Article Summary Assignment  

Choose one, two or three articles from this list or from another web page (see handout). If you choose short articles (e.g Articles 2,3 or 4), make sure that the total length of the two or three articles is over 500 words. If you choose an article from another website, please make sure it is not longer than 800 words.

Summarize the article() using YOUR OWN words. The summary should be about 1/3rd of the length of the original (170-270 words). There should be no quotations and no phrases that are identical to the original article.

Choose a TOTAL of 5 different vocabulary items (noun, verb, adjective adverb, phrasal verb etc) for summary and follow the guidelines from last semester-write a definition and your own sentence. Make sure that the sentences you write put the word in context so that we can guess the meaning.


Article 1:  Crouching Lizard : Step aside, Pikachu. The 'King of Games' has stolen your crown in Japan and is poised to conquer America

The white dolphin heads to battle. She is a water-borne soldier who can swim to swift escape but has inadequate fighting skills. Her opponent materializes: the Armored Lizard. Damn! My dolphin is no match for its steely jaws and impenetrable skin. Next, I set loose the Blade Fly, whose razor pincers make for nasty weapons. I prepare for a fight. But this enemy is too clever: he has set a hidden trap that swallows the fly. "Game over," says Hiroaki Namikata. "You suck." I consider wringing his neck but decide this would upset his mom. "You'll get better in time," Hiroaki says, as he slurps down his lemon soda.

We're playing Yu-Gi-Oh, the game that has replaced Pokémon as Japan's No. 1 fad and is expected soon to enter the global lexicon. Yu-Gi-Oh, which means "King of Games," stars a seemingly normal boy named Yugi who gains extraordinary powers when playing a card game. The boom began when it was introduced as a plot twist in the Yu-Gi-Oh manga-comic series, which then spawned an actual card game, as well as Game Boy and PlayStation software, an animated TV show, action figures, pencil boxes and countless other money-sucking doodads. Yu-Gi-Oh is already a $2 billion industry; it caused a riot at a Tokyo games convention and has been banned from Bangkok schools. Its U.S. kickoff is slated for the fall.

Hiroaki, an outspoken eight-year-old, has gathered two other Yu-Gi-Oh freaks at his family's condo in Chiba to challenge me in electronic battle. By wiring our Game Boys together with a cable, we assess one another's "cards" and send our own characters off to war. Each of the 700-some characters has unique traits and powers, which are rated by points. Illusionist No-Face, for instance, is a magician who can instantly shift appearances. His 1,200 points of offensive strength are no match for the 1,400 of the Mecha-Falcon, but the magic man's 2,200 defensive points far outnumber the jet-powered bird's 1,200. Got it?
Kazuki Takahashi, the creator of the comic series, and games producer Konami appear to be following the Pokémon formula to fuel the Yu-Gi-Oh craze. Like Pokémon, the animated TV show brings the characters and plot twists to life. Like Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh demands careful strategy to decide which cards to pit against one another. Because you need 40 cards to play the game (players download characters into a Game Boy by inserting the codes printed on real cards), it also plays to kids' penchant for collecting. And though the Game Boy version can be played alone, it's more fun to challenge someone else. "Japan used to be a place where all the neighborhood kids played together," says Hideo Takayama, president of the Children's Research Institute. "But today's kids spend most of their free time studying for exams, so it's harder for them to make friends. Games based on trading cards, like Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh, force kids to interact; that's why they're such a hit."

But Yu-Gi-Oh is not such a hit with parents. Nearly everyone likes Pokémon's cute figures, but Yu-Gi-Oh's dark story lines, leggy girls and terrifying monsters make Satomi Namikata, Hiroaki's mother, cringe. As her young daughter hugs a talking Pikachu, the best-recognized Pokémon character, mom frets: "The rules are so complicated and the drawings so scary that I'm sure Yu-Gi-Oh is meant for teenagers."

Which is exactly why younger boys love it. The craze isn't limited to fad-mad Tokyo; in a large toy store on the southern island of Shikoku, every Yu-Gi-Oh card and Yu-Gi-Oh Game Boy game is sold out. "I get swarms of kids from the elementary school next door," says Mitsuaki Muraoka, the shop's manager. "On weekends, parents come in with pieces of paper on which they've written the word yu-gi-oh." Since Konami introduced them in 1999, the company has sold 3.5 billion cards; 7 million computer games have been sold since its release in late 1998. With the U.S. launch due before Christmas, Konami is predicting a 65% jump in Yu-Gi-Oh-driven profits over the next two years.

It's the cards and not the video game that still drive Japanese kids' interest. "The funny thing about these games is that they have reminded kids how fun it is to play with each other, instead of at home alone with a video console," says Makoto Nakamura, a Tokyo game designer. Are interactive games promoting interactivity of the retro, Old Economy kind? Could be: the toy fad currently sweeping Japan is Bei Blade, an updated version of spinning tops. (770 words)



Article 2: Young Britons shy away from  learning languages

 

Fact or fiction? Most British people are lazy when it comes to learning a foreign language.  Research shows it might be true. The British  Government found that 58 percent of 11-18 year olds in the UK do not speak a second language.  However two thirds of teenagers in Britain want to work abroad when they're older - the countries of  choice being Italy, Spain, France or China. The British Government admits there is a problem - that  not enough young people continue learning a second language when they leave school. Teresa Tinley  from the country's national centre of languages says it has big implications for the economy. "We are in a competitive global market and we need to be able to speak to our customers and our potential customers. Our trade is very much geared towards English-speaking countries. Our research shows that our exports are suffering". The research is seen as further evidence that most young people assume they can get by in a foreign country by speaking English - something the authorities in London want to change.  (180)

 Article 3: Starbucks to close 600 US shops

Consumers here in the United States are cutting back on all sorts of unnecessary spending. Now it seems that the cup of coffee on the way to the office is a casualty too. Starbucks says that it's earmarked 600 stores for closure - out of more than 7,000 company-owned shops across the United States - because they're not making a profit. The chain has expanded aggressively in states such as Florida and California, which have been badly hit by the US housing downturn. It also faces growing competition from a variety of new outlets. And a Starbucks coffee doesn't have quite the cachet that it used to when it was an exciting young brand. The company says it hopes to find new jobs at nearby stores for many of the 12,000 employees affected. But the news will add to concerns about mounting unemployment in the United States. Figures out later this week are expected to show that the number of people in work has declined for the sixth month in a row. (170)

Article 4: Music Downloads

Songwriters and music publishers now earn more money from downloads and broadcasts than they do from CD sales, according to the latest copyright figures. They show that the music business grew last year by almost three per cent. Most downloads are still illegal, bringing no earnings to songwriters and artists. But income from legal downloads grew by more than fifty per cent last year, according to the MCPS PRS alliance which distributes the rights income. That helps revenue from online and broadcast music to overtake earnings from physical products, such as CDs. Broadcasting still dominates, but downloads are growing fast, helped by online systems, such as Apple's itunes. Now commercial radio companies are hoping to take a share by enabling listeners to download music as they hear it on the air. Simon Cole, of UBC media group, which has developed the 'clic' system, claims most music fans are happy to pay, if it is made easy. Mr Cole said " It's absolutely nothing new that some people will try to rip off music and they'll do that however you do it, whether you produce it on CDs or digital files. But if you offer the vast majority of people the chance to get music at a fair price in a way that's easy and efficient, they'll do it that way." If that faith in human nature is confirmed, the income from downloads is set to grow even faster.  (235)

 

 Article 5  Article 5: The Greenest Celebrity in Hollywood

 Who's the greenest actor in Hollywood?Certainly there's  Ed Begley Jr., who has his own green reality TV show (Living with Ed), and whose greenness is so notorious that an episode of The Simpsons had him driving a car powered by his sense of self-satisfaction. Don't count out Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Governator, who as California's head has ensure the state remains No. 1 in the nation when it comes to tackling climate change — though he hasn't shaken his Hummer habit. And of course there's Leonardo DiCaprio, who proves conclusively that, contrary to what many conservatives think, Earth-friendly habits needn't preclude you from a rich lifestyle of award-winning film performances and rampant supermodel-dating.

But the greenest of them all may be a name that's less known: Hart Bochner. Bochner co-stars in the USA Network drama The Starter Wife, featuring Will and Grace alumna Debra Messing. (To Americans of my generation, however, Bochner will always be known for directing the classic early 1990s college comedy PCU, which proved Jeremy Piven's comedy chops long before he swaggered onto the set of Entourage.) What makes Bochner different from his celebrity peers is that he's willing to do the anonymous, behind-the-scenes work to make the industry more environmentally friendly. "It can't just be about messages," says Bochner. "It has to be about deeds as well."

By its nature, film and TV production isn't always the greenest undertaking in the world. Sets are built quickly and dismantled just as fast, with little regard for the long-term environmental impact. Productions can be energy intensive, especially when shooting on location. And actors, no matter how green they claim to be on Entertainment Tonight, are accustomed to a certain level of luxury that carries a certain carbon footprint.

Bochner and his colleagues at the Environmental Media Association (EMA), where he's been a board member since 2000, are working to change that. He started by creating the EMA Green Seal, which is a badge of approval for productions that follow environmentally friendly practices. "You hit the targets and you get the stamp of approval," says Bochner, who in his own career as a filmmaker helped ban the use of luan, a rainforest mahogany wood, often harvested in threatened Indonesia, in favor of more sustainable materials. "We want to make this the norm."

Even more admirable is his attempt to get Hollywood to believe that the hybrid Toyota Prius was as hot as a Ferrari. Bochner explains: "We just tried to position the Prius as the new sexy thing. It wasn't easy — making driving a smaller, more economic car hip was a task. So I'd just ask my friends, 'Do you love your children?' That was the linchpin in convincing them. I told them, 'The decision is yours, but the nation is watching what you want to do.'"

It's hard to take Hollywood's greens altogether seriously — gee, if only we could all afford to shell out $22,000 for a shiny new hybrid — but Bochner's got a point: The nation does watch Hollywood. The TV and film industry tends to be on the cutting edge of social change, from civil rights to the war in Iraq, and that's true when it comes to the environmental as well. From films like An Inconvenient Truth to high-profile attempts at carbon-neutrality (by the FOX drama, 24, last year), Hollywood is working to set the bar higher, bit by bit — who cares if it feels pretty good about itself in the process? And more importantly, bit by bit, Hollywood is changing social norms. Ideally, someday being green won't be cool anymore — it will just be boring old convention.  (600)

Article 6: Oprah's Book Club    

It's the greatest force in publishing today, with the power to raise authors from the dead (Leo Tolstoy) or crucify them on the national stage (James Frey). The all-powerful Oprah Book Club is not so much a club as a ruthlessly influential marketing vehicle, with the power to fundamentally alter best-seller lists, Amazon rankings and royalty payments. Sure, the "club" has 2 million "members" and a web site that provides a space for users to share thoughts on featured titles, read excerpts and get advice like, "How to Read a Hard Book." But in the 12 years Oprah's Book Club has existed, its significance has been — from the perspective of authors and editors, at least — not its sense of community, but its influence on sales, which has been known to increase a print run fivefold. So by the time Oprah Winfrey announced publicly on Sept. 19 that her club's newest title would be The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, a book about a mute boy and his dogs by a first-time novelist, its publisher had already ordered 750,000 "Oprah versions" from the printers. Boxes of these books, with the Oprah's Book Club seal affixed to the covers  were already on their way to bookstores across the country.The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by software designer David Wroblewski, debuted at #14 on the New York Times fiction bestseller list with an initial print run of 26,000 and crept up to #2; it will be #1 on the list published October 5. "The best novel I've read in a long, long, long, long time...a literary feast of a book," Winfrey gushed on her show, saying it deserved to enter the cannon alongside works by John Steinbeck and Harper Lee. 

Beginning in 2003, Winfrey switched from picking contemporary books to choosing classic titles, including John Steinbeck's East of Eden and Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. Winfrey's picks boosted sales: Penguin ordered 800,000 more copies of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina after the 19th-Century Russian novel was chosen. But much of the publishing industry was dismayed at missing the chance to connect their latest books — and their profits — to Oprah.

Partly as a result, Winfrey decided to pick a contemporary novel again in 2005 and chose  “A Million Little Pieces”, James Frey's supposed memoir of addiction and recovery. Pieces sales skyrocketed, and while the attention undoubtedly made Frey a lot richer, it also shone enough light on the controversial book that the author was forced to admit he had embellished and even made up some of its most compelling passages. While Winfrey initially said she stood by Frey, she took the stage of her talk show to announce: "I made a mistake and I left the impression that the truth does not matter. And I am deeply sorry about that, because that is not what I believe." That disavowal helped trash his reputation as a writer; the publisher offered refunds for A Million Little Pieces while his subsequent book, 2008's Bright Shiny Morning, was firmly labeled a novel.

In 2006, Winfrey chose just one book for her club: Night, Elie Wiesel's somber Holocaust chronicle. After that, she picked five books in 2007 and two so far this year: A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle and The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. Since her club debuted in 1996, Winfrey — who personally chooses which books to endorse and does not financially benefit — has invited 66 titles into her club. Introducing the first book, The Deep End of the Ocean by first-time novelist Jacquelyn Mitchard, Winfrey told her audience, "When I was growing up, books were my friends. When I didn't have friends, I had books. And one of the greatest pleasures I have right now in life is to be reading a really good book and to know I have a really, really good book after that book to read." Publishers and authors can only hope theirs is the one she's talking about. (660)

Article 7: The Rising Cost of Chinese-Made Goods


For years, American importers and Chinese factory managers have been having the same conversation. The importers would demand lower prices for products destined for American shelves. Factory managers would counter with a long list of reasons why they needed to charge more. Most of the time, the American importers would prevail, and Wal-Mart shoppers would be happy.

Not anymore. The era of cheap Chinese consumer goods may finally be ending, thanks to irrepressible inflation. Now when the Chinese present their lists, some American importers are conceding higher prices, meaning that American shoppers, for the first time in years, are paying for rising costs in China. Some Chinese factories are now asking their American customers for price increases of as much as 20 percent to 30 percent.

 A store manager at a young women's clothing store in Boston tells me the prices of some camisoles are rising. An executive in the athletic shoe industry says that Chinese factories and buyers are now negotiating about spring 2009 shoe lines, and that is where consumers will really start to see the impact of Chinese inflation. A manager of several discount stores confides his company has started raising prices of certain goods while putting others on sale. This is only the beginning: We'll be paying higher prices for Chinese goods for years to come.

 Consumers of Chinese exports (read: you and I) have for the past two decades benefited from amazingly low prices. China's desire to attract foreign investment, rural workers' hunger for higher wages than they could earn on the farm helped limit price increases for Chinese exports. The Chinese currency (renminbi) was undervalued, wages were low, raw materials were cheap, and government officials turned a blind eye to factories' labor and environmental violations.

 But now a perfect storm has hit China's manufacturers. So far this year, the renminbi has been appreciating at a 16 percent annualized rate. And prices for raw materials, which account for 60 percent to 70 percent of manufacturers' costs, are soaring. Hundred-dollar-a-barrel oil has raised transport costs and the price of oil-related materials such as plastics. Although some economists expect raw material prices to weaken in the second half of this year, in the long term, the emergence of millions of new car drivers, home buyers, and office workers in India and China will keep the price of steel, plastic, and other raw materials high.

 At the same time, China is tightening its labor laws and wages are rising at double-digit rates in coastal China. Beijing hopes that better protection for workers through the union and the new labor law will satisfy its increasingly unhappy manufacturing workforce. But a majorshift in the country's demographics—a dwindling supply of young workers as a result of the "one child" policy in effect since 1979—will counteract Beijing's efforts.

 China's Generation Y, the children born after the one-child policy came into effect, are increasingly aware of their rights to a legal wage, health insurance, and a certain number of days off every month. Their demands for better treatment will continue to drive up the cost of manufacturing in China. Already, southern China's Guangdong province, known as "the workshop of the world," is short 2 million workers, the equivalent of 14 percent of America's entire manufacturing workforce.

 The problem for American retailers and consumers hooked on $3 T-shirts and $30 DVD players is that there is no other China waiting in the wings to make cheap goods reliably for American shoppers. American importers are now looking at Vietnam, hoping to take advantage of the country's lower wages. But Vietnam has only 85 million people—the size of one Chinese province. And only a fraction of its population is suitable for factory work. Moreover, prices are rising faster in Vietnam than anywhere else in Asia. Vietnam looks increasingly like a short-term alternative only.

  India, the other country often mentioned as a China surrogate, has not yet managed to take advantage of China's rising export prices. Importers say India is good at certain things—embroidery, for instance—but not at the volume production that the world depends on for cheap goods. India's road and port infrastructure, while improving, is nowhere near as efficient as China's. So importers are looking back to countries they once rejected in favor of China—Indonesia, Mexico, and Malaysia and more recently Brazil. Every country, however, offers its own special risks: strong labor unions in one, political instability in another. None offers the one-stop shop appeal of China, where factories make everything under the sun. For the time being, then, we will all still be buying a lot of "Made in China" products—and paying ever more for them.  (770)

ENGLISH 2 W (Writing) Class 12 Thu 4 2nd Sem 2007-08  OUTLINE AND CALENDAR

Teacher: Mr Furmanovsky Class 12 Time: Thu 4
Room B103 Textbook: Writing from Within (CUP)
E-mail: 0ffice: michael@world.ryukoku.ac.jp Class E-Mail    kyoin76@yahoo.com
Webpage: http://mikefurm.livejournal.com

Welcome back to your English 2 Writing Class. I hope you had a good summer. I am looking forward to hear about all your activities in August and September.

WHAT WILL DO IN The 2nd SEMESTER?: This semester we will make more use of the textbook; write about our summer holidays (and post this on our blogs) and (I hope) exchange e-mail with students in the city of Hue, Vietnam. We will also continue to develop computer skills (on Mac computers),

ASSESSMENT and GRADING: Your grade will be based on attendance and completion of writing assignments.

E-MAIL COMMUNICATION: Use this format < 263hiroshi-thu4-report1 >

HOMEWORK

Topic or theme -----------------------------------------No. of Words ------- Due Date

1)   4-5 paragraph report about your summer holiday 550+ Nov 1 (5)
2)   3-4 paragraph report based on a survey of class members 350+ June 21 (10)
3)   4-5 paragraph report about student life in Vietnam 450+ July 12 (13)


Eigo 1 Writing Class 12 Thu 2: 1st Semester Calendar



Sept 27 (1) Talk about summer holidays using postcards. Teacher introduces Vietnam Exchange project. Homework: Make an outline of your summer holiday. Be ready to write the first paragraph (introduction) on Oct 4. Oct 11 (3) Reply to Vietnamese students, Work on summer holiday report. Textbok 47-48. report Work on summer holiday report-paragraphs 3-5 Oct 25 (4) Textbook Unit 7 (61-62) Research Survey (topic to be decided). Work on summer holiday report-paragraphs 2-3. Reply to Vietnamese students Homework: Complete your report. Nov 1 *** (5) Summer Holiday Report Due Homework: Post report onto your blog Nov 8 (6) Research Survey in class Textbook Unit 7 63-65 Homework: Nov 15 (7) Work on class survey report in class Textbook Unit 7 66-68 Nov 22 (8) Work on class survey report in class Unit 7 69-70 Homework: Complete Class Survey Report Nov 29 (9) Class Survey Report due Talk about your survey in class. Post to your blog and exchange comments. Dec 6 (10) Textbook Unit 8 Lesson 1-2 Comparing and contrasting. 71-72 Work on Report 3 (comparing Vietnamese and Japanese university student lifestyles) Dec 13 (11) Textbook Unit 8 Lesson 1-2 Comparing and contrasting. 73 plus websites. Homework: Work on Report 3 Dec 20 (12) Work on Report 3 in class . Xmas song if there is enough time. Homework: Complete Report 3 Jan 10 (13) Report 3 due (Vietnamese students or other topic) >VIETNAM STUDENT KEYPAL EXCHANGE (WITH HUE UNIVERSITY: DEPT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES)</font>


First Name Family Name E Mail Hue University keypal Nickname

1 Airi ISHIBASHI w070019@yahoo.com AND jennycat_8705@yahoo.com (Ly)


2 Maki ISOBE w070023@yahoo.com AND mai_phuong510@yahoo.com (Kelly)

3. Sakie IWAMURA w070046@yahoo.com AND xuongrongtrencat87411@yahoo.com (Thuy)

4. Waka OHASHI wo70076@yahoo.com AND cobedidoitatdo2108@yahoo.com (Alice)
PLUS    meoden_dethuongqb@yahoo.com (Sam)

5. Miki KAWANISHI w070113@yahoo.com AND nguyentranquynhchau@yahoo.com (Chau)
PLUS cute_pixy2802@yahoo.com (Emily)

6. Kazutoshi KOBI w070147@yahoo.com AND robot_hl@yahoo.com (Van)

7. Atsushi SHINGU w070177@yahoo.com AND ngocanh_girlkyeuky142@yahoo.com (Anh)

8. Yuka TOMOOKA w070238@yahoo.com AND virgo_508@yahoo.com (Thao)

9. Hiroshi NODA w070288@yahoo.com AND xoxo_love87@yahoo.com (Tram)

10. Takako FUKUMOTO w070320@yahoo.com AND orca_gell@yahoo.com (Van)

11. Hisako MIYAKE w070359@yahoo.com AND party1907@yahoo.co.uk (Katie)

12. Eri YASUI w070379@yahoo.com AND alicia_hoang_qb_dhnn@yahoo.com (Huyen)

13. Akie YOKOYA w070400@yahoo.com   AND   thyletrang@gmail.com (Trang)

**Eigo1 W (Writing)-Class 12 Thu 4 1st Semester**

Teacher: Mr Furmanovsky Class 12 Time: Thu 4
Room B−103  Textbook: (Writing from WithinThomson)
E-mail 0ffice: michael@world.ryukoku.ac.jp     Class   kyoin76@yahoo.com
Webpage: http://mikefurm.livejournal.com

Welcome to Ryukoku University and your English 1 Writing Class. I am looking forward to getting to know you during the year and creating a good class atmosphere. I will be your teacher for this once-a-week class and you will have four other teachers for your Conversation (OC), Reading (R) and two Seminar classes. Eigo 1 Writing meets only once a week, so I hope you will do your very best to attend classes regularly and be on time.

ATTENDANCE: If you miss a class, first check the calendar below. Then, if necessary, talk to another student and complete any missed homework.

RULES: Please use English in class as much as possible. Also try to answer any question I ask you. If you don't know the answer say "I'm sorry I don't understand," "I'm sorry, I don't know," or "I'm still thinking.” Silence (or a 1 word answer) in response to a question is not acceptable.

WHAT TO BRING TO CLASS: The textbook, a B5 notebook, a pen, pencil, yellow highlighter and a good electronic or paper dictionary with E-E.

WHAT WE WILL DO IN CLASS?: Write!!! We will also develop computer skills (on Mac computers), brainstorming; outlining and planning 3 reports; using Internet search engines; e-mail communication: making and using a blog, using Microsoft Word and “Comic Life” software.

ASSESSMENT and GRADING: Your grade will be based on attendance and completion of assignments based on the textbook and three homework reports.

E-MAIL COMMUNICATION: Sometime in the first semester, you will make an e-mail address using www.yahoo.com. This will be explained later. Please make a big effort to develop your basic computer software skills-especially Word and Internet Explorer (or Safari on Mac) When you write e-mail, use this format < 263hiroshi-thu4-report1 >


HOMEWORK

Topic or theme No. of words Due Date

1)  2 paragraph report about things you like to do/ your main interests and how they have changed since you were in JHS 300 words+ May 24 (6)

2) 2-3 paragraph report about a partner (and possible career choices) 350 words + June 21 (10)

3) 3-4 paragraph report (magazine article) about a famous person (someone you like) or a biography of a friend. 450word + July 12 (13)


***Eigo 1 Writing Class 12 Thu 2: 1st Semester Calendar***



April 12 (1) Introduction to the teacher and Eigo 1-Reading. Complete Student Information Sheet. Find out about the teacher and the textbook. Introduction to using Mac computers. Homework: Read the class handout. Get a USB Memory stick (256mb or above-swivel stick no cap).

April 19 (2) Macintosh Basics. Passwords, Software, Folders, Saving your work. Using a Memory Stick. Homework: Did you get a USB memory stick? Bring any digital picture of you related to a hobby or interest on your memory stick.

April 26 (3): Using ComicLife Make a storyboard about things you like to do. Unit 1-Lessons 1-3 (About Me & Main Ideas, General and Specific Information) 4-7. Homework: Review textbook, 4-7. Get USB Memory stick.

May 10 (4): Unit 1 Lessons 4-5. Using ComicLife to tell a partner what you like to do in your free time. Homework: Start writing your 2-3 paragraph report.

May 17 (5) Work on report in class. Unit 1 Lessons 6-7 (Paragraph) 10-11. Homework: Finish your 2 paragraph report–due May 24

May 24*** (6) Report (My Interests) Due (printed out). Make a Blog and post your report. Homework: None

May 31 (7) Unit 2 Lessons 1-3 (Organizing ideas, Inference sentences) Using a Blog Homework: Interview a partner and research new kinds of careers.

June 7 (8) Unit 2 Lessons 4-6 (Career choices) 17-19 Homework: Begin writing report about your partner and his/her possible career choices.

June 14 (9) Unit 2 Lessons 7 (Connecting Sentences). Computer review. Use ComicLife? Homework: Complete Report 2

June 21 *** (10) Report 2 (Career for your partner) due. Unit 2 Lesson 8 (What do you think?) Homework: Research about a famous person you like on the Internet in English.

June 28 (11). Unit 3 Lessons 1-3 (Supporting Sentences) Homework: Research about a famous person you like on the Internet in English

July 5 (12). ). Unit 3 Lessons 4-6 (Magazine Article) Homework: Complete Report 3

July 12*** (13 Report 3 (Famous person) due. Unit 3-Lesson 8. Homework: To be explained

Today we will watch a video animation of the famous Children's book called "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" You can find the text and illustrations below.


http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Screen/4432/gstory1.html

Internet Research Report Assignment (Due Jan 15)

Choose a story that has been in the news in the past year. It can be about politics, culture, education, sports music etc. However it must be a story which was written about in ENGLISH as well as Japanese. Now find 3 articles (100+ words each-total 400+) which are connected  in some way with this story in English using the Google Search engine or Japanese (English) newspapers such as these

http://www.japantimes.co.jp
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/index-e.htm
/www.japantoday.com
www.asahi.com/english/english.html

Save the three articles onto your folder for the class and then copy and paste the text into a Word document. Highlight and underline the main points in each article. For example I might choose these three articles about Asada Mao, the figure skater

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/winter/2006-10-25-skate-america-asada_x.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao_Asada
http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/392205
http://www.answers.com/topic/mao-asada

Now summarize ALL THREE articles and make them into ONE new one that is 100% YOUR WORDS. The summarized article should have information for all THREE articles and should be around 150-200 words. The report you give me should have your summary plus the three originals (all on 2 X A4). Due last day of class.

Dear Class 10 and 16B

By now you have written and received an e-mail from one or two keypals. Below you will find some guidelines and a model keypal exchange. Please look at it closely. Remember to

1. Always use the marker < or << to indicate who is writing to who;
2. Comment on all or most of your partner's new information
3. Leave a space between each comment.
4. Give lots of details to make your letter interesting
5. Not ask questions that are too personal


Since you will be writing a short report about your partner and his/her school life, interests, activities etc, you can also save all of the letters you get into your hard disk space ("Home")

Here is an example of a good keypal exchange between "Mayumi Takeda" and "Hiroshi Kobayashi"


Dear Hiroshi

I hope you had a nice weekend. Mine was really fun. On Saturday I did my part time job at Family Mart in Seta. I work there three days a week. I have two good part time job friends-Miki and Keisuke. After work on Saturday we went to a karaoke bar in Ishiyama and met two of my English class mates-Keiko and Nana. On Sunday I slept until 10 a.m and then cleaned my room. In the afternoon I played tennis with a high school friend who lives near my house. In the evening I watched my favorite program on TV “Un-Nan Uchimura.” Do you know it?

We have to write our keypal report soon so I want to ask you some questions.

(1) What do you like best or least about you hometown or neighborhood?
(2) What have you enjoyed most or least about university life?
(3) What are your favorite classes at Ryukoku? What classes do you want to take next year?
(4) Are you a member of a club or circle. How often do you spent time with your club or circle friends?
(5) Did you have a good time at the University festival? What did you do there?
(6) These days what are you most interested in?
(6) can you meet for lunch so we can find out more about each other for our keypal report?

Thanks

Mayumi

When Hiroshi replies, he will see this:

>Dear Hiroshi

>I hope you had a nice weekend. Mine was really fun. On Saturday I did my part time job at Family Mart in Seta. I work there three days a week. I
>have two good part time job friends-Miki and Keisuke. After work on Saturday we went to a karaoke bar in Minami Kusatsu and met two of my
>English class mates-Keiko and Nana. On Sunday I slept until 10 a.m and then cleaned my room. In the afternoon I played tennis with a high school
>friend who lives near my house. In the evening I watched my favorite drama on TV “Kui-Tan.” Do you know it? The theme song is by B'z.

>We have to write our keypal report soon so I want to ask you some questions.

>(1) What do you like best or least about you hometown or neighborhood?
>(2) What have you enjoyed most or least about university life?
>(3) What are your favorite classes at Ryukoku? What classes do you want to take next year?
>(4) Are you a member of a club or circle. How often do you spent time with your club or circle friends?
>(5) Did you have a good time at the University festival? What did you do there?
>(6) These days what are you most interested in?
>(6) can you meet for lunch so we can find out more about each other for our keypal report?
?

Hiroshi might reply like this.

Dear Mayumi

How are you today. I am writing this from Mr Fs afternoon class. I am a little tired because I worked in my part time job on both Saturday and Sunday. I work in bicycle shop near my house from 10-6. The salary is quite good. I talk to customers and sometimes fix broken bicycles.

> On Saturday I did my part time job at Family Mart in Seta.

Really is your shop in Seta? I sometimes buy food there. What day do you work?

> After work on Saturday we went to a karaoke bar in Ishiyama and met two of my
>English class mates-Keiko and Nana.

What did you sing? Recently I like singing “Winter Love” by Boa and "Shirushi" by Mr Children. What songs do you like to sing?


> In the evening I watched my favorite program on TV “Kui-Tan.” Do you know it? The theme song is by B'z?1

Yes I sometimes watch it, but these days I am so tired and fall asleep before it is on. I know the song too.


>We have to write our keypal report soon so I want to ask you some questions.

>(1) What do you like best or least about you hometown or neighborhood?

The best thing is that is is quiet and I know my way around very well. There are some good shops and parks. The worst thing about it is that it has no video rental shop and no good restaurants. And the river near my house is not clean.

>(2) What have you enjoyed most or least about university life?

The best thing is that we have some free time between classes. In high school we had classes all day. Also I like being able to choose my classes. The worst thing is that university so big, so it has been difficult to make good friends. There are different people in each class, so I see some of my friends only once a week.

I will answer these questions next time. Take care



>(3) What are your favorite classes at Ryukoku? What classes do you want to take next year?
>(4) Are you a member of a club or circle. How often do you spent time with your club or circle friends?
>(5) Did you have a good time at the University festival? What did you do there?
>(6) These days what are you most interested in?
>(6) can you meet for lunch so we can find out more about each other for our keypal report?

Hiroshi



Here is a sample keypal report from a few years ago:

My keypal is Junko Hirouchi who was born and raised in Kusatsu, Shiga. She always takes a train and a bus to get to campus and it takes her about 25 minutes from her house. She went to Moriyama High School in Shiga and was a member of the Track and Field club. She likes exercise very much but she doesn’t belong to any clubs now so she said she feels like she needs to get some exercise.
When I read the first e-mail from her, I imagined that she is a clever and serious. Through my exchange of e-mail with her, I found out a lot about her character. First, I think she is diligent in her work. She works part time at a coffee shop in Ishiyama and recently had part-time jobs in two other places-as a concert staff member and as a cashier in a bakery. I think she works very hard. She said that in the summer holiday she went to a Festival in Kyoto with her friends, and also to Universal Studios Japan. She also traveled to Korea with her friends and had a very good time there sightseeing and shopping. Reading her e-mail, I felt like I wanted to go to Korea too. She goes to lots of places, so I think she is ver active and I like her active character.
Recently, she went shopping in Kyoto. I sometimes go shopping there too, so someday I want to go withher. I think she knows lots of good shops. Before writing this report, I met Junko and found out that she is a very nice person. I hope we can become friends and sometimes go out together. I am lucky I was able to meet her through this e-mail exchange. [300]

Dear Classes 10 and 16B

Here are your keypals for our next project which is due on December 4 (Monday class) and December 7 (Thursday class) Please write to your 2 partners in the other class at LEAST once a week and find out as much about them as possible. Also look at their livejournals http://w060XXX.livejournal.com. You can ask them questions about their summer holiday. Please write as much as you can because you will be writing about 2-250 words about EACH of them. You can also arrange to meet them for lunch. I will explain the report guidelines in more detail later.




Monday 2 Classs W060 Thursday Class 16B (Thu4)


Group 1
Kohei ISHIKAWA 019　　　 Ayako IRIMOTO 031
Tomoyo IWASE 034　　　　Chiho KANEDA 097

Group 2
Sakura KAJI 086                Sayaka KIMURA 137
Miki KITAMURA 127*        Hayato SHIRANE 188

Group 3
Kentaro KOBUCHI 153a     Yuri SUZAKI 195
Aiko KOMIYA 154              Miyuki SESE 199

Group 4
Yuka TADOKORO 220      Hanako SETOGUCHI 200
Kohei TAMURA 233           Shiori TANAKA 222

Group 5
Masami TSUCHIYA 251a        Ruriko DAIDO 239
Sadao TOKUYAMA 265 　　Tamaki CHO 241

Group 6
Motoya HAMABE 331          Akina TERADA 257
Ayumi HIROKI 351               Suguru NAKAI 277

Group 7
Ryuta HIGASHIBATA 341    Ayano NAKASE 282
Miki KITAMURA 127*            Yoshinori TANAKA 226b
Makiko YAMAWAKI *

Ayano writes to Ryuta and Miki. Miki writes to Ayano
Yoshinori writes to Ryuta and Makiko. Makiko writes to Yoshinori
[Miki and Makiko have three partners but write reports about two of them]

Group 8
Makiko YAMAWAKI 454       Junko FURUKAWA 369
Yuki KAZUMASA 457            Mayumi YAMAGUCHI 434

Group 9
Runa YAMASAKI 435       Yui NISHIMURA 317a
                                                Misa HACHIYA 329

Group 9
Runa writes to Yui and Misa,
Yui write to Misa and Runa,
Misa write to Runa and Yui

Class 16 B Pictures

Eigo2 RW Writing Class 10 Mon 2 and Class 16B Thu 4- 2nd Sem Outlines 2006-07

Teacher: Mr Furmanovsky Time: Monday 2/Thursday4     Room B104     Office: 4-327
Mr F.'s LiveJournal Homepage;   http://mikefurm.livejournal.com
Mr F’s E-mail: michael@world.ryukoku.ac.jp Computer Room: kyoin76@yahoo.com

Welcome back to campus and to your English 2 Reading-Writing Class. I am looking forward to hearing all of your summer stories. I hope you had a good time meeting your high school friends, taking some trips and participating in club activities. In this second semester our class has changed from "Reading" to "Writing" and we will be meeting in a computer room.

USING THE COMPUTERS: Last semester you learned how to use computers from your computer teacher. In this class you will adapt what you learned to our new Mac notebook computers in an English environment. You will also take the Type To Learn course and make an e-mail address (gakusekibango@yahoo.com). For the first 4-5 weeks of the semester, we will spend 20-30 minutes going over some "Computer Basics” and learning about the Mac OS. I sure you will enjoy it. Don’t worry about the differences between Mac and Windows. Both computers can read and access your all your files. However, I suggest you practice a little during your free time or using your home computer if you have one. [We will usually use Microsoft Word for word processing and yahoo for e-mail. At the end of the semester we will be doing some Internet browsing using Safari which is similar to Internet Explorer]

E-MAIL ADDRESSES: In our first or second class you will make an e-mail address which is gakusekibango@yahoo.com. Please practice using it at home. When you send homework to me, please always send it to BOTH of my addresses (above). However, when you are just sending me a message during the class, send it to my yahoo address only. All e-mail should be sent as follows.
To: kyoin76@yahoo.com, michael@world.ryukoku.ac.jp
Subject: hiroshi179-mon2-first report

HOMEWORK: See the chart below and the calendar outline

Topic Description Date due
Summer Holiday Report-Part Write 5 paragraphs (700+ words) about your summer holiday 10/30 (Week5)
Keypal Exchange Project Report Write about two students from Mr. F’s other class with whom you exchange e-mail (2-300 words) 11/27 (Week 9)
Internet research Report To be announced later by Mr. F
5-700 words. See handout 12/18 (Week 12)
Students who fail or score badly on their Summer Holiday Report 1/15 (Week 13)
should rewrite their reports


Calendar & Outline Eigo2RW-Class 10 Writing 2006-07

Sept 25 (1) Introduction to 2nd semester. Game using postcards. Basics of Mac OS-Login etc. Summer holiday postcard activity. Homework: Make an outline for your summer holiday report.

Oct 2 (2) Computer Basics: Make an e-mail address. Review MS Word basics. Saving deleting, editing, formatting text, spellchecking. Brainstorming and pre-writing. Sample brainstorm then brainstorm for your summer holiday plan. Homework: Work on summer holiday report outline. Send it to yourself

Oct 16 (3) Write your summer holiday outline and send it to other students for comments. Basics: E-mail (Address books, nicknames, sending and replying). Homework: Work on summer holiday report.

Oct 23 (4). Introduction to Keypal Exchange: Write a short introduction to your two keypals Computer Basics: Using a dictionary etc. Homework: Work on summer holiday report-due next week.

Oct 30 (5) Summer Holiday Report-due at end of class (E-mail & paper) Homework: None

Nov 6 (6). Write to keypals. Homework: Meet keypals for lunch Work on keypals report

Nov 13 (7) Computer Basics: Using Search Engines. Homework: Work on keypals report

Nov 20 (8). Work on Keypal Report. Teacher introduces Internet Research project. Choose your topic from Unit 7-15 of the first semester textbook and begin research on the Internet. Homework: Complete Keypal Report

Nov 27 (9). Keypal Report due Teacher returns Summer Holiday Report. Look at your mistakes and my comments. Work on either Internet Research Project (Extra credit: rewrite of Summer Holiday Report) Homework: Work on Internet Research Project

Dec 4 (10) Work on Internet Research Project: Homework: Internet Research Project

Dec 11 (11): Work on Internet Research Project Homework: Internet Research Report. N

Dec 18 (12) Internet Research Project due at end of the class (e-mail and print out). Homework: For extra credit make corrections of your Summer Holiday Report.

Jan 15 (13) To be announced.


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

Calendar for Thursday 4 Class 16B


Sept 28 (1) Introduction to 2nd semester. Basics of Mac OS-Login etc. Summer holiday postcard activity. Homework: Make an outline for your summer holiday report.

Oct 5 (2) Computer Basics: Make an e-mail address. Review MS Word basics. Saving deleting, editing, formatting text, spellchecking. Brainstorming and pre-writing. Sample brainstorm then brainstorm for your summer holiday plan. Homework: Work on summer holiday report outline. Send it to yourself

Oct 12 (3) Write your summer holiday outline and send it to other students for comments. Basics: E-mail (Address books, nicknames, sending and replying). Homework: Work on summer holiday report.

Oct 19 (4). Introduction to Keypal Exchange: Write a short introduction to your two keypals Computer Basics: Using a dictionary etc. Homework: Work on summer holiday report-due next week.

Oct 26 (5) Summer Holiday Report-due at end of class (E-mail & paper) Homework: None

Nov 2 (6) Mr F absent

Nov 9 (7). Write to keypals. Homework: Meet keypals for lunch Work on keypals report

Nov 16 (8) Computer Basics: Using Search Engines. Homework: Work on keypals report

Nov 30 (9). Keypal Report due Teacher returns Summer Holiday Report. Look at your mistakes and my comments. Work on either Internet Research Project (Extra credit: rewrite of Summer Holiday Report) Homework: Work on Internet Research Project Work on Keypal Report.

Dec 7 (10). Teacher introduces Internet Research project. Homework: Begin research for Internet project.

Dec 14 (11) Work on Internet Research Project: Homework: Internet Research Project

Dec 21 (12): Work on Internet Research Proj Homework: Internet Research Report.

Jan 11 (13) Internet Research Project due end of class(e-mail and print out).



Model Summer Holiday Report (3 out of 5 paragraphs)

Feeling happy with sweat pouring down my face! That is what comes to my mind when I think of my 5-day training camp with the Volleyball Club in Mie this summer. The training camp, which was held at the beginning of August, was the highlight of my summer. But I also enjoyed fireworks in Uji, a family trip to my grandmother’s house in Kameoka town during obon and lots of shopping and eating out at restaurants with high school friends. Now summer is over and although I earned lots of money in my job at Circle K, I have no money. But good memories are worth more than money! So although my summer tan might fade soon, my memories will stay with me forever.
I joined the volleyball circle (“Spike”) in April and I had been looking forward to the summer training camp for many weeks. The camp has been held near Tsu in Mie for many years and so my seniors know the campsite well. On the bus from campus, they told us about about the campsite and explained what we would be doing every day. I was expecting a very hard schedule, but in fact we only played from 8-11 a.m and then again from 5-7 p.m. This was because of the afternoon afternoon heat, so from 11-5 we were usually free. As you can guess all of us wanted to go to the beach every afternoon and this is what we did. I was really happy about this because my "hard" training camp was also a beach vacation. Every day we swam had and looked for clams in the sand. And of course we played beach volleyball too. During that week I improved my volleyball skill and made lots of new friends-not only with other freshers but also with second and third year students. I got a deep tan in Tsu this summer, but although it is already beginning to fade, my memories of camp will stay with me forever.
Volleyball camp was really fun but I also needed to make some money for an overseas trip I am planning for next year. So after camp, I went back to my hometown (Moriyama) and began a new job working in Circle K--a convenience store-- near the station. We were busy almost every day, but there were some times when only a few customers came in and so I had a chance to talk to the other part time workers. Most of them were university students and so we had a lot of things to talk about such as clubs, boys, summer plans etc. Every Friday after work, we went to a Game Center or karaoke and relaxed. It was fun talking about our boss. He was very strict so we enjoyed complaining about him. We also sang our favorite songs, but I was embarrassed when I sang “Ringo wa aka” because I am not a good singer. I made friends with a Ritsumeikan student called Hiroyuki. He is one of the managers of Ritsumeikan's American Football team and he told us lots of stories about his hard life as a member of the cheering squad. My best memory of my job, however, is going to the Otsu fireworks festival together. Some of us wore yukata and although it was very crowded and hard to walk, we enjoyed the great fireworks by the lake. The best part was seeing the reflection of the fireworks in the water.

Because I am so busy at university, I hardly have a chance to visit my grandmother in Wakayama. So I was happy to go to her house with my family during obon. We almost had to cancel this visit because of the typhoon but it was not so bad and we stayed with her for 3 days without any problem....(640 +)

Monday 2 Classs W060

Kohei ISHIKAWA 019
Tomoyo IWASE 034
Sakura KAJI 086
Yoshikazu KAWABATA 113
Miki KITAMURA 127
Kentaro KOBUCHI 153
Aiko KOMIYA 154
Yuka TADOKORO 220
Kohei TAMURA 233
Masami TSUCHIYA 251
Sadao TOKUYAMA 265
Motoya HAMABE 331
Ryuta HIGASHIBATA 341
Ayumi HIROKI 351
Junko FURUKAWA 369
Runa YAMASAKI 435
Makiko YAMAWAKI 454
Yuki KAZUMASA 457


Thu 4 Class w060

Ayako IRIMOTO 031
Chiho KANEDA 097
Sayaka KIMURA 137
Hayato SHIRANE 188
Yuri SUZAKI 195
Miyuki SESE 199
Hanako SETOGUCHI 200
Shiori TANAKA 222
Yoshinori TANAKA 226
Ruriko DAIDO 239
Tamaki CHO 241
Akina TERADA 257
Suguru NAKAI 277
Ayano NAKASE 282
Yosuke NAKAMURA 293
Yui NISHIMURA 317
Misa HACHIYA 329
Junko FURUKAWA 369
Mayumi YAMAGUCHI 434

Good Morning Classes 6 and 9. Today is our last class ( (; ;). I hope you have enjoyed being in this class and have also learned a lot. I have learned a lot from reading your reports and talking to you. I also hope your motivation to learn English has gone up and that you will try to go overseas for study next year. If you come to Australia, I will be happy to meet you because I will be there next year. I am going to Melbourne to do some research. I will be back in 2006 when you will be 3rd year students and maybe you will be in one of my 3rd year classes.

4649 (ょЗＵ＜ Ｕ〃ゃまた) (This is Gyarumoji-see http://mizz.lolipop.jp/galmoji)
CU soon

Mr F

Today I would like you to go to:

http://www.apple.com/trailers

From this site you can watch movie trailers.

I will ask you and a partner to watch trailers for one of the following movies and then answer the questions below by researching with google. (You can begin your search using: http://www.imdb.com

The Movies are:

A The Aviator
B Finding Neverland
C Beyond The Sea
D Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
E Ray
F The Motorcycle Diaries

1. Who is the star of this movie? Who is the director?
2. On what famous book or real person is this movie based?
3. Where and when does the story take place?
4. What is the story about?
5. Is this movie liked by many critics or not? Why or why not?
6. Do you want to see it? Why? Why not?

Today is our last class! (kaomoji for crying-what is it?) I hope this class was useful for you. TOEIC Listening is not my favorite class to teach but I enjoyed teaching it to you. You all have a LOT of energy, and I got a lot of energy from you. I am sorry that we had such a short time and as a result, we could not make good use of the textbook. But please use it for studying in the next 2 years. It is a good book even if it is a little boring.

I would like to have some feedback from you about class in the Mac computer rooms. There are many advantages-we can listen to free websites, research websites, listen to music, use photos, watch videos and more-all in ENGLISH. BUT there are disadvantages to. It is harder to have conversations or to write with pen and paper. You have to get used to a new type of computer etc. What is your opinion?

Please also tell me your plans in February and March.

I will be in Australia for one year (April 2005-March 2006). I expect to be your teacher again for some PEC classes in 2006. See you then!

4? 6 4 9

Mr F.

Today we will have a special Xmas Day in class using one song and one story. Before you begin, take any of the Self Study quizes at:

http://iteslj.org/Lessons/Seasonal/Christmas.html

Now listen to the song below in class:

Xmas Song
"All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey

1. I don't want a lot for Christmas, there's just one thing I need
2. I don't care about presents underneath the Christmas tree
3. I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know
4. Make my wish come true...all I want for Christmas is you...
5. I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need
6. I don't care about presents underneath the Christmas tree
7. I don't need to hang my stocking there upon the fireplace
8. Santa Claus won't make me happy with a toy on Christmas day
9. I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know
10. Make my wish come true, all I want for Christmas is you...you baby
11. I won't ask for much this Christmas, I won't even wish for snow
12. I'm just gonna keep on waiting underneath the mistletoe
13. I won't make a list and send it to the North Pole for Saint Nick
14. I won't even stay awake to hear those magic reindeer click
15. 'Cause I just want you here tonight holding on to me so tight
16. What more can I do Baby all I want for Christmas is you you...
17. All the lights are shining, so brightly everywhere
18. And the sound of children's laughter fills the air
19. And everyone is singing, I hear those sleigh bells ringing
20. Santa won't you bring me the one I really need –
21. Won't you please bring my baby to me...
22. Oh I don't want a lot for Christmas, this is all I'm asking for
23. I just want to see baby, Standing right outside my door
24. Oh I just want him for my own more than you could ever know
25. Make my wish come true Baby all I want for Christmas is….you.


After listening, open a blank Word document and make a list of things or activities that Mariah Carey DOES and DOESN’T need to have or to do for Xmas. Make sure you reword your sentence so that it makes sense. See the example:

Ex. She doesn't need a lot for Christmas


Xmas Story:
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas"


After watching, finish off the summary of the story by writing an additonal 50 words. The text of the story is below but you can also see it at
http://www.kraftmstr.com/christmas/books/grinch.html


Every Who down in Who-ville liked Christmas a lot...but the Grinch who lived just north of Who-ville, Did NOT! The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season! Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason. It could be his head wasn't screwed on just right. It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight. But I think that the most likely reason of all may have been that his heart was two sizes too small. Whatever the reason-his heart or his shoes-he stood there on Christmas Eve, hating the Whos, staring down from his cave with a sour, Grinchy frown at the warm lighted windows below in their town. For he knew every Who down in Who-ville beneath was busy now, hanging a mistletoe wreath. "And they're hanging their stockings!" he snarled with a sneer, "Tomorrow is Christmas! It's practically here!" Then he growled, with his Grinch fingers nervously drumming, "I MUST find some way to stop Christmas from coming!"

For tomorrow, he knew......all the Who girls and boys would wake bright and early. They'd rush for their toys! And then! oh, the noise! oh, the noise! noise! noise! noise! That's one thing he hated! The NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! Then the Whos, young and old, would sit down to a feast. And they'd feast! And they'd feast! And they'd FEAST! FEAST! FEAST! FEAST!

They would feast on Who-pudding, and rare Who-roast beast which was something the Grinch couldn't stand in the least! And then they'd do something he liked least of all! Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small, Would stand close together, with Christmas bells ringing. They'd stand hand-in-hand. And the Whos would start singing!†

They'd sing! And they'd sing! And they'd SING! SING! SING! SING! And the more the Grinch thought of this Who-Christmas-Sing, The more the Grinch thought, "I must stop this whole thing!" "Why, for fifty-three years I've put up with it now!" "I MUST stop this Christmas from coming!
...But HOW?"†

"I know just what to do!" The Grinch laughed in his throat. And he made a quick Santy Claus hat and a coat. And he chuckled, and clucked, "What a great Grinchy trick!" "With this coat and this hat, I look just like Saint Nick!"

"All I need is a reindeer..." The Grinch looked around. But, since reindeer are scarce, there was none to be found. Did that stop the old Grinch...? No! The Grinch simply said, "If I can't find a reindeer, I'll make one instead!" So he called his dog, Max. Then he took some red thread and he tied a big horn on the top of his head. Then he loaded some bags and some old empty sacks on a ramshackle sleigh and he hitched up old Max. Then the Grinch said, "Giddap!" And the sleigh started down toward the homes where the Whos lay a-snoozing in their town. All their windows were dark. Quiet snow filled the air. All the Whos were all dreaming sweet dreams without care. When he came to the first little house on the square. "This is stop number one," the old Grinchy Claus hissed and he climbed to the roof, empty bags in his fist.

Then he slid down the chimney-a rather tight pinch. But, if Santa could do it, then so could the Grinch. He got stuck only once, for a moment or two. Then he stuck his head out of the fireplace flue where the little Who stockings all hung in a row. "These stockings," he grinned, "are the first things to go!"
Then he slithered and slunk, with a smile most unpleasant, around the whole room, and he took every present! Pop guns! And bicycles! Roller skates! Drums! Checkerboards! Tricycles! Popcorn! And plums! And he stuffed them in bags. Then the Grinch, very nimbly, Stuffed all the bags, one by one, up the chimney! Then he slunk to the icebox. He took the Whos' feast! He took the Who-pudding! He took the roast beast! He cleaned out that icebox as quick as a flash. Why, that Grinch even took their last can of Who-hash! Then he stuffed all the food up the chimney with glee. "And NOW!" grinned the Grinch, "I will stuff up the tree!"

And the Grinch grabbed the tree, and he started to shove When he heard a small sound like the coo of a dove. He turned around fast, and he saw a small Who! Little Cindy-Lou Who, who was not more than two. The Grinch had been caught by this tiny Who daughter Who'd got out of bed for a cup of cold water. She stared at the Grinch and said, "Santy Claus, why, "Why are you taking our Christmas tree? WHY?" But, you know, that old Grinch was so smart and so slick He thought up a lie, and he thought it up quick! "Why, my sweet little tot," the fake Santy Claus lied, "There's a light on this tree that won't light on one side." "So I'm taking it home to my workshop, my dear." "I'll fix it up there. Then I'll bring it back here." And his fib fooled the child. Then he patted her head and he got her a drink and he sent her to bed. And when Cindy-Lou Who went to bed with her cup, He went to the chimney and stuffed the tree up! Then the last thing he took was the log for their fire! Then he went up the chimney, himself, the old liar. On their walls he left nothing but hooks and some wire. And the one speck of food That he left in the house Was a crumb that was even too small for a mouse. Then he did the same thing To the other Whos' houses leaving crumbs much too small For the other Whos' mouses! It was quarter past dawn... All the Whos, still a-bed, All the Whos, still a-snooze When he packed up his sled, Packed it up with their presents! The ribbons! The wrappings! The tags! And the tinsel! The trimmings! The trappings!
Three thousand feet up! Up the side of Mt. Crumpit, He rode with his load to the tiptop to dump it! "Pooh-Pooh to the Whos!" he was grinch-ish-ly humming. "They're finding out now that no Christmas is coming!" "They're just waking up! I know just what they'll do!" "Their mouths will hang open a minute or two. Then the Whos down in Who-ville will all cry Boo-Hoo!"

"That's a noise," grinned the Grinch, "that I simply MUST hear!" So he paused. And the Grinch put his hand to his ear. And he did hear a sound rising over the snow. It started in low. Then it started to grow... But the sound wasn't sad! Why, this sound sounded merry! It couldn't be so! But it WAS merry! VERY! He stared down at Who-ville! The Grinch popped his eyes! Then he shook! What he saw was a shocking surprise! Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small was singing without any presents at all! He hadn't stopped Christmas from coming! IT CAME! Somehow or other, it came just the same! And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?" "It came with out ribbons! It came without tags!" "It came without packages, boxes or bags!" And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store." "Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!" And what happened then...? Well...in Who-ville they say that the Grinch's small heart Grew three sizes that day! And the minute his heart didn't feel quite so tight, he whizzed with his load through the bright morning light And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast! And he... ...HE HIMSELF...! The Grinch carved the roast beast!


Summary [Finish in around 50 words]

This is the story of the Grinch who lived on the mountain near Whoville. He disliked the Who people and he especially hated Christmas because the Whos became so noisy and cheerful. The Grinch thought that they only celebrated Christmas because they liked singing loud songs, putting up bright decorations, playing with their presents and eating a lot of food. So one Christmas he dress up like Santa and and he went in his sleigh-pulled by his dog- and stole all of their presents, decorations and food. He was very happy and looked forward to hearing the Whos cry on Christmas day when they found all their Christmas things had gone......

For your Internet Research Report, you will need to choose one of the topics in the textbook (Chapters 7-16). You can see them below. Choose ONE. Now imagine that in this chapter of the textbook there will be another (third) MORE DETAILED article about one of the themes mentioned in the two articles. Research this topic and then summarize it in about 350-450 words.

Example: Lets imagine you like animals and movies so you chose Unit 11 "Animal Magic" and Chapter 2 "Animal Actors." Then you decide to write about how the pig in the movie "Babe" was trained.

The keywords might be "Babe" pig, training, movie

Use www.google.com to find information. Save the information you find onto your folder and then read or skim the information to get the main points. Now write a 350-450 report about this topic IN YOUR OWN WORDS


The topics are:

Chapter 7. What's your Sign? and The Art of palmistry

8 Gadgets for Work and Play and History of the Internet

9 Lets Play Ball and Soccer and the World Cup

10 The Seven Ancient Wonders and The Modern Wonders

11 What's that Sound? and Animal Actors

12 The History of English and Which English do you speak?

13 How do you celebrate? and Labor Day

14 The Age of Adulthood and Firsts in Life

15 Actions Speak Louder than Words and Talking with Your Hands

16 A Good Nights's Sleep and The meaning of Dreams

Sample Keypal Reports from students in last year's class

My keypal is Junko Hiroguchi who was born and raised in Kusatsu, Shiga. She always takes a train and a bus to get to campus and it takes her about 25 minutes from her house. She went to Moriyama High School in Shiga and was a member of the Track and field club. She likes exercise very much but she doesn’t belong to any club now because she is too busy with her part time job. She wants to earn enough money to go overseas next year.
When I read the first e-mail from her, I imagined that she sounded clever and serious. Through the exchange of e-mail with her, I found out a lot about her. She works part time at a coffee shop in Ishiyama and recently had part-time jobs in two other places. One was working as a concert staff member and the other was a in a bakery. I think she works very hard. She said that in the summer holiday she went to a Festival in Kyoto with her friends, and also went to Universal Studios Japan. Besides this, she traveled to Korea with her friends. Reading her e-mail, I thought I would also like to go to Korea. She goes to lots of places, so I think she is an active girl and I like her character.
Recently, she went shopping in Kyoto. I sometimes go shopping there too, so someday I wanted to go to shopping with her if I can. Before writing this report, I met Junko for lunch and found out that she is a very nice person. I hope we can become friends and sometimes go out together. I am lucky I was able to meet her through this e-mail exchange. (250 words)
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Masatoshi Hirata is a 19 year old student who was born and raised in Hirakata, Osaka. He has a younger brother who is now a second year student in high school. Both of his parents work. He attended Makino High School in Hirakata and was an active member of the soccer team. He played in midfield and sometimes scored goals but unfortunately his team were not very strong. His favorite subjects at school were English and science. Because of his interest in soccer, he became a fan of the UK Premier league and he began to read English soccer magazines. This is one reason why he decided to come to this Faculty of International Communication and Culture. Ryukoku was his first choice university and he studied very hard to pass the exam.
    Masatoshi lives with his family in Hirakata, so it takes him about one hour and 15 minutes to get to campus. He told me that he sometimes “gets home at 10 p.m and the next morning, I usually cannot wake up in time for the 7.50 Keihan train from Hirakata station. So I am often late for Professor Miyamoto’s class” He went to the university festival twice because his friend's rock band gave a live performance and because he wanted to try lots of dishes made by a soccer circle whose members he knows well. Masatoshi is an interesting guy. It seems like soccer is his main interst at the moment. I was pleased to meet him for lunch and talk about our interests. (230)

Dear Classes 3, 6 and 9

Good morning. I hope you had a good weekend. Starting from today, we will be writing longer and more detailed e-mail to our keypals in the two other classes. You MUST write to your two keypals EVEN IF THEY DO NOT WRITE TO YOU. (They might be absent due to sickness or have made a mistake with your e-mail address) Please talk to me if you have not had any e-mail from one of your keypals

Remember that e-mail is a kind of dialog, so you MUST RESPOND to what your partner writes, just as you do in a conversation.

Until today, we have told our keypals a little about our hobbies and our recent activities. Now I want you to find out more details so that you can write a report about them. The report is due on 11-29 (12.2 for Thursday 2 Class 3)

When you write e-mail the first thing your partner should read is “Dear........(his/her name). The next thing should be some kind of greeting. After that we should see the > mark and his/her comments or questions. Choose the comments or questions that you want to respond to. Delete the others. LEAVE A GAP (press return) between her/his comments and your response. See below.


Imagine that you are Hiroshi and you get this letter from Mayumi


Dear Hiroshi

I hope you had a nice weekend. Mine was really fun. On Saturday I did my part time job at Family Mart in Seta. I work there three days a week. I have two good part time job friends-Miki and Keisuke. After work on Saturday we went to a karaoke bar in Minami Kusatsu and met two of my English class mates-Keiko and Nana. On Sunday I slept until 10 a.m and then cleaned my room. In the afternoon I played tennis with a high school friend who lives near my house. In the evening I watched a drama called "Last Christmas".” Do you know it?

We have to write our keypal report soon so I want to ask you some questions.

(1) What do you like best or least about you hometown or neighborhood?
(2) What have you enjoyed most or least about university life?
(3) What are your favorite classes at Ryukoku? What classes do you want to take next year?
(4) Are you a member of a club or circle. How often do you spent time with your club or circle friends?
(5) Did you have a good time at the University festival? What did you do there?
(6) These days what are you most interested in? ("My Boom")
(7) can you meet for lunch so we can find out more about each other for our keypal report?
(8) Your choice

Thanks

Mayumi Takeda


Hiroshi might reply like this.

Dear Mayumi

How are you today. I am writing this from Mr F's afternoon class. I am a little tired because I worked in my part time job on both Saturday and Sunday. I work at a bicycle shop near my house from 10-6. The salary is quite good. I talk to customers and sometimes fix broken bicycles.

> On Saturday I did my part time job at Family Mart in Seta.

Really is your shop in Seta? I sometimes buy food there. What day do you work?

> After work on Saturday we went to a karaoke bar in Minami Kusatsu and met two of my
>English class mates-Keiko and Nana.

What did you sing? Recently I like singing Long Long Way by Chemistry. Do you like them?

> In the evening I watched a dram called "last Christmas.” Do you know it?

Yes I saw it once, but these days I am too busy to watch much TV. I work at night on Monday and Wednesday


>We have to write our keypal report soon so I want to ask you some questions.

>(1) What do you like best or least about you hometown or neighborhood?

The best thing is that is is quiet and I know my way around very well. There are some good shops and parks. The worst thing about it is that it has no video rental shop and no good restaurants. And the river near my house is not clean.

>(2) What have you enjoyed most or least about university life?

The best thing is that we have some free time between classes. In high school we had classes all day. Also I like being able to choose my classes. The worst thing is that university so big, so it has been difficult to make good friends. There are different people in each class, so I see some of my friends only once a week.

I am running out of time, so I will answer your other questions next time. Take care

Hiroshi

Dear Classes 8 and 9

I hope you enjoyed the university festival and will be able to go to Fukakusa as well. Here is an example of a letter about the festival.

Dear Hiroshi

How was your weekend? Did you go to the university festival. I went on both days because I had to help the volleyball circle with our shop. We sold mini castella cakes on a stick. As you know it rained all day on Saturday, so setting up the shop was difficult. But despite that, we did good business and sold a lot of castella....

(please continue)

Keypal Exchange Matches for Mr F's Eigo 2RW Classes

Hi Classes 3,8 and 9. Starting from today, you will be writing e-mail to keypals (e-mail penpals) in my two other classes. Please see the matches below. (A few students will have write to someone in their own class). Every group of three should include at least one boy and one girl and one student from a different class.

The goal is to find out as much as you can about your keypal so that you can write a 2-250 word report about each of them. Altogether you must write a total of 5 e-mails (including at least 3 replies) to EACH keypal. You can write about summer holidays, hobbies, clubs, circles, part time jobs, recent events and other classes at university. The minimum length of each e-mail and reply should be 100 words. Remember that e-mail is a kind of dialog, so you must RESPOND to what your partner writes, just as you do in a conversation.

When you write e-mail the first thing your partner should read is “Dear........(his/her name). The next thing should be some kind of greeting.

Here is an example of a first letter. In later posts to this HP, I will give you some more guidance.

LETTER FROM MAKIKO TO HIROSHI

To: w040***@yahoo.com
Subject: Hi Hiroshi from Makiko in Class 9

Dear Hiroshi

Hi. I am your new keypal from Class 9 (Monday 3) and I will be writing to you every week until the last class in November. As you know we need to get as much information about each other as possible. I am looking forward to finding about you, but for now, here is some information about me. I live in Moriyama in Shiga with my younger sisters, my parents and my cute dog Pooh-chan. I attended Moriyama High School and was active in the kendo club for three years. My school was close to my house but now it takes 40 minutes to get to campus. It is difficult to wake up in the morning. In April I decided not to join the Kendo club at Ryukoku because I wanted a change. In the end, I decided to join a badminton circle. I have a lot of friends in this circle and last summer some of us went to see fireworks in Otsu together. Last summer I worked at a convenience store and earned money to pay for driving school and a trip to Kyushu. I will tell you about my trip next time. I have a lot of hobbies and interests and I am looking forward to telling you about them in my next letter. Please tell me about yourself. (220 words)

Your new e-mail penpal (keypal)

Makiko W040***

REPLY BY HIROSHI


To: w040***@yahoo.com
Subject: Thanks Makiko from Hiroshi in Class 9


Dear Makiko

Thanks for your letter. I am pleased to "meet" you and I look forward to getting to know you and our other penpal, Kana Ogawa.

> I live in Moriyama in Shiga with my younger sisters, my parents and my cute dog Pooh-chan.

I have been to Moriyama once. It seems like a nice place. I live in Ibaraki in Osaka, so it takesmore than one hour to get to university.

>I attended Moriyama High School and was active in the school kendo club for three years.

I used to play Kendo too, but I was not good at it. My favorite sport to play is soccer and I used to play as golakeeper in my JHS team. Now I am interested in tennis and I belong to a tennis circle called "Passing Shot". Maybe you know it.

>My school was close to my house but now it takes 40 minutes to get to campus. It is difficult to wake up in the morning. In April I decided not to join the kendo club at Ryukoku because I wanted a change. In the end, I decided to join a badminton circle. I have a lot of friends in this circle and last summer some of us went to see fireworks in Otsu together.

I have a friend in a badminton circle. His name is Kazuyuki Ishii. Do you know him? How often does your circle meet? Did you have a training camp in the summer?

>Last summer I worked at a convenience store and earned money to pay for driving school and a trip to Kyushu. I wil tell you about my trip next time. I >have a lot of hobbies and interests and I am looking forward to telling you about them in my next letter. Please tell me about yourself. (220 words)

I also worked hard in the summer to make money. I did not travel at all in August but I enjoyed going to some summer festivals. In September, I went to Yokohama to meet an old high school friend and he took me to many places including Chinatown. As I mentioned, I like soccer and tennis. My other hobby is music. I used to play bass guitar in a rock band in my high school in Ibaraki. We played songs by Mr. Children and many others. Now I don't have time to play music but I sometimes go out with my old band members. One of them goes to Ritsumeikan in Kusatsu, so it is easy to meet him. Please tell me more about your family, hobbies and social life. What do you like to do on weekends?

Hiroshi

P.S I have to write a 250 word report about you for Mr F's class, so please tell me a lot about yourself.



Keypals 2004 (Check to see if your keypal's address has an alphabet letter after the student number or if his student number is 030 and not 040)


Monday 2 Monday 3 Thursday 2

Yukiya IDA 018 Sawa HASHIMOTO 286 Ryo AKAMATSU 005
Akiko IKEGAMI 020 Hiroyuki MATSUDA 030364 Kazu IIJIMA 017
Taro IKEGAMI 021 Ayumi KAKIDA 100 Tae ICHIMINAMI 029
Yumiko UENO 058 Kosuke MARUMOTO 35 Natsumi IWAKI 045
Izumi KURITA 148 Tsuyoshi Tokunaga 233 Nao KISHIYAMA 131n
Hiromi OKAMOTO 086 Seirou YAMASHITA 030412 Chiaki KURAI 145
Takumi OGINO 094 Takeshi SHOZU 181 Kazumi TAKAHASHI 206k
Chiaki OKU 095 Yasunori SUZUKI 190 Yuji TANAKA 221
Jun OKUDA 096 Miho NISHIMURA 274 Naoki DOI 240
Kei ONO 099 Miyuki HAGA 281 Keiki NAKAJIMA 244
Chiharu KAGEYAMA 104 Mitsuyuki OKANO 081 Mutusumi NAKAMURA 253
Shinichi SAGAWA 165 Keiko OKINO 093 Yohei HIKASA 300
Makoto SAKURA 166 Kana MICHIYAMA 362 Atsushi HIJIKATA 304
Tomoe SUGAHARA 183 Kunihiko MURATA 373 Yui MINAGI 365
Naoaki TSUCHi 228 Saki YAMANE 398 Ikuko MORI 376v
Satoshi NISHIHATA 271 Yasushi YAMAMOTO 408 Miyuki MORI 377
Kazuya HASHIMOTO 284 Haruna KUWAMOTO 149 Satoshi MORITA 379
Kota HARADA 298 Akiko KAWABATA 123 Kanae YAMAMOTO 401
Miho BOIKE 338a Takatoshi YOSHIDA 020094a Daisuke YAMAMOTO 404

 


 


 

Hi Eigo 2RW students (Classes 3, 8 and 9)

Today I would like you to continue writing your summer holiday report. By the end of class, you should have written an introduction (paragraph 1) and also a paragraph (2) about one of your best events. Below is a model for you to get some ideas.

Introduction ((Paragraph 1)

Club or Circle: Volleyball circle's training camp in Mie (Paragraph 2)
Time with Friends: Fireworks in Uji in Kyoto (Paragraph 3)
Part time job: Working at Circle K (Paragraph 3)
Time with Family: Going to my grandparents' home in Kameoka (Paragraph 4?)
Shopping: Going to some outlet shops with my friends-new mobile phone (Cut?)
High school: Visiting my volleyball coach and some teachers at my high school. (Paragraph 4)
What I learned or got from this summer's activities ((Paragraph 5)

Introduction

Feeling happy with sweat pouring down my face! That is what comes to my mind when I think of my 5-day training camp with the Volleyball Club in Mie this summer. The training camp, which was held at the beginning of August, was the highlight of my summer. But I also enjoyed fireworks in Uji, a family trip to my grandmother’s house in Kameoka town during obon and lots of shopping and eating out at restaurants with high school friends. Now summer is over and although I earned lots of money in my job at Circle K, I have no money. But good memories are worth more than money! So although my summer tan might fade soon, my memories will stay with me forever.

I joined the volleyball circle (“Spike”) in April and I had been looking forward to the summer training camp for many weeks. The camp has been held near Tsu in Mie for many years and so my seniors know the campsite well. On the bus from campus, they told us about about the campsite and explained what we would be doing every day. I was expecting a very hard schedule, but in fact we only played from 8-11 a.m and then again from 5-7 p.m. This was because of the afternoon afternoon heat, so from 11-5 we were usually free. As you can guess all of us wanted to go to the beach every afternoon and this is what we did. I was really happy about this because my "hard" training camp was also a beach vacation. Every day we swam had and looked for clams in the sand. And of course we played beach volleyball too. During that week I improved my volleyball skill and made lots of new friends-not only other freshers but also second and third year students. I got a deep tan in Tsu this summer. But although my tan will fade, my memories of camp will stay with me forever.

The volleyball camp was fun but this summer, I wanted to make some money for an overseas next year. So after camp, I went back to my hometown (Moriyama) and began a new job working in Circle K-a convenience sore- near the station. We were busy almost every day, but there were some times when only a few customers came in and so I had a chance to talk to the other part time job workers. Most of them were university students and so we had a lot of things to talk about. Every Friday after work, we went to a Game Center or karaoke and relaxed. It was fun talking about our boss. He was very strict so we enjoyed complaining about him. We also sang our favorite songs, but I was embarrassed because I am not a good singer. I made friends with a Ritsumeikan student called Hiroyuki. He is one of the managers of Ritsumeikan's American Football team and he told us lots of stories about his hard life as a member of the cheering squad. My best memory of my job, however, is going to the Otsu fireworks festival together. Some of us wore yukata and although it was very crowded and hard to walk, we enjoyed the great fireworks by the lake. The best part was seeing the reflection of the fireworks in the water.

Because I am so busy at university, I hardly have a chance to visit my grandmother in Wakayama. So I was happy to go to her house with my family during obon. We almost had to cancel this visit because of the typhoon but it was not so bad and we stayed with her for 3 days without any problem.....

After writing an introduction and 3 paragraphs about your activities, please write a final paragraph. See the two examples below.

Final Paragraph 1

In the future when I look back at my summer holidays, I will remember the summer of 2003 as the "Summer of Study" and the summer of 2004 as the "Summer of Fun." I think my club camp will be the strongest memory because of the friendships I made but I will also remember the feeling of being "free" to do what I want every day. Of course I was often busy this summer, but I was always doing the things I wanted to do. And the money I made was for ME to use for the activities I chose. Because of my freedom, this was a summer in which I was able to grow up a lot and learn how to do things on my own. Of course my high school friends and memories are still very precious to me. But now I feel like a university student and I want to use the next three summer holidays to have lots of new experiences and lots of fun.

Final Paragraph 2

Compared with high school, the university school year is very short-just 30 weeks. This summer I had more than 7 weeks to do what I wanted. At first it seemed almost too long! In fact I was worried about being bored. But then in July, I decided to attend my club camp and to get a job so that I could earn money for an overseas trip next year. Now I am back at university and the summer of 2004 seems like it was too short! I sometimes ask myself "What did you do during those seven weeks?" Then I think about volleyball camp, fireworks, my part time job, karaoke with friends, swimming, visting my grandmother, waking up late in the morning and I realize that in fact I did a lot. More importantly I learned a lot about myself and what I want to do. The summer of 2004 was my first as a university student and an "adult" and I will always have special memories about it.



(640 words so far)

Feeling happy with sweat pouring down my face! That is what comes to my mind when I think of my 5-day training camp with the Volleyball Club in Mie this summer. The training camp, which was held at the beginning of August, was the highlight of my summer. But I also enjoyed fireworks in Uji, a family trip to my grandmother’s house in Kameoka town during obon and lots of shopping and eating out at restaurants with high school friends. Now summer is over and although I earned lots of money in my job at Circle K, I have no money. But good memories are worth more than money!
The volleyball circle (“Spike”) has been going to Tsu in Mie for many years, so my seniors know the campsite well. On the bus from campus, they told us about about the campsite and explained what we would be doing every day. I was expecting a very hard schedule-maybe all day-but in fact we only played from 8-11 and then again from 5-7. This of course was because of the summer heat. From 11-5 we were basically free except for lunch, so almost every day we walked to the beach and swam. I was so happy that I could enjoy a training camp and a summer vacation atmosphere at the same time.....

Hi Eigo2RW Classes 8,9 and 3 (Mon2, Mon3, Thu 2)

As you know, you will be writing a five paragraph summer holiday report during October. The first paragraph will be the introduction and paragraphs 2-4 will describe the main highlights of your summer. Paragraph 5 will talk about some of the things you learned this summer and how you have changed and grown from your experiences. Here is a model of an outline and two examples of an introductory paragraph.



My Summer Holiday Report: Outline and two Introductory Paragraphs


Outline (What were the highlights of your summer and which ones do you want to write about?)

Paragraph 1: Introduction: What did you want to do this summer?

Paragraphs 2-4: Choose from your "highlights" list and write about your three most interesting experiences

Paragraph 5: What did you learn from your summer experiences?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Outline/Highlights

Club or Circle: Volleyball circle's training camp in Mie
Time with Friends: Fireworks in Uji in Kyoto
Part time job: Working at Circle K
Time with Family: Going to my grandparents' home in Kameoka
Shopping: Going to some outlet shops with my friends-new mobile phone
High school: Visiting my volleyball coach and some teachers at my high school.


Intro Paragraph Example 1

Feeling happy with sweat pouring down my face! That is what comes to my mind when I think of my 5-day training camp with the Volleyball Club in Mie this summer. The training camp, which was held at the beginning of August, was the highlight of my summer. But I also enjoyed fireworks in Uji, a family trip to my grandmother’s house in Kameoka town during obon and lots of shopping and eating out at restaurants with high school friends. Now summer is over and although I earned lots of money in my job at Circle K, I have no money. But good memories are worth more than money!


Intro Paragraph Example 2

In three years, all of us will be working and we will not be able to have a long summer holiday. So this summer I made lots of plans to keep myself busy until classes began in September. Some of the things I wanted to do were go Tokyo to see some high school friends, get a driving license and save lots of money by working hard at Circle K-my part time job. Unfortunately I was not able to do all the things I wanted. My friend could not come with me to Tokyo and I could not afford to go to driving school. But despite my disappointment, I am very satisfied with my summer because I had a great time at my volleyball club camp in Mie. I also saw many old high school friends and went to fireworks in Uji. Of course having fun is expensive so I have already spent most of the money I earned at Circle K.

Dear Eigo4RW-Friday2 students

Welcome back to class. I hope you had a good summer. I am looking forward to hearing about your activities. As you can see we have new computers and a new room layout this semester. This will allow us to use computers more effectively and I think you will enjoy using the new Macs. For our first class, you will:

(a) play a summer holiday postcard game
(b) have a short orientation on the new iMacs with OS 10.3
(c) look at the class schedule for this semester
(d) make a livejournal blog (if time)