Pizza!

Yesterday, we made pizza with UNESCO club! Each team made very unique pizzas. I`m glad that they were all successful. I had the chance to taste two of them and they were very good.

Usually, pizza in north america has a thicker crust and is "fluffier". In Italy (where pizza is from), they like thin and crunchy crusts.

I really like pizza because you can put almost anything you want on them; you can be creative and make a pizza that nobody ever made before!

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English tip of the week:

Ask questions!!!

The best way to learn is to ask questions and not be afraid to make mistakes. You can ask any of your school`s English teachers and ALTs, they will be happy to help you! (It`s their job! ;)

New School Year!

Hi everyone!

I’m very excited to begin the new school year. I hope you are too.

I have many fun activities planned for our classes and I look forward to do them with you.

There is now an “English Corner” in the KJ student’s hall. Please go have a look if you can. I will be introducing a new artist every month. You can listen to that artist right there! There is a CD player right next to the board, just press the play button and enjoy the music!

Spring is here and the snow is melting, it really reminds me of spring in Canada. Now I want to go outside all the time and enjoy the sun!

English tip of the week:

When you have to speak in English (or even in Japanese!), act as if you were the most confident person in the world! Even if you are not and you feel a bit insecure, pretend that you are very outgoing and energetic. Imagine that you are an actor (comedian) and you need to play the role of someone that is really confident.

Almost magically, you will gain real confidence and see that you are not afraid to make mistakes. This is the best way to improve your English and your speaking skills!

Have a good weekend!

JD

Earthquake

Hi everyone,

This week, I am only hoping that all of you are OK as well as your friends and your family. This is a very big challenge for Japan and the consequences are very sad. Please, stay strong and safe.
See you at school soon!
JD

はだか まつり

Last Thursday ( March third), I participated in Urasa`s Naked Man Festival. It was a very unique experience!
I was lucky to have other teachers helping me and telling me what to do during the festival because, at first, it is not easy to understand what is happening!
We started by wearing some kind of traditional clothes that cover only the lower part of the body. Then we went in the street. It was snowing and very cold. To warm ourselves up, we would cover ourselves with wax from big giant candles. We then walked to the temple. The most difficult part was to have my feet get completely wet by walking in the water that was running in the street.
When we arrived at the temple, everyone started to push each other and try to get to the front. After reaching the front, we could jump in very cold water and pray for about 5 seconds. Then, we ran to another part of the temple where people keep pushing each other and try to enter a little section of the temple. Only one person at a time can get in, so people get intense with the pushing.
All this time, people say "Sanyo, Sanyo!" in a loud voice.

I really enjoyed the experience and I think I would like to try it again next year.

I will add more pictures very soon so you can see what the festival looked like and how much snow there was!

English tip of the week:

Making an oral presentation.
When you have to do an oral presentation, many things are very important (speaking loudly, looking at the audience, be energetic (げんき)...)
I think that the best way to make an excellent presentation is to practice it a lot!
You need to repeat your speech over and over again. You should focus on ONE thing every time: "this time, I will think about speaking loudly", "this time, I will think about looking in front of me"...
Try to practice in front of a mirror so you can see what the audience will see.
Every time you repeat your speech, it will get a little better. So repeat it as many times as you can!

A great way to practice English

This week, I would like to tell you about a great way to improve your English writing skills and help other people learn Japanese at the same time. It’s a website called lang-8.com .

On this website, you can create a free account and post your English texts. It can be a short diary, a writing production for your English class or anything else. Then, English speakers from all over the world will look at your text and correct it for you. They will also give you explanations about their corrections. 

It is a great way to have your English homework checked before you give it to your teacher ;) .

On the website, they will suggest you to go read texts from people trying to learn Japanese and to correct them. This way, you will help others with their Japanese at the same time as you get help with your English. Everybody wins!

You should really try this website. It is a great example of people collaborating together to improve their knowledge.

You can find me on lang-8 ; I`m jdduq!

 English tip of the week:

- Go try lang-8.com :p

School Calendar

 In Canada, the school year calendar is very different from the Japanese school year calendar. The biggest difference is that it begins in September and not in April. The first days of school are usually used to introduce the students to their new teachers and their new classes. We also have some activities to help the students know each other a little bit better. During this time, the principal makes final adjustments to the schedules and the school organization.

We usually have about 2 weeks of winter holiday during Christmas time. We also have a spring break (1 week) in March or in April. Then, the school year ends in late June. The last weeks are used for final exams.

During July and August, there is no school! The students can stay home, have a summer job, go to camps or do almost anything. There is no homework during summer.

Summer holidays are always very exciting for students!

English tip of the week

When you do a speech or a presentation, you will often say “I will introduce myself”, “I will introduce my hobbies” or “I will talk about myself”…

Be careful how you use these expressions.

Try not to say, “I will introduce about…”

You need to introduce “something”, not “about something”

Examples:

O Today, I will introduce myself.

X Today, I will introduce about myself.

O Today, I would like to tell you about myself.

O Today, I would like to talk about my hobbies.

If you want to use “about”, you should say, “…talk about…” or “…tell you about…”

Have a good weekend! Enjoy the snow while it`s still here ;)

Valentine`s Day!

Valentine`s Day is coming soon! As you know, it is February 14.

From what I have heard, Valentine`s Day in Japan is mostly about girls giving chocolates to boys. Later, on “White Day”, the boys will treat the girls back.

In Canada, it’s a bit different. We don’t have any “White Day”. We only have Valentine’s Day to celebrate friendships and relationships. Usually, it’s the boys who will do nice things for the girls on Valentine’s Day. For example, a boy will give flowers to his girlfriend or a husband will bring his wife to a nice restaurant. Sometimes, the girls will also do something nice for the boys but it’s mostly the boys who have the pressure to do something special for their partner.

Valentine is also about friendship. Younger boys and girls can exchange valentine cards and be each other’s “valentines” for the day.

On Valentine Day, make sure you tell the people you love how you feel. You can tell your parents, your brothers, yours sisters or anyone you appreciate!

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English tip of the week!

How to use the apostrophe ( ‘ ).

The Oxford Dictionary says: The apostrophe is a punctuation mark ( ’ ) used to indicate either possession (e.g., Harry’s book; boys’s coats) or the omission of letters or numbers (e.g., can’t; he’s; class of ’99).

So when you use ( ‘s ) , it is almost the same thing as の. 

Example : Harry’s book  = ハリの本

This is what they mean by saying,“ indicates possession “.

You can also use the apostrophe to replace letters or numbers. This can make some words shorter.

Examples;

It is = It’s

Should not = Shouldn’t

Could not = Couldn’t

I will = I’ll

It was in `95 = It was in 1995

It can also be used to show how some people speak even if it’s not proper written English.

Examples;

“Hi y’all!” (Means; “Hi you all!”)

“Wat’chadoin’ ?” (Means; “What are you doing?” – this is really not good written English :p)

Can you try to find all the apostrophes ( ` ) in my text about Valentine`s Day?

Can you say if it is used to indicate possession or the replace other letters?