英語表現演習4 (土): Beginning understanding genetics・遺伝学の初めて理解

Hello!

How are you? Today, to go with our first reading, here is a short and funny, but informative animated video, about genetics (遺伝学). 

While you may understand the basic building blocks of genetics, this video may show it in a simple yet effective way. 

NEW - homework

Here is your homework for next week (10/6): 

1. Textbook pg. 9 exercises
2. Mendel's pea plants animated video note-taking and short explanation writing 

Preparation for video:
Watch this video and take some notes. Watch it as many times as you need. What might be the most important points the video makes? 

Now - imagine that you have to explain about genetics to someone who doesn't know much about it. Based on this video, how would you explain what Mendel's pea plants experiment was about? What kinds of things would you say? 

You can use easy English for this - in fact, the easier, the better! Have fun with this! Write out a simple, easy-English explanation about genetics - or about this experiment shown in the video - in your notebooks. Find one (1) graph or illustration - any kind of visual aid is okay - and download it into your smartphones or print it out. 

Next week in class, we will then do quick, mini-"presentations" with our written explanations and the graphs or illustrations, about basic genetics or Mendel's pea plant experiment from the video. 

I hope you enjoy this. See you next week!

Image: Screenshot of illustration by Tocharianne (PNG version), WhiteTimberwolf (SVG version) - PNG version, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26965863

Video uploaded from YouTube. I do not own the rights to the video or the content within. All rights reserve to the copyright holder(s). Uploaded for classroom purposes only. 

英語表現演習2 (金): National parks・国立・国際公園

Hello!

How are you? Today, let's do two things - first, looking at national parks (国立・国際公園) in different countries. Then, discussing what we learn about them from our first textbook CD listening.  

Let's begin with national parks in Japan. The picture above shows the famous Nikko Toushou-guu, which some of you may have been to. But did you know that it is within a national park? It's in Nikko National Park, which is in the area of four prefectures - Tochigi, Gunma, Fukushima, and Niigata. 

Have you ever been there? If you have been to Nikko Toushou-guu, then you have been to a national park in Japan.

Activity

Do you know where these places are? These are pictures from national parks in different countries. Can you guess which countries they are in? 

Talk about these places with your classmates! What are some things you think you could see or do in these places? 

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Discussion circles
In the discussion circles, go through these questions with your group members about the CD listening. 

Leader questions

For the summarizer:

Are you ready to summarize the reading/CD talk? (Can you give us your summary of the reading/CD talk?)

For the details master:

1. What is the purpose of national parks?

2. Where are they created?

3. Which country created the first national park?

    * When was it created?

4. Which country created the first national park service?

    * When was it created?

(Leaders: Think of 1-2 more questions of your own to ask the details master!)

For the vocabulary master:

What does conservation mean?

What does IUCN stand for?

What is a hot spring?

What is a population?

(Leaders: Think of 1-2 more words from the listening or textbook to ask the vocabulary master!)

Have fun with these! 

Images:  Top - by Biliana Nikolova-Lefterova - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36150609/1. By Ji-Elle - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31072619/2. By Yakuzakorat - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedoa.org/w/index.php?curid=40268098/3. By Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz Mariordo - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons/wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3723082/4. By Jaganjac - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7586211/5. By Ansgar Walk - photo taken by Ansgar Walk, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1109409

英語表現演習4 (金): Describing characteristics of materials・材質を描写して

Hello!

How are you? Today, let's look at how to describe the characteristics of materials (材質を描写して). 

Take a look at the steel bars above. How would you describe their material characteristics? You could say that they are hard and strong, as well as heavy. 

You could also add more to your description - you could say they are, for example, durable (丈夫) - this means they can be used for a long time, and they're tough. 

Finally, you could also think of some examples of how the material is used. 

So maybe you could say - The steel in these bars are hard and strong, as well as durable. Steel is ideal for all kinds of industrial use, and in everything from building construction to ship building. 

Activity

Look at the pictures of these things below. How would you describe the characteristics of their materials? 

In addition to vocabulary you already know (hard, strong, etc.), here is some other useful vocabulary for you: 

  flexible     fragile     tough     useful     adaptable      

Plastics

Rubber

Wood

Glass

Have fun with these!

New - homework

Here are the notes for your homework for next week (10/5): 

Choose a material - anything is okay (metal, non-metal, composite, or alloy). On the internet, find one (1) picture of the material - download it onto your smartphone or print it out (a black-and-white picture is also okay). 

Write a few sentences on a piece of notebook paper about the material's characteristics, and what products, components, or equipment the material is used in. 

Bring your notes plus the picture to the next class on 10/5, and make a quick, 1-2 minute "presentation" to the group of students you sit with about it. 

Also - don't forget: 

See you next week!

Images: Top - by Frank Vincentz - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50311242/Plastic products - by ImGz - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3781690/Tires - by TUBS - Picture taken by myself using a Canon Powershot S500, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5399070/Wooden floor - by Lars Lentz - Photo by Lars Lentz, source. Cropped version (compliant with CC-BY-SA) by 5ko, CC BY-SA 1.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14392/Glass jar - by Zaereth - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56076853

Welcome to the class! A little about me・このクラスにようこそ！私について

Hello!

How are you? Welcome to my blog, The Korakuen Times! This is my unofficial (非公式) blog for all my classes of the Chuo University Korakuen campus. On it I will post videos, pictures and other things for you for our classes. You can write comments here too. We can have fun in these classes!

Now - I will show you a little bit about myself. The picture above is my "hello" to all of you. The picture looks a little strange. It's not me - it's an image from a CD cover! But I like the image and the colors.

Activity
Now here are some more pictures, with questions for all of you. Can you guess some answers? 

See you in class!

Images: Top and bottom - screenshots of Frank Zappa Hot Rats album cover. All rights reserved to The Zappa Family Trust. No copyright infringement intended. Original image altered and uploaded for educational purposes only/2nd, 5th, 7th, and 8th photographs - screenshots of personal images. All rights reserved.

3rd photograph - "Autumn in Boise" by Lordchadwick79 - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Autumn_in_Boise.jpg#/media/File:Autumn_in_Boise.jpg/4th photograph – downtown Perth/6th photograph -  Passport visa stamps/Dreamstime Stock Images/Blue background designs - Blue Bokek (courtesy of panuruangjan)/Pink background designs – Abstract Flowers (courtesy of rakratchada torsap)/FreeDigitalPhotos.net