Writing 102

Hello! Hi, there!

     Have you ever tried to listen to ‘the Voice of America’ (VOA)? This is a multimedia international broadcasting service funded by the U.S. government. You can listen to news, information, educational and cultural programs. I think this program can be a good resource for ESL/EFL learners to practice dictation and ’shadowing’. It helps us learn not only English but also stay informed about world news and developments in science. If you want to practice dictation effectively with this web site, just try to visit the following web-site, ‘VOA Dictation Program.’

     Have you received any comments from students who study Japanese culture and language at Columbia University Japanese Language Program? Have you visited any blogs of the students in “ぐんぐん２年生”? I visited some blogs and I found that their blogs are very interesting. I think it can be a good chance for both students to exchange comments and opinions in the target language. I’d like you to keep writing posts on your blog and visit blogs of new friends.

     We held a school festival at our college last weekend. I enjoyed various foods which students served. I took my family on that day and my sons liked “Gyoza” your group cooked very much and I ordered it three times! I also enjoyed the speech contest, the musical, and the live band performances. I thought their speeches and performances were really great. I’m sure you had a good time, too.

     Nowadays, we can access to many English news programs through the Internet. I think watching those English news programs is good for you to improve your listening skill and to know what is happening in the world. ‘CNN Students News’ is one of the news programs I can highly recommend you to watch. In this website, you can also check the transcripts which help your comprehension. In the latter part of the following video (CNN Students News), Tama the cat, or as she’s known to the Wakayama Railway, SuperstationMaster is introduced.

     It is often said that a good paragraph must have cohesiveness. Cohesiveness is the way all the parts of the paragraph connect with and relate to one another. One aspect of cohesiveness is making the relationships among different parts of the paragraph clear.

     The use of words or phrases called ‘transition signals’ helps make paragraphs cohesive. Transition signals are connecting words or phrases that act like bridges between parts of your writing. They link your sentences and paragraphs together smoothly so that there are no abrupt jumps or breaks between ideas. They let the reader know what type of information is coming. For example, they may indicate that what is coming is different from what you would expect, is stronger than what came previously, or is an example of what came previously, and so on.

     You should pay attention to transitions in both reading and writing. When you write a paragraph or an essay, make sure that the relationships among pieces of information in the paragraph or essay are clear.

     Nowadays, we see many school children have their own cell phones. According to a survey covered by Sankei (産経新聞) and Goo Research, while 60% of adults are against elementary school kids owning a mobile phone, 60% of elementary school kids say that their parents allow them to have a mobile phone. It seems that there is a big controversy on this issue.
     Some people say that children should have cell phones. For example, some parents want their kids to have a cell phone so that they can keep tabs on them using the GPS tracking device inside the mobile phones. Also, some cell phones for kids have an anti-kidnapper-device which lets out a screech when the cord is pulled. On the other hand, some people are worrying about school children using cell phones because there are a lot of risks for children to access to harmful websites through the Internet. Some parents are afraid that cell phones might be used as a bullying tool.
     What do you think about this issue? Should elementary school children have their own cell phones? Should parents allow their children to have their own cell phones? Write a paragraph on this topic on your blog by next Thursday (November 7th).

     Nowadays many people feel stress in their daily lives. Stress often prevents people from working effectively and can lead to health problems. I think this is true. For example, I sometimes have a stomachache when I feel depressed or uneasy about my job, my family, and relationship with other people. It’s important to know how to recognize both the physical and the emotional signs of anxiety and how to control and relieve your stress. In my case, I go fishing, go to karaoke, and walk around in a park in order to get rid of stress.

     When do you feel stress and why? How do you control and relieve it? I’d like you to write a short essay about this topic and post it on your blog by next Thursday. I hope this assignment will not be a cause of your stress. However, if you feel stress, I recommend you to visit a park named “Santonodai Park” near this college. Go there and lie on the grass looking up to the sky!

     Have you ever visited this web site, ‘ESLvideo.com’? This web site is designed for ESL/EFL learners to learn English with free videos from YouTube. You can watch videos of music, news, interviews, and so on. There are some quizzes to check your comprehension. I think this web site will help you to improve your listening skills. You can also create your own quiz. I strongly recommend you to check this site. The following is an example quiz I’ve just set for you.