TAJ/Basic English 2008

Final (written) exam.

You may use your dictionaries but nothing else.

Final conversation tests (2nd half)

Final conversation tests (half the class)

Schedule for the rest of the semester:

1. January 15th - today - New Year’s conversations + textbook 7a + 7b (pages 67-71: Grammar exercises, p. 67, “Your Turn” p. 69 & 70, Grammar exercises p. 71)
2. January 20th (Tuesday) + 22nd (Thursday) - Final exam (conversations): Choose ONE topic from all the ones we have done this semester (look at your Progress Sheet). You will be graded according to the following 5 criteria:
   1. Active conversation - avoid silence - 5 points
   2. Long, rich answers - 5 points
   3. Follow-up questions - 5 points
   4. Vary your speech - use a combination of open and closed questions, and talking about yourself - 5 points
   5. Grammar & pronunciation - 5 points
3. January 27th (Tuesday) - final exam (writing and reading) - look at the handouts, at the 3 Golden Rules,
   and at your notes about cross-cultural communication 異文化間コミュニケーション

1. What is the purpose of this class?
2. How did you spend the holidays? - review and practice
3. 3 Golden Rules - review and practice
4. Conversation tests (1-to-1): How did you spend the holidays?

I saw each student for about 10  minutes each.  I spoke to 5 students. Today’s class was taped on video for my professional development.

1. What did you have for breakfast this morning? (Teacher-student Q & A).
2. Using that topic, turn it into a conversation.
   1. How could you start the conversation?
      • Talk about yourself
      • Open question
      • Closed question.
   2. How could you follow up? We experimented with different answers and questions.
3. What is the assessment method for this class? Look at the syllabus.
4. What have you learned this semester?
   1. Look at your “Progress Sheet”
      1. Recall the topics of the conversations: what vocabulary and grammar did you learn? What did you talk about?
      2. What ideas did you learn about cross-cultural communication?
   2. Look at the handouts you have received since the beginning of this semester.
      1. What were the topics?
      2. What vocabulary and grammar did you learn?
      3. What ideas did you learn about culture and communication?
5. What is the purpose of this class?
   • to learn how to talk about your own culture to people who may be unfamiliar with your language and your culture.
6. What problems are there when you communicate with someone who is not of your culture and does not speak your language?
7. How can those problems be solved?

There will be a final test. It will have two parts: a speaking part and a reading/writing part.

The speaking part will consist of a conversation with me (man-to-man) on a subject of your choice. Choose a topic that you have already talked to me about this semester. These conversation tests will take place over two sessions: January 20th (Tue) and January 22nd (Thur).

The reading/writing test will take place on January 27th (Tue), the final class. To prepare for this test, please look again at all the handouts from this semester, and also review the “Golden Rules” from the textbook, Conversations in Class.

Happy New Year 2009 to You ALL

Originally uploaded by misu / Mikhail Palinchak

Happy New Year to everyone. Welcome back. We have just 7 classes until the end of the semester and of the academic year.

As today is the first day back after the winter break, we will be talking about our vacations.

1. Unit 7a + 7b “What did you do during the holidays?”
2. Hatsumode picture and questions. Make your own conversations. You can use the questions provided to help you.

Today’s vocabulary:

• first visit to a shrine (or temple)
• kimono
• (wooden) clogs
• fortune cookie
• destiny
• arrow
• it’s to protect against devils/bad things
• it’s for keeping away devils/bad things
• a (good-luck) charm
• to tell your fortune
• fortune-telling
• shake the bell
• throw your money in the box
• clap
• pray/wish for …
• over the holidays/Christmas/New Year
• on Christmas/New Year’s Eve

1. Quiz on Tuesday’s material.
2. Venn diagram showing cross-cultural situation
3. Concept tree: education
4. Vocabulary: persimmon, kelp, Mandarin (and mandarin), Cantonese, satsuma (the fruit)
5. Finished the food concept tree.

1. What is “anmoku no ryoukai” 暗黙の了解 ? (In English, tacit assumption although there is a twist in Japanese culture: members of a group or culture are supposed to know the tacit assumptions; ignorance is no excuse; and ignorance (claimed or real) is tantamount to disrespect for the group).
2. Does this kind of concept exist in China?
3. When communicating with people from a different culture, you cannot play the “anmoku no ryoukai” game. Why not?
   1. Because this game only works with people who share the same context, culture, or knowledge.

   2. Click here for full screen version

   3. Concept tree for education, universities, in Japan.
   4. Today’s vocabulary: cider, alcoholic, persimmon, liberal arts, oversleep, orange (the fruit), mandarin, satsuma, (also tangerine).
   5. In cross-cultural communication, very often a specific example of a fruit, dish, or food will be unique to Japan and Japanese culture. In such a case, communication can be difficult.
      1. You may not know the exact word or phrase in English
      2. Even if you know the exact translation, it may not mean much to your interlocutor unless they share a similar culture. E.g. The English translation for 海苔のり　is “laver”. However, this word is not well known in, for instance, Britain. Even if you know and use the word, you will not be communicating effectively if your interlocutor does not understand or know the word.
   6. What is more useful is to go “up” one level in the concept tree, and to say, for example, “‘Nori’ is a kind of seaweed. It is used in cooking in Japan.”
   7. 
   8. Thinking in terms of “Japanese” and “non-Japanese” can create a wall that makes communication between Japanese and non-Japanese people difficult. Communication can be greatly improved by thinking instead in terms of scientific concepts. For example, “yakitori” is perhaps little known outside Japan, but you can still communicate the meaning if you say “a kind of grilled dish, made of chicken and grilled on a stick”.

1. What is the purpose of this class? What am I trying to teach you? What are you learning? Write on your looseleaf paper in 1 or 2 sentences.
2. The purpose of this class is to learn how to talk about Japan in English to English-speaking people who may or may not know Japanese language or culture. How do you do this? By finding a concept level which you have in common.
3. Handout: Japanese Food (pages 4-5): “Give an example of …” (Write the name of a suitable dish that matches the category. You can write in Japanese or in “romaji”).
4. Look at the examples you wrote for the first category “Grilled and pan-fried dishes (yakimono (焼き物))”.
   1. Let’s say you wrote “yakitori” as your example.
   2. Ask your partner, “What is ‘yakitori’?”
   3. Your partner answers, “It’s a kind of grilled dish.”
   4. Continue down the list, alternating questions and answers.
5. Do the same for the next section “Common Japanese Sweets and snacks (okashi (おかし), oyatsu (おやつ)) found on a national level”.
6. Discussing with your partner, identify 5 examples of teas and other drinks found around Japan.
7. Discussing with your partner, identify 5 examples of flavourings used in Japanese food throughout the country.
8. Read the edited Wikipedia entry on Japanese food (handout page 2), and answer the questions. This is not a paraphrasing exercise. Nor is there any need to write complete sentences. Just write the English word or phrase that exactly translates the Japanese food term.