Home: Spring
2022 Edutainment Lesson Plans
Spring 2022 Edutainment Lesson Plans
(Let's have fun learning English!)
Lessons on this page are optional and not part of your grade, but if
you take the time to do them, they will not only improve your overall
English communication skills, but will also broaden your cultural
horizons to help you become a more successful international citizen in
today's global society!  Bonus
points will be offered on some assignments.
***********
Thanks
for all your hard work this semester! I hope to have the pleasure of
meeting you in person one of these days. Best wishes to you always...
Cheers,
Gary
Week 13:
CNN10 Weekly Newsquiz - In my home state of Texas, a family decided to break the Guinness
World Record for the largest display of painted rocks. For bonus
points, watch this heartwarming video and write down the number of painted rocks they collected to break the world record. [Click on
the "CC" button for English subtitles. You can also click on the
settings (gear) icon to change the subtitle font size/color or to
change the playback speed.]
Let's Learn English, Lesson 13 -
Watch
the short video, try out a few of the other exercises on the page, and
then take the short listening quiz at the bottom to check your
comprehension.
English
in a Minute
- If you can imagine living in an English-speaking
country, think
of a situation where you could use this week's popular American idiom: A Mixed Bag
We
are the World! -
Several years ago a professor at Rikkyo University, while vacationing
in the U.S. state of California, noticed many very interesting license
plates from other various states. As a result, she put together a very
interesting lesson which subsequently ran in the English-language Daily
Yomiuri newspaper (now called The Japan News). For bonus points, please
challenge your knowledge of the 50 U.S. states.
If you click open the map below, for each state you will see a number
which is the order in which it entered the United States. For example, my own
home state of Texas was the 28th state to enter the United States.
Also, inside quotation marks, is written each state's nickname, for
example, Wisconsin (state #30) is also known as "The Badger State."
Finally, in the map you can also see each state's 2-letter postal
code, for example the postal code for Montana (state #41) is MT. So
what this means is, when you’re mailing a letter or package to the
state of Montana, you don’t have to write out the entire word, but you
can just write MT.
To challenge this exercise, click open the thumbnail map image below to
see a
much larger image and view the 16 questions. For bonus points, answer each question with
just the state's number. After writing down the answers at the bottom of your
homework form, then you can
click below to see the correct answers. Good luck!
License plate questions
(click here or on map above to open larger image)
[after the larger image opens up, click on it again to
open up an even LARGER image]
Click here
for the correct answers. Don't cheat!
Q1: 1
Q2: 5
Q3: 10
Q4: 21
Q5: 13
Q6: 32
Q7: 48
Q8: 4
Q9: 25
Q10: 31
Q11: 36
Q12: 33
Q13: 40
Q14: 20
Q15: 34
Q16: 44
Classic
American cartoons -
Casper the Friendly Ghost (出てこいキャスパー) is a very pleasant and kind
ghost, who is SO popular he has appeared in countless comic books, TV
series, and movies. In Japan, he has even been seen on Fuji TV, TV
Tokyo, and NHK, going all the way back to the 1960s. The theme song for
his TV shows was VERY catchy and memorable. You can hear the song here,
and even sing along with the English lyrics! And here
is a short funny clip from one of Casper's cartoons.
Casper the Friendly Ghost
(photo credit:
wikipedia.org)
Teacher humor - I’ve been a big bird
watcher ever since my Boy
Scout days when I earned the bird study merit
badge. One of my favorite Japanese birds is the beautiful onaga (オナガ),
known in English as an "azure-winged magpie." I just LOVE its azure
blue-colored wings and tail feathers.
Recently a friend of mine and I were watching a HUGE
flock of onagas
(at least 10 birds) feasting wildly on some berries. Rarely have I ever
seen birds eating so quickly and happily!
So not only were there a LOT
of onagas, but they were eating SO many
berries, my friend said "Wow,
their stomachs must be getting really FULL. So
I replied, "Yeah, I
think so. Onaga ippai!" 
Onaga (オナガ),
known in English as an "azure-winged magpie"
(photo credit:
azbirds.com)
Week 12:
CNN10 Weekly Newsquiz- The annual
Red Bull Rampage features some of the world's best mountain bike racers
in an awesome mountain course thousands of feet high. Watch the story in this video
and for bonus
points, write down the location of this exciting bicycle race. [Click on
the "CC" button for English subtitles. You can also click on the
settings (gear) icon to change the subtitle font size/color or to
change the playback speed.]
Let's Learn English, Lesson 12 -
Watch
the short video, try out a few of the other exercises on the page, and
then take the short listening quiz at the bottom to check your
comprehension.
English
in a Minute
- If you can imagine living in an English-speaking
country, think
of a situation where you could use this week's popular American idiom: Ahead of the Curve
We
are the World! - Watch
this video about a terrifying glass bridge in
Zhangjiajie National Forest in China's Hunan Province, and for bonus points write down its length and
height.
Classic
American cartoons -
Donald Duck (ドナルドダック) is a white duck cartoon character created by the
Disney Company. He typically wears a sailor shirt and cap with a bow
tie, and is known for his barely understandable speech and his funny,
slightly mischievous behavior. He has appeared in over 150 theatrical
films, more than any other Disney character and has earned a star on
the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His girlfriend's name is Daisy Duck. This
funny video shows him dancing with Daisy, and also
features his 3 nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie.
Daisy &
Donald Duck
(photo credit:
fanpop.com)
Teacher humor - THE TAN LINES OF THE NEXT GENERATION
The tan lines of the next generation
Two angels are talking in heaven. One says to the other, "The new
arrivals are having a tough time talking to others. They just hold
their hands out and twiddle their thumbs."
Week 11:
CNN10 Weekly Newsquiz-
Two amazing companies are harvesting energy from the tidal power of
oceans.... one in Scotland and another in New York City. For bonus points,
watch this video and write down the names of these 2
companies. [Click on
the "CC" button for English subtitles. You can also click on the
settings (gear) icon to change the subtitle font size/color or to
change the playback speed.]
Let's Learn English, Lesson 11 -
Watch
the short video, try out a few of the other exercises on the page, and
then take the short listening quiz at the bottom to check your
comprehension.
English
in a Minute
- If you can imagine living in an English-speaking
country, think
of a situation where you could use this week's popular American idiom: Child's Play
We
are the World! - Seven
years ago, the world
record basketball shot was made from the top of a dam. To expand your
global horizons, watch this amazing video
and for bonus
points, write down the dam's name and which country it's
located in!
Classic
American cartoons -
As a kiddo, I was also very fond of Bugs Bunny (バッグス・バニー), a funny gray
and white
rabbit who is famous for his trickster personality, always eating a
carrot, and his catch phrase
"Eh...What's up, doc?". Watch this 1-min. video
to hear him saying his
most famous phrase in numerous funny situations.
Bugs Bunny with the Warner Bros. logo
(photo credit:
wbanimation.wikia.com)
Bugs Bunny not only became one of the most recognizable cartoon
characters in the world, but also was once the official mascot of
Warner Bros. Entertainment and has his own star on the Hollywood Walk
of Fame. Click here to see a short episode of Bugs having a
little
trouble finding a drink of water!
Teacher humor -
As you may recall, when I first moved to Japan, I lived in an apartment
building with a bunch of other English teachers working for the same
English conversation school. One of the most exciting things about
being new in Japan was sampling the many different kinds of delicious
Japanese food… sushi, gyudon, curry rice, yakitori, tempura, soba, etc.
Well, one of my British teacher friends kept talking to me about this
delicious Japanese dish that's prepared on a grill like a pancake
and has many different ingredients like cabbage, green onions, meat,
octopus, squid, shrimp, veggies, etc.
My friend would always talk about not only how delicious it was, but
also how CHEAP
it was. So.... it was a delicious food but it didn’t cost a
lot of money.
Well, he was obviously talking about okonomiyaki (お好み焼き), but it wasn’t
until
several months after first living in Japan that I realized that he was
in fact saying "okonomiyaki" and not "economy-yaki," as I THOUGHT he
was saying. Ha ha ha! True story!
Even today, 30 years later, I sometimes reflect back and laugh about my
mistake to think okonomiyaki was called economy-yaki.
Week 10:
CNN10 Weekly Newsquiz-
If you care about the environment, I'm sure you will be touched as I
was by this story about the famous Red Bull cliff diver named Eleanor
Smart. For bonus
points, watch this video
and write down the name of the project she co-founded to clean up the
world's oceans. [no
need to click on
the "CC" button, as English subtitles are already provided] By the way,
if you'd ever have any interest in participating in clean up efforts
locally, Tokyo River Friends, a community volunteer group
formed by my American friend James Gibbs, holds regular
trash pickup events to help clean up the Arakawa and Edogawa Rivers.
Let's Learn English, Lesson 10 -
Watch
the short video, try out a few of the other exercises on the page, and
then take the short listening quiz at the bottom to check your
comprehension.
English
in a Minute
- If you can imagine living in an English-speaking
country, think
of a situation where you could use this week's popular American idiom: On the Fence
We
are the World! - Several
years ago I was introduced to this amazing TV commercial. Even today
it's still one of my favorite TV commercials... ever. Watch this
exciting video and for bonus points,
write down the name of
the product being advertised.
Classic
American cartoons - Felix the Cat (フィリックス・ザ・キャット)
is probably most popularly known in Japan for Felix Gum (フィリックスガム),
made by Marukawa Confectionery (丸川製菓) and often sold at dagashi sweet
shops (駄菓子屋).
Felix gum in Japan
(photo credit:
toy-chida.com)
As a youngster, I don't remember ever seeing Felix gum, but I used to
LOVE watching Felix the Cat as a funny cartoon
character originally created during the silent film era. As a cute
black cat with white eyes, a black body, and a giant grin, Felix is one
of the most recognized cartoon characters in film history. Here
is a short video clip showing the intro to one of his old shows. And I
sometimes still sing the very memorable Felix the Cat theme
song.
Felix the Cat
(photo
credit: tvtropes.org)
Teacher humor - Download the entire
internet onto your hard disk here.
[Warning: Be
sure to check your local Drive C to make sure you have enough storage
space!]
Week 9:
CNN10 Weekly Newsquiz-
This week's story is about an amazing rescue and rehabilitation center
in New Zealand for sick, starving, and injured animals. For
bonus
points, cue over to the 4:52 min. mark in this video to find out the name of this center. For
more bonus points,
write down the size of this center in acres. [Click on
the "CC" button for English subtitles. You can also click on the
settings (gear) icon to change the subtitle font size/color or to
change the playback speed.]
Let's Learn English, Lesson 9 -
Watch
the short video, try out a few of the other exercises on the page, and
then take the short listening quiz at the bottom to check your
comprehension.
English in a Minute
- If you can imagine living in an English-speaking
country, think
of a situation where you could use this week's popular American idiom: Burst Someone's Bubble
We are the World! -
Several
years ago a famous American actor living in Tokyo was in an Orix credit
card TV commercial (オリックス・クレジット・カード TVCM) with the beautiful Japanese
actress Ryoko Shinohara (篠原涼子). Watch this video and for bonus points,
write down the name of
this famous American actor.
Classic American cartoons
- Growing up as a kid, I always used to love watching Road Runner
(ロード・ランナー) cartoons. He's named after a real, very fast-running bird
that lives in the desert... which we can often see along highways in
west Texas. In each cartoon episode, the cunning, devious, and
constantly hungry Wile E. Coyote (ワイリー・コヨーテ) repeatedly attempts to
catch the Road Runner, but is successful only on extremely rare
occasions. Check out this funny video
where the coyote "thinks" he caught the Road Runner!
Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote
(photo
credit: apple.com)
Teacher humor - Last week I
mentioned a very funny Japanese friend of mine, almost like a comedian.
Well, one night he introduced me to his favorite Chinese restaurant. As
we were looking over the menu, our conversation went like this:
Gary: I think I’ll order the Peking Duck.
Friend: Good choice, but I recommend the Mābō-dōfu.
Gary: Thanks, but I’m in the mood for duck tonight.
After our dishes arrived, I thought my friend said: "Itadakimasu!"
But what he actually said was "Eat a duck if you must."
[Get
it? If not,
please say "Itadakimasu," then "Eat a duck if you must," over and over
again. It’s another old man’s gag joke (おやじギャグ), ha ha!]
Week 8:
CNN10 Weekly Newsquiz
- Last year New Zealand adventurer Rob McCallum traveled to the deepest
point of the deepest trench in the Pacific Ocean. For bonus points, at
the very beginning of this video, find out the 2-word title for this
location. For more bonus
points, what is the average length and width of this trench in
miles? [Click on
the "CC" button for English subtitles. You can also click on the
settings (gear) icon to change the subtitle font size/color or to
change the playback speed.]
Let's Learn English, Lesson 8 -
Watch
the short video, try out a few of the other exercises on the page, and
then take the short quiz to check your comprehension.
English in a Minute
- If you can imagine living in an English-speaking
country, think
of a situation where you could use this week's popular American idiom: Thorn in My Side
We are the World! -
Lars
Andersen from Denmark is the world's fastest and most famous archer. He
has set many speed shooting records, including even being able to shoot
3 arrows in only 1.5 seconds. This amazing video
has been viewed
nearly 60 million times! [click on
the "CC" button for English subtitles] Mr. Andersen is also a Danish
painter and writer.
Classic American cartoons
- One of my favorite cartoons growing up was Woody Woodpecker. He's
most famous for his very unique laugh (click here
to hear it). And this short video
clip announces a brand new YouTube series from a few years ago. [click on
the "CC" button for English subtitles]
Woody Woodpecker
(photo
credit: youtube.com)
Teacher humor - I once had a funny
Japanese friend who wore a mustache (口ひげ). Several years ago he gave me
a nice birthday present.
I told him, "Arigatou!"
(Because he's Japanese, I expected him to say "Dou itashimashite."
But being the funny guy he is, instead he replied, "Don’t touch my
mustache."
[Get
it? If not, please say "Dou itashimashite," then "Don’t touch my mustache," over and over again. It’s an
old man’s gag joke (おやじギャグ), ha
ha!]
Week 7:
CNN10 Weekly Newsquiz - For this
week's bonus points,
in this video
cue over to the 6:57 mark to find out how deep (in feet) a recently
discovered giant sinkhole in southern China is. Immmediately following this
sinkhole news in the "10 out of 10" story, for more bonus points
write down what kind of "treasure" swimmers recently found on an
Alabama beach. [Click on
the "CC" button for English subtitles. You can also click on the
settings (gear) icon to change the subtitle font size/color or to
change the playback speed.]
Let's Learn English, Lesson 7 -
Watch
the short video, try out a few of the other exercises on the page, and
then take the short quiz to check your comprehension.
English in a Minute
- If you can imagine living in an English-speaking
country, think
of a situation where you could use this week's popular American idiom: Big Fish in a Small Pond
We are the World! -
One of the most impressive performances of percussion instruments I've
ever seen is shown in this video.
It's called "Animusic HD - Pipe Dreams." I hope you enjoy it as much as
I have thru the years.
Classic American cartoons
-
The Jetsons was an American animated
TV series where the Jetsons family lived in a comical version of a
futuristic society, featuring flying cars, elaborate robotic
contraptions, aliens, holograms, and whimsical inventions. Watch this
short 2-min. video clip to see the opening and closing credits
and theme song from Season 1 of The Jetsons.
The Jetsons animated TV show
(photo
credit: alphacoders.com)
Teacher humor - A recent
conversation between Gary and one of his gaijin friends:
Gary: Say, do you like kimchi (キムチ)? You know, that spicy Korean dish
made from fermented, pickled cabbage with red chili paste?
His friend: Oh, yeah, definitely! I LOVE that stuff! Kimchi not only
tastes gr-r-reat, but it also gives you a nice warm feeling inside.
Gary: Yeah, I know. Kimuchi ga ii!
Week 6:
CNN10 Weekly Newsquiz - Watch the interesting news
story starting
at the 4:38 min. mark in this video about an IBM computer that defeated Russian
chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov in a historic match that took place 25
years ago. Write
down the name of
this computer for bonus points. Immmediately following this
story in the "10 out of 10" story, for more bonus points
write down how many years the 100-year-old Brazilian man has been
working at his company. [Click on
the "CC" button for English subtitles. You can also click on the
settings (gear) icon to change the subtitle font size/color or to
change the playback speed.]
Let's Learn English, Lesson 6 -
Watch
the short video, try out a few of the other exercises on the page, and
then take the short quiz to check your comprehension.
English in a Minute
- If you can imagine living in an English-speaking
country, think
of a situation where you could use this week's popular American idiom: Talk Out of Both Sides of Your Mouth
We are the World! -
Watch this 2.5-min. video
to see a VERY
interesting method of bass fishing in the U.S. southern state of
Alabama. WOW! [click on
the "CC" button for English subtitles]. Convert the weight of the fish
(in lbs) into kg for bonus points!
Classic American cartoons-
One
of my favorite TV shows as a kid was "The Flintstones," an animated
series that took place in a comical version of the Stone Age, featuring
the title family, the Flintstones, their next-door neighbors, the
Rubbles, dinosaurs, and other cavemen. The show was set in the Stone
Age town of Bedrock (pop. 2,500), and The Flintstones was so popular
that it was the most financially successful and longest-running network
animated television series for 3 decades. Wow! Here are a couple of
short videos showing the theme song and the opening/closing credits: Video
1 Video 2
The Flintstones animated TV show
(photo
credit: neatorama.com)
Teacher humor -
People from Australia are also known as Aussies. Many of them pronounce
words spelled with an ‘A’ with an ‘I’ sound, e.g. in words like day
(sounds like dye), pay (sounds like pie), mate (sounds like might), may
(sounds like my), fate (sounds like fight), raise (sounds like rise),
etc. And one of their most common everyday expressions is G’ Day,
meaning Good day (sounds like Good dye). Thru the years in Japan, I've
been lucky to have a number of wonderful Aussie friends. One day I had
this conversation with one of them:
Gary: What’s new?
Aussie friend: Recently I haven’t been feeling well, so I’m going to
the hospital today.
Gary: WHAT?! You’re gonna DIE?! OMG!
[Get it? To me, it sounded like he said, "I'm going to the hospital to die."]
Week 5:
CNN10 Weekly Newsquiz - Watch the news
story starting
at the 6:06 min. mark in this video to learn about an interesting new manicure
robot. For bonus
points, write down the nickname of the robot, and for more bonus points,
write down how much it costs for a manicure from this robot. [click on
the "CC" button for English subtitles]
Let's Learn English, Lesson 5 -
Watch
the short video, try out a few of the other exercises on the page, and
then take the short quiz to check your comprehension.
English in a Minute
- If you can imagine living in an English-speaking
country, think
of a situation where you could use this week's popular American idiom: Dollars to Donuts
We are the World! -
Many
students are very curious about my Japan mountain climbing adventures.
A few years ago I was invited to give a presentation to an English
speaking club in Chiba about the highest mountains in Japan. So I
prepared this
video as part of my talk: Fond Memories of My Favorite Japanese Peaks
[click on small square in lower right corner to view video full screen]
For bonus points,
write down the name of your favorite Japanese peak in
this video (in Romaji, of course!). For even more bonus points,
answer
the question asked at the very end of the video.
Classic American cartoons
- This week I’d like to introduce Smokey Bear, who for the past 78
years has been the official mascot of the forest fire prevention
campaign by the United States Forest Service, the longest-running
public service announcement (PSA) campaign in United States history.
Smokey has many tips on what you can do to keep forest fires from
starting. Click here to see one of those 30-second TV ads. [click on
the "CC" button for English subtitles] And remember, "Only YOU can prevent forest
fires!"
Smokey Bear
"Only YOU can prevent forest
fires!"
[A few years ago I
had the pleasure of actually visiting Smokey's historical park museum
in Capitan, New Mexico. You
can view the inside of Smokey's museum at the very beginning of my 2016
road trip vacation video.]
Teacher humor -
When I first moved to Japan, I lived in an apartment building near
Nogata Station on the Seibu Shinjuku Line that was owned by the English
conversation school (英会話) I worked for. All the other residents were
English teachers like myself working for the same school. Our school
was in Shibuya, and since most of our classes were there at the school,
we passed through Takadanobaba Station nearly every day. Well, one
evening a few of us teachers were hanging around, enjoying some adult
beverages, and one of the young teachers from Rhode Island, fresh out
of college, said “You know, every time we approach Takadanobaba
Station, I hear the train conductor say 'まもなく、 たかだのばば えき です.' (We will
soon arrive at Takadanobaba Station.) Now, I KNOW what he is actually
saying, but to me it sounds like he's saying 'Talking about my baby'."
Ha ha ha!
[Get it? If not, please say "Takadanobaba," then "Talking about my
baby," over and over again. It’s an old man’s gag joke (おやじギャグ), ha
ha!]
Week 4:
CNN10 Weekly Newsquiz - Watch the news
story starting
at the 6:19 min. mark in this video and write down the world's most commonly used
online password at
the bottom
of your homework form for bonus points. For
even more bonus
points,
cue over to the story starting at the 7:43 mark and write down the
height (in feet) of Amazon's new helix-shaped headquarters building in
Virginia. [Click on
the "CC" button for English subtitles. You can also click on the
settings (gear) icon to change the subtitle font size/color or to
change the playback speed.]
Let's Learn English, Lesson 4 -
Watch
the short video, try out a few of the other exercises on the page, and
then take the short quiz to check your comprehension.
English in a Minute
- If you can imagine living in an English-speaking
country, think
of a situation where you could use this week's popular American idiom: Earn Your Stripes
We are the World!-
Several
years ago a good friend in Scotland introduced me to Danny MacAskill, a
professional cyclist who gets paid BIG money to do tricks and stunts on
his mountain bike. You won't believe this amazing video
where Danny takes a dangerous, death-defying ride HIGH up in the
gorgeous, breathtaking mountains on the Isle of Skye in his native
Scotland. This video has been viewed over 77,000,000 times. WOW!
Classic American cartoons
- As a child, I had the good fortune of growing up in the "golden age
of American animation," when TV cartoons became increasingly popular,
providing loads of wonderful entertainment for young American children.
This week I’d like to continue sharing some of my favorite, most
beloved cartoons from my childhood days. You all already know how much
I love Tony the Tiger, but this week, for the benefit of
any of you who
do not know him yet, I’d like to introduce Popeye the Sailor. His most
famous trait is that whenever he eats spinach (ほうれん草), he gains
superhuman strength to beat up bad guys like Bluto who is always trying
to steal away Popeye's girlfriend, Olive Oyl. Here's a short video
clip to help you get to know Popeye.
In case you were wondering how popular Popeye is in Japan, I took this
photo last year at the entrance to the men's toilet in a Yokohama
cinema!
No joke.
Teacher humor -
Back in July
2000, the G-8 economic summit was held down in Okinawa. The Japanese
Prime Minister at the time, Yoshirō Mori, was worried about his poor
English when introducing himself to President Bill Clinton.
So he was given a quick English lesson from one of his assistants. The
staff member told Mori that when he shook hands with President Clinton,
he should say "How are you?" Then President Clinton will say "I am
fine, and you?" And then Mori should say "Me too."
Very easy…. Mori only had to say 2 expressions, like this:
**************
Mori: How are you?
Clinton: I am fine, and you?
Mori: Me too.
**************
Well, the big day finally came, but there was just one problem.
When Mori met Clinton, he didn't say "How are
you?" as he was instructed, but mistakenly said "Who Are
You?"
Mr. Clinton chuckled, 'cause he thought it was a joke, so he said:
"Well, I am Hillary's husband, ha ha."
Then Mori replied confidently (as he was instructed) "Me too, ha
ha."
Week 3:
CNN10 Weekly Newsquiz - Watch the news story starting
at the 8:48 min. mark in this video
and listen carefully for the name of the
device MIT researchers built in trying to evenly divide an Oreo cookie.
Write
your answer at the bottom
of your homework form for bonus points. [Click on
the "CC" button for English subtitles. You can also click on the
settings (gear) icon to change the subtitle font size/color or to
change the playback speed.]
Let's Learn English, Lesson 3 -
Watch
the short video, try out a few of the other exercises on the page, and
then take the short quiz to check your comprehension.
English in a Minute
- If you can imagine living in an English-speaking
country, think
of a situation where you could use this week's popular American idiom: Still Waters Run Deep
We are the World!
- Ever heard of free soloing? It's a very exciting (dangerous) kind of
rock climbing without ropes, nets, or any safety equipment. Meet Alex
Honnold, one of the world's best free solo rock climbers. Wow, check
out this scary video of him scaling Half Dome, in California's
Yosemite National Park. For bonus points,
write down how many hours it took Alex to climb Half Dome. [click on
the "CC" button for English subtitles].
Teacher humor - I
once knew a Japanese dentist here in Tokyo who asked me one day if I knew there were NO dentists in Hawaii,
America's 50th state.
I said, "No, surely you must be joking. Are you sure?"
He said, "Yes, it's true. Do you know WHY?"
I said, "No, please tell me."
So he then said, "There are no dentists in Hawaii because in Hawaii,
Ha
(は)… wa (は)… ii (いい)…" (pointing to his teeth)
Week 2:
CNN10 Weekly Newsquiz - Watch the news story starting
at the 8:46 min. mark in this video and for bonus points,
write down the name of the famous pop star whose childhood home
recently went up for sale in Pennsylvania for $1,000,000. For extra bonus points,
write down the home's size in square feet. Write your answer(s) at the
bottom
of your homework form. [Click on
the "CC" button for English subtitles. You can also click on the
settings (gear) icon to change the subtitle font size/color or to
change the playback speed.]
Let's Learn English, Lesson 2 -
Watch
the short video, try out a few of the other exercises on the page, and
then take the short quiz to check your comprehension.
English in a Minute
- If you can imagine living in an English-speaking
country, think
of a situation where you could use this week's popular American idiom,
after watching this 60-second video lesson: Strike at the Heart of Something
We are the World! -
If you've never heard of freestyle soccer, don't feel bad. Neither had
I before one of my English students several years ago brought his
soccer ball to class one day and asked if he could demo his freestyle
soccer skills. Wow, check out this video: Freestyle soccer demo by Kazuya
Teacher humor -
OK, I KNOW this is an English class, but this week you get to challenge your
knowledge of Japanese kanji characters. So can you guess the name of
your teacher's original kanji character below?
If you need a hint, click here: Hint 1
Count the number of trees.
If you need a 2nd hint, click here: Hint 2
It's the name of a popular place
in Tokyo.
Finally... The Answer!
ROPPONGI
Week 1:
CNN10 Weekly Newsquiz - Formerly
called "CNN Student News," this short commerical-free broadcast
highlights news stories of interest to American students. Watch the
news story beginning at the 8:49 mark in this video
and for bonus
points name the new record total length (in feet) of the world's
longest wooden roller coaster. [click on
the "CC" button for English subtitles]
Let's Learn English, Lesson 1 -
an online lesson with video showing the lives of young Americans. Watch
the short video, try out a few of the other exercises on the page, and
then take the short quiz to check your comprehension. [Intermediate
learners may find the first few lessons a little easy, but with
language learning, sometimes a quick review of the English expressions
you already know is
vital for long-term retention of your language skills!]
English in a Minute
- a short video explaining a popular idiom used in everyday American
English conversation. If you can imagine living in an English-speaking
country, think
of a situation where you could use this week's American idiom: Walk Something Back
We are the World! -
pictures or videos of interesting things happening in Japan and other
parts of the world. For the first week, check out the teacher's
favorite English word, gr-r-reat,
spoken by his favorite cartoon character, Tony
the Tiger [<---on
this page, don't miss the last 2 TV commercials
in the video which are in Japanese (日本語で)]. Students who often use this
word in this semester's
course work will receive bonus points!
トニー・ザ・タイガー
Homework Assignments:
In general, you
will have one week to turn in
homework assignments from the day they are assigned. Homework
assignments more than one week late will not be accepted and
will receive a ZERO on the assignment.
My main teaching philosophy:
Edutainment!!
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