An Introduction to Air

Air is very important, because we breathe it every day! If we have no air to breathe, we cannot live. If I am short of breath, I feel stressed. If our air is dirty, we can get sick. Let's take care of the air!

What is Environmental Science

Good day Science English students! In this week's class you will start the first project, "What is environmental science?" You will begin by reading a passage about environmental science. Then, reflecting on the reading, you will write the meanings in Japanese and then look up word meanings in English and write meaning in both Japanese and English. Then you can practice writing the words we learned into the sentences; after this, you will be able to practice listening. After listening you must think about questions with a partner and write your answers in English. But the unit isn't finished yet! You will continue on to one of the biggest activities we will do in the class: design and presentation. The first design will contain an environmental resource center will be used for educational purposes. You must write an explanation and design the center with your partner.

All the activities in each week's class will be checked after finishing. Please bring your textbooks to each and every class. In addition, don't forget pencils, pens, paper, and you may have to bring a USB flash drive if possible. You will present our designs and research to the class, so please try not to be nervous; it will be a good experience for all of you. The presentations will take place at first with partners, and then at the front of class. Presentations will not be completed every week but will done when we finish the unit, mostly twice per month.

Please try to come to every class, bring all the materials, try to write and speak your best in English, and try to use mainly English rather than Japanese! In addition, please follow this blog. Speaking of blogs, we will all have a chance to make a blog about an environmental issue and also will complete some homework using blogs, google drive, and e-mail. I will write a new blog entry every week, and it will cover past homework answers/comments, things we will do in the upcoming class, and new and interesting information.

Let's have fun in SE! That's all for now.

An Important Environmental Issue

An important environmental issue for me is air pollution. The world is covered with roads, streets, and highways, all leading to an increase in the use of cars, buses, taxis, and motorcycles. All of these transportation systems spew countless amounts of fossil fuel exhaust into the precious air. Many people take breathing for granted, but have you ever had a time when it was difficult for you to breathe? Perhaps when you were sick with a cold, exhausted, or in extremely hot weather? Just imagine having that feeling ever day, all day. It is very stressful and scary to be in a situation where you cannot breathe well. Some cities are so smog-filled, that one finds it hard to do just that - breathe normally. Bangkok, Manila, New York, Los Angeles, and Beijing are examples of cities with a lot of air pollution. I'm not sure how residents of these cities can manage to live comfortably and peacefully in such situations. I think people find it difficult to tolerate; however, there is only so much a humble resident can do. They must continue to live...and breathe...from sunup to sundown,and all the while find happiness in whatever way they can.