Caught up in the Routine Work

Sept. 28
Woke up at 4 am as usual. Tried to connect to my university webmail site, but failed. Later I learned that I should have added "s" and make it look like https://. I went to Akita University and printed out the small tests for this semester. After coming back, I typed up the students list for this semester. I went out again to buy clear folders. Came back home again, cleaned the house, and took my younger daughter to piano lesson. Then a telephone came from Jos and I knew that he came back from California.
Sept. 29
Went to Honjyo campus and printed out the materials for this semester. In the afternoon, I went to Akita Prefectural University, Akita campus to attend a meeting. After the meeting, I gave Jos a ride and dropped him of near Akita station. Then I came home and took my elder daughter to cram school. The weather was wonderful today but I felt a little tired.Too much driving?

Let's Change Structural Materials into More Meaningful Tasks

Well, I didn't realize that people come to my site and put links to their own sneaky website. I just had to erase them. I welcome real comments but I don't like mechanical posting of commercial messages to my blog. Well, here are the things I’ve been doing for the past days.

September, 21
I was thinking about how to teach a textbook written for STEP test. This type of textbook is arranged in the order of testing patterns. For example, vocabulary quizzes in short sentences come first, vocabulary quizzes in long paragraphs come second, reading comprehension quizzes come third, and listening comprehension quizzes come last. I thought that students will learn more eagerly. if we could change the arrangement into something more meaningful. So I decided to choose the elements of vocabulary and grammar from each unit and change them into tasks.
September, 22
Three important principles to plan classroom tasks that I am preparing for the STEP textbook:
1. The task has to be open to all the students.
2. The task should be arranged in the order of daily routine.
3. Write or have students write stories or skits using the expressions contained in the textbook.
(On this day, I read some Batman comic books in my spare time.)
September, 23
National holiday ( the Autumn Equinox ). With my wife and children, I went to see my parents. I enjoyed mother’s dishes. Ohagi (rice cake and sweet azuki) is the special dish of this day.
September,24
I spent my morning for cleaning up windows, garage, and front porch. In the afternoon, I went to a toy store with younger daughter and bought a video of Kim Possible movie. The vocabulary was sometimes difficult in the video.
September, 25
We went to holy communion in the morning. I was just hanging around at home in the afternoon. We went to eat Japanese style Chinese restaurant in the evening.
September,26
Bought a firewire cable to connect my new Victor video camera and computer. I transferred the movie clip from the video camera to iBook using iMovie.

We must not Hate and Enjoy Hating

I guess it’s natural that parents spend a lot of time and energy for raising children. But when your children start turning their back to you, you will be upset, and, a few moments later, try to reach your children's heart. In my case, last weekend was such an opportunity. On Saturday, I went to my children’s elementary school. I did some class observation with other parents and helped cleaning the classrooms. We were both very tired after school. Then, I had an argument with my elder daughter. At the base of the quarrel, there seemed to be some other things but the direct cause of argument was about her manner at the table. You know, young children are looking for opportunities to be independent but they don't really know how to behave politely. I am sure I was like her when I was in her age. I was vulnerable and never understood why my parents said I was selfish about something that I cannot recall now. Parents forgive children but they want their children to know that it's important to listen to adult's advice and stop being upset. "In essence," I told my daughter, "you have to read Mere Christianity looking for an advice. C.S. Lewis says, '…we must not hate and enjoy hating. We may punish if necessary, but we must not enjoy it.' I hope you understand and follow Lewis's advice."

Complicated (Avril Lavigne)

As you can see, the following is a cloze format of "Complicated." If you would like to put them into one page, you should choose 'multiple column' under 'format' column in your MS Word, and copy and paste the following lyrics into your page. (Japanese equivalents: multiple column=dan-gumi, format=shoshiki) "Chill out" means to calm down. Did you know that?

COMPLICATED (A)
Avril Lavigne
Uh huh, life’s like this
Uh huh, uh huh, that’s the way it is
Cause life’s like this
Uh huh, uh huh that’s the way it is

_________ ________ whatcha yelling for?
Lay back it’s all been done before
And if you could only let it be
you will see
I like you the way you are
When we’re drivin’ in your car
and you’re talking to me one on one but you’ve become

Somebody else round everyone else
You’re watching your back like you can’t _____________
You’re trying to be cool you look like a ____________to me
Tell me

Why you have to go and make things so ____________________?
I see the way you’re acting like you’re somebody else gets me frustrated
Life’s like this you
You fall and you crawl and you __________
and you take what you get and you turn it into honesty
___________ me I’m never gonna find you fake it
no no no

You come over unannounced
dressed up like you’re somethin’ else
where you are and where it’s at you see
you’re making me
laugh out when you strike you ___________
take off all your preppy clothes
you know you’re not fooling _____________
when you’re become

Somebody else round everyone else
Watching your back, like you can’t _____________
Trying to be cool you look like a __________ to me
Tell me

Why you have to go and make things so _______________?
I see the way you’re acting like you’re somebody else gets me frustrated
Life’s like this you
and you fall you crawl and you ____________
and you take what you get and you turn it into honesty
_____________ me I’m never gonna find you fake it
no no no

_________ _________ whatcha yelling for?
Lay back it’s all been done before
And if you could only let it be
you will see
Somebody else round everyone else
Watching your back, like you can’t _________
Trying to be cool you look like a _______ to me
Tell me

Why you have to go and make things so ____________________?
I see the way you’re acting like you’re somebody else gets me frustrated
Life’s like this you
You fall and you crawl and you __________
and you take what you get and you turn it into honesty
___________ me I’m never gonna find you fake it
no no no

Why you have to go and make things so ____________________?
I see the way you’re acting like you’re somebody else gets me frustrated
Life’s like this you
You fall and you crawl and you __________
and you take what you get and you turn it into honesty
___________ me I’m never gonna find you fake it
no no no





COMPLICATED (B)
Avril Lavigne
Uh huh, life’s like this
Uh huh, uh huh, that’s the way it is
Cause life’s like this
Uh huh, uh huh that’s the way it is

Chill out whatcha yelling for?
________ ________ it’s all been done before
And if you could only let it be
you will see
I like you the way you are
When we’re drivin’ in your car
and you’re talking to me one on one but you’ve become

Somebody else round everyone else
You’re watching your ____________ like you can’t relax
You’re trying to be _________
you look like a fool to me
Tell me

Why you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you’re acting like you’re somebody else gets me_____________
Life’s like this you
You fall and you crawl and you break
and you _________ what you get and you turn it into ___________
promise me I’m never gonna find you fake it
no no no

You come over unannounced
dressed up like you’re somethin’ else
where you are and where it’s at you see
you’re making me
laugh out when you strike you pose
take off all your preppy ________
you know you’re not fooling anyone
when you’re __________

Somebody else round everyone else
Watching your ____________ like you can’t relax
You’re trying to be _________
you look like a fool to me
Tell me

Why you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you’re acting like you’re somebody else gets me frustrated
Life’s like this you
and you fall you crawl and you break
and you take what you get and you turn it into honesty
and promise me I’m never gonna find you fake it
no no no

Chill out whatcha yelling for?
________ ________ it’s all been done before
And if you could only let it be
you will see

Somebody else round everyone else
You’re watching your ____________ like you can’t relax
You’re trying to be _________
you look like a fool to me
Tell me

Why you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you’re acting like you’re somebody else gets me_____________
Life’s like this you
You fall and you crawl and you break
and you _________ what you get and you turn it into ___________
promise me I’m never gonna find you fake it
no no no


Why you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you’re acting like you’re somebody else gets me_____________
Life’s like this you
You fall and you crawl and you break
and you _________ what you get and you turn it into ___________
promise me I’m never gonna find you fake it
no no no

Activities I am Planning to Use

The following are the activities that I am planning to use in this semester.

Activity 1
Poster Writing: Students write about what they have learned

Activity 2
10 minutes activities:
- Check the Date (Take out a coin and talk about the past.)
- What’s in Your Wallet?
- Things in Common (Find five specific things in common. For example, chocolate ice cream.)
- Category ( For example, name five things that have ‘holes.’)
- Telephone

Activity 3
Concentration: Good for teaching STEP, TOEIC vocabulary.

Activity 4
Brainstorming: Good because anybody can say a few words.

Activity 5
AB Story: You need some interesting articles.

Activity 6
Cooperative Learning

Activity 7
Poster Writing: Students will write about some articles.

Activity 8
Extensive Reading

Activity 9
Timed Reading: Students will bring in a pleasure book.

Activity 10
Writing about a Song and peer feedback: Students will listen to some songs, too.

Activity 11
Academic Listening: They will listen when it’s purposeful.

Activity 12
Storytelling: Students will talk about themselves. Among the three things they say, one or two is right.

Activity 13
Chain-brainstorming: Students have to say something. They can pass, but they have to say something next time. If they can’t say anything, they are eliminated.

Activity 14
Board Game: Have them practice past tense. What I did yesterday. What I ate last night.

Activity 15
Topic Toss

I Came back from a Canoe Trip

I came back from the annual canoe trip safely. Five years ago, I went to the trip by myself. I mean that I canoed down the Omono river by myself with a number of other people. As far as I remember, the first trip was the hardest. I had to face the wind that came from direction that I was going. I capsized my canoe at a bend where the water was running into a shrub. There were more than twenty people who came to the trip this year. There were scary bends and fast running water, but the scenes from the canoe were beautiful: water, blue sky, green trees, grasses, and birds.

Work, Manga, and Canoe

On the 8th, I went over to my office to do some work: I attended a meeting, had lunch, started reading new textbooks, took photocopies of some articles, and took notes. On the 9th, I was mainly re-reading my notebook that I wrote during this summer at UH, Manoa. I also re-read English version of Nausicaa (Kazeno Tanino Naushika). The Eglish translation of this work is fabulous. I guess everyone who is interested in spoken English should read lots manga and see lots of cartoons. English teachers, don't be afraid. Manga and cartoons are good resourses of learning as Krashen said.
On the 10th and 11th, I am going to an annual canoe trip to the Omono river with my family. I have a red canoe in my garage.
Readers, you can see some pictures in the following site: http://www.bigsmile.jp

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