January 25th 2008

Today’s lesson plan.
(1) Look at this photo and answer the questions
1. Where was this photo taken?
It was taken at Firdos Square in central Baghdad.

2. When was it taken?
It was taken in the evening on Wednesday, April 9, 2003.

3. What does the caption say under the photo?
It says Iraqi people shouted happily as they were watching the Saddam’s statue was torn down.

4. Translate the caption into Japanese.
サダム・フセインの像が倒されるのを見て歓声をあげる人々

5. “Crowds cheer” = how many people, do you think?
I think thousands of people gathered there, possibly tens of thousands of people.


(2) Now look at this photo taken at the same place and same time, and answer the questions.
1. How many people were in the square, do you think?
It’s surprising!! It seems only a few dozens of people were there.

2. Do you think “crowds cheer” is accurate?
I don’t think so now. When I hear an expression, “crowds”, I would imagine at least hundreds of people. I can see much smaller number of people in this photo.

3. What do you think of the first picture now?
It’s an exaggeration. It seems the first picture was taken on purpose.

4. Why did CNN use the first picture, do you think?
I suppose CNN intended to justify the U.S. military invention into Iraq by exaggerating Iraqi people’s cheering with the statue’s falling.

5. What do you think after seeing these two photos?
We tend to think any major news source is true. Also we sometimes don’t believe ordinary individuals’ information. I think it’s dangerous. We need to be critical of things, in other words we have foster media literacy in ourselves.

(3) Is it important to know the truth, or is it ok for newspaper to lie sometimes?
Give reasons for your answer. In the editorial or column sections, there can write any opinions. However, they need to be balanced when they report a certain fact.

(4) How can you check if some item of news is true or not? (Give at least two different ways).
We can check out if some item of news if true or not by reading several different newspapers and compare them, or by searching the item on the net and see the information by various sources.

(5) Read your classmates’ answers to these questions (read at least 3 other blogs)

yasu writes "the first photo is accurate, too.", also "depend on photo's enlargement or reduction, we have a variety of opinions." Yes, the first photo is true, too. It's just a part of the whole frame. Thank you for noticing me about it!

While NANCY writes "crowds cheer is not accurate." Yes, I think "crowds cheer" is not accurate, too. Because we can see how small the crowds was by looking at the second photo!

And Kanna writes "“crowds cheer” is exaggerated." It's the same perspective of mine!

(6) What do you think now, after reading your classmates’ blogs? Write your thoughts on your blog.

I knew we could have various opinions by looking at the same material. Some people think the same as mine and other people don't. It's natural but very interesting. I can learn many things by reading different perspectives from mine.

(7) Go to Masa’s blog and read his latest news. Next class is Tuesday, January 29th. We will be in room 516, not in this multi-media room.

I've been following his entries, especially his trip to New York City. Because it's the city of my unforgettable memories, too! I restarted to learn English after my school days when I was 39 years old in 2001. When I started, I was at a completely beginner level. It was really tough for me to communicate with English native speakers at that time. But I've never thought of stopping to communicate them. Through various experiences, I believe I've been able to improve my English. New York is one of the memorable places that influenced me a lot. As I see wonderful students in our class as well as Masa, I can't help but cheer everyone! Everybody has a bright future for the rest of their lives!!

January 18th, 2008

1. How many Muslims live in Britain? (Go here for the answer).
According to this link (Wikipedia), 1,591,000 Muslims live in Britain.

2. How many Hindus live in Britain? (Go here for the answer).
According to this link (Wiki answers), 500, 000 Hindus live in Britain (estimated in 2000).

3. Check my answers! Find the answers on some other website (tell us the website and link).

As for the Muslims, I found here:
Demographocs / Charts Census 2001 Data (Sala@m)
This says the total population of Muslims is 1.6 million (Census 2001 Data).
Also on the following Census 2001 website:
Religious Populations Christianity is main religion in Britain
1,588,890 Muslims live in Britain.

As for the Hindus, in this BBC article:
UK Hindus appeal for recognition
500,000 Hindus are the country’s third largest religious group, after Christians and Muslims.

On the entry here:
Hinduism in the United Kingdom(Wiki)
It tells the total population of Hindus in Britain is 558,342 (in the 2001 UK Census), also, The Hindu Forum of Britain has extrapolated this in 2006 to a figure of 750,000 Hindus based on the levels of immigration since 2001.

4. Check out Masa’s blog. Leave a comment (it will make him happy!) or ask a question (he will surely answer you in his next blog entry).

I left my comment on his newest entry.

*********
Today, we will be using Student Times and Catch A Wave magazines for reading about news in English.

Summary:
I chose an article “Asada Mao Wins Second Straight Title at National Championships” from Catch a Wave. It is about the Women’s event of the Japan Figure Skating Championships, Dec.26 to 28 at Namihaya Dome in Osaka, where 17-year-old Asaka Mao won the title for the second time. Ando Miki finished in second place and Nakano Yukari came in third place. The three will compete in the World Figure Skating Championships which will be held in Gothenburg, Sweden, in March.

My impression:
I watched this event from start to finish and was so impressed that all competitors performed brilliantly. As for the women's part, my favorite skator is Nakano Yukari. So I was delighted she could finish in third place and got the ticket to the World Competition!! She is a great athlete who spares no effort to improve her skating technique. I'm very glad that her efforts was rewarded. As for my husband, his favorite is Takeda Nana. He likes Nana's smile very much. I love her smile, too! There is one thing I feel really sorry that a male skater, Oda Nobunari couldn't make his appearance in this event. I hope he will come back soon and show us his great performance!!

January 11th, 2008

(I took these photos at Awaji service area on New Year Day!!)

1. Tell us about your New Year. Add a picture.

I saw the New Year sunrise at Awaji Service-area in Awaji Island. I went there with my husband, Takao, my friend, and his girlfriend. It was very special because the couple is going to get married this fall. He is our longtime friend and the same age as mine, 45 years old. He’d been waiting for a long time to meet the right partner and found her last year on the net! When they asked us to see the first sunrise with them, we felt very honored and grateful. The sun rose so beautifully among the mysterious clouds in a cold air. It became the most memorable New Year in our lives!

2. Now go to the Project Britain website and answer these questions about New Year in Britain:
1. Hogmanay is the name for New Year in which country?
Scotland.

2. In which city is the New Year’s Day parade held? Can you find a photo of this year’s parade?
London.

3. Whose birthday is on January 3rd, and what famous book did he write?
JRR Tolkien, author of Lord of the Rings.

4. Whose birthday is on January 5th? Why is this person’s birthday in a British calendar?
It’s the birthday of the tenth and final Sikh prophet-teacher in 1666 C.E. Guru Gobind Singh.
introduced many of the customs that Sikhs practice today including the 5 K’s.
The British calendar needs to be balanced religiously because a lot of immigrants live in the U.K.
So there must be a lot of Sikhs in the UK.

5. Whose birthday is today (January 8th)? What is he famous for?
Elvis Presley’s birthday. He became famous for singing with both black and white spirits.

6. What is Al Hijra and why is it on a British calendar?
Al Hijra is the Islamic New Year begins on the day Prophet Muhammad left Mecca to travel to Medina in 622 CE. It is the first day of the month of Muharram.
A lot of Muslims live in the UK, so Al Hijra needs to be on a British calendar.

7. Who reached the South Pole in 1912 on January 17th?
Robert Scott and his party.

8. Whose birthday is on January 18th? What famous book did he write?
AA Milne, author of “Winnie-the-Pooh”.

9. Who died on January 24th, 1965? What is he famous for (write ONE thing).
Sir Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the UK 1940-1945 and 1951-1955, died on this day. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 for his own historical writings.

10. What do you think about this calendar?
It provides us a wide variety of information.


3. Find an interesting news article and blog it. (Here are some news articles I found recently.)
"They're Palying My Song. Time to Work Out."
It tells about music that motivates you during exercise.
I think music is not only for listening to, but also for living with. Do you have any favorite music that suites every scene in your daily life? Music for waking up, breakfast, walking to the school, lunchtime, chatting with friends, dinner, or studying.....

When I stayed in NZ for 3 months in 2002, I listened to Hillsong's music on the way to school. Their gospel songs motivated and encouraged me a lot!!


4. Visit some of your classmates’ blogs and either leave a comment, or write a comment on your blog.

I left my comment on JessiCao's blog about her hometown!