English I Academic Interaction --
Report Assignment
April 2024 - January 2025, Fridays 13:00-14:30
How
to write your reports
You have to finish two reports
this semester, to be submitted at the end of May and the end of
June.
If you have trouble finding
something to study for your reports, look at the the Study Links section of this website.
Please download the file called
Common Errors
in Student Writing. Check your reports before handing them in
and try to avoid the common errors. Use the grammar checkers and
spell checkers available in word processing programs (MS Word, Libre
Office etc.). Don't use ChatGPT or A.I. translators.
Learn how to use the "track
changes" and "accept changes" features of MSWord. To learn how to do
that, see this
guide.
Write a report about an
English study resource of your choice. Don't write about a source
that uses spoken or written Japanese, such as a Japanese movie or
manga. It must be English study. You can use any source that you
like, but do not repeatedly use the same type of resource. For
example, if your first report is about a song, don’t choose a song
for your next report. Be careful to choose a resource that is
challenging but not too difficult. Think carefully about your weak
points and make a plan for your own study.
If your TOEIC score is still below 500, you should find resources
that include review of grammar and low and intermediate level
listening practice. If your TOEIC score is above 500, you can start
studying authentic resources (sources not designed as English
lessons).
You need to find a source of
study that is not too easy. It should be a little bit challenging
but not too difficult. This is a link to a list
of sources that are easy to study. If you study one of these
sources, you should be able to finish your report in about one hour.
Suggested types of resources
Songs, movies (use the English subtitles on Netflix or DVDs),
news media, YouTube videos with worthwhile language content (for
example, do not write about cute cat videos!), online videos of
speeches and lessons of various types (for example, www.ted.com),
websites for English study, books, magazines, newspapers, smartphone
apps for English study, etc.
If you want to write a report about a song,be sure to choose
something with interesting lyrics that are also good listening
practice and good language study (see this
file for my list of suggested songs).
Use the report form template to write your report. When
you start writing your report, save the document file with a new
file name such as this:
your last name-your first
name-year-month-day.docx
example: isono-wakame-2024-06-25.docx
If you write the file name this
way, your teacher can see easily who wrote it and when it was
written.
You can write your report in MSWord or other word processing software such as the free software Libre Office. Every student at Seijo can get a free installation of Microsoft Office. Ask the MNC how to install it on your computer.
On your report, write your
e-mail address. It is better to use your Seijo e-mail address
(student number@u.seijo.ac.jp). Write complete and accurate
information about to the source: author, title, place of
publication, web address, date etc…
Do not copy and paste sentences that you did not write yourself. Do
not use translation software. If you want to copy something, you
have to put it in quotation marks: “…………………”
Be sure to include a list of
some new vocabulary or idioms that you learned. Describe exactly
what you learned or studied, how you studied, and write a comment
about it.
Go to this link for a sample
of a report. This sample is a little bit long. You don't need
to write such a long report, but you can if you want to.
Correcting and saving your report
Keep a digital version (MSWord
file) of your report after the teacher checks it, and keep the
corrected version also. These are your proof that you completed the
report. Keep the files in two places, for example, one copy on your
computer and one copy on a usb drive. Always save backups of your
files! A computer can break at any time.
After I check your report and give back the version with corrections
marked in red, save the digital file with a new file name like this
example:
your last name-your
first name-2024-06-25-revised.docx
Be sure to write the full information about the source you study. For example, if you study this TED talk, you should give this information:
Amy Cuddy, “Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are,” TED, June 2012, https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are
You need to include this information:
1. Name of author, speaker, or artist
2. Title
3. Publisher, website, company or organization that distributed the material
4. Date of publication
5. Website address