July 18, 2022

Download the UPDATED pdf file of the story about survival in the Amazon Jungle. This updated file includes the answers, and an example of how to write a summary. The students did rather poorly with the summaries written during the class on June 27th, so I want everyone to work more on this skill. Study this material to prepare for the final examination. In particular, review the irregular verb list on page 2 and the example of a summary on page 9.

Download the pdf file that explains verb tenses (with explanations in Japanese).

The final examination will be held on Monday July 25, 13:30-14:30, room 712. The examination will be based on the main goal of this semester: tell me what happened. This means the goal is to tell a simple story in the past tense. (1) Use the verb forms correctly (passive voice, active voice, verb tense) and write grammatically correct sentences that include such things as (2) articles (a, an, the), (3) conjunctions (and, but, so, because), (4) prepositions (of, in, on, at, under, over, next to, beside, between…), and (5) pronouns (he, him, his, she, her, hers…). The use of (6) punctuation is also important (? . , “ ” !). Review all the grammar review lessons and these stories that we practiced in class: Napoleon, Pompeii, Survival in the Amazon. If you have lost the papers, you can download all the documents as pdf files from this web page (see the links below). You will have to write a summary of one of these stories. The key words will be given to you, but you need to write the summary with correct use of grammar (points 1 to 6 below). The examination will also include a listening section based on one of these stories.

Remember the five important points about writing a story:
(1) verb forms (2) articles (3) conjunctions (4) prepositions (5) pronouns (6) punctuation

June 20, 2022

Download the pdf file of the story about survival in the Amazon Jungle. This file includes the answers. In the next class on June 27th, you will have to write a summary of the story.

Download the pdf file that explains verb tenses (with explanations in Japanese).

A final examination will be held during the last week of July. The date will be announced later. The examination will be based on the main goal of this semester: tell me what happened. This means the goal is to tell a simple story in the past tense. Use the verb forms correctly (passive voice, active voice, verb tense) and write grammatically correct sentences that include such things as articles (a, an, the), conjunctions (and, but, so, because), prepositions (of, in, on, at, under, over, next to, beside, between…), and pronouns (he, him, his, she, her, hers…). The use of punctuation is also important (? . , “ ” !). Review all the grammar review lessons and stories that we practiced in class (Napoleon, Pompeii, The Penguin, Survival in the Amazon). If you have lost the papers, you can download all the documents as pdf files from this web page. The examination will also include a listening section based on one of the stories.

The presentation will be evaluated on these criteria:

1. Preparation of first draft. Did you finish it on time so that the teacher could give you some corrections and advice about how to improve it?

2. Powerpoint design. Did you use text and graphics in a way that made your content easy to understand?

3. Pronunciation and voice: clear pronunciation, strong voice, good prosody (not a monotone voice), good pace--not too slow, not too fast, with good linking of words.

June 13, 2022

See the homework listed below for June 6th.

You can download the document about the passive voice and active voice. The document includes the answers to the quiz.

There will be a final examination in July. You should study all the documents for the grammar lessons that I have given to you during the semester.

You can download the transcript and notes for the lecture we watched during the lesson: Introduction to a Social Psychology Course. You can watch the video here. The document includes the notes and questions that we wrote during the class. This material might appear on the final examination as a listening test question.

June 6, 2022

You have two projects to finish this month:

1. Your second report.

2. The first draft of your presentation. Create the slides and the text of what you want to say about each slide. Write the text in the "Notes" section under each slide.

You can download the transcript and notes for the lecture we watched during the lesson: Introduction to a Social Psychology Course. You can watch the video here. Study the notes well because we are going to use this material in the lesson on June 13.

You can check the answers to the homework assigned last week: Grammar lesson: How to write questions.

May 23, 2022

Here again are the instructions for how to write your reports. The first report is due on May 30th. Because you have a presentation assignment to finish in July, the 3rd report is cancelled. You have to finish only two reports this semester, one at the end of May and the other at the end of June.

You can study the presentation about Toronto to see an example of the kind of presentation you need to make in July. When students tried to answer the listening comprehension questions about Toronto, they had trouble answering the questions. This is a problem with all the presentations. A good way to solve this problem is to put the important information in the slides. Look at the two examples of the presentation, the original and the improved version. In the improved version, each slide has some key words in it, and these key words are the answers to the comprehension questions. Try to follow this example in your presentation. Find a balance between having too many words and not enough words in the slides.

Toronto-Original Presentation

Toronto-Improved Presentation

Toronto-Script (Notes)

Last week your homework was to make a recording of the lecture about Pompeii. Sometimes I don't collect and check homework because it is not necessary. You can think of it as suggested practice. This homework was a practice exercise that was for your benefit, not the teacher's benefit.

May 16, 2022

Make a recording of the short lecture about Pompeii. Use this video to read the text while you make the recording of your voice. Record it on your smartphone, and bring your smartphone with the recording to the next class.

Listen to your recording and do it again if you are not satisfied with the quality of your voice and pronunciation. It is not so important for the teacher to check your recording, but it is important for you to check it and to listen to your own voice.

Use the microphone in an earphone headset, if you have one. The external microphone sounds better than the internal microphone.

Download the text of the lecture about Pompeii. Study the notes and the summary on pages 9 and 10. There will be a writing quiz next week based on this lecture, so learn it well.

May 9, 2022

Review the lecture about Pompeii.

Start working on your first report that is due on May 30.

May 2, 2022

Final speech project for the first semester: write a speech and create a Powerpoint slideshow to support your speech.

Speech theme: A place you would like to go but have never been to. Explain the good points and bad points of the place.

You can watch this example of a student’s presentation about Brazil (narrated by the teacher in this video).

Your script should be between 500 and 1000 words, with about 10-15 slides in the Powerpoint presentation. You can download the script of the presentation about Brazil if you want to see an example.

Homework this week: Review the examples above (the video and the script), decide the place that you want to talk about,and tell your decision to the teacher next week.

You will do the final speech in July, but you have to finish the first draft by the end of June. The teacher will correct your draft, then you will have time to practice it before your presentation.

April 25, 2022

Read the instructions for how to write your reports. The first report is due on May 30th.

Practice reading aloud the short speech about Napoleon. Try to speak in a loud, strong voice without stopping. Focus on word linking and syllable stress in each sentence.

You can download the transcript and exercises for the short speech about Napoleon.

Download the guide to taking notes and writing summaries based on notes.

April 18, 2022

Here is the pdf file of the papers I gave to students during the class: Guide to Phonemes and Pronunciation Practice.

Here is the link to the video about consonant-to-vowel linking: How to Relax Your Accent Part 1: Consonant to vowel linking

Next lesson: You will have to write three reports this semester. This assignment will be explained during the next class, but you can look at this explanation anytime.

April 11, 2022

Stay healthy. Don't catch a cold this year! Review the video Diet for a Strong Immune System.

Video lessons on pronunciation we will study this semester:

How to Relax Your Accent Part 1: Consonant to vowel linking  

How to Relax your Accent Part 2: Consonant Linking

How to Relax Your Accent Part 3: Vowel Linking

Imitation Technique