Tag Archives: chapter 4

2011 RinE, Research in English

Research in English II, session 1: September 23rd, 2011

1 Comment

This semester, students will write more in English than in the first semester.

Schleswig-Holstein

Homework:

  1. Read the first 7 paragraphs of chapter 4 (pages 46-49).
  2. Summarize each paragraph in English in 1~3 sentences. (Hint: usually the first 1 or 2 sentences in each paragraph summarize the paragraph.) Use your own words. Write in as simple English as possible.
  3. Email me your summary before next class.
  4. Print out your summary and bring it to the next class.
  5. Look up any names, places, people, etc., that are mentioned in the first 7 paragraphs that you don’t know (e.g. Schleswig-Holstein (and also on Wikipedia), Frisian, Beowulf, etc).  Bring the information (maps, pictures, printout, etc) to class and be prepared to explain them to the class.

Example summary of paragraph 1:

Original.

“In the country inns of a small corner of northern Germany, in the spur of land connecting Schleswig-Holstein to Denmark, you can sometimes hear people talking in what sounds eerily like a lost dialect of English.”

Summary.

  1. “In the country(side) of north Germany, you can hear people talking in what sounds like a dialect of English.”
  2. “In the country(side) of north Germany, there are some people who speak a dialect that sounds like English.”
  3. “In the country(side) of north Germany, there are people who speak a language that is very similar to/like English.”

 

Writing Strategies

Writing Strategies 1, session 4: May 20th, 2011

Marble sarcophagus with the myth of Endymion
Marble sarcophagus with the myth of Endymion. Photo by peterjr1961 on Flickr. Click image to visit

 

  1. Quiz on LWW chapters 3
  2. Check Study Guide answers for Vocabulary and 1-4 (on pages 15 + 16)
  3. Personal interviews

Homework:

  1. Study Guide questions for chapters 3 and 4, questions 5-10 (pages 16-17). (“For discussion” and “Optional Writing Project” are both options. You get extra points if you do them, but you don’t have to.)
  2. By next (Friday May 27th): are there any publications in Japanese like the Spark Notes for “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”? (see handout). If so, where can they be found and/or bought? What are the contents like? Are they useful?
  3. By next (Friday May 27th), find 10 customer reviews in Japanese about “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” (for example on Amazon Japan), and choose the best one (in your opinion).
    1. The reviews can be about the original English book or the  Japanese translation, it doesn’t matter. Reviews of this book are OK, too.
    2. The 10 customer reviews should include both positive and negative reviews.
    3. Print out the best one and bring it to class.
    4. Be prepared to explain to the class why you think it is a good review.
  4. By the Friday after next (June 3rd): read a Greek, or Roman myth and summarise it
    1. in English (200-300 words).
    2. And write a short paragraph about the similarities to the Japanese myth you wrote about. What are the common characteristics?
    3. Please think about the following questions:
      1. What is a myth? Is a myth the same as a folk-tale (昔話）? Are they different? How are they different?
      2. Is a myth different from a fairy-story, or is it the same? How are they different? How are they the same?
      3. What is the difference between a myth and an epic poem such as Heike Monogatari?
      4. What is the difference between a myth and a novel such as the Tale of Genji?
      5. What is the difference between a myth and a legend, such as The One Inch Boy?
announcement

Writing Strategies II, Session #5: October 29th, 2010

Castle in the Sky
Image via Wikipedia

Today in class:

  1. There is no class next week, November 5th. There will be a makeup class in December, either 4th or 18th (Saturdays). Please tell me when you are and are not available on those two days. Next class will be November 12th.
    Update: Saturday Dec. 18th, 2nd period (11-12:30) was the most popular time.
  2. Write the details of our textbook, using the MLA format.
  3. Study Guide, p. 15, question 9: what does it mean to be narrow-minded? Uncle Andrew believes there are no absolutes, that there is no absolute right and wrong. This goes against the Christian view. Christians believe that there are absolutes; in particular, there is an absolute right and wrong. Christians are not the only ones who believe this. When we say “case by case”, we are saying there are no absolutes. When we say, “it depends” 場合によって　we are saying there are no absolutes. What do you think?
  4. Textbook page 20: “The moment I picked up that box I could tell by the pricking in my fingers that I held some great secret in my hands.” See also these famous lines from Shakespeare’s “Macbeth“: “By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes.” [Macbeth Act 4, scene 1, 44–49].
  5. Study Guide pages 20-21. We answered questions 5-11, and translated the Bible passages in questions 12, 14.
  6. Study Guide pages 24-5: we checked the meaning of the sentences that use Cockney dialect.
  7. Some points that came up in today’s class:
    1. the Deplorable Word is similar to a word of destruction used by the children in Miyazaki Hayao‘s movie “Castle in the Sky”.

Homework:

  1. Read chapters 6-7.
  2. Study Guide page 45-7, Summary Questions.  Choose a topic for a presentation November 12th. Tell me your choice by email as soon as possible (deadline 締め切り Friday Nov. 5th, 23:59).
    1. Story Structure (questions 1-4, p. 45)
    2. Characterization (questions 5-7, p. 46)
    3. Theme – how we treat other people (question 8, p. 47)
    4. Theme – curiosity (question 9, p. 47)
    5. Theme – the Deplorable Word (question 10, p. 48)
  3. Study Guide page 25-6, questions 1-9.

Cultural background.

Here are some photos of things that appear in “The Magician’s Nephew“. Click on the photos to see a bigger image. (All photos courtesy of Flickr.)

  1. dungeons
    "dungeons"
  2. torture chambers
    Torture Chamber
  3. banqueting hall
    Banquet-Hall
Enhanced by Zemanta
2010 WS, Writing Strategies

Writing Strategies session #6: Friday, May 28th, 2010

The Christmas Robin...:O)
Image by law_keven via Flickr
  1. Returned last week’s homework. List of C.S. Lewis books in the DWC library – list ALL the books which are in English AND the books which are in Japanese in the library. If your homework has an X on it, please do the assignment again CORRECTLY.
  2. Chapter 4 and 5 discussion questions.
  3. Write a summary of chapter 5 (dictation).
  4. Mini-lecture: how do we know what we know?
    1. A key point in the story “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” is the matter of knowledge and belief.
    2. Some things we can know, some things we cannot really know, we must believe them (or not); we must either rely on and believe other people, or we mus rely on and believe our own heart or conscience.
    3. What can we know and what cannot we know? What can we know and what must we believe? How can we tell the difference?
    4. For example, is it raining now? We can know by looking out the window or opening the window. We do not need to believe. It would be stupid to believe when we can know for ourselves. We should not believe or rely on other people when we can confirm facts for ourselves.
    5. On the other hand, where are you now? In Japan? In Kyoto? How do you know? In fact, you do not know, you cannot know, you can only believe. This is Japan because everyone agrees that it is Japan. In such a case, we would waste a lot of time if we insisted on confirming for ourselves; we can save time by believing, by relying on other people.
    6. To know something for ourselves means to check, using our own 5 senses (seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling or tasting).
    7. Another way to know something instead of believing, is to use logic, as the Professor does.
    8. In chapter 6, Edmund asksPeter, “How do we know which side [the robin] is on?” It is an intelligent question. In this case, logic is not the answer. It is impossible to know, to confirm for oneself. The only thing to do is to trust one’s instinct or listen to one’s heart.

Homework:

  1. Read C.S. Lewis. “It All Began With a Picture”. Of Other Worlds. Ed. Walter Hooper. Orlando: Harvest, 1975. 42
  2. Answer the questions for chapter 6 and chapter 7.
  3. If you were absent on Friday and did not hand in your homework for last week, you must either email me your homework or give it to me next Friday. Next Friday is the last day I will accept it.
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
2010 WS, Writing Strategies

Writing Strategies session #5: Friday, May 21st, 2010

2 Comments
Illustration for the fairy tale "The Wolf...
Image via Wikipedia
  1. Returned quizzes on chapters 2 & 3.
  2. Returned homework from session #3. Comments:
    1. Read the instructions. The instructions were to write three paragraphs to answer the question, “What is a fairy tale?”
    2. Lucy Barfield is not Lewis’ daughter or granddaughter.
    3. Comparison. Which is the more useful comparison:
      1. Compare human beings with monkeys;
      2. compare human beings with rice-cakes.
    4. #1 is more useful. Why? Because human beings are similar to monkeys. Therefore, a comparison is useful: it can lead to new knowledge, new insights and understanding. Human beings and rice-cakes are too different. A comparison between them is unlikely to reveal new knowledge or insights.
  3. Reading and writing. Comprehension questions to chapter 4 and chapter 5.

Homework:

  1. Choose a book by C.S. Lewis in Japanese translation to read and write a report about by the end of this semester. Tell me the book you have chosen next Friday. If you are absent on Friday, please email me your chosen book title. You cannot change your choice after you have told me, unless I tell you to choose a different book.
  2. Research and write two paragraphs in English about the history of the fairy-tale.
  3. Write the information about the movie of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” using the MLA style (see your MLA textbook, page 9, #38).
  4. Read and make notes on chapter 6.
Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
2010 WS, Writing Strategies

Writing Strategies session #4: Friday, May 14th, 2010

3 Comments
  1. Discuss your homework answers with your neighbour.
  2. Hand in your homework.
  3. Chapter summaries. Your summaries are mostly too detailed. Give only the important information.
  4. Using the proper format, take in dictation sample summaries for chapters 1, 2 and 3.
  5. Chapter 4: read and translate. We read and translated up to page 39 (top paragraph).

Homework:

  1. For next week (May 21st): go to DWC library and list all the books – in both English and Japanese translations –  by C.S. Lewis. Divide your list into fiction and non-fiction titles.
  2. Borrow from the DWC library at least two books by C.S.Lewis in Japanese translation and begin reading them.
    1. You must read one book by C.S. Lewis in Japanese and write a report about it this semester.
    2. The book can be either fiction or non-fiction.
    3. Any title is OK except the two textbooks (“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” and “The Magician’s Nephew”).
    4. Choose your book by session #6, May 28th.
  3. Finish reading chapter 4 and write a short summary of it in English.
  4. Read and prepare chapter 5.
Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
2009 IW, Interactive Writing

Interactive Writing II Session #10: December 4th, 2009

  1. Assigned 1 paragraph of chapter 4 per student to translate into Japanese.
  2. Conferenced with each student to confirm outstanding assignments.
  3. When to do the make-up classes? I cancelled Nov. 6th class due to entrance exams at my home university. I will also cancel January 15th class in order to attend a conference. Official make-up days are Saturday Jan. 9th and 16th, however, many students said they were unavailable on those days. I asked all students to mark on their paper when and what days they would be available for a makeup class. Unfortunately, not all students can make any one day or time. However, most students are free on Tuesday 5th period. Therefore the first make-up class will be December 8th, Tuesday, 2009, 5th period (16:45-18:15).