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I’m hungry! Let’s order some food in English! おなかすいた～！英語で食べ物を注文しよう！
Classroom Tip This chant from Happy Valley Student Book 2, Unit 4, introduces more foods (in Happy Valley 1 we learned some fruit and snack food vocabulary). Do the chant and then repeat it doing the gestures. After, make a menu like in the Storytime page! On the...
Trivia of the Week: Aspirin
People had known for a long time that willow tree bark had an ability to relieve pain. Modern aspirin was developed in the 19th century. The word “aspirin” started as a brand name of the company Bayer, but became a generic name for the drug. Aspirin is less popular...
Idiom of the Week: Straight from the Horse’s Mouth
“Are you sure this information is reliable?” “I got it straight from the horse’s mouth.” The best information comes from people who are directly involved. In horse racing, who is more directly involved than the actual horse? This saying means the information comes...
Word of the Week: Mistake, cont.
Last week we looked at “mistake” as a noun. We can also use it as a verb. “Did you mistake me for someone else?” “I mistook the gas pedal for the brake.” When you see (or hear or feel) someone or something, but think it is something or someone else, you have mistaken...
Phrase of the Week: It Won’t Happen Again
“You ate the pudding I left in the fridge, didn’t you? I even wrote my name on it!” “I’m sorry! It won’t happen again.” We say something won’t happen again when we have done something wrong and have to apologize. The other person can be sure that we won’t do it again,...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
"Be sure to pick up a copy of my book when it releases next month!" Find the mistake. A. Be sure B. pick up C. when it D. releases 「来月本が出版されたら間違いなく買ってね！」 Aの「Be...
Trivia of the Week: Odd and Even
Even numbers are divisible by two. They can be divided by two without anything left over, or divided “evenly”. Odd numbers are not strange, but can’t be divided evenly by two. Zero also counts as even! Non-integers like 1/3 or 0.5 are neither odd nor even. ...
Idiom of the Week: A Close Call
“That was a close call! I almost hit that cyclist.” “A close call” is an accident, injury, or other bad thing that almost happens but is just barely avoided. It could be very serious: you almost died, but survived through luck. It could be a small thing: you...
Word of the Week: Mistake
“I made a mistake on this form. Can I have another copy?” “There must be some mistake. I don’t have a reservation under that name.” “Mistake” is most often used as a noun. You can make a mistake. You can find or notice a mistake someone else made. You can catch a...
Picture of the Week: Black Cat
Halloween season has started. The holiday isn’t until the last day of October, but the decorations are already up! This black cat is perfect for Halloween. The orange eyes match the color of the jack-o-lanterns. ...
Phrase of the Week: Not a Good Idea
“I’m going to skateboard on the roof.” “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” “It’s not a good idea to feed wild alligators.” This phrase is used to advise someone not to do something. It can also be used about things that were done in the past and had bad results. “I...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
"The information is correct, but the presentation is not very exciting. Please ______ the text and email it to me by Friday." Fill in the blank. A. revise B. review C. write D. undo 「情報は正しいのですがプレゼンテーションの仕方が面白くないです。書き直して金曜日までにメールで送ってください。」...
Let’s go to the aquarium! I see a shark! 水族館に行こう！サメがいるよ！
Classroom Tip This chant from Happy Valley Student Book 2, Unit 3, introduces several sea animals. Listen to the chant and then do again with the gestures. After, put the teacher or student flashcards around the room and pretend to be in an aquarium. Use the dialogue...
Trivia of the Week: Purring
Purring is a rumbling sound made by happy cats. However, other animals make sounds also called “purring”, including raccoons, squirrels, bears and elephants. We don’t know exactly how cats purr. Some bigger cats cannot purr—they can roar, instead. Cats don’t only purr...
Idiom of the Week: Get the Hang of It
“It’s tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s easy.” Getting the hang of something is suddenly being able to do something that was difficult before. It’s like an insight that you get from a certain amount of experience, but it usually can’t be explained...
Phrase of the Week: Out of the Way
“Get out of the way!” If you’re riding your bicycle and suddenly realize you’re going to hit someone, and don’t have time to stop, you should yell, “Get out of the way!” In this situation, “the way” is the path of something moving. It will sound rude if you tell...
Picture of the Week: Forget-Me-Not
The name “forget-me-not” was translated from the German name of the flower around the year 1400. Given the name, it’s not surprising that it has been used as a symbol of remembrance. Another name for this type of flower is Myosotis, which comes from Greek for “mouse’s...
Phrase of the Week: Do Your Best
“Do your best and I’m sure you’ll pass the test.” “I don’t care if we win or lose the game, so long as we play our best.” “Do your best” is a handy phrase to cheer someone on. Sometimes we can replace the word “do” with another verb, like “play” in the case of a sport...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
“Keeping score can motivate students by adding an elementary of competition.” Find the mistake. A. Keeping score B. motivate C. elementary D. competition 「スコアは競争の要素を加えることで生徒のモチベーションになりえます。」...
Idiom of the Week: Cross That Bridge When We Come to It
“But how will you get back home afterward?” “I don’t know. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.” We use this phrase to put off a decision or problem until later. When travelling, you don’t need to figure out how you will cross a certain bridge until you actually...
