fotobabble task motivated some students to edit again.
Links to the students' fotobabbles are below. I hope you will view some of them and leave a comment for my students. Enjoy!


Akira's Special Place, Manae's Special Place, Kaname's Special Place, Aya Y.'s Special Place, Misato's Special Place, Koutarou's Special Place, Ryuhei's Special Place, Chen's Special Place, Reika's Special Place, Kohei's Special Place, Kousuke's Special Place, Kousei's Special Place,Tatsuya's Special Place, Atsuko's Special Place, Ai's Special Place, Aya S.'s Special Place. Rie's Special Place,

Toyo Gakuen University 応用英語1-2A Reading Lesson 10 Chapter 5 Review and Chapter 6

Hello everyone!
Today we will do a quick review of Chapter 5 then we'll discuss Chapter 6. I have added two new suspects to our mindmap. Please look at the image below. The new suspects are in red.

The Suspects #2

Now look at your comments from last lesson. Click this link: Lesson 9. Who do the most people think did the crime?

OK, now lets review some vocabulary. Click this link: 応用英語1-2A Reading Vocabulary List.

Finally, what did you think of the story. Please write a letter to Marcus Benevides and Adam Gray telling them what you thought of the story. Post your letter as a comment below.

Toyo Gakuen University 応用英語1-3A Writing Task 2: My Special Place Final Draft

Hi everyone!
Today we are going to do the last draft of our paragraph about a special place. Then we are going to record the paragraph using Fotobabble. Look at the photo below. Click the play button.



OK,next, let's review some vocabulary. Click this link: 基礎英語ステップ２.

Now look at your first draft. Use your grammar error code handout. Correct your mistakes and write your final draft. You must submit your final draft by next Tuesday 22 June 2010. Next week you will make your own Fotobabble.

Toyo Gakuen University Introduction to Business English 1A Lesson 9: Unit 6 and Sales Presentation Project Introduction

Hi everyone!
Today we will start Unit 6: Sales. Then we will begin our Sales Presentation Project.Look at the picture below. What mistakes has the presenter made?

"Fake it till you make it" uploaded to Flickr by HikingArtist.com on 4 Nov 2008

Now let's click this link to see more about our Sales Presentation Project.
The presentations will be on the 28th of June. Have fun!

Toyo Gakuen University 応用英語1-2A Reading Lesson 9. Chapter 4 Review and Chapter 5

Hello everyone!
Today we are going to review Chapter 4, and do the quiz. Then we are going to start Chapter 5. Look at the image below. The image is another mindmap. The mindmap shows the suspects in the case so far. Click the image to make it bigger. Now look at your comments on last lessons' post. Were you right?

Inverted Eagle Suspects Chapters 1-4. Made using mindmeister

Now, take out your detective's notebook. Look at the mindmap. make notes about chapter 4.
Next, let's review some vocabulary. Click this link: 応用英語1-2A Reading Vocabulary List. Do the iKnow lesson.
After we review vocabulary, we will discuss Chapter 5.
Finally, post a comment. Do you have a hunch? Who commited the crime. Write your answer as a comment below.

Toyo Gakuen University 応用英語1-3A Writing Lesson 8 Unit 2 special place

Hi there!
Today we are going to continue working on our second task, My Special Place. First, please look at the image below. The image shows the correct format for submitting your writing tasks to me. You should type your tasks using Microsoft Word, and you should send them to me as an attachment (メールの添付｛てんぷ｝ファイル). This image is also on the style sheet in the lecture folder. Please open the lecture folder and save the file called "style sheet" to your own folder.

Image by Sarah Louisa Birchley, Clair Taylor and Michael Stout

OK, let's do some more vocabulary practice. Please click this link: 基礎英語ステップ２.
Now let's edit our first draft. Your 2nd draft is due next Wednesday. Enjoy!

Toyo Gakuen University Introduction to Business English 1A Lesson 8: Unit 4: Travel and Midterm Exam Study Guide

Hi everyone,
Today we are going to learn about travel. We are going to practice listening for information, making bookings, and checking arrangements. First, please take a look at the picture below. You can see some funny English signs while travelling everywhere in the world. The picture below was taken in Budapest, Hungary. There are three mistakes, one is a grammar mistake and the other two mistakes are vocabulary usage (単語の用法) mistakes. Can you find the mistakes?

"Out of Work" uploaded to Flickr by tm-tm on 20 September 2009

OK, now let's learn some vocabulary. Please click this link: TYG 応用英語 Travel English Vocabulary List.
Now let's do the tasks in the textbook. If you finish a task quickly, you can go on to the next task, or you can do some independent learning using the links below:

• More vocabulary flashcards and games on quizlet: Travel English E-J
• Speaking practice on English Central: Hotels: Checking in, and Hotels: Guest services.

Finally, the midterm exam is next class: 14th June. Please use the study guide below to help you prepare for the midterm exam.

Mid-term Exam Study Guide

The exam covers Units 1,2,3, and 4, pp. 6-40 (テストの範囲は ユニト1-4　です).  The exam will include listening, reading and writing.

• Do Unit 4 on the self-study CD ROM
• Do the iKnow, Dictation and Brain Speed lessons on smart.fm 
• Study the writing file on p.130

Good Luck!!!

Toyo Gakuen University 応用英語1-2A Reading Lesson 8. Chapter 4: The Suspect

Whodunit CC 1.0 Some rights reserved

Hello everyone!
Well our story is getting very exciting. In this chapter Ellie finally has a suspect.
Before we check the Chapter 4 puzzle, let's learn some vocabulary. Please click the link: 応用英語１－２Ａ Reading. Next, click "Drill Beta".
After you study the vocabulary review Chapter 4 with your team. Write your answers to the Chapter 5 pre-reading on p. 55 as a comment below.

Toyo Gakuen University 応用英語1-3A Writing Lesson 7 Unit 2 My Special place

A special place, originally uploaded by mick62.

Hey there!

Today we are going to start the first draft of our second task: My Special Place.
First, let's study some vocabulary. Click this link: 基礎英語　ステップ1

Now let's go to Flickr. Click here: Flickr Sign in.
Comment on your classmates' photos of their special places. Ask the questions on p. 18 of your textbook. Answer your classmates' questions.

Ok now write your first draft. Please e-mail it to me by the 7th of June.
Enjoy!

Toyo Gakuen University Introduction to Business English 1A Lesson 7: Unit 3 Case Study

Hello everyone!
Today we are going to do the case study at the end of Unit 3. Unit 3 is about problems. Click this link: Mr. Bean's Holiday. Watch the video. What problems did Mr. Bean have on holiday? Now click here http://class.englishcentral.com/stout to join my class on English Central.
Next, let's review some vocabulary. Click this link: TYG Introduction to Business English A Vocabulary.

Flickr photo uploaded by Jeff Henshaw 29/12/06

Stating the problem, making a complaint, and finding solutions are all important skills in business. Today you will practice these skills by doing the case study on pages 28,29 of your textbook.

After you finish post a comment. Have you ever had trouble on a holiday? Have you ever had a problem with a product you bought? Tell us about it.

Toyo Gakuen University 応用英語1-3A Writing Lesson 6 - My Special Place

A special place, originally uploaded by mick62.

Today we are going to start our second writing task, "My Special Place".
Look at the photo. This is my special place. Why do you think it is special? Now click the link below the photo. Please write a comment.

Next, let's study some vocabulary. Please click this link:基礎英語　ステップ2 Do the iKnow lesson.

Now, let's practice typing. Click this link: Qwerty Warriors

Last year some Toyo Gakuen University students wrote about their special places. Click this link to read about their special places: http://writingright.edublogs.org/place/

Finally, go to our Toyo Gakuen Flickr photostream. Upload your pictures. Then look at your class mates photos and comment.