Hello Science English students. This week brings us to the close of SE for the Spring, 2016 semester. We have this week's class, and then next week are days for make-up classes. Following that are the exams during the next week. We will have our exam on Wednesday, August 10th. I am thinking about how to make the exam, and have come to the decision it is probably best to make the exam much like the topic design prints we use in class. Therefore, the test will probably contain a reading, vocabulary for you to write meanings and write synonyms, sentence writing, listening, answers to questions, and finally, a design portion. I'm thinking if it's best for you to complete a project on the test that we've already done, or if it is better to use a completely new project.
This week we will finalize the last project of this semester - making a pollution monitoring device. We will probably present in smaller groups and then larger groups as we have done. Then I will collect your designs. I will explain the examination after this, and we will probably have time to work on English Central. I think it will be an effective way to end this semester. I am always looking for new and interesting videos for EC, but I've only been able to find a few Science English related videos. I'm thinking of recommending or suggesting to EC that they should include more interesting SE related videos.
That's all for the blog this week. Until next time, all! See you soon!
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Sunday, July 17, 2016
Hazy Days Ahead
Good day Science English students! This week seems to be starting off quite hot; it is very sunny and bright outside as I write this. Although it is a holiday today, most universities have classes today due to the earthquake. Unfortunately, this can't be helped. We can sill enjoy the day, and look forward to the summer.
Speaking of summer, this summer may be hotter than usual. It seems that every year gets a little hotter, especially in Kyushu. I have heard that Kyushu must grow a different variety of rice than it used to. Many people think is due to global warming. In fact, Hokkaido, too, is now growing rice where it never used to. It, too, is getting warmer. The whole world seems to be getting warmer these days, and where it used to be colder in the north which lent itself to growing certain varieties of food, now the world is getting warmer and therefore those varieties can only move further north. This leads us all to wonder how the earth will be in 50 years time.
We also have to wonder what other environmental problems a hotter climate will lead to. Will the oceans change? Will forests become bleak and disappear? Will mountain streams become dried up? What will our water and food situation be like this summer? Well, this summer will probably be okay, and the next, the next, and the next. However, it is the future we really should be worrying about for our children and grandchildren.
In this week's class we will be finishing our discussion of pollution. Then we will begin to discuss ways in which we can alleviate pollution on the earth and in our small communities. Let's see what we can do!
Speaking of summer, this summer may be hotter than usual. It seems that every year gets a little hotter, especially in Kyushu. I have heard that Kyushu must grow a different variety of rice than it used to. Many people think is due to global warming. In fact, Hokkaido, too, is now growing rice where it never used to. It, too, is getting warmer. The whole world seems to be getting warmer these days, and where it used to be colder in the north which lent itself to growing certain varieties of food, now the world is getting warmer and therefore those varieties can only move further north. This leads us all to wonder how the earth will be in 50 years time.
We also have to wonder what other environmental problems a hotter climate will lead to. Will the oceans change? Will forests become bleak and disappear? Will mountain streams become dried up? What will our water and food situation be like this summer? Well, this summer will probably be okay, and the next, the next, and the next. However, it is the future we really should be worrying about for our children and grandchildren.
In this week's class we will be finishing our discussion of pollution. Then we will begin to discuss ways in which we can alleviate pollution on the earth and in our small communities. Let's see what we can do!
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Disaster Warning System, Pollution
In last week's class, we started to do our disaster warning system slides on google slides or PowerPoint. This is an important topic, so I wanted to look at it more in depth, and have you really put attention into doing these slides. Some of you have already shared them with me, so thank you very much. They look really well-done. I'm hoping in this week's class we can share them all on the projector, with a short presentation. I think this will be a very worthwhile project.
In addition this week towards the end of class we will start what we were going to start last week - Pollution. This is an important topic as well, because most air and water pollution have been with us for decades, and with growth (economic and societal), comes pollution it seems. It is important to keep pollution in check in order to maintain the health of safety of the population. These days we have seen less massive air pollution from coal factories, and less water pollution from chemical companies. It remains in check because people demand it, and therefore it may get better in the future as we start to create greener ways to manufacture products and use the products and materials that we have already been producing for years.
That's all for this blog. I am looking forward to your slides and presentations this week. We will discuss in next class about how to share these slides. Until then, everyone!
In addition this week towards the end of class we will start what we were going to start last week - Pollution. This is an important topic as well, because most air and water pollution have been with us for decades, and with growth (economic and societal), comes pollution it seems. It is important to keep pollution in check in order to maintain the health of safety of the population. These days we have seen less massive air pollution from coal factories, and less water pollution from chemical companies. It remains in check because people demand it, and therefore it may get better in the future as we start to create greener ways to manufacture products and use the products and materials that we have already been producing for years.
That's all for this blog. I am looking forward to your slides and presentations this week. We will discuss in next class about how to share these slides. Until then, everyone!
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Pollution
Last week we learned about natural disasters, and we listened to your design presentations in small groups, and then larger groups. I was happy to listen to all the presentations, because they are getting better and better. The more you speak English the better speakers you all become. It goes without saying that doing anything over and over can be a boon to ability. That includes any skill including scientific measurement, climbing a mountain, or speaking English...speaking any language for that matter!
This week we will start our next project design topic: pollution. Air, water, noise, and groundwater all are prone to being polluted. Through constant use of materials and throwing things away, our natural environment will undoubtedly become polluted. When I was a child, my parents had a summer cottage. There was a restaurant and dinner club near the summer home, and many cottages located around a golf course. These establishments needed to throw things away, of course. I remember hiking in the local forest around the club, and sure enough, I found a small piece of land where garbage and unused things were "dumped." I was shocked that so many things were just left there, in the woods to rot and be forgotten about. Of course, after some years, this dump came to light, and the local residents cleaned up the area and become more careful about not dumping there. Nowadays, scenes like this probably don't happen. This is because of human awareness. Human awareness can put an end to anything negative, and can put positive actions into motion.
Pollution is one of those things we need to be educated about. It's amazing how many things can be caught up in the midst of pollution - water (seas, streams, and groundwater), soil (chemical seepage), air (dirt and particulate matter [pm2.5], smog, and haze), and even noise (cement trucks, construction, traffic, human voices). We should be careful of pollution not only for ourselves, but also for our future families. There is one thing that can help us in gaining knowledge about pollution and its prevention: education!
This week we will start our next project design topic: pollution. Air, water, noise, and groundwater all are prone to being polluted. Through constant use of materials and throwing things away, our natural environment will undoubtedly become polluted. When I was a child, my parents had a summer cottage. There was a restaurant and dinner club near the summer home, and many cottages located around a golf course. These establishments needed to throw things away, of course. I remember hiking in the local forest around the club, and sure enough, I found a small piece of land where garbage and unused things were "dumped." I was shocked that so many things were just left there, in the woods to rot and be forgotten about. Of course, after some years, this dump came to light, and the local residents cleaned up the area and become more careful about not dumping there. Nowadays, scenes like this probably don't happen. This is because of human awareness. Human awareness can put an end to anything negative, and can put positive actions into motion.
Pollution is one of those things we need to be educated about. It's amazing how many things can be caught up in the midst of pollution - water (seas, streams, and groundwater), soil (chemical seepage), air (dirt and particulate matter [pm2.5], smog, and haze), and even noise (cement trucks, construction, traffic, human voices). We should be careful of pollution not only for ourselves, but also for our future families. There is one thing that can help us in gaining knowledge about pollution and its prevention: education!
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