Hello students. It is certainly beginning to feel like winter here in Kumamoto. Last week and this week I saw you all in my office for recording the audio presentation. I am editing them and mixing them to make MP3s right now. It will take me a few more days. Then we will listen to them all in class one day. I think they are all interesting! While we listen, I will give you all a judgement paper so you can write your score and also give comments. Thank you!
For this week, we had homework of 10.1 E. This went well, except, many people could't find a good marked word for challenging. I know this word itself is challenging. Also, some of you didn't realize you had to take the words from the blue box. I will explain this more in the next class. In addition, we had 10.2 A, B1,2 D 1,2,3,4,5. These seemed to go well, but some of you used box b for A which you didn't have to. I gave you extra points for this. Most of you did parts B and D very well. I have returned the google docs to most of you, and will finish it soon.
In the next class we will do more reading about pollution, but first we will watch a video regarding pollution to check our comprehension and listening. We will probably move on to 10.3 Reading in class and may have some homework from 10.4. We may also move on to unit 11 a bit, Agriculture. In economics, agriculture is known as the 'primary sector' industry because all countries have started with agriculture and in many developing countries, Agriculture is still a very important industry.
That's all for this blog! Until next time, stay warm, be safe, and don't forget to at least try English a little bit every day. Even a little bit a day will help you become good speakers in the future.
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Pollution
Greetings Science English students! So far I have had most of you come to my office to record your "audio presentations." They have been quite good, although a few of them were somewhat short. I know English pronunciation is difficult, but I think you all tried very hard to be understandable, and you all had very good topics, which is the important thing.
This week I have 2 homework assignments to give back to you - one we did 2 weeks ago, and one for this week. They were quite good, although some of you had a lot of trouble finding the different form of the words from page 70. Sometimes there are more than 1 correct answer, so I gave you credit for many forms that I may not have thought of. Some forms, don't work, however. I will explain why in the next class, and give some examples of some of the correct/acceptable forms.
As for scoring, the homework from 2 weeks ago was quite short and easy, so this was scored on a "checkmark" basis. If you completed it, you receive a check, those who did above average received a check-plus, and those who needed to do a little more received a check-minus. The homework for this week was scored on a basis of 20 full points. However, some of you did not do so well on the word forms, and because of this lost some points. I would't worry though - this homework was not worth so many points to begin with.
In the next class we will start Unit 10, Pollution, and what a serious problem it is. We will probably do 10.1 Vocabulary in class, A, B, C, D, and E. Then we will move on to 10.2 Reading. We may have some of this section in class, and may have some for homework. I haven't decided yet. The following 10.3 and 10.4 may also be for in-class/homework over the next 2 weeks. This unit is important, so I want to spend quite a bit of time on it.
That's all for this blog, troopers! See you in the next class, and don't catch a cold.
This week I have 2 homework assignments to give back to you - one we did 2 weeks ago, and one for this week. They were quite good, although some of you had a lot of trouble finding the different form of the words from page 70. Sometimes there are more than 1 correct answer, so I gave you credit for many forms that I may not have thought of. Some forms, don't work, however. I will explain why in the next class, and give some examples of some of the correct/acceptable forms.
As for scoring, the homework from 2 weeks ago was quite short and easy, so this was scored on a "checkmark" basis. If you completed it, you receive a check, those who did above average received a check-plus, and those who needed to do a little more received a check-minus. The homework for this week was scored on a basis of 20 full points. However, some of you did not do so well on the word forms, and because of this lost some points. I would't worry though - this homework was not worth so many points to begin with.
In the next class we will start Unit 10, Pollution, and what a serious problem it is. We will probably do 10.1 Vocabulary in class, A, B, C, D, and E. Then we will move on to 10.2 Reading. We may have some of this section in class, and may have some for homework. I haven't decided yet. The following 10.3 and 10.4 may also be for in-class/homework over the next 2 weeks. This unit is important, so I want to spend quite a bit of time on it.
That's all for this blog, troopers! See you in the next class, and don't catch a cold.
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Ecology and Conservation
Good day students. Last week and this week we have been discussing biodiversity. We watched a short video last week which introduced the concept of biodiversity and the goal of preserving the natural world around us. This week we will further discuss biodiversity and its role in the ecosystem; we will also touch upon ecology and conservation. If you notice, the two words preservation and conservation are somewhat similar. However, they have slightly different nuances. Conservation was a word used in the 1970's, and largely means to make sure that something is not wasted. Therefore, you must use it wisely. Preservation, on the other hand, means to keep something as it is, without making any changes. You keep it intact and protect it from danger.
Thank you for your homework which was 9.1 Vocabulary on page 70. We did part A in class, so you didn't have to do it. However it you did, I will give you credit. Next was part B 1 and 2, part C 1,2,3, and 4, part D 1 and 2, and part E. It is now 15:50 on Thursday, and I have not received all homework papers as of yet. However, it's ok. I said last week that if you turned it in by today you will get extra credit. Those of who did turn it in by now did quite well, and will get extra points. I will go over the answers and address any problems I found in class this week, as usual.
This week I would like to talk about an extension project we will do in pairs. I believe I told you this once several months ago. The next project will entail creating a short audio presentation, along with your partner, about an environmental issue with which you are concerned. Together you must write the script and give the presentation. We will start this in class this week, and it will be instead of a midterm test. It will be very good and useful for you to give your presentation in English. After you have finished, you will feel great!
Also this week for homework, we will probably do 9.3 Extending Skills D, E, and F 1, 2 and 3. The following week we will do 9.4 Extending Skills D and F 1, 2, and 3, and read page 75. These exercises will help you learn more environmental vocabulary in English and will help you speak and write effectively in the future. Please give it a try! See you in class.
Thank you for your homework which was 9.1 Vocabulary on page 70. We did part A in class, so you didn't have to do it. However it you did, I will give you credit. Next was part B 1 and 2, part C 1,2,3, and 4, part D 1 and 2, and part E. It is now 15:50 on Thursday, and I have not received all homework papers as of yet. However, it's ok. I said last week that if you turned it in by today you will get extra credit. Those of who did turn it in by now did quite well, and will get extra points. I will go over the answers and address any problems I found in class this week, as usual.
This week I would like to talk about an extension project we will do in pairs. I believe I told you this once several months ago. The next project will entail creating a short audio presentation, along with your partner, about an environmental issue with which you are concerned. Together you must write the script and give the presentation. We will start this in class this week, and it will be instead of a midterm test. It will be very good and useful for you to give your presentation in English. After you have finished, you will feel great!
Also this week for homework, we will probably do 9.3 Extending Skills D, E, and F 1, 2 and 3. The following week we will do 9.4 Extending Skills D and F 1, 2, and 3, and read page 75. These exercises will help you learn more environmental vocabulary in English and will help you speak and write effectively in the future. Please give it a try! See you in class.
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