Using The Daily Yomiuri in the Classroom
This months' article takes a seasonal look at company entrance ceremonies. There are two new activities--one asks students to reinsert clauses into the text, while the other has the students identify key words then try to rewrite the article from grammatical clues. Almost 100 percent of the vocabulary in the artcile is from among the most frequent 2000 English words, and the vocabulary activities should make the article accessible to most classes.
Entrance ceremonies held for new employees
Entrance ceremonies were held around the country at many companies and administrative agencies Monday.
At Kansai Telecasting Corp., (1) >>>> , President Soichiro Chigusa, (2) >>>>> , apologized to 14 incoming employees. "I feel ashamed to be giving you advice after such misconduct," he said.
Chigusa added at the ceremony held at the broadcaster's central office in Osaka that the company will be removed from the National Association of Commercial Broadcasters. "I would like you to fully understand that you now stand in a position to tell the truth accurately to viewers," he said. "We lost public trust though our programming, so we must also regain it through our programming." one of the new employees, (3) >> , expressed their determination by saying, "From the very beginning, we would like to make good programs and recover viewer trust."
Japan Airlines Corp., (4) >>>>> , held a ceremony at its central office in Tokyo, where President Haruka Nishimatsu addressed about 160 new employees. "Our company is in an extremely difficult situation now because of operational problems that happened over the course of last year.
[However], I feel encouraged that you have chosen to join JAL. Let's work hard together," he said.
The last entrance ceremony for Japan Post, (5) >>>>>>>>>>> , was held in Tokyo. Yoshifumi Nishikawa, who took office Sunday, spoke to 91 incoming employees. "Let's see how we can change this year, and for the turning point waiting in October," he said.
The Defense Ministry held its first ceremony since being upgraded from an agency. Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma said: "The first officers to enter the ministry carry high expectations from the public. Let's work hard together here, all around Japan, and all over the world."
(The Daily Yomiuri, April 3)
STUDENTS' ACTIVITIES
Activity 1: vocabulary
Match the definitions to the highlighted vocabulary in Activity 2.
1. debts ( )
2. representing ( )
3. making up ( )
4. break up ( )
5. in trouble ( )
Activity 2: non defining relative clauses
Look at the gaps in the text. Put the following phrases in the correct place
(a) speaking on behalf of all the new hires
(b) which has been (1) under fire for (2) the fabrication of information on one of its programs
(c) which will disband in October with the privatization of the postal system
(d) who has announced he will resign
(e) which is trying to rid itself of deficits
Activity 3: vocabulary part 2
The phrase "take office" means to start a new position. Go to http://view.byu.edu/ and type "take office" in the SEARCH box. Look at the example sentences--what kinds of jobs use the phrase take office?
Look in your dictionary for words beginning with "mis." Which one means "bad behavior"? Can you find the word in the article?
Activity 4: capital letter questions
1. When were the ceremonies held?
2. Who are the (P)residents of the three companies?
3. Which (P)resident is the newest?
4. Which (P)resident will be leaving his job soon?
Activity 5: number based questions
1. How many new employees attended the ceremony at Kansai Telecasting Corp.?
2. How many new employees joined Japan Post?
3. Which company hired the most new employees?
Activity 6: nouns and verbs
Look at the highlighted words in Paragraph 1.
Entrance ceremonies ... held ... country ... companies ... agencies ... Monday.
By reading only the nouns and related verbs the main idea is still clear. Go through paragraph 3 and make a list of the main nouns, verbs and adjectives only. Now, cover the article and try to re-write the paragraph using your verb/noun/adjective list as a guide.
Language Transfer
1. Imagine you are applying for a job at one of the companies. Write a short CV and a cover letter introducing yourself.
2. Prepare a short speech (about one minute) that you could give at the company entrance ceremony.
NOTES FOR TEACHERS
Activity 1: vocabulary
This focuses on understanding the less common vocabulary in the text. You can also get students to check each word in their dictionary first. Answers: 1-e, 2-a, 3-b2, 4-c, 5-b1
Activity 2: non-defining relative clauses
This activity sensitizes the students to the use of non-defining clauses (very common in news media, but often very "forced" in textbooks) Answers: 1-b, 2-d, 3-a, 4-e, 5-c
Activity 3
This activity makes use of two dictionary tools to focus on two vocabulary items that students often find confusing.
Activity 4: capital letter questions
If necessary have the students highlight all the capital letters in the text first. Answers: 1. Monday, 2. Soichiro Chigusa, Haruka Nishimatsu, Yoshifumi Nishikawa, 3. Nishikawa, 4. Chigusa
Activity 5: numbers based questions Answers: 1. 14, 2. 91, 3. JAL
Activity 6: nouns and verbs
This shows students how to find key words in a text by directing them to the most important parts of speech. The rewriting encourages them to apply their existing grammar knowledge.
Weedon has 10 years' experience teaching English in Japan. He is also the coordinator for the Oita chapter of English Teachers in Japan. Contact him with any questions about the ideas in this column at gweedon 1971@nifty.com.