First Semester, Spring 2024

You have to finish ten reports. Submit them as soon as possible. The final deadline is the last class in July. If you finish one per week, you will be finished well before the end of the semester.

The main thing to do this semester is to finish ten reports, but you also have to attend the class every Friday. I want to check on the progress of each student and be sure that students are having no troubles taking part in the course and working on schedule.

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, LibreOffice etc.).

Learn how to use the "track changes" and "accept changes" features of MSWord. Use this guide.

How to write your reports

Students have to write ten reports this semester (about one per week). Don't delay and fall behind schedule. Finish one report per week, then you will be finished by the tenth week.
Write a report about an English study resource of your choice. The source must be written or spoken in English. For example, don't write about a Japanese movie, song or manga. The source has to 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 at a level that is correct for you. It should be something 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).

This is a link to a list of sources that are easy to study (low and intermediate level). 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, YouTube, or DVDs), news media, 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.
 
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-2023-11-15.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 LibreOffice. 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 or Chat GPT. 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 detailed 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 paper version with corrections marked in red, save the digital file with a new file name like this example:
your last name-your first name-2024-06-15-corrected.docx

Don’t delay in writing reports. The teacher does not like getting all the reports from a student suddenly at the end of the semester.

Every student is working independently, so it is possible to write your reports at home, but you still need to attend the class every Friday at 16:20 in order to get the credit and pass this course.

Be sure to write the full information about the source you study. For example, if you study the TED talk, below, 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 the author, speaker, or artist

2. Title

3. Publisher, website, company or organization that distributed the material

4. Date of publication

5. Website address