Author's posts

EL本棚紹介(96) The Borrowers, by Mary Norton

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.] _______ Almost everyone likes Studio Ghibli movies. If you do, you may be interested in The Borrowers, which is the basis for the movie The Secret World of Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ). This is a classic story and the beginning of a long series …

Continue reading

EL Game Theories (04): Are Video Games OK?

日本語バージョン [Welcome to the EL game series. These posts are all short introductions to games you can play in the EL. Because learning to play games in English can take a long time, some posts will explain how to play simple versions of games. Other posts tell you why you should use games to practice English. You can also use the tags to find other posts you might be interested in.]  _______  When I was a child, the term “educational video game” meant a “game” that was boring, poorly designed, and full of vocabulary or math questions. But when it comes to second-language learning, regular video games can be helpful…if …

Continue reading

EL本棚紹介(92) A Christmas Carol: The Graphic Novel, by Charles Dickens, adapted by Sean Michael Wilson

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.] _______ “Classical Comics” is a series of comic books made by the English textbook company, Heinle. The comics are adaptations of famous classic stories, and the English Lounge has a whole collection of them. Because these books are meant for English learners, …

Continue reading

EL本棚紹介(91) A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel, by Madeleine L’Engle and Hope Larson

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.] _______ This is another comic book based on a young-adult novel that has been turned into a movie (https://www.imdb.com/video/vi1357101081/?ref_=tt_vi_i_2). A Wrinkle in Time is a story about a young girl who goes on an adventure through space to find her missing father. …

Continue reading

EL本棚紹介(90) Holes, by Louis Sachar

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.] _______ Holes tells the story of Stanley Yelnats, who is sent as a punishment to Camp Green Lake. The camp is in the middle of a desert and all of the boys there are forced to dig holes every day. This work …

Continue reading

EL本棚紹介(89) The Giver: The Graphic Novel, by Lois Lowry and P. Craig Russel

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (

EL Game Series (07): “Apples to Apples”

[Welcome to the EL game series. These posts are all short introductions to games you can play in the EL. Because learning to play games in English can take a long time, some posts will explain how to play simple versions of games. Other posts tell you why you should use games to practice English. You can also use the tags to find other posts you might be interested in.] (ELゲーム連載へようこそ。このコラムはELで遊べるボードゲームやカードゲームを紹介します。本来のやり方通りにやってしまうと、遊ぶまでの時間が大変かかるかもしれないので、ある投稿では簡単な遊びの工夫が紹介されます。ほかの投稿ではなぜゲームで英語を勉強するのがよいかが説明されます。投稿のタグを使ってほかに興味ありそうなポストを見つけられます。) _______ “Apples to Apples” is a very popular and very simple party game. And usually, it’s a very funny game, too. The basics: There are two kinds of cards, red cards and green cards. Red cards have “things” written …

Continue reading

EL本棚紹介(88) The Secret Garden: A Graphic Novel, adapted by Mariah Marsden and Hanna Luechtefeld

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.] _______ A young girl whose family died of disease…a farm boy who can talk to animals…a sick boy who is not allowed to go outside…these characters form a friendship in The Secret Garden (Jp. himitsu no hanazono), a famous book that was …

Continue reading

EL Game Series (06): “Last Word”

[Welcome to the EL game series. These posts are all short introductions to games you can play in the EL. Because learning to play games in English can take a long time, some posts will explain how to play simple versions of games. Other posts tell you why you should use games to practice English. You can also use the tags to find other posts you might be interested in.] (ELゲーム連載へようこそ。このコラムはELで遊べるボードゲームやカードゲームを紹介します。本来のやり方通りにやってしまうと、遊ぶまでの時間が大変かかるかもしれないので、ある投稿では簡単な遊びの工夫が紹介されます。ほかの投稿ではなぜゲームで英語を勉強するのがよいかが説明されます。投稿のタグを使ってほかに興味ありそうなポストを見つけられます。) _______ “Last Word” is a game about quick thinking and vocabulary knowledge. However, you can easily change or adapt the rules to make a new game that is the right level of challenge. The basics: There are two kinds …

Continue reading

EL本棚紹介(87) The Ghost in the Shell, Volume 1, by Shirow Masamune

[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (