Video – Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock (The Big Bang Theory)

We watched this clip from the popular sitcom The Big Bang Theory. In it, the character Sheldon demonstrates a new version of Rock, Paper, Scissors. You can find the transcript below. You can also find a graphic for the game.




Sheldon: Oh look, Saturn 3 is on.

Raj: I don’t want to watch Saturn 3. Deep Space Nine is better.

Sheldon: How is Deep Space Nine better than Saturn 3?

Raj: Simple subtraction will tell you it’s six better.

Leonard: Compromise. Watch Babylon 5.

Sheldon: In what sense is that a compromise?

Leonard: Well, five is partway between three… Never mind.

Raj: I’ll tell you what, how about we go rock-paper-scissors?

Sheldon: Ooh, I don’t think so. No, anecdotal evidence suggests that in the game of rock-paper-scissors, players familiar with each other will tie 75 to 80% of the time due to the limited number of outcomes. I suggest rock-paper-scissors- lizard-Spock.

Raj: What?

Sheldon: It’s very simple. Look, scissors cuts paper. Paper covers rock. Rock crushes lizard. Lizard poisons Spock. Spock smashes scissors. Scissors decapitates lizard. Lizard eats paper. Paper disproves Spock. Spock vaporizes rock. And as it always has, rock crushes scissors.

Lesson 5 (Updated!)

Update: the due date for the blog post was incorrect. It is 4/30 23:59. I will post the blog links tomorrow morning (4/27).

RF

We began with Reading Fluency (RF) practice again. This lesson's topic was New York City. Remember to enter your time and score in your RF Log on Google Sheets.

Getting Ready to Write Paragraphs

We learned about using SPA (subject, purpose, and audience) to help get ready to write paragraphs. Fill in the handouts and then write your two paragraphs using Google Docs.

• Make a new Google Doc and share it with me.
• The title should be your full name + AE + L5 (ex. Reiko Suzuki AE L5).
• Share it with me at my Rikkyo email address.
• Due 4/30 23:59

Blog Comment Homework

Leave a comment on the posts of your classmates beginning with the classmate one below you on the list. Due 4/26 4/30 23:59.


Quiz
The quiz will be next Tuesday. The subjects are:

• The four strands
• SPA

Video — Mission Impossible (The Piano Guys featuring Lindsey Stirling)

We watched the Piano Guys play Mission Impossible, a popular TV show turned into a movie series.  You can read more about the show and movies below the video. This time the Piano Guys were joined by another YouTube star, Lindsey Stirling. She is known for playing violin while dancing. Enjoy it again below:


Story
Jim Phelps is the head of a super-secret government agency, the IMF (Impossible Missions Force), and is often given secret anonymous covert missions to attempt. Quite often, they are unmasking criminals or rescuing hostages. He picks his team depending on which tasks need to be done. One thing is vital on an Impossible Mission: the mission must be carried out in entire secrecy, often relying on high-tech equipment and elaborate deceptions.

Lesson 4 – SPA

EWr
We tried Extensive Writing (EWr) again. Could you beat your score from last week? Enter your score in your EWr Log.

Homework

1. Write your answers for Audience on p. 3 of the Lesson 4 Handout. Due 4/26 8:59 AM.
2. Write a blog post about your hometown or favorite city. Include photographs. Give it the title My City: (name of the city). Due 4/25 23:59.

Google Doc Homework

Use Google Docs for each of the tasks below. Give it the title of your full name + AE + L4 (Taro Suzuki's AE L4) and share it with me.

1. From Lesson 3 Handout: Not Just One Way write your answers for Paraphrasing Practice on p. 12 and Language Focus on p. 13.
2. From the Lesson 4 Handout, write your answers for Finding a subject on p. 1.

Video — Gangnam Style (Cover by Jayesslee on YouTube)

We watched Jayesslee's (Janice & Sonia Lee) cover of Psy's Gangnam Style. They are a talented pair of Korean-Australian women from Sydney. Enjoy it again below:

Lesson 3 – Four Strands & Reading Fluency

Quizlet Sign Up

We will use Quizlet, a free flashcard app to study vocabulary. Take the following steps to join our Quizlet group and begin studying.

1. Go to http://quizlet.com and sign up. Be sure to use your real name.
2. After signing up, click on this link to join our class's group: https://quizlet.com/join/UkrzdpUnC.
3. Try the set on our class page.
4. Download the Quizlet app for your phone from your app store (recommended).
5. Practice the different tools on Quizlet this week.

Journals

You are going to write a journal with me. Each week you will write about a topic and I will write you back. Today, we will set up your journal using Google Docs.

1. Go to Google Docs here: Google Docs
2. Sign in using your Google ID and password.
3. Start a new document.
4. Give it the title of your full name + AE + journal (Taro Suzuki's AE Journal)
5. Click on the Share button.
6. Type in my Rikkyo email address.
7. Click Share.
8. Write a message of at least 50 words to me. Any topic is OK. 
9. Due 4/20 23:59

Video — Cello Wars (Star Wars parody by The Piano Guys on YouTube)

The Piano Guys are my favorite YouTube artists. They have great music AND great videos. This one is a parody of my favorite movie from my childhood, Star Wars. Now people call it Episode IV (4) or A New Hope, but it was Star Wars to us when it came out. It wasn't until the stupid prequels (Episodes I, II & III) years later that those names were used.

The ideas of lightsabers, fighting ships flying across the screen, laser guns and The Force were all new and very cool. Star Wars was the first real blockbuster movie. If you wanted to see it when it came out, you might have had to wait hours and there were no reserved seats back then. It stayed in the cinemas for over a year.

I have included a modern trailer of the movie below the Piano Guys video. The original trailer was not very good. Enjoy!

Lesson 2 – Extensive Writing (EWr)

EWr
We tried Extensive Writing (EWr) for the first time. How many words could you write?


EWr Log
We will use Google Sheets (spreadsheet) to keep track of our progress in extensive writing (EWr). This makes it easy me to follow your progress. It also makes it easy for you to see your own progress. You can generate a line graph from the spreadsheet.

Follow the steps:

1. Sign in / log in to Google Drive.
2. Click on NEW.
3. Choose GOOGLE SHEETS. 
4. In the top left box, give your spreadsheet the title: full name + AE + EWr Log (e.g., Taro Suzuki AE EWr Log)
5. In the top right corner, click on SHARE.
6. Share it with me. Use my Rikkyo address (danielbeck@rikkyo.ac.jp).
7. In the A column, write the date of your first EWr.
8. In the B column, write the number of words.
9. In the C column, write the percentage (%) your partner understood.
10. Repeat for each time.

Enter in your EWr score every week.

Quizlet

Vocabulary is one of the most important parts of learning a language. While you can learn many words from reading and conversation, you can learn a lot from deliberate study. Quizlet is a vocabulary flashcard app that you can use on your smart phone, tablet or computer. 

Our group pages is here:

AE Quizlet Group

Please try the different activities on our Quizlet group. Try it on your phone or tablet also using the free Quizlet app.

Blog Set Up

If you have not yet set up your blog for our class, follow these steps:

1. Go to Blogger and log in. Use your Rikkyo email (or Gmail)  log in. 
2. Change language to English to make it easier to follow these instructions.
3. Click on the icon at the top right of the page that looks like a box of 9 squares.
4. Pull down to the More menu item.
5. Click on the Blogger menu item.
6. Click on the New Blog button at the top left of the page.
7. In the Title cell, write, "(your full name's) AE Blog" (ex. Keiko Sato's AE Blog).
8. In the Address cell, write, "(your full name without spaces) + AE" (ex. KeikoSatoAE).
9. Choose a Template that you like (I don't recommend Awesome  Inc. because it's difficult to read). Don't worry, you can change the template at any time.
10. Click on Create Blog. This should take you to your Blogger Dashboard.
11. Follow the steps below (from step 2) to send me the link to your blog.

Submit Blog Link

Everyone should send me the link to your blog. Follow these steps:

1. Go to Blogger and log in. This should take you to your Blogger Dashboard.
2. Click on the View Blog button.
3. Copy the URL to your blog.
4. Send it to me by email with "AE01 Blog Link" as your email subject by 4/18 23:59.

Homework

• Download and long in to the Google Sheets app from your phone's app store.
• Download and log in to the Quizlet app.
• Read the handouts and try the tasks.

Video – Tom Sawyer by Rush

As I told you in my self-introduction, the Canadian rock trio, Rush, is my favorite band. Geddy Lee, the bass player, is also the singer and keyboardist; Alex Lifeson is the guitar player; Neil Peart is the drummer and lyricist (writer of the words).

Rush's best-known song is Tom Sawyer. Tom Sawyer is the name of a famous character is American literature. Mark Twain wrote a few novels with Tom as a character who observes human nature. Tom was a boy and had a friend named Huckleberry (Huck) Finn. Huck had his own novel in which he made a raft (small flat boat) and traveled down the Mississippi River with an escaped slave.

In the introduction part of the video there is an animation with characters from South Park (a popular TV show). The characters have their own rock group called Lil' Rush. They start to play Tom Sawyer, but stop to have an argument. It's because the singer confuses Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.

In this song, Peart (the writer) thinks of himself as a "modern-day Tom Sawyer". So, this song is really about himself. I have included the lyrics (words) below the video if you would like to read them. Enjoy!






Tom Sawyer
Words: Peart    Music: Lee & Lifeson

A modern day warrior
Mean, mean stride
Today's Tom Sawyer
Mean, mean pride

Though his mind is not for rent
Don't put him down as arrogant
He reserves the quiet defense
Riding out the day's events
The river

What you say about his company
Is what you say about society
Catch the mist, catch the myth
Catch the mystery, catch the drift

The world is, the world is
Love and life are deep
Maybe as his skies are wide

Today's Tom Sawyer
He gets high on you
And the space he invades
He gets by on you

No, his mind is not for rent
To any God or government
Always hopeful yet discontent
He knows changes aren't permanent
But change is

What you say about his company
Is what you say about society
Catch the witness, catch the wit
Catch the spirit, catch the spit

The world is, the world is
Love and life are deep
Maybe as his eyes are wide

Exit the warrior
Today's Tom Sawyer
He gets by on you
And the energy you trade
He gets right on to the friction of the day

Lesson 1 – Welcome!

Welcome to Advanced English Reading & Writing!

In this first lesson, we introduced ourselves to each other. I also explained the outline for the course.

Next Class (4/17)

1. Bring a computer.
2. Buy a B5 Notebook and bring it.
3. Write your full name in English on the front
4. Write "Advanced English" under your name
5. Write "Daniel Beck" below that.