11/17/2014

火曜日11/18は休みです。

明日クラスがないことを忘れないで下さい。また今度よろしくお願いします。
Please don't forget that there is no class tomorrow. Sorry for any inconvenience! Let's study English more next time!

Whiteboards Nov 9 - Nov 15

Here is a link to last week's whiteboards...

Whiteboards Nov 9 - 15

11/12/2014

Whiteboard Nov 2- Nov 8

Here is a link to last week's whiteboards...

Nov 2 - Nov 8 Whiteboards

A friend is coming to visit!

Do you remember me?



Lindsay Rice Yoshida
Your old English teacher is coming to Japan for a visit. Please come see me!  I want to see your bright faces and hear how you are. I will be in
the Yumeoooka Office Tower

Friday, November 28th 2014
9th Floor Room 3
1:30-3:30pm
Bring your coffee or bento, relax and chat in English!

11/05/2014

Japanese Culture Day

Since yesterday was Culture Day in Japan, I decided to talk about Japanese culture in my classes. I am very grateful to my students for teaching me so much. One reason I enjoy living in Japan is because I can learn many new things. I think Japan has many good things to teach the world. It has a very beautiful culture.

I used to write a blog about Japanese culture. This year, I have been busy with my school, so I haven't written anything, unfortunately. I want to continue my study of Japanese culture again!

My Life in Japan http://onecorneroftheplanetinjapan.blogspot.com/

11/02/2014

HALLOWEEN COSTUME TOP 3

These are the best 3 super-scary costumes. However, I can't give them their prizes because I don't know who they are!

Halloween party photos

Last week's Halloween parties were so much fun! We had a special lesson. I enjoyed teaching about Halloween. Some people brought candy! Thank-you everyone for coming and dressing up in costumes!

Halloween Essay Contest Winner

Congratulations to Akiko Aiba, the winner of the Halloween essay contest! Her essay was funny, a little scary, and interesting! Good job, Akiko!

Check out the link below to read what she wrote!

STUDENT BLOG - THE SAFE

11/01/2014

STUDENT BLOG - THE SAFE

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このブログは私の生徒の一人が書いた物です。
もし私にあなたの記事の校正をしてほしい場合は写真と一緒に送って下さい。
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STORY TRAILER---> THE SAFE

THE SAFE
By Akiko Aiba

Six years have gone by since my father passed away.

There is an old storehouse with thick mortar walls at my parents' home.
It was always locked、and so neither my brother, my sister, nor I had ever been inside.
But after my father's death, we could open the door so easily with a key.
Then, we found a small safe inside. The safe had two dials. We had no choice but to try. I turned the first dial one number at a time, until I could hear a clicking sound. It took me about one hour just for the first dial. But there was another one. I tried again in the same way. We became very anxious as time went by.
When I heard the second “click”, my heart started to beat so quickly, as the door cracked open.
“It's opened!” I screamed. All of us peered into the safe.

What do you think we saw in that safe?

Only a piece of paper.
It was a very very important paper.
My father wrote down the safe combination on it, and then he put it into the safe and locked it.

Why? Nobody knows….

Listen!
**You can listen to this blog by clicking the link here このリンクをクリックするとこのブログを聞くことが出来ます --->
FAST
MEDIUM
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Quiz
1. How long had it been since her father died?
2. Where was the safe?
3. How did she get into the old storehouse?

Vocabulary & Phrases
1. cracking a safe - finding a way to open a safe even though you don't know the numbers.
2. safe combination - the numbers for opening a safe.
3. peer into のぞきこむ
4. anxious 不安

Japanese Translation
わたしの父が他界してから、6年がたちます。

私の実家には、古い土蔵の蔵がありました。それはいつも閉まっていました。私も私の兄弟姉妹も開いているのを見たことがありませんでした。
でも、父の死後私たちは鍵で簡単に蔵を開けることができました。
そして、私達は蔵の中に手提げ金庫を見つけたのです。それは2個のダイヤル鍵が付いていました。私達は解錠を試みるしか他に方法がありませんでした。
私は、開くときの「カチッ」を聞くまで、ダイヤルを少しずつ少しずつ回しました。1時間後、私は解錠音を聞きました。しかし、もうひとつのダイヤルキーが残っていました。私は再び同じ方法で、試しました。私達は、だんだん緊張してきました。私が二つ目の「カチッ」を聞いた時、私の心臓は早鐘のようでした。
「開いたー!!!」と私は叫びました。みんなが金庫を覗き込みました。

私達が金庫の中に見たものは何だと思いますか?

それは、とても、とても大事な紙(たった一枚の紙片)でした。

父は、解錠の為の番号を紙に書きつけ、そしてその紙を金庫に入れ、次に鍵をかけたのです。

なぜかって?それは 誰も知りません…

Quiz Answers
1. Six years
2. Inside the storehouse.
3. With a key!

Teacher comments:
Great story! It had me on the edge of my seat! I could only imagine what was going through your mind as you were cracking open that safe, but your dad got the last laugh! Ha! Ha!
Hilarious and scary! I liked the video, too!

********
MIAMI 英会話教室 in 上大岡。生徒募集中! https://sites.google.com/site/mrjohnsenglishclass/home

STUDENT BLOG - THE DOG FROM HELL

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もし私にあなたの記事の校正をしてほしい場合は写真と一緒に送って下さい。
詳しくはこちら→添削サービス情報 https://sites.google.com/site/mrjohnsenglishclass/home/tensaku

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THE DOG FROM HELL
By Mariko Araki

I had a scary experience last Tuesday.

Last Tuesday evening, I went to the park with my dog, Moca.
Many dogs were running around there, I knew none of them.

When we approached them, suddenly one dog without a leash rushed toward us.  I panicked and bent down to pick up Moca.

Fortunately she was safe but unfortunately I was bitten on my right hand by the dog.  My poor hand swelled up and ached badly the next morning. Since then I’ve been unable to do my domestic chores.

The most regrettable thing for me is that because of that injury, I couldn’t see my classmates at a party which is held every 4 years in my hometown.

Listen!
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FAST
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Quiz
1. Where did this incident happen?
a. on the sidewalk     b. on the street     c. in the park
2. What is the name of her dog?
a. cafe mocha     b. Latte     c. Moca
3. What did she do when the dog ran toward her?
4. Did her dog die?
5. Did she get rabies?

Vocabulary & Phrases
1. leashリード
2. swell はれる
3. domestic chores家事
4. ache うずぐ
5. rabies 狂犬病

Quiz Answers
1. c.
2. c.
3. She picked her dog up
4. No
5. I don't know

Teacher comments:
Wow, Mariko...that is a scary story! I hope your hand heals soon! I wonder if you are going to become a werewolf now!

********

MIAMI英会話教室 in 上大岡。生徒募集中! https://sites.google.com/site/mrjohnsenglishclass/home

STUDENT BLOG - WHAT IS SCARY TO ME


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このブログは私の生徒の一人が書いた物です。
もし私にあなたの記事の校正をしてほしい場合は写真と一緒に送って下さい。
詳しくはこちら→添削サービス情報 https://sites.google.com/site/mrjohnsenglishclass/home/tensaku

********

WHAT IS SCARY TO ME
By Kanreki Y.

Is it visible or not, real or virtual?
Sometimes I find myself enjoying a horror movie or screaming in a haunted house. Nowadays in the Halloween season, people dress-up as a goblin, a monster, or a ghost, and enjoy scaring other people.
Come to think of it, for me, the really scary things are invisible, and might happen unexpectedly and ruin my life.
"What are they?", you might ask.
Getting old, disease? Losing family members in an accident or natural disaster?
(I know we can’t always avoid acts of God.)
I can’t say what the most scary thing is to me.
The only thing I can say is that whatever it is, the thing that could take away my dearest things like family, friends or pets, is the scariest.
The thought that I might lose what I care about really scares me.
But at the same time, that reminds me of what is most important in my life.
Thank you, MIAMI class, for giving us such a chance to think about what is scary (important) to us!    Happy Halloween! 

Listen!
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FAST
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Quiz
1. Nowadays people ........
2. What is really scary?
3. Thinking of what scares us also leads us to think about what is ........

Vocabulary & Phrases
1. act of God 自然災害
2. unexpected 意外
3. disease 病
4. scream叫ぶ
5. avoid 避く

Japanese Translation

私にとって何が怖いって?
目に見えるもの? 現実の?あるいは仮想の?
とは言え、ホラー映画やお化け屋敷で悲鳴をあげて結構楽しんでるし。
ハロウィーンには妖怪やお化けに仮装して怖がらせてる人達みかけるしね。
そんなふうに考えてみると私にとっての怖いものって目に見えないものであるけれど、予期せず私に起こりうるもので、日常生活を奪うものかしら。
それって何?
老いること?病気?事故や自然災害?
(自然の摂理にはあらがえないんだけど)
一番こわいものを特定はできないけれど一つ言えることは、それが何であれ、家族や友人を奪うものってことになるかしら。
大事にしているものを失うかも知れないと考えると本当に怖い。
でもね、それって何が一番大事なのかを考えることにもなりそう。
マイアミクラスのおかげで、そんなことを考える良い機会になりました。
ありがとう!                      Kanreki. Y

Quiz Answers
1. Dress-up as a goblin, a monster, or a ghost, and enjoy scaring other people.
2. The thing that could take away my dearest things like family, friends or pets, is the scariest.
3. What is most important in life.

Teacher comments:
Very interesting, indeed! I have also thought that thinking about death also brings thoughts of life and of the things we often take for granted. Super job!

********
MIAMI 英会話教室 in 上大岡。生徒募集中! https://sites.google.com/site/mrjohnsenglishclass/home

STUDENT BLOG - MISSING CHILD


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もし私にあなたの記事の校正をしてほしい場合は写真と一緒に送って下さい。
詳しくはこちら→添削サービス情報 https://sites.google.com/site/mrjohnsenglishclass/home/tensaku

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MISSING CHILD
By Michiko Shiba

One day my little daughter didn’t come home even though it was getting dark. She always came back before dark. I got worried about her. I looked for her at the playground near our apartment and called everyone I could think of on the phone. But she was nowhere to be found.

I got into a panic and shivered with anxiety. Finally I rushed to a nearby police box to tell them that my daughter was missing.  After I returned home, a young policeman soon came. I was explaining the situation to him, when I heard my daughter's voice from upstairs. I didn't know that she had been playing with her friend, Kazu, in the apartment upstairs. He was her new friend.

I felt greatly relieved and thanked the policeman for coming so quickly.

I still remember how much my loved one’s disappearance scared me, even though it was just for a little while.

Listen!
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Quiz
1. Why was she worried about her daughter?
2. Who did she call?
3. Was her daughter hiding in the playground?
4. When did a policeman come to her home?
5. Where was her daughter?

Vocabulary & Phrases
1. police box 交番
2. loved one 家族のメッンバー
3. shiver ガクガクブルブル
4. panic パニック
5. missing 行方不明

Japanese Translation

ある日、幼い娘は日が暮れかかって来ても家に帰って来ませんでした。娘は日が暮れる前には必ず帰って来ていたのです。私は彼女のことが心配になってきました。マンションの遊び場を探したり、心当たりのあちこちに電話で問合せましたが、彼女はどこにもいませんでした。
私はパニック状態になり、心配で身震いがしました。ついに近所の交番に駆け込み、小さな娘が帰らないことを届けました。若い巡査が直ぐに家に来てくれました。私が彼に事情を話していると、娘の声が階上から聞こえたのです。年下の男の子、かずくんの家にいたなんて、全く予想外のことでした。彼は娘の新しい友達だったのです。
私は安堵の胸をなで下ろし、直ぐに家に来てくれた巡査に深く感謝しました。
私は愛する娘がいなくなった時の恐怖感を、今でも憶えています。それはほんのちょっとの間のことだったのですが。

Quiz Answers
1. Because it was getting dark, and her daughter hadn't come home.
2. Everyone
3. No
4. Soon after she returned from the policebox.
5. In the apartment upstairs playing with her new friend.

Teacher comments:
This story reminds me of a similar incident that I had when I  was a child. I had gone down the street to play at a friend's house without telling my mother. She was soooooooo angry  when she found me At that time, I couldn't understand why she was so upset. Now I understand. Sorry, mom!

Very touching story, Michiko. I hope you weren't too hard on your daughter after that! Great job!

********
MIAMI 英会話教室 in 上大岡。生徒募集中! https://sites.google.com/site/mrjohnsenglishclass/home

STUDENT BLOG - GHOST TOY STORY

添削サービス このブログは私の生徒の一人が書いた物です。 もし私にあなたの記事の校正をしてほしい場合は写真と一緒に送って下さい。
詳しくはこちら→添削サービス情報 https://sites.google.com/site/mrjohnsenglishclass/home/tensaku

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Ghost Toy Story
By Araki Miyayama

I will talk about a scary story. When I was 12 years old, I went to see my aunt during summer vacation. One hot day, I played with various toys with my sister in the pool at my aunt's house. We were so tired at the end of the day and we didn't put our toys away before going to bed. The next morning, my aunt scolded us. "Why didn't you put away your toys yesterday? Because of that, I couldn't sleep last night."
      "I'm so sorry. " I replied. But what do you mean you couldn't sleep because of that?"
"Because of the noise. Some other children were playing with your toys in the pool last night."

We didn’t understand what she said. It was creepy, because no other children lived around there.

Listen! **You can listen to this blog by clicking the link here
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Quiz
1. When did she go visit her aunt?
2. How old was she?
3. Why didn't she put her toys away?
4. Why was she scolded?
5. Why couldn't her aunt sleep?

Vocabulary & Phrases
1. scary - 怖い
2. scold - しかる
3. creepy - 気味が怖い
4. put our toys away - おもちゃをかたずけ

Japanese Translation

一つ怖い話をお話します。 私が12歳の時、夏休みにおばに会いに行きました。 ある暑い日、私はおばの家で姉妹と一緒に色々なおもちゃを使ってプールで遊びました。 私たちは遊び疲れて、おもちゃを片付けないまま就寝しました。 次の朝、おばに突然私たちは怒られました。 「あなたたち、なぜ昨日おもちゃを片付けなかったの?おかげで夜眠れなかったのよ」 「ごめんなさい。でもなんで眠れなかったの?」 「だって、あのおもちゃで別の子供達が夜中に遊んでたからよ」

その時私たちは理解できませんでした。だって、近所に子供なんて住んでいなかったのですから。

Quiz Answers
1.During summer vacation
2. 12
3.She was tired
4.Because she didn't put her toys away.
5.Because some other children were playing with the toys during the night.

Teacher comments:
Excellent! Such a creepy story, indeed! I wonder if she always put her toys away after that! Nice story!

******** MIAMI 英会話教室 in 上大岡。生徒募集中! https://sites.google.com/site/mrjohnsenglishclass/home

STUDENT BLOG - OBON ZOMBIES


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もし私にあなたの記事の校正をしてほしい場合は写真と一緒に送って下さい。
詳しくはこちら→添削サービス情報 https://sites.google.com/site/mrjohnsenglishclass/home/tensaku

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OBON ZOMBIES!
By Miki Araki

When wearing a kimono, it is wrapped around the body, always with the left side over the right except when dressing the dead for burial.

This means you must be careful to put the right(Migi) collar first(Mae). It is called “Migimae”.

Of the many rules of Kimono dressing, “Migimae” is the most important. Furthermore, it's common sense.

However, “Hidarimae” is the opposite of “Migimae".

However, we often see young people who wear yukata (informal cotton kimono) “Hidarimae”  when they go to watch fireworks.

I wonder, are they OBON ZOMBIES?

The walking dead should not appear during OBON, but Halloween!

Listen!
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Quiz
1. Which side should be folded first when wearing a kimono?
2. Who wears kimono in the opposite fashion?
3. Where can we find such strange people?

Vocabulary & Phrases
1. common sense あたりまえ
2. right front 右前
3. left front 左前
4. informal cotton kimono 浴衣

Japanese Translation

遺体を埋葬する時以外、着物は常に右に左を被せて体を包みます。

先ず右襟を身につけることに注意しなければならないということです。

これを右前といいます。

着物の着付けには沢山の約束事がありますが、右前は最も重要であり常識です。

左前は右前の反対を意味します。

しかしながら、私たちはしばしば花火大会で浴衣を左前に来た若者を見かけます。

彼らはお盆で生き返った死人なのでしょうか?

死人ならばお盆ではなくハロウィンに出てこなくちゃね。

Quiz Answers
1. right
2. the dead
3. At fireworks festivals, or in coffins.

Teacher comments:
Great job! I didn't know the proper way to wear a kimono! Maybe I am  ZOMBIE ジョンビー!
Very interesting!

********
MIAMI 英会話教室 in 上大岡。生徒募集中! https://sites.google.com/site/mrjohnsenglishclass/home