Jan 22

EL Competition 2023 – Winning Post: The Greatness of the Favorite Player, by Sasaki Shino

Do you know American football? Even if you know about it, there are many people who have never seen it. I love watching American football games because of my parents’ influence. I support the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars’ QB is Trevor Lawrence, who is my favorite player on the team. He is a young player who joined the club with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft, but he is also very calm and charismatic during the game. It was in 2022 that I started watching while understanding the rules of American football. To understand the rules, I had to be able to understand the English play-by-play, so it took me a long time. At first, I tried to understand English and the rules with the help of my parents, but as I watched the games and interviews with the players, I realized that I wanted to understand English on my own. So, I listened to interviews with my favorite player, Trevor Lawrence, over and over again, and started imitating him. I still cannot understand what he is saying right away, but I want to listen to him repeatedly in the future and acquire enough English skills to be able to communicate with him someday. If you have a favorite player in an English-speaking country, you will be motivated to learn English! Not only athletes, but also singers and models will be motivated! Please try to spread your preferences to the world!

Jan 22

EL Competition 2024 – Encouragement-prize post: A New Discovery When Reading, by Saito Hirokazu

When you hear the word ‘reading,’ readers who study English may imagine reading for study. This is, however, only partly correct; you can enjoy reading for fun.    I am a huge fan of Studio Ghibli movies. One day, when I was watching “When Marnie Was There,” which is one of my favorite movies, I came to want to read the original book of that movie in English. Therefore, I soon bought it online and began to read it little by little. I enjoyed the detail: the beautiful scenery of rural nature, the description of the main character, Anna’s changing of her delicate feelings… all differences from the adaptation. I don’t think I read it completely accurately, but I am glad to have the fun of understanding the story and I like this novel very much.    Actually, I had a new discovery when I was reading. Here is a sentence from the novel: “‘No, of course she don’t!’ said Mrs Pegg.” (p. 16). If you have been taught grammar at school, you may wonder why ‘don’t’ is used in that sentence, instead of ‘doesn’t’. However, it is not a mistake. Although the expression is not the standard English, you can see expressions like this used in novels. This is very interesting because what we learned as being ungrammatical is used in books written in English!     My experiences with the book are not for study, but for fun. You don’t have to worry about figuring something out completely, handing in some homework, or passing an examination. By reading books in English, you will always find something new, even things which you have never studied at school. Give it a try! 

〈Reference〉 ・J. G. Robinson When Marnie Was There 2016, Kodansha English Library

Dec 15

EL Game Series (05): “Sushi Go!”

[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。）

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Sushi Go! is a super simple card game that is fun and easy to learn. Each round just takes a few minutes, and you can add new players at the beginning of a new round. The art is very cute, too.

The basics:

The only thing you do in this game is “drafting.” Everyone starts with a pile of cards. They choose one card to put in front of them. Then they pass their pile to the next person in the circle. Everyone keeps taking one card and passing to the next person until all the cards are on the table. Add up your card points to see who wins the round.

Each kind of food (card) has different rules. The person with the most maki-zushi gets 6 points, the second most gets 3, everyone else gets 0. 2 tempura cards are worth 5 points, but 1 is worth 0. Nigiri-zushi are worth extra points with a wasabi card, etc. etc.

For English Learners:

  • This game is very simple and does not require much talking. Try to keep everyone talking during the game.
  • After you learn how to play, try having a regular conversation while playing. This is not a difficult game with deep strategy, so don’t concentrate too hard.
  • Try “self-narrating,” especially when you score. I will explain “self-narration” in more detail in another post. Basically, say what you are doing out loud: “I will take this card.” “Here, you can take these cards.” “I got two nigiri-zushi and one pudding,” etc.

Final Thoughts: Everybody likes Sushi Go! Having a simple game like this can help break the ice and include new people into your group.

Dec 15

EL本棚紹介(86) Kiki’s Delivery Service, by Eiko Kadono

[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.]

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Like the My Neighbor Totoro and Castle in the Sky comic books I introduced before, Kiki’s Delivery Service is a great way to “learn what you already know.” In other words, it is much easier to read a book you already know about (the story, the characters, etc.) than something that is completely new. Since you probably have seen the Ghibli movie, the book it is based on should be an easy read.

On the other hand, in my opinion, this book is much better than the Ghibli comic books. The comics have very little English, and follow the movie exactly. This book has very few pictures and is actually different from the movie in many ways. The writing is clear and easy to understand, and each chapter is broken into smaller sections. Having lots of little breaks (区切り) gives you easy goals for how much to read at a time. In addition, the book is made up of lots of short (often funny) stories, so you can choose whatever chapter looks interesting and start reading from there.

My two cents: This book was a delight to read. I got a very different image of Kiki and her world than from watching the movie.

Dec 15

EL本棚紹介(85) Extensive Reading (多読) Series Global Issues Narratives

[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.]

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Global Issues Narratives is a really interesting idea. These books have three main features. First, they are stories about young people around the world. Second, the stories are about important social problems, like those connected to SDGs. Finally, they are written as “braid stories.” That means that each book has three stories about three characters, and that each character appears in the other stories. It may sound confusing, but it is really easy to understand.

One of the books, Identity, is all about Maori people in New Zealand. However, it is not about Maori tribes living in traditional ways. Instead, it is about Maori people living with the rest of New Zealand society. Sometimes they experience racism. Sometimes they are embarrassed by their history. But throughout the story, different characters with different pasts start learning good things about Maori culture, and it helps them come together as a community.

Trafficked is a story about human trafficking—in other words, when people are taken away from home and sold as slaves. Mine is about children forced to work in dangerous conditions digging up precious minerals.

My two cents: I like this series of books because it is not just fun stories, but stories that can teach you about important contemporary issues.

Dec 05

EL Game Series (04): “Pictionary”

[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。）

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Pictionary is a classic game that everyone I knew in the US played when they were growing up. You might have played it in English class already. It is very easy to learn and good to play with teams.

The basics:

Two people from each team get a secret word. The word can be an object, person/place/animal, action, difficult word, or popular culture. Then they draw the word as quickly as possible while their team guesses what it is. Some words, like “spider,” are very easy, while some, like “push-up” (腕立て) can be difficult. The faster team gets the point.

For English Learners:

  • You can play this game just as described above. The box comes with extra rules about scoring and choosing words. However, I suggest ignoring them and just choosing words yourselves.
  • Be careful to choose words your team will know. If you choose a difficult word, maybe no one can guess it.
  • Use a timer on your smartphone. If no one guesses the word in 1 minute, choose a new word. Otherwise people may become frustrated.
  • Use the whiteboard table or large whiteboards in the EL instead of the little boards in the box. Bigger drawings are easier to see!

Final Thoughts: There is no reason you shouldn’t try this game. It is an easy, fun way to use some English vocabulary while making friends.

Dec 05

EL本棚紹介(84) Extensive Reading (多読) Series from I Talk You Talk Press

[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.]

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I Talk You Talk Press is a small company that makes books for Extensive Reading (多読). Their books are not classic literature or non-fiction. Instead, they are mostly new stories about young people, mostly in Japan. Here are a few of the books in the English Lounge:

Women’s Konkatsu Tales – These are eight short stories about women dating and trying to get married in Japan. They are true stories, so you can understand them and relate to the women’s feelings.

A Homestay in Auckland – This is a story about a Japanese student studying in New Zealand. It has a lot of good vocabulary and phrases for studying abroad.

Haruna’s Story, Part 1 – This is a story about a young woman studying for the TOEIC so she can work in America. It is fiction, but I think it is easy to understand how Haruna feels.

My two cents: Reading easy stories about Japan and young people’s culture is good for Extensive Reading. If you read about a foreign culture or fantasy story, it can be more difficult to follow.

Nov 17

EL Game Theories (03): About “self-narration”

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.]

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In previous posts, I have mentioned the use of “self-narration” several times. Self-narration is a technique that native speakers also use when playing games in their own language, so it is a good habit to have when playing games. On the other hand, it is also a very helpful way to practice English speaking.

Self-narration simply means “saying what you are doing.” In a game, if you decide to take two cards, say “I will take two cards.” If you roll a five on a die, say “I rolled a five.” If you want to move your piece, say “I will go here.”

There are two reasons why I like self-narration so much. (1) It helps you practice natural repetition. Drilling sentences in class, repeating after the teacher, or reading from a textbook can be boring and “unnatural.” Because you will repeat the same actions in most games, you will naturally repeat the same (or similar) phrases with self-narration. (2) Joining free conversation can be difficult because there are no “turns” and you might not know what to say. In games, everyone gets a turn to act and speak. If you are self-narrating, you don’t have to worry about thinking of something interesting to say.

Final thought: In an RPG or storytelling game, the entire game happens through self-narration (“I open the door” “I look for clues” “I run away from the dragon”). If you are interested in those games but they seem difficult, try doing self-narration with a different type of game.

Nov 17

EL Game Series (03): “Pictionary Card Game”

[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。）

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Pictionary is a classic game that you probably have played before. Someone draws a picture and their team tries to guess what it is. This is the same game, except instead of drawing you have lots of picture cards to use.

The basics:

There are two kinds of cards in the box: shapes and words. There are two sets of the same shapes for two teams. There are no instructions in the box anymore…so use my ideas, below.

For English Learners:

  • Play with teams for points, or just go around in a circle guessing words.
  • One person uses the shape cards make a picture of a word. Their team guesses the word. For example, if the word is “house,” I would put a triangle on top of a square.
  • If you play with teams, divide the shape cards into red and blue piles. One person from each team looks at a word card and chooses the same word to act out. Then, they use the shape cards to make a picture of the word. The first team to guess the correct word gets a point.
  • If you play without teams, one person can use all of the cards to make the word.
  • Try moving the cards. For example, if the word is “spider,” I could take the sun card and move it like an insect.
  • Try using your body. For example, if the word is “tear,” I would take the water drop card and put it under my eye.
  • Difficult version: you can only use cards once each game. So, if you use the square card for the first word, you cannot use it again for the rest of the game.

Final Thoughts: This is a really good game to be creative with. Also, you can choose easy words, so anyone can join in.

Nov 17

EL本棚紹介(83) Motel of the Mysteries, by David Macaulay

[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.]

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This is a weird, weird picture book. The story takes place in the distant future, after North America is destroyed by an overflow of junk mail. Everything about American culture and history has been forgotten…until the archaeologist Howard Carson discovers a buried motel. The book tells the story of everything he finds in the motel, and what he (mistakenly) thinks it means. For example, he assumes that the television is an altar to the gods, like a butsudan.

This book contains some difficult language and a little bit of wordplay (dajare). However, each page can be read by itself almost like a short story. The pictures are appealing, and help you understand what Carson is describing. This is a good book for close reading: instead of reading the entire book, you can choose one page and treat each joke like a puzzle. What is the thing in the picture? What does Carson mistake it for? Do you think it’s funny?

My two cents: Because some of the language and jokes are difficult, I recommend just reading a page or two at a time. Pages 22-25 are a good introduction to the story, and “The Treasures” (starting page 51) are each good, very short, paragraphs that should be easy to understand jokes.