Title: Theseus and the Minotaur
Series: Penguin Active Reading Level 1 (PAR1)
Author: Beatty, Ken
Genre: CL
YL:
Headwords: 300
Total Word Count: 1,558
Rating:





Summary: Theseus is the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea, but he is the son of King Aegeus of Athens too. Every year the Minotaur eats people from Athens. Theseus is strong and angry, but he is only a young man. Can he kill the Minotaur?

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Title: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Series: Penguin Readers Level 5 (PGR5) YL 5.0~6.0
Genre: HR
YL: 5.0-6.0
Headwords: 2300
Total Word Count: 19,000
Rating: ****


Summary: The chilling tale of a wealthy doctor with a double personality, in terror of the evil Mr Hyde who is living within his own skin.

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Title: Treasure Island
Series: Penguin Readers Level 2 (PGR2) YL 2.4~2.6
Author: Stevenson, Robert Louis
Genre: AD
YL: 2.4-2.6
Headwords: 600
Total Word Count: 6,000
Rating: ****


Summary: A young boy, Jim Hawkins, lives quietly by the sea with his mother and father until Billy Bones comes to live with them. From that day on, everything is different and Jim soon meets Long John Silver and travels with him in search of Treasure Island.

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Series: Penguin Readers Level 5 (PGR5) YL 5.0~6.0
Title: The Hounds of the Baskervilles
Author: Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan
Genre: MY
YL: 5.0-6.0
Headwords: 2300
Total Word Count: 18,000
Rating: ***

Link to Amazon!

Summary: The ancient legend of the Baskervilles has persisted in the family history for generations. It is Sir Charles's mysterious death in the grounds of Baskerville Hall that brings Sherlock Holmes to the scene of one of his most famous and intriguing cases.

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Series: Penguin Readers Level 5 (PGR5) YL 5.0~6.0
Title: Sherlock Holmes Short Stories
Author: Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan
Genre: MY
YL: 5.0-6.0
Headwords: 2300
Total Word Count: 33,000
Rating: ***

Link to Amazon!

Summary: In these six stories we join the brilliant detective, Sherlock Holmes, and his friend Dr Watson, in a variety of exciting adventures. These include several suspicious deaths, the mystery of the engineer with the missing thumb, and the strange case of the two men who share a very unusual name.

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Series: Penguin Readers Level 4 (PGR4) YL 4.0~5.0
Title: Three Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Doyle
Author: Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan
Genre: MY
YL: 4.0-5.0
Headwords: 1700
Total Word Count: 16,000
Rating: ***

Link to Amazon!

Summary: Why is a young woman terrified of a mysterious 'speckled band'? Are the five orange pips a sign that someone will soon die? And what about the banker who believes his son is a thief. Join the great detective Sherlock Holmes in solving the mysteries in these three thrilling stories.

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Series: Penguin Readers Level 3 (PGR3) YL 3.2~3.8
Title: The Return of Sherlock Holmes
Author: Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan
Genre: MY
YL: 3.4-3.6
Headwords: 1200
Total Word Count: 12,000
Rating: ****

Link to Amazon!

Summary: In 1891, the great detective, Sherlock Holmes, disappeared in Switzerland while working on a dangerous case. Everyone thought that he was dead. But three years later, he returned to England. Holmes and his friend, Dr Watson, had many more adventures together. Read three of Sherlock Holmes most interesting cases and look out for other Sherlock Holmes stories at different levels in Penguin Readers.

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Series: Penguin Readers Level 3 (PGR3) YL 3.2~3.8
Title: Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Boscombe Pool
Author: Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan
Genre: MY
YL: 3.2-3.4
Headwords: 1200
Total Word Count: 7,800
Rating: ****

Link to Amazon!

Summary: Who killed Charles McCarthy, and why? Was it really his son? Sherlock Holmes, the brilliant detective, must answer these questions with the help of his trusted friend Dr Watson.

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Series: Penguin Readers Level 3 (PGR3) YL 3.2~3.8
Title: A Scandal in Bohemia
Author: Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan
Genre: MY
YL: 3.6-3.8
Headwords: 1200
Total Word Count: 20,000
Rating: ***

Link to Amazon!

Summary: Why put a diamond inside a chicken? Why is there a special club for men with red hair? And why does a woman disappear on the day of her wedding? These are some of the strange questions which Sherlock Holmes has to answer.
In these six stories we join Holmes and his friend Dr Watson on some exciting adventures. Will they solve every mystery? Or are some people even cleverer than Sherlock Holmes?

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Series: Penguin Readers Level 2 (PGR2) YL 2.4~2.6
Title: Three Short Stories of Sherlock Holmes
Author: Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan
Genre: AT
YL: 2.4-2.6
Headwords: 600
Total Word Count: 9,500
Rating: ***

Link to Amazon!

Summary: A young woman is about to marry when her fiancé suddenly disappears. Three students are suspected of stealing an important exam paper. And a young woman is being followed by a mysterious stranger – but who is this stranger and what does he want? Only Sherlock Holmes can solve these problems. Three intriguing mysteries that demonstrate the exceptional skills of the great detective.

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Series: Penguin Readers Level 3 (PGR3) YL 3.2~3.8
Title: The Black Cat and Other Stories
Author: Poe, Edgar Allan
Genre: HR
YL: 3.2-3.4
Headwords: 1200
Total Word Count: 9,000
Rating: ***

Link to Amazon!

Summary: Four short stories of murder and mystery. Edgar Allan Poe wrote about terrible people who lead strange lives. If you have a black cat yourself, watch out!

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Series: Penguin Readers Level 3 (PGR3) YL 3.2~3.8
Title: Fall of the House of Usher and Other Stories
Author: Poe, Edgar Allan
Genre: CS
YL: 3.4-3.6
Headwords: 1200
Total Word Count: 11,000
Rating: ****

Link to Amazon!

Summary: There are five stories in this book. "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Barrel of Amontillado" are stories of madness; "The Maelstrom" describes fear of death during a storm on the ocean; and in "The Murders of the Rue Morgue" and "The Stolen Letter" meet C. Auguste Dupin, Poe's famous Parisian detective.

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Series: Penguin Readers Level 5 (PGR5) YL 5.0~6.0
Title: Tales of Mystery and Imagination
Author: Poe, Edgar Allan
Genre: AT
YL: 5.0-6.0
Headwords: 2300
Total Word Count: 29,000
Rating: ****

Link to Amazon!

Summary: A man is haunted by his own imagination, hidden writing that leads to buried treasure, a fisherman fighting for his life in a powerful whirlpool. In these short stories by Edgar Allan Poe we meet people struggling with death. Others are trying to solve the darkest of mysteries. Which of them will succeed?

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Series: Penguin Readers Level 3 (PGR3) YL 3.2~3.8
Title: The Island of Dr. Moreau
Author: Wells, H. G.
Genre: SF
YL: 3.4-3.6
Headwords: 1200
Total Word Count:
Rating:

Link to Amazon!

Summary: Edward Prendick is traveling in the South Pacific when his ship goes down. He is saved after many days at sea by another ship, and a passenger, Montgomery, nurses him back to health. Prendick becomes interested in the mystery of Montgomery's life. Why does he live on an unknown Pacific island? Why is he taking animals there? And should Prendick fear the dark secrets of Montgomery's master – the even more mysterious Doctor Moreau?

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Series: Penguin Readers Level 5 (PGR5) YL 5.0~6.0
Title: The War of the Worlds
Author: Wells, H. G.
Genre: SF
YL: 5.0-6.0
Headwords: 2300
Total Word Count: 28,100
Rating: ****

Link to Amazon!

Summary: The War of the Worlds is one of the most famous and frightening science fiction stories ever written. When a strange object falls from the sky and lands in southern England, few people are worried. But then strange creatures climb out and start killing people. Before long, the land is being attacked by huge fighting machines and nobody is safe ...

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Series: Penguin Readers Level 5 (PGR5) YL 5.0~6.0
Title: The Invisible Man
Author: Wells, H. G.
Genre: SF
YL: 5.0-6.0
Headwords: 2300
Total Word Count: 20,000
Rating: ****

Link to Amazon!

Summary: One winter's day a mysterious stranger arrives in the quiet village of Iping. He wears a long coat and gloves. His head is covered with bandages and his eyes are hidden behind a dark glasses. He spends most of his time alone. The villagers soon realize they are in great danger when they discover his terrible secret.

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Series: Penguin Readers Level 4 (PGR4) YL 4.0~5.0
Title: The Time Machine
Author: Wells, H. G.
Genre: SF
YL: 4.5
Headwords: 600
Total Word Count: 21,527
Rating:

Link to Amazon!

Summary: The Time Traveller has built a time machine and has gone into the future to the year 802,701. He expects to find a better world with highly intelligent people and great inventions. Instead, he finds that people have become weak, child-like creatures. They dance and sing and wear flowers. They seem happy, but why are they so frightened of the dark? And who or what has taken his time machine? Will the Time Traveller ever be able to return to the present?

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Series: Penguin Readers Level 2 (PGR2) YL 2.4~2.6
Title: The Mysterious Island
Author: Verne, Jules
Genre: AD
YL: 2.4-2.6
Headwords: 600
Total Word Count: 6600
Rating: ****

Summary: There are three men, a boy and a dog in a balloon over the Pacific but only two men and the boy arrive on the island. Mysterious things start happening. Are they the only people on the island? Where is the other man and his dog?

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Series: Penguin Readers Level 5 (PGR5) YL 5.0~6.0
Title: Round the World in Eighty Days
Author: Verne, Jules
Genre: AD
YL: 5.0~6.0
Headwords: 2300
Total Word Count: 34,000
Rating: *****

Summary: The year is 1872 and Phileas Fogg is living quietly in London. Then he makes a bet with his friends that he can travel around the world in eighty days. A crazy and colorful race across Europe, Africa, Asia, and America follows. There are many dangers along the way - and a British detective who is trying to slow down Fogg so that he can arrest him!

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Series: Penguin Readers Level 2 (PGR2) YL 2.4~2.6
Title: Round the World in Eighty Days
Author: Verne, Jules
Genre: AD
YL: 2.4-2.6
Headwords: 600
Total Word Count: 8400
Rating: ****



Summary: Can Phileas Fogg go round the world in eighty days? He doesn’t know that somebody wants to stop him. Then Fogg will lose his bet – twenty thousand pounds!

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Series: Penguin Readers Level 1 (PGR1) YL 1.0~1.4
Title: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Author: Verne, Jules
Genre: SF
YL: 1.2-1.4
Headwords: 300
Total Word Count: 4800
Rating: *****



Summary: This is the story of Captian Nemo and his famous submarine, the Nautilus. One day, Nemo finds three men in the cold sea. For 20,000 leagues the men live together on the Nautilus. They find a town on the sea floor, beautiful coasts and lots of gold. But they are not happy. Can they escape from Nemo’s submarine and live?
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Dear Class,

Last Tuesday, due to the Obon Holiday, Honma-san and I had a one-on-one class!
We talked about the Obon Holiday and how to describe it in English.

Recently, I've created a Question of the Week on the Business English Channel on the iKnow! website.
Honma-san commented on two of the blog entries; Obon Holiday and Small Talk: Movies.

Here are his comments and the links to the iKnow! blog:
Obon Holiday

I went to my family grave in Rengyouji and Choumeiji to pay respects to my ancestors. Ｉ burned some incense, cleaned the tombstones, and prayed to my ancestors.
Afterwards, I took my family to eat kaitenzushi "Kuraya" in my hometown. I took my family shopping for food in "Yorkmart". We had a good time together.

Small Talk Topics: Movies

I saw "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" on DVD.
It starred James Coburn as Pat Garrett and Kris Kristopherson as Billy the Kid. Bob Dylan acted and sang in the movie. I liked it a lot.

Feel free to join the iKnow! site and participate in the Question of the Day as well as study the great courses!

I have also created a new store where I have listed graded readers from various publishers all in one easy to access page.
There is a link on the right side of the page as well as a "widget" that displays a graded reader from the store.

Have fun and see you next week!

Sincerely,

Matthew

Series: Oxford Bookworms Library Starters (OBW0) YL 0.8~1.2
Title: Sally's Phone
Author: Lindop, Christine
Genre: LV
YL: 0.8
Headwords: 250
Total Word Count: 1300
Rating: *****

Buy Sally's Phone on Amazon.co.jp!

Summary: Sally is always running - and she has her phone with her all the time: at home, on the train, at work, at lunchtime, and at the shops. But then one afternoon suddenly she has a different phone ... and it changes her life.

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Title: Kim's Choice
Series: Penguin Active Reading Easystarts (PAR0)
Author: Viney, Brigit
Genre: HU
YL:
Headwords: 200
Total Word Count: 891
Rating:

Link to Amazon!

Summary: Kim's father takes her to the athletics club every week. She runs fast and she wins competitions. Her father is happy But Kim is only sixteen. What does she want?

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Title: The Blue Cat Club
Series: Penguin Active Reading Easystarts (PAR0)
Author: Smith, Bernard
Genre: CO
YL:
Headwords: 200
Total Word Count:884
Rating:

Link to Amazon!

Summary: James and Chantal go to the Blue Cat Club in Cannes. There is music - and magic! But James does not like Merlin, the 'Man of Magic', and now Merlin wants a volunteer...

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Title: Newspaper Chase
Series: Penguin Active Reading Easystarts (PAR0)
Author: Brooke, Helen
Genre: CO
YL:
Headwords: 200
Total Word Count: 806
Rating:

Link to Amazon!
Summary: Harry Black is a thief. He takes a famous painting and puts it in an old newspaper. But then the recycling truck arrives - and where is Harry's newspaper?

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Series: Oxford Bookworms Library Starters (OBW0) YL 0.8~1.2
Title: Taxi of Terror
Author: Burrows, Philip & Foster, Mark
Genre: CO
YL: 0.8
Headwords: 250
Total Word Count: 700
Rating: ****

Link to Amazon!

Summary: 'How does it work?' Jack asks when he opens his present - a mobile phone. Later that night, Jack is a prisoner in a taxi in the empty streets of the dark city. He now tries his mobile for the first time. Can it save his life?

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Series: Oxford Bookworms Library Starters (OBW0) YL 0.8~1.2
Title: Survive!
Author: Brooke, Helen
Genre: AD
YL: 0.9~1.2
Headwords: 250
Total Word Count: 1500
Rating: **

Link to Amazon!

Summary: You are in a small plane, going across the Rocky Mountains. Suddenly, the engine starts to make strange noises ...
Soon you are alone, in the snow, at the top of a mountain, and it is very, very cold. Can you find your way out of the mountain?

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Series: Oxford Bookworms Library Starters (OBW0) YL 0.8~1.2
Title: New York Cafe
Author: Dean, Michael
Genre: SF
YL: 1.0~1.2
Headwords: 250
Total Word Count: 1500
Rating: ***

Link to Amazon!

Summary: It is the year 2030, and an e-mail message arrives at New York Cafe: 'I want to help people and make them happy!' But not everybody is happy about the e-mail, and soon the police and the President are very interested in the New York Cafe.

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Series: Oxford Bookworms Library Starters (OBW0) YL 0.8~1.2
Title: The Fifteenth Character
Author: Border, Rosemary
Genre: MY
YL: 0.9
Headwords: 250
Total Word Count: 1500
Rating: ***

Link to Amazon!

Summary: 'It's an interesting job,' says Sally about her work at Happy Hills. And today is a very exciting day because Zapp the famous singer is coming. Everybody is having a wonderful time. But suddenly something goes wrong - very wrong.

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Series: Oxford Bookworms Library Starters (OBW0) YL 0.8~1.2
Title: Robin Hood
Author: Escott, John
Genre: HU
YL: 0.8
Headwords: 250

Total Word Count: 1500
Rating: ****

Link to Amazon!

Summary: 'You're a brave man, but I am afraid for you.' says Lady Marian to Robin of Locksley. She is afraid because Robin does not like Prince John's new taxes and wants to do something for the poor people of Nottingham. When Prince John hears this, Robin is suddenly in danger - great danger.

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Series: Oxford Bookworms Library Starters (OBW0) YL 0.8~1.2
Title: Escape
Author: Burrows, Philip & Foster, Mark
Genre: CS
YL: 0.9
Headwords: 250
Total Word Count: 1500
Rating: ****

Link to Amazon!

Summary: 'I'm not a thief. I'm an innocent man,' shouts Brown. He is angry because he is in prison and the prison guards hate him. Then one day Brown has an idea. It is dangerous - very dangerous.

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Series: Oxford Bookworms Library Starters (OBW0) YL 0.8~1.2
Title: Police TV
Author: Vicary, Tim
Genre: CS
YL: 0.9
Headwords: 250
Total Word Count: 1500
Rating: ***

Link to Amazon!

Summary: 'Every day someone steals money from the people near the shops. We must stop this,' says Dan, a police officer. The police use TV cameras but it is not easy because there are soo many suspects - who is the robber?

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Series: Oxford Bookworms Library Starters (OBW0) YL 0.8~1.2
Title: Drive Into Danger
Author: Border, Rosemary
Genre: CS
YL: 0.9
Headwords: 250
Total Word Count: 1500
Rating: ***

Link to Amazon!

Summary: 'I can drive a truck,' says Kim on her first day at work in the office. When Kim's passenger Andy finds something strange under the truck things get dangerous - very dangerous.

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Series: Oxford Bookworms Library Starters (OBW0) YL 0.8~1.2
Title: Girl on a Motorcycle
Author: Escott, John
Genre: MY
YL: 0.9
Headwords: 250
Total Word Count: 1500
Rating: *****

Link to Amazon!

Summary: 'Give me the money' says the robber to the Los Angeles security guard. The guard looks at the gun and hands over the money. The robber has long blond hair and rides a motorcycle - and a girl with long blond hair arrives at Kenny's motel - on a motorcycle. Is she the robber?

Series: Oxford Bookworms Library Starters (OBW0) YL 0.8~1.2
Title: Mystery in London
Author: Brooke, Helen
Genre: CS
YL: 1.0~1.2
Headwords: 250
Total Word Count: 1500
Rating: **

Link to Amazon!

Summary: Six women are dead because of the Whitechapel Killer. Now another woman lies in a London street and there is blood everywhere. She is very ill. You are the famous detective Mycroft Pound; can you catch the killer before he escapes?

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Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to write to announce that I have purchased a pack of 10 Oxford Bookworm Library Starters (OBW0).
I will bring them next week to class for those of you who have finished reading the Thompson Foundations Library Series.

Here are the names of the titles:

Mystery in London
Police TV
Escape
Robin Hood
Survive!
New York Cafe
Girl on a Motorcycle
Taxi of Terror
Drive Into Danger
The Fifteenth Character

They are all in the Yomiyasui Level range of 0.8~1.2 so they should be easy, but fun to read!

See you next Tuesday!

Matthew

Hello Everyone!

This week we didn't have class due to the Obon holiday.
If you read this during our week off, be sure to comment and tell me what you did for Obon.

I think many of your are visiting your hometown and going your family cemeteries to do annual cleaning of the graves and to pay your respects.

Since my company is mainly full of native English speakers, we don't have an Obon holiday like most Japanese companies.
We are free to take our paid vacation if we want to go somewhere during the holiday.
I have been going to the office everyday to work.
It's actually really nice since the trains aren't as crowded as they usually are.
If only the trains were always this way! (sigh)

We have had really hot weather this week and a large earthquake last night with many aftershocks. (I didn't wake up last night during the earthquake; I was very tired ^^;)
What have you been doing to stay cool?
We have been using our air conditioning a lot which is going to cost a lot.
How about you?

Enjoy your Obon holiday and see you next week!

Sincerely,

Matthew

Good Morning,

To warm up today, we are going to talk about small talk!
Here are some dialogs we used to warm up with:

A: How was your weekend?
B: Great.
A: What did you do?
B: I went shopping in Ginza.
A: What did you buy?
B: I bought a new Issey Miyake coat.
A: What style is your new coat?
B: It's like a hotel bellman's jacket.
A: It sounds like your style . . . crazy.

A: How was your weekend?
B: I had a good time.
A: What did you do?
B: I went to my hometown.
A: What did you do in your hometown?
B: I went to see my mother?
A: How was your mother?
(Was your mother well?)
B: Yes, she was fine.
A: That's nice.
B: Thank you.

A: How was your weekend?
B: It was fun.
A: What did you do?
B: I went our local festival.
A: What kind of festival was it?
B: It was Kashiwa City festival.
A: What did you do?
B: I dressed up my daughter in yukata and took her to the festival.
A: Did you eat cotton candy?
B: No, I didn't, but my kids did.
A: Did you play "katanuki"?
B: No, we didn't, but we did the superball scoop.
A: Did scoop any superballs?
B: Yes, we got six superballs!

A: How was your weekend?
B: It was a very nice weekend.
A: What did you do?
B: I went shopping in Okachimachi.
A: What did you buy in Okachimachi?
B: I bought a TV.
A: What kind of TV did you buy?
B: I bought an LCD television.
A: What size is it?
B: It's a 32-inch.
A: That's great.
B: What brand did you buy?
A: I bought an Aquos.
B: Is it a Kameyama model?
A: Yes, it is.

A: How was your weekend?
B: It was good.
A: What did you do?
B: I went to the movies.
A: What did you see?
B: I saw Die Hard 4.
A: Really? How was it?
B: It was great! It was the best of the series.
A: Really? I'll have to go see it.
By the way, do you recommend any other movies?
B: I recommend Transformers. It's coming out on August 4th!
A: That's great. If I have time, I'll go this weekend.

Good Morning Class,

Last week we didn't write a blog post but we did have class.
We went over the Level 1 Achievement Test for those of you who were here.
Then we took a look at the new iKnow! website which I invited everyone to join.

Today we went over the Level 1 Achievement Test again and focused on a few corrections.
Using "in, on, and at" is sometimes difficult so here are a few examples to help you remember:

• I graduated from high school in 1993
• My birthday is in November
• The meeting is on August 3rd
• We are having dinner at the Oak Door at seven o'clock on Saturday

Next we took the Level 3 Achievement Test.

Good Morning Class,

Today we went over the Achievement Test for Level 2 of the Foundations Reading Library that we took last week.

It was interesting to see which questions most people got right and which questions most people got wrong. You all did very well on many of the questions.

At the end of class we took the Achievement Test for Level 1.
It should be easier than last weeks test.
Next we will take level 3 after everyone has finished reading the graded readers.

I brought in levels 4 and 5 today so for those of you who are ready, let's start reading those this week as homework.
Keep up the good work and see you next week!

Hello Class!

Today we did the following:

• Took the "Level 2: Achievement Test" for the Foundations Reading Library
  
• Looked at the Yomiyasui Level (YL) Chart for the Foundations Reading Library
• Talked about the Chart for all the books and the word totals
• Introduced the new "iKnow!" Website!

I have corrected all the tests and it was interesting to see which questions most people got right and which questions most people got wrong.
It was very interesting.
There was one question that almost everyone got wrong and there were questions that almost everyone got right.

Here are a few examples:

Part A:
1 I'm so _____. I have a test tomorrow (1/8)
2 I've got a ____ for the concert (6/8) 2 were spelling mistakes
3 I'm ____. Class starts at 8:00 and it's 8:20 now! (7/8)
4 I'm so ____. I don't have a sweater. (8/8)
5 It's too ____. (7/8)
6 I ____ my cat. (7/8)
7 ____ are very dangerous. (3/8)
8 Can you ____ of me? (0/8)
9 Oh, no it's raining. I'm ____. (3/8)
10 It's a nice day. I'm going to the ____. (4/8)
11 I can't open it but I can ____ it. (5/8)
12 I don't have much ____. (8/8)
13 I love listening to ____. (8/8)
14 Don't pull it, ____ it. (6/8)
15 We have a new ____. (6/8)

Part B.
I like that song. Let's play it again! (8/8)
People can talk, but animals can't (8/8)
Hot Rock are a great band. I listen to them. (8/8)
My father works in a shop. What about yours? (7/8)
Don't worry about me. Everything is okay. (8/8)
Dark Sun are playing in the park on Saturday. I'm so excited. (7/8)
This is too heavy. I can't carry it. (8/8)
I don't have any money. I can't buy it. (8/8)
Is that your new snowboard? Or is it the old one. (8/8)
Ji Sung is late. So Yoon Hee waits for him. (8/8)
I am sorry to hear your brother is sick. (5/8)
I'm playing soccer on Sunday. (7/8)
She can't run. Her leg's broken. (8/8)
I've got three sisters and two brothers. (7/8)
I don't want to buy anything. I'm just looking. (8/8)

Part C.
Do not play on the benches. (7/8)
Come and look at this. (8/8)
Do you want to go on this skatestage? (7/8)
Where is he now? (7/8)
I can buy it with my money (8/8)
Can I have this guitar please? (8/8)
I don't want Mom and Dad to see the broken guitar. (6/8)
His guitar is broken. He can't play music now. (6/8)
Mr. Jenkins works at the zoo. (8/8)
Don't give food to the animals. (8/8)
Give it to me now! (7/8)
Jenny goes goes over the fence to Mike. (8/8)
Don't worry, everybody likes your singing. (7/8)
Does anybody like Gemma's new clothes? (5/8)
We can fix it. Then it will be ours. (8/8)
The boat has no engine and we don't have any money. (6/8)
"What's that old thing?" she asks. (5/8)
Why are these things in the cave? (8/8)
I really like this cave. It's really exciting! (4/8)
Look at this old bed. It's great! (7/8)

Your homework, of course, is to...
Read, Read, Read!

Good Morning Class,

Today we are talking about movies.

We viewed the trailer for Spiderman 3.

Movie Genres:
suspense/thriller - Dressed to Kill (Brian DePalma)
action - Terminator, Speed
science fiction (Sci-Fi) - E.T., Star Wars, Alien (Ridley Scott), Aliens (James Cameron)
comedy - Mr. Bean, Home Alone
mystery - DaVinci Code, The Usual Suspects, Mystic River
fantasy - Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Legend
love story/romance - Love Story
romantic comedy - You've Got Mail
Musical - Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, Chorus Line, West Side Story, My Fair Lady
Drama - Dream Girls
Animation - Lion King, Beauty and the Beast


Spiderman 3 (2 of 8)
What did you think about it?
"It was interesting!"
Who was your favorite character?
The Sandman
What color is Spiderman's normal costume?
red and blue
Why is Spiderman wearing a black suit?

• He has a split personality
• The black costume is his real costume.
• Maybe he started out as a bad guy with the black suit, but later changed his mind. *
  

*Useful Phrase => "I changed my mind"

Die Hard (6 out of 8)
Did you like it?
"Yes, I liked it."
What kind of movie is it?
"It's an action movie."

Babel (3 out of 8)
What did you think?
"It was a little difficult, but interesting."
Who was in it?
Brad Pitt, Kate Blanchett, Rinko Kikuchi, and Yakusho Koji

The DaVinci Code (3 out of 8)
Did you like it?
"It was so-so, but interesting"
Did you read the book? (3 out of 8)
"Yes, I did."

Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (4 out of 8)
Pirates of the Carribean: Deadman's Chest (6 out of 8)
Pirates of the Carribean: World's End (2 out of 8)
Did you like it?
"Yes, we did."
What kind of movie is it?
Comedy and adventure
Who is your favorite character/actor in the movie?
Captain Jack Sparrow/Johny Depp

Homework:
Read, Read, Read!

*Don't forget to input the books you've read on the Extensive Reading Community!

Hello Class,

Today we talked about the Graded Readers that you read and summarized the stories.

Sarah's Surprise
The shop's owner's husband took some food and the part-time worker called the police.
It was a big misunderstanding.

Slam Dunk for Mark
Mark chose his grandmother over his friends and basketball.

Quiz Night
Ji Sung was very smart and honest.
His rival tried to cheat, but she couldn't get the answers to the questions.
Ji Sung lost to her, but he didn't give in to the temptation to cheat.

A Good Friend
Yoko and Eric are good friends, but at first Yoko's mother didn't like Eric because he had long hair and asked Yoko to go to the beach.
Yoko's mother thought that Yoko was too young to have a boyfriend.
One day, Yoko lied to her mother and sneaked out of the house to meet Eric at the beach.
He told Yoko that it was bad to sneak out of the house and told her to go home.
At that time, Yoko stepped on some broken glass and cut her foot.
He took her to the hospital and called her mother.
Her mother came to the hospital and Yoko told her the truth.
Her mother changed her mind about Eric and said that he was a good friend.

Homework:
1. Write example sentences for last week's blog
2. Read, Read, Read

Good Morning Class,

Today we talked about the Graded Readers we have been reading from the Thomson Foundation Library.

We looked at some of the phrasal verbs - verbs that are phrases - and created some example sentences.

We wrote example sentences for "get on" and "get off".
Can you write some sentences for "get in" and "get out"?
There are some ideas below to help you:

Get on -
the bus - I get on the bus at the bus stop on at the corner of 5th and Washington.
the train - I get on the train at Kashiwa Station.
a bicycle - Yesterday Mari got on her bicycle in front of the library.
a motorcycle - The terminator got on a motorcycle and rode away.
a horse - The cowboy got on his horse and rode into the sunset.
a ship - They got on the ship in Alcapulco, Mexico.

Get off -
the bus - Where do you get off the bus?
the train - He got the off train in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
a bicycle - He got off his bicycle and went into the store.
a motorcycle - He got off his motorcycle and went into the library.
a horse - She got off her horse and went into her house.
a ship - They got off the ship in Cancun, Mexico.

Get in -
a car
a taxi
a coach
a horse-drawn carriage
a canoe
a rowboat

Get out of -
a car
a taxi
a coach
a horse-drawn carriage
a canoe
a rowboat

Put on your clothes
Take off your clothes

Get dressed
Get undressed

Homework:
1. Write sample sentences for "get in" and "get out" and add them to a comment.
2. READ, READ, READ

Hello Class,

Here is an interesting advertisement from Berlitz.
It is from somewhere in Europe, but I thought you would enjoy it.

Do you understanding what it means?

Add some comments if you like.

Thanks and see you next week!

Hi Class,

Here are some small talk dialogs that we did in class today:

A: What are you going to do today?
B: I'm going to do some recruiting.
A: Oh, sounds busy.

A: What are you going to do today?
B: I'm going to attend a meeting and go to dinner with a client.
A: Who is the client?
B: It's a tin manufacturer and container company.
A: What kind of containers do they produce?
B: They produce shipping containers, metal drum containers, and stainless steel containers for chemical manufacturers.

A:What are you going to do today?
B: I'm going to prepare for tomorrow's meeting.
A: What kind of meeting are you preparing for?
B: We are meeting with a company (that we are collaborating with) to create educational programs for junior high school students.
A: That sounds interesting.

A: What are you going to do today?
B: I'm going to visit a client to develop a training program for company freshmen.
A: What kind of training?
B: A training for communication.
A: Sounds fun!

A: What are you going to do today?
B: I'm going to an educational training for market researchers.
A: Oh, sounds hard.

A: What are you going to do today?
B: I'm going to make a tenant list for all the buildings we purchased recently.
A: Oh, sounds fantastic.
B: Well, not so fantastic because we purchased buildings that aren't earthquake-proof and we have to kick out the tenants so we can tear down the buildings.
A: Oh, sounds very severe.

There are three points I'd like you to notice.
First the phrase of the day, "What are you going to do today?"
The answer should start with "I'm going to..."
Lastly, take a look at the different examples of "back channeling" or あいづち:

• Oh, sounds busy.
• Sounds fun!
• Oh, sounds hard.
• Oh, sounds very severe.
• That sounds interesting.

Remember that back channeling is used to keep a conversation going smoothly.
Try some of these English expressions in your next session of small talk.

Have a great week!

Dear Class,

Here are some more dialogs that my Saturday class studied:

A: What are you going to do today?
B: I'm going to go to another class.
A: What kind of class are you going to?
B: I'm going to a fabric dyeing class.
A: Wow, that sounds fun!


A: What are you going to do today?
B: I'm going to Umewaka Sports Gym.
A: What are you going to do there?
B: I'm going to a kendo lesson.
A: Oh, that sounds hard.

A: What are you going to do today?
B: I don't have any plans, but I might go for a walk around here.

Dear Class,

Today I brought some graded readers from the Thomson Foundations Library.
This series starts lower than most graded reader series.
It has 7 levels from low beginner to low intermediate.

I really recommend these stories because they are have interesting plots, colorful illustrations, and are all set in the same small town.
Let's try reading them together!

Talking about work:

Here are some dialogs we created in class today.

A: What do you have to do today?
B: I have to attend a meeting today.

A: What do you have to do today?
B: I have to write some reports today.
A: What kind of reports do you have to write?
B: I have to write some REIT reports.
A: What does REIT stand for?
B: REIT stands for Real Estate Investment Trust.

A: What do you have to do today?
B: I have to visit a client today.

A: What do you have to do today.
B: I have to check a report and reply to a client for an artist.

A: What do you have to do today?
B: I have to listen to recorded interviews and write a report.

A: What do you have to do today?
B: I have to prepare for a general shareholders' meeting.

A:What do you have to do today?
B: I have to attend some meetings, visit a client, and go to Osaka tonight.
A: Wow, what a hard schedule!

Small Talk Topic of the Day

The Weather

A: It's a beautiful day today, isn't it?
B: It is, isn't it!

A: It's really raining hard, isn't it?
B: It is, isn't it!

A: I guess it's supposed rain all day.
B: Yeah, I wish it would clear up soon.
A: Me too!

A: I wish the rain would stop soon.
B: Yeah, me too ... I forgot my umbrella!

A: What lovely weather we're having.
B: Yes, it's nice, isn't it.

Homework:

Read, read, read!

Dear Class,

In our last class we talked about another topic of small talk; the weekend.
Here are a couple dialogs we made in class:

A: How was your weekend?
B: It was good.
A: What did you do?
B: I watched Major League Baseball.
A: Who was playing?
B: It was the Mariners vs. the Yankees.
A: Who won?
B: I don't know . . . unfortunately, I fell asleep.

A: How was your weekend?
B: Same old, same old.
A: What did you do?
B: I slept.
A: Oh . . . sounds . . . interesting.

A: How was your weekend?
B: Great!
A: What did you do?
B: I took my son to the swimming pool.
A: Really? Did you swim too?
B: No, I sat next to the pool and counted laps for him.
A: How far did he swim?
B: A little over a kilometer.
A: Wow, he must be a good swimmer!

Small talk is generally unimportant conversation, but learning to make small talk is very important!
It's best to make small talk with same topics such as:

• the weather
• sports
• television
• movies
  
• the weekend
• family

Four topics that should be avoided are:

• sex
• religion
• politics
• money
  

Of course, these topics are discussed but usually only between close friends.

We also went over some of our goals for increasing your commprehensible input of English
through Extensive Reading and Listening.
I gave you some feedback on how to improve your goals by making them SMART Goals.

Homework:

Rewrite your goals to be SMART Goals.
Be sure to continue reading your graded readers!

See you next week!

Matthew

Hello Class,

I found an interesting little movie in Japanese that talks about the importance of creating an "English Brain".

Click here!

Getting exposure to lots and lots of English through Extensive Reading and Listening is very important for developing your English.

I hope you enjoy the explanation and learn something new from it!

Thanks and see you next Tuesday!

Matt

Dear Class,

I am back from vacation and am glad to see everyone in class.

Here is a dialog that we wrote together in class:

A: How was your Golden Week?

B: It was good.

A: What did you do?

B: I stayed at home and relaxed.

Here is another:

A: How was your Golden Week?

B: It was fun.

A: What did you do?

B: I went to my home town and saw a movie.

A: Which movie did you see?

B: I saw Babel.

A: How was it?

B: It was very interesting ... in a good way.

Next week I will bring a sample Business English textbook called Market Leader.
We are looking for a new topic for class.
One idea is to use a Business English textbook.
Do you have any other ideas?
Please leave a comment!

Homework:

Write a SMART goal for INPUT
Focus on Extensive Reading and Extensive Listening

Dear Class,

We went over some

Good Morning Everyone,

Today we reviewed the lesson from last week.
We talked about formal vs. informal language.

We also reviewed some expressions for time:

tomorrow =
the day after tomorrow

yesterday=
the day before yesterday

next week=
the week after next

last week=
the week before last

We then went over the Brand Statement organizer.

Homework:

Fill out the next two sections of the PBS organizer.

See you next Tuesday!

Matt

Good Morning Class,

In class today we worked on our Brand Statement Organizer, but first let's review a few vocabulary words we talked about last week.

We talked about the idea that we use some words in informal situations and some words in more formal situations.
Many words that are considered less formal come from the Anglo-Saxon heritage of English.
Words like "talk, walk, eat, and sleep" are all very natural words in English.
More formal words come from Latin and Greek.
The words on the left are used in less formal situations and the ones on the right are used in more formal situations:

need (v) => require
needs (n) => requirements

help (v) => assist
help (n) => assistance

ask about (v) => inquire
question (n) => inquiry

job => occupation

I'm here to ask about the job=>
I'm here to inquire about the position

In class we filled out the next section of the Brand Statement Organizer:

Brand Personality

honest, positive, and effective

candid, effective, and down-to-earth



Homework:

Answer these questions using your "Personality Scaling", "Passion", and "important to me & important to clients" worksheets

• What are the gaps between your current job/skills and what your clients want/needs
• Are there any opportunities or niches to fill?
• If so, list up a few of these opportunities
• Which of your top ten skills are most important to fill these gaps?
• Which of your personality traits or passions match these needs?

Good luck and see you next week!

Matthew

Hello Class,

We are nearing the end of our process to create our Personal Branding Statement (PBS).
I have uploaded the spreadsheet for you to fill in with the data we have been working on the past few months.

You can download the "Brand Statement Organizer" here.
(Click on the word "here" to follow the link!)

In class we worked on the first two parts together.
Next week in class, we will continue with the other parts.

Here are a few examples from the first two parts:

Field and/or Industry

Corporate education consulting and organizational Development focusing on organizational change management and career development

Corporate real estate leasing including, offices, apartments, and retail outlets

Target Audience

Top management of mid-sized companies who are dealing with specific challenges and realize that they need assistance

People who are looking for offices, apartments, or retail space

Homework:

Download the "Brand Statement Organizer" and fill in the first two spaces; Field and/or Industry & Target Audience.
Print it out, bring it to class, and we'll work on the other parts together.

See you soon,

Matthew

Good Morning Class,

This is the last real work session for creating our Personal Branding Statement.
You should have finished the following:

*List of what's important to you and your client
*One-on-one Focus group

We did a quick 15-question quiz to see how much we remembered from last lesson.
Try it for yourself and put your answers in a comment!

1. M
2. C
3. L
4. D
5. VII
6. IV
7. IX
8. XL
9. LXX
10. XIV
11. XXIX
12. CXXVII
13. CCCXXXIII
14. MM
15. MCMLXXIII
16. Try writing your birth year in roman numerals!

Now let's try a few shapes:
What do you call each of the following?

1. 3 sides
2. 6 sides
3. 5 sides
4. 4 sides, not a square
5. 8 sides
6. 10 sides

Homework:

Answer the following questions:

*What are the gaps between your current job and skills and your goal for your job or skill set
*Do these gaps allow for some sort of niche market?

Good Morning Class,

Here are a few more examples:

Important to only me
I want to feel as though I am growing through my work
To prioritize my tasks my self

Important only to my clients
Want to feel as though they have gotten above average cost-performance
Want to get more out of the training than they pay for
They want to squeeze every last thing they can get out of the training

Important to both

Want to see that the training positively influences sales/revenue for the company

Here are some additional English concepts that we learned:

Roman Numerals
Roman numerals can be seen on many clocks, in documents, and are even used for writing the year.

I = 1
II = 2
III = 3
IV = 4
V = 5
VI = 6

As you can see from the pattern, smaller numbers on the left are subtracted while ones on the right are added.

X = 10
L = 50
C = 100
D = 500
M =1000

For example XLII would be 42.
Ten is subtracted from fifty plus 2.

Try a few examples yourself and write your answers as a comment!

1. LXX
2. MCM
3. CDXLIV
4. MCMLXXIII (Hint: My year of birth)
5. XCIX

Shapes
Also we talked about shapes as well:

A shape with three sides is a triangle (tri = 3 thus 3 angles)
A shape with four sides is a square or a rectangle
*All sides of a square are equal lengths
*Opposite sides of a rectangle are equal lengths
A shape with 5 sides is a pentagon (The US Military building is called the Pentagon and has five sides!)
A shape with 6 sides is called a hexagon
A shape with 7 sides is called a heptagon
A shape with 8 sides is called an octogon (Octopus, eight legs!)
A shape with 9 sides is called a nonagon
A shape with 10 sides is called a decagon

Homework:

Finish up list:
1. Areas that are important to both you and your client
2. Areas that are important to you, but not to your client
3. Areas that are important to your client, but not to you

AND

One-on-One Focus Group #3*Talk to 2-5 people from your field (colleague, client, boss, superior)*Talk to them about what you've written about your industry and job*Is it correct?

Idiom of the day:

"Give them an inch and they'll take a mile"

See you soon!

Matthew