TOPIC070512: Let's play a HANG-MAN game

This is a kind of word puzzle.

You are given the number of letters of a word to be guessed.
You are allowed to ask a mystery-word-giver some questions
in order to get clues for the word. But the number of the questions
are limited. Every time you get a reply, "No", one body part of a hangman
- left and right arms, left and right legs, and a head - are drawn.
If you can get the correct word, before your hangman is hanged,
you win. You get one point. Otherwise you are out! The giver get one point.

We made four teams, and competed by team.

By Penguin

English Garden Rose Cafe

I had a lunch in a cafe that previously I wanted to be there for lunch. This cafe is in my neighborhood. However I have no chances to visit it until now. Because I really want to be here at this time of year so that I can enjoy not only lunch but also many kinds of roses in full blossom.

The cafe is located on the small hill that is rising from the left side of the beginning of a gentle slope to JR Kokubunji station.

From the balcony garden with some kinds of roses, you can see Fuchu city with Tama hills on the background.

I could enjoy a nice lunch time, feeling May gentle breeze.

http://members.jcom.home.ne.jp/rosecafe/index.htm

By Penguin

TOPIC070505: Open telephone counseling

Simulation of personal advice-hot line show managed by Waku-san is:

[Assignment]

(1) If you were a TV commentator, what sort of advice/comment would you have while the TV program is on the air?

(2) What about the state of this internet relationship?

[Situation]

Mariko’s husband, Toshio, was addicted to the Internet. Almost every night, he sat at his computer for a long time. She had felt suspicious about him. One day, she glanced furtively at his computer. There was evidence that he was having an email affair with a woman. She could read a lot of hitting on communication. Then she is calling to you, a very famous commentator in a TV program. Please give her good advice for her husband's cyber affair.

[Demonstration]

Each member answered it about 1 min. Most successful pattern was not only good advice but also acting like impressive stars such as Ms. Kazuko Hosomi and Ms. Uno Nanda-kanda. Audience received unforgettable advice with a synergetic effect both their characters and comments. Why do not you make your impressive character next time?

"Like an actor" by MAO

TOPIC070430: notable women

The assignment given by Laura is:

1)Read a story concerning one of notable women, which is randomly chosen from several stories prepared by Laura.

2)Make a pair, interview your partner, who pretends to be the notable person he/she just read about.

3)Switch the role of an interviewer.

4)Summarize the information you got from your partner, and report it to the other.

The points that should be included in the report are:

a) Who she is,

b) Where and when she lived,

c) Her personal qualities,

d) Obstacles she faced, and

e) Her significant contributions

The story I took was Mary McLeod Bethune, who was a famous educator. In 1875, she was born in Mayesville, South Carolina. She was a black woman who started her life as a cotton picker. She couldn’t read until she started to go to school for the first time in 1880s. In spite of discriminations, she studied hard, became a teacher for black people, and finally she made her dream of building a school of her own come true in order to help black people by teaching them. She encouraged many black people who suffered worse hardship those days.

Penguin (^-^)/

See you John!

Many thanks for teaching us for five years. You are loved your sincere and honest character from all of the members. It may not be appropriate words. But I would like to say that we grow together with good harmonization in the period. In other Japanese words, we are connected by a red string, destined soul mate. Please keep smile in your face and heart even in hard times. By doing this, your dream comes true. I wish you the best of luck. See you dear our great teacher and friend.

“Living with smile” by K

It is not only learning English ...

“Never worry about mistakes!” This was one of practical advice for English learners at the topic session yesterday. We can say it not only learning language but also our life. Life is experience and we learn a lot from experience. There may be some bad things. However they are essential learning materials but not mistakes. Let’s move forward.

”Learning from experience is gold” by K

Season's greetings

Thank you for your energy for driving Fuchu English Speaking Circle in 2006. We learn not only English but also communication using English. From functional view point, communication is the same as sports such as tennis and boxing, “hit-and-receive”. We know practice is very important for sports as well as English communication. While learning language, stimulating each other and having fun are good for keeping our own motivation. I hope we will become much excellent English communicators in 2007.

A big year-end party was held at a French restaurant, La Merenda, with members and teachers on Dec. 16. We really enjoyed food-and-drink and music played by the FESC orchestra, a keyboard-harmonica, a recorder and a guitar. The orchestral players with a singing doll practiced at a Karaoke box, Big-Echo, before the party. GOKURO-SAMA.

by K

TOPIC: Debate

John prepared the the following subject matters:

1) A foreign language can only be learned, not taught.

2) Punishment never does any good.

3) Married people are happier than unmarried people.

4) Boys and girls should have the same education.

5) A country gets the government it deserves.

(1) We checked what they mean in each smaller group, and then,

(2) We split us into "affirmative side" and "negative side" and debated about the above mentioned subjects.

These subjects are so interesting and, most of us probably have both YES and NO opinions for each of them. Moreover we have to express opinions from the given side, even if we actually have the opposite opinions about these subjects. It was so interesting and exciting.

Penguin

Discuss children's bully

To discuss current affaires is an appeal of our activities in topic session. We took over children’s bully in the class of Nov. 25. First, we read three letters from the current newspaper. Next, after dividing 3 groups, we studies determing the current situation from each view and discuss solving ideas. Finally, each group delivered their own proposals. We, group-2, introduced two ideas. One is to learn diversity and variety. We acknowledge living in a small part of the world and we need to learn differences. Not be “Big fish in a little barrel.” The other is that theachers should make team at least three for a class. They can share and cover each other. And even though childeren do not like to talk to a teacher frankly, alternative teachers help the situation. “Three heads are better than one.” Do you have any other idea?

by K

MOVIE: The Devil wears Prada

Andy who actually wants to become a journalist starts to work as an assistant of Miranda the editor in chief of "Runaway", the fashion magazine. Miranda's assistant is a job that many girls long for, but actually it was very tough to work under the　boss. For example, you have to answer every call from Miranda in the first ring; You have to prepare Starbucks coffee in the desired temperature on her desk before she returns to her desk, whenever she requires it; You have to do any jobs your boss ordered, even if they seem to be impossible demands, such as a flight charter in a stormy night such that airline companies usually cancel all the flight under the condition; You have to get Harry Potter's script which has NOT been published yet for her twin girls. You have to do anything ordered by your boss all the time.

Andy does the succession of errors at first but she is actually smart so she gradually learns the knack and becomes a competent assistant. But she is so busy that she cannot be in the birthday party for her boyfriend. Her boyfriend and even her dear friend get separated from her. Her fashion adviser says "It's almost the time for your promotion when your family, boyfriend, or friends start to separate from you". She is finally forced to beat her colleague to continue to work under Miranda.

Andy says like that: "I didn't have any other choice". But Miranda says like that: "You found what I wanted you to do, and you chose the best way for YOU. You made a choice." - I think it's very good words. - Listening to Miranda, Andy takes notice of what she wants to do, and makes the final decision.

The most important thing for your life is to make a choice and do your best for what you chose, I think, even though you are in any situations. Whenever you make a choice, you get something and lose the other. But don't be afraid of losing something. You have to do that -choose something-, and do the best as long as you did. This movie encouraged me to go ahead. Anyway I would like to do my best for my job, my family, and everything I do.

Meryl Streep did a good job, and Ann Hathaway did as well! You are recommended to see it!!

That's all.

Penguin