Lesson 13(December 23th)

 In today’s class, I learned more 3 principles of CBLT. It is comprehensive input, structured and extended output and focus on form. I think these three points are all important for our study. Focus on form is further divided into proactive and reactive. Roy Lyster invented the CAPA. In the CAPA sequence, the focus is mainly on content in the first and last stage and on language in the second and third stage. I was interested in focusing on different points. 

Clothes Then and Now

  I read “Clothes Then and Now” this week. We wear clothes because we want to be comfortable in hot or cold weather. In hot weather, tight clothes are uncomfortable. If we wear loose clothes, the air can move around our bodies and help us to stay cool. In colder countries, people also cover their heads. This is because they don’t want to lose heat. I think clothes are very important to keep our body cold or warm. 

 Like most clothes today, children’s clothes are made by machines in factories. Children’s clothes can be made more quickly and cheaply than in the past, so more people can buy them. In the past, life for children was often difficult. In poor families the children had to work. They didn’t have much time to play or have fun. The poorest children didn’t have nice clothes, and they probably didn’t have any shoes. 

 I think it is good thing to wear clothes which I want to wear. However, I should wear clothes suit TPO. I should think carefully what to wear in school, wedding ceremony, funeral and so on. I would like to enjoy changing fashions! 

Lesson 12 (December 16th)

 I learned “content-based approaches to language teaching and learning” in today’s class. Sophia University has offered English-medium programs for more than 60 years and Linden Hall School offered an International Baccalaureate program. I think these programs will be more important in the future. There are five types of immersion which is total immersion, partial immersion, early immersion, delayed immersion and late immersion. I was interested in combining these programs such as “Early Total Immersion” and “Early Partial Immersion”. I would like to learn more immersion education. 

Food Around the World

 I read “Food Around the World” this week. Everyone needs food to live. It gives us energy to work and play. It also gives us nutrients to grow well and stay healthy. We need a lot of nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals. I think each of them has an important role. Moreover, every country has typical dishes that are popular with local people. These dishes are often made in a traditional way, with special ingredients. Each countries has traditional dishes, drinks and desserts so I think I would like to go to abroad and enjoy eating food which I had never eaten. Eating is essential to us to live so we must thank food and people produce it. Millions of children around the world don’t have enough to eat so we must not leftover food. 

Lesson 11(December 9th)

 I learned working memory in today’s class. I thought working memory was useful for our lives and very important. Without working memory, we couldn’t interpret a sentence or paragraph when reading or listening. Moreover, without working memory, we couldn’t reason. I had never thought much about working memory but it is essential to us. I was able to understand that working memory consists of four things which is central executive, visuospatial sketchpad, episodic buffer and phonological loop. In addition, I thought repetition was very important so when I study something, I would like to study with repeating.

Medicine Then and Now

 I read “Medicine Then and Now” this week. I thought some information were very interesting so I would like to introduce some of them.

First, “Early people believed that they got ill because evil spirits were inside them. Many people had amulets-things that people think are lucky. They hoped that their amulets would stop them being them. People cared for each other when they were ill. A shaman was a man or woman who sang songs, danced, and did magic spells to make people well.” I was very interested in these sentences because it is different from now. Old people thought the ill was mystical thing. Modern people don’t think like these so I was able to learn the way of thinking of old people. 

Second, “Medicine has helped people to live longer. In 1900, most people only lived to be about 45years old. Today, people in many parts of the world live 30 years longer than they did in 1900. Some people say than by 2060, many people will live to be 100 years old!” I was very surprised to know this information and I think the power of medicine is very wonderful. Medicine is necessary for our lives and we have to thank them.