Blog
Word of the Week: Brag
“I know you scored the winning goal, but don’t brag about it.” To brag is to talk about your own accomplishments, not just to share happy news but in an arrogant way. Most people usually find this annoying, so it’s a negative word. In some situations, like job...
Phrase of the Week: Not that I know of
"Do any of your friends play the guitar?" "Not that I know of." This is a useful phrase for answering questions when you don't have complete information. It's possible one of your friends can play the guitar but has never talked to you about it. So you don't think any...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
"Could you ______ me to send that email tomorrow? I don't want to forget." Fill in the blank. A. remind B.remmber C. recall D. rethink...
Let’s go to the beach! Getting around town in English 海に行きましょう！英語で町を回りましょう
Classroom Tip This chant from Happy Valley Student Book 2, Unit 2, introduces the different places where Kinka and Pinka will visit. Do the chant and then do again with gestures. After, put the teacher or student cards around the room and use the dialogue Let’s go to...
Trivia of the Week: Buttercup
A buttercup is a small yellow flower. The name sounds cute and delicious, but actually, they are poisonous. Cows and horses sometimes get sick from eating them if they have nothing else to eat....
Idiom of the Week: Take it on the chin
“The committee criticized his paper, but he took it on the chin.” Imagine being punched in the face. If you stand there and accept the punch, you “take it on the chin”. We use this to mean accepting something bad, such as an attack or misfortune, without...
Word of the Week: Rise
"The sun rises over the horizon." "The plane rose into the sky." When you make something else get higher, you raise it. When it gets higher by itself, it rises. There are many ways to use "rise": "Let the dough rise." "The price has risen since last time."...
Picture of the Week: Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemums come from Asia and northeastern Europe. The English name comes from the Greek words for “gold” and “flower”. They are mostly used for decoration but sometimes also used in cooking in Japan, Korea and China. ...
Phrase of the Week: At the Moment
“Are you busy?” “Not at the moment.” “What are you doing?” “At the moment, I’m washing the dishes.” “At the moment” means “right now”. I’m not busy at the moment: I can talk right now but I might be busy with something else soon. I’m washing dishes at the moment: I’m...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
“The tests showed that the benefit from the medicine was insignificant, so it was approved to be sold to patients.” Find the mistake. A. showed B. benefit C. insignificant D. approved 「実験の結果から薬はかなり有効だと証明されたので、患者に販売される許可が下りました。」...
Trivia of the Week: Sprinkles
Sprinkles are tiny colorful candies that are used for decoration, not for flavor. They are often seen on top of ice cream, cookies, cupcakes or other sweets. A mix of rainbow colors is probably most common, but they can also be found in single colors or themed...
Idiom of the Week: Snatched from the Jaws
“Things looked grim, but the doctors were able to snatch the patient from the jaws of death.” “We were way behind, but somehow we snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.” If someone who is about to die is saved, we say they were “snatched from the jaws of...
Word of the Week: Raise, continued
“It costs a lot of money to raise children.” “We used to raise goats.” “Raise” can mean to take care of a living being as it grows from a baby to an adult. If you remember the “lift up” or “make higher” meaning of raise, perhaps you can remember this usage by...
Picture of the Week: Dahlia
The dahlia is a flower that comes from Mexico. It has been brought to other places in the world. There are many different kinds. Have you ever seen one? ...
Phrase of the Week: Guess What
“Guess what! We got a new cat!” “Guess what! I brought cookies!” “Guess what! I got 100% on my math test!” “Guess what” tells the listener that you have some exciting news to share. It’s usually good news, but not always: “Guess what happened this morning! I almost...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
“Brightly colored packages _____ for the attention of shoppers.” Fill in the blank. A. compete B. converge C. fight over D. complete 「鮮やかなパッケージは買い物をする人の注意を引こうと競い合います。」...
Phonics Song: a and b—let’s learn basic sounds! a とbのフォニックスソングで基礎の音を覚えましょう！
Classroom Tip This song from Happy Valley Phonics Book 1, Unit 1, introduced the Phonanimal anchor and two additional vocabulary to extend association with the short vowel sound of the letter a and consonant sound b. Watch the video and encourage students to sing...
Trivia of the Week: Red Giant
A red giant is a kind of star. It’s much bigger than our sun—it’s giant! But it’s actually not very massive or dense, for a star. Its light is orange or red. Red giants are older stars that have burned up their fuel. When a star like ours burns out and collapses, the...
Idiom of the Week: Get On Like a House On Fire
“When the cousins first met they were shy but soon they were getting on like a house on fire.” To get on like a house on fire is to like each other a lot and become good friends quickly. This is one of the few times when “a house on fire” is not a bad thing!...
Word of the Week: Raise
“Raise the lever before pumping the gas.” “If I get a raise in my salary, I’ll be able to travel more.” The basic meaning of “raise” is to lift something or make it higher. It is usually a verb—you can raise a lever or a curtain. When talking about raising the amount...
