Class Photo

Thanks everyone! Have a great summer! Please take one of my classes next year if you like.

Lesson 28 – Final Presentations

Final Presentations
You all did an excellent job with your group presentations. I could see real improvement over the semester. I enjoyed teaching you very much. Please keep in touch.



Feedback Survey
As your final task, please fill in the form below. It will not affect your grade, so please be honest.

Feedback for English Communication 2

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Lesson 24 – What Employers Really Want (Criteria)

After some preparation, you discussed with your group about what employers really want and made 5 questions about your criteria. In the next lesson, you will discuss criteria from the employee point of view.

We also looked at the structure for your presentations. Your presentations should have:

• A good introduction with a good overview of your main points
• 3-4 main points in the body with good transitions
• A good conclusion with a summary of your main points and your final takeaway point

You will need to plan and practice your transitions for when you handoff the presentation to your group members.

Video – Me and My Cello - Happy Together (Turtles) Cello Cover - The Piano Guys

Happy Together is a popular song by The Turtles. In this version, Steve from The Piano Guys answers the question about why he always seems so happy playing the cello. It is because of quality time together. This video shows the many things Steve and his cello do together.  Enjoy watching it again.






Here is the original version by the Turtles from 1967.

 

Here are the words:

Imagine me and you, I do
I think about you day and night, it's only right
To think about the girl you love and hold her tight
So happy together

If I should call you up, invest a dime
And you say you belong to me and ease my mind
Imagine how the world could be, so very fine
So happy together

I can't see me lovin' nobody but you
For all my life
When you're with me, baby the skies'll be blue
For all my life

Me and you and you and me
No matter how they toss the dice, it had to be
The only one for me is you, and you for me
So happy together

I can't see me lovin' nobody but you
For all my life
When you're with me, baby the skies'll be blue
For all my life

Me and you and you and me
No matter how they toss the dice, it had to be
The only one for me is you, and you for me
So happy together

Ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba
Ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba

Me and you and you and me
No matter how they toss the dice, it had to be
The only one for me is you, and you for me
So happy together

So happy together
And how is the weather
So happy together
We're happy together
So happy together
Happy together
So happy together
So happy together (ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba)

Lesson 22 – Final Group Presentations: Braintorming

After Shuhei gave his presentation, we broke into new groups. Your group will choose a social issue or an international issue. You will present a problem and then suggest a solution. You will also lead a discussion on the topic. 

The groups are:

Rie
Shuhei
Yosuke

Natsuki
Masahiro
Shogo

Hō
Momoe
Yuki

Today you did some brainstorming to help you prepare to choose a topic for your group to present on. In the next class, we have time for this project and also spend some time doing tasks in the textbook.

Video – The Piano Guys original tune: All of Me

The video we watched an original tune by The Piano Guys: All of Me. Jon Schmidt (the pianist) wrote this song years ago and many people have performed it on YouTube. Finally, he recorded his version for YouTube.

Enjoy the video again.

Video — Beauty and the Beast - Lindsey Stirling

As I mentioned on Tuesday, my wife and I went to see the movie remake of Beauty and the Beast. Please follow me on Facebook and/or Twitter to see the photographs and follow other posts I make for my students. In class, I showed the YouTube video of Lindsey Stirling (we also saw her in the Mission Impossible video) with clips from her tour. Watch it again here:

Video — Bohemian Rhapsody – Pentatonix

My wife and I went to see Pentatonix at the Tokyo Forum on Wednesday (5/31). It was a fun show. In this video, they cover Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. The original version is like rock opera. Enjoy watching it again.


 



In the Pentatonix video above, they pay tribute to Queen by imitating part of the original video. You can watch that below:

 



There is also a famous and fun scene from the comedy movie Wayne's World. You can check it out.

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality
Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see
I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy
Because I'm easy come, easy go, little high, little low
Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to me, to me

Mama, just killed a man
Put a gun against his head
Pulled my trigger, now he's dead
Mama, life had just begun
But now I've gone and thrown it all away
Mama, ooh, didn't mean to make you cry
If I'm not back again this time tomorrow
Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters
Too late, my time has come
Sends shivers down my spine, body's aching all the time
Goodbye, everybody, I've got to go
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth
Mama, ooh, I don't want to die
I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all

I see a little silhouetto of a man
Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango
Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very fright'ning me
(Galileo) Galileo, (Galileo) Galileo, Galileo figaro magnifico
(I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me)
He's just a poor boy from a poor family
Spare him his life from this monstrosity
Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?
Bismillah! No, we will not let you go
(Let him go) Bismillah! We will not let you go
(Let him go) Bismillah! We will not let you go
(Let me go) Will not let you go
(Let me go) Will not let you go
(Let me go) Ah, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
(Oh mamma mia, mamma mia) Mama mia, let me go
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me

So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?
So you think you can love me and leave me to die?
Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby!
Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here!

Nothing really matters, anyone can see
Nothing really matters
Nothing really matters to me
Any way the wind blows

Formatting References

In your handout which you will prepare for your presentation, be sure to include references. You can learn how to do this by going to this website:

Purdue OWL APA

In the left column, there are links to helpful formatting guides. You need to focus on the Reference Lists, especially these:

• Reference List: Basic Rules
• Reference List: Electronic Sources.

Email me if you have other questions before our next lesson.

Video — Mission Impossible (The Piano Guys featuring Lindsey Stirling)

We watched the Piano Guys play Mission Impossible, a popular TV show turned into a movie series. This time they were joined by another YouTube star, Lindsey Stirling. She is known for playing violin while dancing. Enjoy it again below:

Video: Samurai Smartphone Parade

We watched this TV commercial by Softbank about walking while texting. What do you think about it?

Lesson 11 – Final Preparation

Presentation / Discussion Leading Schedule (Tentative)

5/30   Momoe Kaneko — Social network service
6/1   Shogo Imamura — Study abroad
6/6   Natsuki Negishi — Japan’s birth rate
6/8   Masahiro Ishikawa — Poverty
6/13   Yuki Shimabayashi — Refugees
6/15   Yosuke Matsuhisa — Summer Olympics 2020
6/20   Rie Furuta — Black companies 
6/22   Hō Bao — Nuclear weapons 
6/27   Shuhei Matsumura — Freedom of expression

Video — Indiana Jones Rocks Petra with this Arabian Classical Remix! - The Piano Guys (Wonder of the World 4 of 7)

Indiana Jones Rocks Petra with this Arabian Classical Remix!
(The Piano Guys Wonders of the World Series)

This is the fourth in the series where The Piano Guys go to one of the 7 Wonders of the World.  In this video, they go to Petra a city built into the rock in Jordan. The name Petra means rock.

Because Petra was a location in the 3rd Indian Jones movie, they use music from the soundtrack in this tune.

Enjoy the video again.


 





You can read more about the New 7 Wonders of the World in simple English here:
New 7 Wonders of the World 

GTB on Facebook & Twitter

As I have mentioned in class before, you can follow me on social media with Facebook or Twitter. 

You are NOT required to. But, it's a fun way for us to connect. And, if you follow me on Facebook, you can see my wife's 100-day project of drawing Gumboくん、our cute Corgi (dog).

Also, as I said in class, these accounts are not my normal accounts where I use difficult English and talk about difficult topics. These accounts are for my students.

You can add me as a friend or follow me by clicking the links below:

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GTB on Facebook

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GTB on Twitter

Lesson 10 – Presentation Preparation

Presentation Preparation
In today's lesson, you had time to work with your partners on your presentations.


Image Design Presentation
I gave a presentation on more slide principles:

• White space
• The rule of thirds
• Bleeding
• Image size (1024 x 768 pixels)

There will be a quiz on these principles and CRAP.

Next Lesson
In the next lesson you will have a little more time to practice your presentations as a group.

Also, I will give instructions about citing your sources on a handout.

Video — I Won't Give Up (Jayesslee Cover of Jason Mraz)

I Won't Give Up (Jayesslee Cover of Jason Mraz)
Jayesslee is the artist who sang the Gangnam Style cover we watched before. Jayesslee means J S Lee. Their names are Janice (Jay for J) and Sonia (Ess for S) and their last name is Lee. I love their harmonies. It must have been difficult to perform this on one take at the beach.

Lesson 9 – Discussion 2: Helping Victims

Individual Presentation Topics

On Tuesday, we brainstormed a list of topics on social issues. Here is the list of speakers and topics:

• Momoe Kaneko — Social network service
• Shogo Imamura — Study abroad
• Natsuki Negishi — Japan’s birth rate
• Masahiro Ishikawa — Poverty
• Yuki Shimabayashi — Refugees
• Yosuke Matsuhisa — Summer Olympics 2020
• Rie Furuta — Black companies 
• Hō Bao — Nuclear weapons 
• Shuhei Matsumura — Freedom of expression

Principle #2: Celebrate all Ideas

We heard the two model discussion on pp. 32-33. We also looked at the phrases on p. 34. Then, we brainstormed ideas in a discussion. Next week on Thursday (5/18) your group will present your idea to the class with Google slides.

I suggest sharing the Google slideshow with each member of the group. You will have time next Tuesday to finish your slides and practice giving your group presentation.

Video — The Jungle Book / Sarabande (Mayan Style) - The Piano Guys (Wonder of the World 3 of 7)

 The Jungle Book / Sarabande (Mayan Style)
(The Piano Guys Wonders of the World Series)

This is the third in the series where The Piano Guys go to one of the 7 Wonders of the World.  In this video, they go to Chichén Itzá on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. The most famous view is of El Castillo, a big Mayan pyramid.

The music is a medley of tunes from the soundtrack to Disney's The Jungle Book. Did you see the bear and the panther in the video? They are two main characters from the movie

Enjoy the video again.


 



You can read more about the New 7 Wonders of the World in simple English here:
New 7 Wonders of the World 

Lesson 8 – Presentation/Discussion Topics

Informative Speech
We heard one more Informative Speech today.


Social Issues Brainstorming
Here is a list of issues we thought of in class today (no special order):

• North Korea
• Refugees
• Islam
• Global warming
• Japan’s birth rate
• nuclear weapons
• Summer Olympics 2020
• black companies
• environmental problems
• suicide
• social network services
• poverty
• development of countryside
• customs / taxes 
• study abroad
• discrimination
• death from overworking
• freedom of expression

Send me your top three choices for your presentation. Only one presenter will present on each topic. It will be first come, first serve. Fill in the form linked below.

Social Issue Sign Up Form


Quizlet
We finished the class studying vocabulary with Quizlet. To get the best results and improve your English, use Quizlet every day.

Lesson 6 – Presentation Review

Presentation Posture
We did some practice with presentation posture. Next Thursday (5/4) you will give a Informative Speech.

You will need to use  Google Slides  for your presentation. See the steps below.




Presentation Slides
You need to share your slides with me before you come to class next week.

1. Go to Google Drive.
2. From the New button on the top left, choose Google Slides.
3. Give the title your full name + 17EC+ Informative Speech (eg. Taro Suzuki 17EC Informative Speech).
4. Click the Share button and write my Rikkyo address. (You can continue to make changes after you share.)
5. Finish your slides before class and be ready to present. Due 5/3 23:59. You can share your slides now and continue working on them until the class.

Your slides should be full slide photographs of your city. The best photographs are your own photographs from your camera or smart phone. If you cannot get your photos yourself, get large photos from Google Images.

Video — The Mission / How Great Thou Art - The Piano Guys (Wonder of The World 2 of 7)

The Mission / How Great Thou Art 
(The Piano Guys Wonders of the World Series)

This is the second in the series where The Piano Guys go to one of the 7 Wonders of the World.  In this video, they go to the Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). They also visit Iguazu Falls near the border of Argentina. 

The music is a mashup (mix) of two tunes. One is called Gabriel's Oboe. It is the most famous music from the soundtrack of the movie The Mission. The setting of the movie is at Iguazu Falls. It is a wonderful movie and I strongly recommend it. It has a beautiful theme about love (not romantic). I cry every time I see it. The other music is a Christian hymn called How Great Thou Art.

Enjoy the video again.


 

You can read more about the New 7 Wonders of the World in simple English here:
New 7 Wonders of the World 

Lesson 5 – Discussion Presentation and The Synergy Factor

Discussion Time
We presented our best and worst experiences and asked questions. How did your group do? How did you do as a speaker? How did you do as a listener?


The Synergy Factor
We began Loop 2: Sharing Your Ideas. 

We tried Discussion Lab 2.1: The Synergy Factor. Did your group experience synergy?


Quizlet
We finished the class time by studying vocabulary using Quizlet.


Homework

Write your answers to the following questions: 

• Group Assessment for the First Discussion (p. 5).
• Individual Assessment for the First Discussion (p. 6).
• Group Assessment for the Discussion Time (p. 5 Q1, 2, 4).
• Individual Assessment for the Discussion Time (p. 6 Q 1, 2, 3, 5).
• Discussion Dynamics questions (p. 11).

Send your answers using Google Docs.

1. Go to Google Docs here: Google Docs
2. Sign in using your Google ID (Rikkyo email address) and password.
3. Start a new document.
4. Give it the title of your full name + EC2 (Taro Suzuki EC2
5. Click on the Share button.
6. Type in my Rikkyo email address (danielbeck).
7. Click Share.
8. Due 4/26 23:59

Video — Kung Fu Piano: Cello Ascends (The Piano Guys – Wonders of the World Series)

Kung Fu Piano: Cello Ascends 
(The Piano Guys Wonders of the World Series)

This is the first in the series where The Piano Guys go to one of the 7 Wonders of the World.  In this video, they go to the Great Wall of China. Enjoy the video again.






You can read more about the New 7 Wonders of the World in simple English here:
New 7 Wonders of the World 

Lesson 4 – Respect Every Voice

Be a good listener
We heard examples of two discussion and what each listener was thinking. What are the attitudes of a good listener? What changes can you make as a listener to be a better listener?


Model Discussion: Best and Worst Experience
In the next lesson, you will share your best and worst experience with your group. Make a poster to represent each experience. Use words and phrases from the Discussion Phrase Bank on p. 18.

Video — Gangnam Style (Cover by Jayesslee on YouTube)

We watched Jayesslee's (Janice & Sonia Lee) cover of Psy's Gangnam Style. They are a talented pair of Korean-Australian women from Sydney. Enjoy it again below:

Lesson 3 – Loop 1: Sharing Your Experiences (pt 1)

Loop 1: Sharing Your Experiences (pt 1)

Discussion Dynamics
In pairs and then in groups of 4-5 and then as the whole class, we learned about discussion dynamics and finding the optimum (best) size group.

What size do you think is the optimum for discussion?


1.2 Diversity of Experience
In Lab 1.2 we found out how many different countries our groups have experience in.


1.3 Depth of Experience
In Lab 1.3 we found out how much experience our groups had in each country.

Which do you find more important in discussion, diversity or depth of experience?

Video — Cello Wars (Star Wars parody by The Piano Guys on YouTube)

Please enjoy the Piano Guys video again.

Lesson 2 – Quizlet

Quizlet

Vocabulary is one of the most important parts of learning a language. While you can learn many words from reading and conversation, you can learn a lot from deliberate study. Quizlet is a vocabulary flashcard app that you can use on your smart phone, tablet or computer. 

Our group pages is here:

EC2 Quizlet Group

Please try the different activities on our Quizlet group. Try it on your phone or tablet also using the free Quizlet app.

First Discussion

We participated in our first discussion and filled in assessment forms. How did you group do? How did you do? What can you do better in the future?

Lesson 1 – Welcome and Orientation

Welcome to English Communication 2!

In this first lesson, we introduced ourselves to each other. I also explained the outline for the course.

Textbook

For this class, we will be using Discussion: Process and Principles. Please buy it in the bookstore.

Vocabulary Level Test

We took a test to check our vocabulary level. This will help me know how best to teach you. It will also help you know better how to study.