Intermediate on 2/24/11

Number of students: 6 (+2 on Monday)
Summary:
(1)Lesson 6 Vocabulary 2  (pp.116-117)
  - vocabulary 6-2 (handout)

(2)Lesson 6-1, 6-2  review of Te-form (pp.118-119)
  - Practice: text p.123 I-C, D

(3)Lesson 6-3 ～てもいいです／～てはいけません (p.120)
  1) A verbal te-form plus もいいです（てもいいです）means "you may do ...," which describes an activity that is permitted.
  2) To ask for permission, you can turn it into a question sentence, ～てもいいですか。
   ex. まどを あけてもいいですか。= May I open the window? (あけて is te-form of あける= open)
   ex. ノートを かりてもいいですか。= May I borrow your notebook? (かりて is te-form of かりる= borrow)
   Answer:
   - Yes: いいですよ。(formal) or いいよ。(casual)
   - No: いけません。(formal) or だめです。(casual)

  3) To deny somebody to permission to do something, you can use the te-form plus は(wa)いけません（てはいけません）.
   ex. しゅくだいを わすれてはいけません。= You may not (should not) forget your homework. (わすれて is te-form of わすれる= forget)

  - Practice: text p.124 II-A, C
 
Homework:
(1) Workbook p.51, 52, and 53 (p.51 and 52 is optional. Good for your practice of te-form!)
(2) Practice Te-form.　てフォームを れんしゅうして ください。

Next class (March 3) :
(1) Lesson 6-4 Describing Two Activities (p.120)
(2) Dialogue using te-form

また らいしゅう！

Intermediate on 2/17/11

Number of students: 5 (+2 on Monday)
Summary:
(1)Lesson 6 Vocabulary (pp.116-117)
  - vocabulary 6-1 (handout)

(2)Lesson 6-1 Te-form (pp.118-119)
  - textbook: Adventure in Japanese 1 pp.250-252
  - Functions of Te-form
    1) Request: Te-form + ください (たべて is the Te-form of たべます)
         ex) たべて ください。= Please eat.
    2) Asking permission: Te-form + もいいですか
         ex) たべても いいですか。= May I eat?
    3) Sequence: 
    　  ex) たべて、 ねました。= I ate and slept.
    and there are more functions of Te-form which we are going to learn after Lesson 6.

  - Te-form conjugation (ますform → てform)
    1) る verbs: drop ますand add てinstead. (It's simple!!)
        ex) たべます　→　たべて
　　　　  ねます　　→　ねて
　　　
    2) Irregular verbs: drop ますand add てinstead.
        ex) きます　→　きて
　　　  　します　→　して

    3) U verbs: Te-forms are created differently depending on the verb stem ending (the character before ます).
       (i) If the verb stem ends in い, ちor り, change the stem to って
        ex) あいます　→　あって
　　        かちます　→　かって
　 　      かえります　→　かえって
       (ii) If the verb stem ends in に, びor み, change the stem to んで
        ex) しにます　→　しんで
　　　     あそびます　→　あそんで
　　        のみます　→　のんで
       (iii) If the verb stem ends in き, change the stem to いて
        ex) かきます　→　かいて
　　   　　ききます　→　きいて
       (iv) If the verb stem ends in ぎ, change the stem to いで
        ex) およぎます　→　およいで
       (v) If the verb stem ends in し, change the stem to して
        ex) はなします　→　はなして
       (vi) exception
        ex) いきます　→　いって

      Wow!! It seems that you have to memorize a lot of things, but don't give up! There are some songs to help to memorize these conjugations.  One of them is the following.  Please start the video from 2:25.

         
(3)Lesson 6-1 Te-form practice
  - Workbook p.49
 
(4)Lesson 6-2 ～てください (p.120)
 
Homework:
(1) Workbook p.50
(2) Practice Te-form.　てフォームを れんしゅうして ください。

Next class (February 24) :
(1) Lesson 6 Vocabulary (pp.116-117)
(2) Lesson 6-3 ～てもいいです／～てはいけません (p.120)
(3) Lesson 6-4 Describing Two Activities (p.120)

Te-form is one of the hardest grammar points for intermediate level students, but NEVER GIVE UP! Te-form is very important and if you master them, you can express more and more Japanese sentences. I hope you keep studying hard! If you know the better way to memorize Te-form conjugation, please share with the students and me. Thanks!

また らいしゅう！  

日本（にほん）のバレンタインデー（Valentine's Day in Japan）

2月（がつ）14日（っか）は、バレンタインデーでしたね！
日本（にほん）のバレンタインデーは、アメリカのバレンタインデーと、ちょっと 違（ちが）います。(= Valentine's day in Japan is a bit different from American one.)

1) How do Japanese people celebrate Valentine's day?
Valentine's Day (February 14) in Japan is basically the day for women to give men chocolates or gifts. This is how Valentine's Day is celebrated in Japan and attractively packaged chocolates are widely sold at stores in Japan before Valentine's Day. Women are expressing love to men by giving chocolates on Valentine's Day. But it's also common for women to give chocolates to men who they don't actually love, such as co-workers and friends. This kind of chocolates are called giri-choco which mean chocolates given because of obligations. Japanese women commonly buy many giri-choco.
Men who received chocolates or gifts on Valentine's Day are supposed to give gifts back to the women on March 14th called White Day. Gifts for White Day vary but they are usually sweets, such as candies and cookies.
(from: http://gojapan.about.com/cs/japaneseholidays/a/valentineday.htm)

2) Vocabulary
- バレンタインデー = Valentine's day
- ホワイトデー = White day
- 本命（ほんめい）チョコ = Honmei choco ("true feeling chocolate")
- 義理（ぎり）チョコ = Giri choco ("obligation chocolate")

3) Animation about Valentine's day
- アンパンマン「ドキンちゃんのバレンタインデー」


4) Famous love song in Japan
- "Love Love Love" by Dreams Come True (You Tube)


Please enjoy them!

Intermediate on 2/10/11

Number of students: 5 (+2 on Monday)
Summary:
(1)Review of the previous lessons
  - Please answer the following questions in Japanese.
     1) きょう、なにを たべましたか。 = What did you eat today?
     2) きのう、なんじに ねましたか。 = What time did you go to bed yesterday?
     3) たいてい、なんじかん ねますか。 = How long do you usually sleep?
     4) まいにち、にほんごを べんきょうしますか。 = Do you study Japanese everyday?
     5) にほんごは すきですか。 = Do you like Japanese?
     Could you answer all questions above? If you could, GOOD JOB!

(2)Lesson 5 Class Activity - Show and tell (p.111)
    Thank you for sharing your experience with students and me!

(3)Lesson 5 Dialogue (pp.96-97)
  - Genki movie (Genki online)  Click the following website and practice the dialogues.
    http://genki.japantimes.co.jp/self/movlist.en.html (Click "Lesson 5.")

Homework:
    No homework

Next class (February 17) :
(1) Lesson 6 Vocabulary (pp.116-117)
(2) Lesson 6-1 Te-form (pp.118-119)
(3) Lesson 6-2 ～てください(p.120)

We finished Lesson 5! Next week, we are going to study Lesson 6.
If you would like to review Lesson 1-5, look at the website and click "Lesson 5". Then you can find some reviewing practice sheets.
http://courses.csusm.edu/japn101mi/Grammar%20notes/grammarF.htm 

 

さっぽろ雪（ゆき）まつり -Sapporo snow festival-

きのう、ブルーミントンは 雪（ゆき）でしたね。(It was snowing in Bloomington yesterday.)
きょうは、さっぽろ雪（ゆき）まつりを  しょうかいします。(Today, I'll introduce Sapporo snow festival.)

さっぽろ雪（ゆき）まつり -Sapporo snow festival-

(photo: from http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5311.html)
The northernmost of Japan's four main islands is called ほっかいどう(Hokkaido).  There, Japan's biggest snow festival is held in the city of Sapporo, famous for hosting the 1972 Winter Olympics.  The Sapporo Snow Festival was started in 1950, when high school students built a few snow statues in Odori Park.  It has since developed into a large, commercialized event, featuring spectacular snow and ice sculptures and attracting more than two million visitors from Japan and across the world.

（参考：Reference）
- Kids web japan http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/explore/calendar/february/snow.html
- japan-guide.com http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5311.html
- Official website in English http://www.snowfes.com/english/index.html

ではまた！