Christmas is big business in western countries and large companies spend a lot of money on advertising at this time. Below is a video of five of the best advertisements of 2013. But what are they advertising?
Which advertisement did you like best and why?
Could you tell which adverts were British, American or Canadian?
What were each of the advertisements trying to sell?
What do these adverts tell you about Christmas?
Which English speaking country would you like to spend Christmas in and why?
How would you explain Japanese Christmas to a visitor from abroad?
How would you explain New Year to a visitor from another country?
私の生徒さんのためにそのブログを作りました。いろいろな場所でグループディスカッションの英語のレッスンを教えています。もし京都で新しいグループを作りたかったら、連絡してください。 John Rowan
In 1978 my parents took me to the Isle of Man. My sister lived on the island, so we stayed at her house. My parents stayed for a week, but I stayed for two weeks. At that time I was fifteen years old, so it was kind of an adventure.
I liked different kinds of transport, so I looked for some interesting and unusual things to ride. On the Isle of Man there are a lot of special kinds of transport. I rode a horse drawn tram and a very old electric tram. They were really fun. After I road a mountain railway to the top of the islands highest mountain. On a good day from the top of the mountain you can see England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, but on this day the weather was not so good, but it was still fun. I also rode a small steam train.
There are many wonderful things to see on the Isle of Man, for example the worlds Largest water wheel. I really like ships so my journey home was wonderful. For four hours I rode the ferry from the Isle of Man to Liverpool. This trip was a wonderful adventure.
Would you like to visit the Isle of Man? Why or why not?
Which kind of transport on the island is most interesting for you?
Watch the videos below and think of some questions to ask in class.
Check the Internet and find out something about the Isle of Man.
Prepare to tell the class about an adventure you had at a young age.
This poem is about magpies. All British people know this poem and it is connected to superstition (1). If you see one magpie, something sad will come. But if you see two you will become happy. If you see three, a baby girl is coming and if you see four, a baby boy. Five means money luck, but six better money luck. If you see seven magpies you will hear an important lucky secret. But if you tell anyone, the luck will disappear. The poem is very historical, it was first published in 1780. But there are older versions of the poem. Magpies are very beautiful and clever birds. In the 1970s (2) there was a children's educational television programme called Magpie. It was very popular, so British people of my generation have often heard this poem.
(1)迷信
(2)七十年代
Did you like the poem?
Have you ever seen a magpie?
Are there any superstitions about animals in Japan?
Tell us about a Japanese superstition.
Tell us about an old Japanese educational programme.
Which is the real English, British or American? Or is it a different English? In this class we will be talking about English and what English is best for you to study. But before the class please watch the video linked below and answer these questions.
What was your first impression of the video?
Was the video easy to understand?
Did the video surprise you?
What was the teacher's advice?
Do you think pronunciation is important? Why or why not?
Do you think spelling is important? Why or why not?
Did you know there are more non-native speakers of English than native speakers? How does this make you feel?
