池袋西口校（東京都）のスクールブログ

Two years ago for Obon I went down to Kagoshima to visit my girlfriend’s family for the first time. I was a little anxious, especially because my Japanese speaking ability is poor, but I needn’t have worried, they were very welcoming and friendly. They gave me a lot of food, they drove me around and we did our best to talk to each other.
Last year I didn’t have enough money to go again during Obon. Flights are expensive aren’t they. I can’t remember what I did, probably a lot of nothing.
This year, Obon 2020, I guess I’ll have to stay in Tokyo and avoid travelling around much. You know why. At Nova we have 5 days off, from the 10th to the 15th. I would like to go for a walk in the forest for some natural healing and rejuvenation, and I’m sure that I’ll find time to visit the onsen. But I guess I’ll be spending most of the time in my apartment.
I’ve downloaded a lot of books so I should spend some time looking at them. I also recently bought a TV so I’ll probably look at that, too. I’m thinking of moving to a new apartment this year so I’ll be looking through apartments on the suumo website. And I’ll rest, relax and recuperate.
I hope your Obon is good, whatever you do.

Arran先生の今年のお盆は本を読んだり、ゆっくり過ごすようですね。今年はそんな皆さまも多いかもしれません😌

NOVA池袋西口校は8/10-8/15までお休みをいただいております。

休校期間中も「お茶の間留学」等のオンラインレッスンは提供させていただいておりますので、ぜひご活用いただけますと幸いでございます😆

ご不明な点がございましたら、スクールスタッフまでお気軽にお声掛けください💙

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2020年8月5日

🌞カナダの夏🌞

Hi！NOVA池袋西口校です😀

梅雨も明けてついに夏本番の暑さがやってきましたね💦

本日はカナダ出身の講師にカナダ🍁と日本🍵の夏の違いについて聞いてみました！

バンフ

Summer in Canada is very different than summertime in Japan.
In Canada summers are mild and comfortable. The temperature will rarely reach above 30ºC. The wind from the Rocky Mountains ensures that we are surrounded by a cool breeze during July and August.

This will by my first full summer in Japan. I have heard that the temperature and high humidity make the summertime very difficult to cope with. My plan is to always carry a fan with me and eat ice cream every day.

If you have any advice for how I can stay cool this summer please let me know!

Ensure – To make sure/certain something will happen.
Cope – To survive/deal with something effectively.

カナダの夏は日本より涼しく、快適に過ごせそうですね～😍

日本の夏を乗り切る良いアドバイスがありましたら、NOVA池袋西口校のレッスンでぜひ講師に教えてあげてください🌟

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2020年8月2日

🔤Skill-Focused Learning🔤

Hi！NOVA池袋西口校です😀

本日はオーストラリア出身のHiroki先生から、初心者からできる英会話のコツを教えてもらいました🌟

Learning Tip! Skill-Focused Learning

Hello everyone! Today I thought I could share one approach I take to improving one’s skill. This can of course be applied to language learning but also to any other skill out there. I’m not sure of the proper name but I personally like to call it “skill-focused learning”.

So what is Skill-Focused Learning?
It’s actually quite simple. It’s learning and practicing just ONE specific skill at the one time.

For example, you want to learn how to talk about your weekend but to truly express everything that happened and was felt on the weekend is quite the difficult and complex task. So break down the task to simple skill areas.

Lets start with, Simple Past.

e.g. I went to the shop. I bought a new shirt.

Practice using the simple past tense of this verb until you are comfortable making these sentences without much thinking. You need to build a habit of forming these sentences.

Next, focus on a different skill – describing the time.

e.g. I went to the shop in the morning. I bought a new shirt on Sunday.

Again, practice until you can make these sentences comfortably without much thinking. The ideal is to get as close to mastery of that specific skill before moving on to the next one.
By repeating this process over and over again, you will build a bigger resource of ways you can communicate.

To summarize;

1. Focus on one specific skill.
2. Practice until confident and comfortable using it.
3. Find another specific skill.
4. Repeat process.

I believe this is a little difficult at first as you need to know what you’re good at and what you need to practice. However, the more you get accustomed to using this approach, the more efficient your learning will be.

Give it a try and I hope this will be a little helpful for your learning journey!

Thank you
Hiroki

あなたの週末はどんな週末だった？という質問はよくある質問ですよね。

週末にあれこれあったけれど、何から話したらいいか・・どんな風に話したらいいか・・と困ってしまうこともあるのではないでしょうか。

そんな時はHiroki先生が教えてくれた方法で1つ1つ考えてみるといいかもしれません。

まずは1つずつ。それができるようになったら次のステップ。

その繰り返しを練習してみることで、英会話力がアップしていきます。

皆さまもこの機会にHiroki先生のレッスンでさらなる英会話力のアップをめざしてはいかがでしょうか？

スタッフ講師一同、皆さまのお越しをお待ちしております💛

NOVA 池袋西口校（東京都）英会話スクール・英会話教室はこちら >>

2020年7月29日

🍁カナダの風変わりな政党🍁

Hi！NOVA池袋西口校です😄

本日はカナダ出身の講師Jasonから、カナダにはちょっと風変わりな政党があるというお話をしてもらいました😆

In Canada we have many different political parties.
But one party stands out the most. It is called the “Rhinocerous Party.”
They are a real, registered political party and people go out and vote for them every election.

They are famous for many hilarious campaigns such as:
– Canadian’s should ban winter since it lasts too long.
– Tear down the Rocky Mountains so that the sunset will last longer.
– Flood Montreal to turn it into the North America version of Venice.

If you ever want to laugh at some hilarious ideas from the Canadian political system please search up the “Rhinocerous Party.”

日本にはあまりないようなタイプの政党がカナダにはあるのですね😂

カナダ出身Jason先生は土曜、日曜にNOVA池袋西口校でレッスンをしています！

NOVA 池袋西口校（東京都）英会話スクール・英会話教室はこちら >>

2020年7月26日

🌟He shouted to me！🌟

Hi！NOVA池袋西口校です😆

本日はイギリス出身の講師Stuartに前置詞の”to”と”at”の違いについて教えてもらいました🌟

He shouted to me!

Prepositions can be difficult in English and getting them wrong can give the wrong impression. Let’s consider these two sentences:
⦁ He shouted at me!
⦁ He shouted to me!
Although they might look similar they have very different meanings. When we use to, with these action words like shout and throw its meaning is closer to “give.” My Mum shouted TO me from across the road and started waving.
When we use at with action words like throw and shout the meaning is more like “hit.” We’re aiming when we throw or shout at someone. My Mother shouted AT me when I stole some cookies.
Let’s practice and fill in the blanks.

1. In dodgeball practice, he threw the ball __ me.
2. In soccer practice, he threw the ball __ me.
3. I heard her shouting __ him, she wasn’t happy.
4. I saw her wave and shout __ me from the bridge.
5. The teacher was angry when the children threw snowballs __ him.
6. The man threw the darts __ the board.
7. I heard him shout __ me from the crowd before I scored.

Let me know how you get on and please don’t throw anything at me!

Stuart

前置詞の使い方ってわかりにくい時ありませんか？

Stuart先生の説明は比較的わかりやすいものだったかのではないでしょうか😊

Stuart先生が出した問題の答えはレッスンで確認しましょう！NOVA池袋西口では金曜、土曜、日曜にレッスンをしています💛

NOVA 池袋西口校（東京都）英会話スクール・英会話教室はこちら >>

2020年7月22日

🏃オーストラリアの選挙制度🏃

Hi！NOVA池袋西口校です😀

先日、東京都知事選がありましたが皆さまは投票に行かれましたか？

本日はオーストラリア出身の講師Hirokiにオーストラリアの選挙についてインタビューしてみました！

How voting works at elections in Australia (Queensland)

Recently, a big portion of news in Japan has been focusing on the election of the next Tokyo Governor. Along with the news of the election, I have also seen a number of advertisements to encourage people to go vote. This has been somewhat interesting to me as we do not see this type of advertisements in Australia.

Why? Well because voting is compulsory in Australia – not optional.

First this law applies to all who are eligible to vote. That is, people who are Australian citizens over the age of 18. Hence when there is any type of election to select the next person in power, we receive a letter informing us of the next upcoming voting day and venue. To help those who have difficulty voting , there are various methods to vote apart from voting in person on the specific day. We can apply for early voting and postal voting through the government election website.

What happens if we don’t vote?
Well we receive a fine of $133.45 (for those in the Queensland state). That’s roughly 10000yen! Definitely not an amount that I would want to pay if I can avoid it by just going out to vote, which usually takes less than 30 minutes.

Now fortunately for someone like me who is living overseas, we can apply for postal voting or we also have the option to apply for exemption through the government election website.

That’s it for today’s quick explanation of how voting works in Australia. What do you think about this system? Do you think it’s a good idea or would you be against it? Let us know next time!

Hiroki

なるほど・・・オーストラリアでは必ず投票しなくてはならないのですね。

Hiroki先生とこうした制度や文化の違いについて、次回のレッスンで会話してみるといいかもしれません🤩

NOVA 池袋西口校（東京都）英会話スクール・英会話教室はこちら >>

2020年7月19日

ドイツ語

本日はAdam先生がドイツ語について教えてくれます😃

Lie, lie, lay.

The German language (Deutsch) has three verbs, which entered English many years ago, that bedevil speakers of English. No, I don’t mean students of E.S.L. – I mean native speakers!

a) lügen: to (tell a) lie
b) liegen: to lie (in bed/on the floor)
c) legen : to lay (place, put or sit) something in a certain palce or position.

In German there is no confusion and the different vowel sounds are kept almost unchanged, regardless of the tense. Now, look at the mess we made of these words in English.

a) lie lied lied
b) lie lay lain
c) lay laid laid

See if you can write sentences with these with these words used used correctly. WARNING! The average English teacher will give you a different answer, depending on where he or she comes from! (You’d be better off checking online…)

Regards,
Adam

ドイツ語にも英語と似て3つの動詞に分かれるんですね😲
Adam先生がドイツ語を話せるのもすごいですね！
皆さまもぜひNOVA池袋西口校で、さまざまな国出身の講師に英語以外の言語やその違いをきいてみたりしてみてください😆

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2020年7月15日

🥧Pie & Mash 🥧

Hi！NOVA池袋西口校です😃

本日はイギリス出身の講師JoeにFish & Chipsならぬ、Pie & Mashについて教えてもらいました🌟

An Ode To Pie & Mash

Across the world, many people have heard of the famous British dish ‘Fish & Chips’, but today I’d like to tell you about my all-time favorite comfort food from my hometown in London’s East End: Pie & Mash.

Pie & Mash is a traditional working-class meal from East London and the London Docklands that has been enjoyed by Londoners since the 19th century. It consists of a delicious and heartwarming minced-beef and cold-water-pastry pie, served with mashed potato and sometimes jellied eels and covered in a wonderful sauce called ‘liquor’. Despite its name ‘liquor’ does not contain any alcohol, and is in fact made of parsley and fish stock, usually made from the water used for the preparation of the stewed eels. It is rich with flavor, filling and very comforting and my favorite food in the entire world.

It’s association with the working class comes from its affordable and readily available ingredients; pies being an easy food to transport; and eels being one of the few forms of fish that could survive London’s famously mucky and polluted River Thames in the Victorian era. To this day, people from all backgrounds love to enjoy a plate of pie and mash for a hearty lunch in London’s East End. I hope one day I can find a place in Japan that serves it!

Joe

Castle’s Pie & Mash

fish and chipsはご存知の方も多いでしょうが、pie and mashはご存知でしたでしょうか？

うなぎにこんな食べ方があったとは！！いつか食べてみたいです🤩

イギリス出身のJoeにイギリスについてもっと聞いてみたいという方、Joe先生は火曜日にNOVA池袋西口校でレッスンをしています🌟

NOVA 池袋西口校（東京都）英会話スクール・英会話教室はこちら >>

2020年7月12日

🍁カナダデー🍁

Hi！NOVA池袋西口校です🤩

本日はカナダデーについてカナダ出身の講師Jaysonに聞いてみました！

Canada day is July 1st.
This day is to celebrate the day that Canada became an independent country.
In Canada we celebrate with family and friends.
We normally will have a BBQ, drink, and enjoy the fireworks.
This year I plan to still celebrate Canada Day.
I will eat maple syrup and pancakes for breakfast, poutine for lunch, and drink Canadian beer with dinner.
I look forward to celebrating！

7月1日のカナダデーは独立記念日なのですね。アメリカやカナダでは盛大に独立記念日をお祝いするようです😊

Jayson先生は土曜と日曜にNOVA池袋西口校でレッスンをしています🎵

NOVA 池袋西口校（東京都）英会話スクール・英会話教室はこちら >>

Shore・・・岸辺 The couple walked along the shore．(そのカップルは、浜辺を歩いた) Coast・・・海岸 The typhoon is approaching the coast of Kyushu. （その台風は九州の沿岸に接近中です）

Waves・・・波 I like watching the waves hit the shore．(私は波が海岸に打ち付けるのを見るのが好きだ)

Dock・・・波止場 Make a boat fast to a dock．(船着き場に舟をつなぐ)

Sunscreen・・・日焼け止めクリーム I put on a lot of sunscreen．(日焼け止めをたくさん塗ります)

Sunbathing・・・日光浴 They are sunbathing during the day．(彼らは昼間に日光浴をしています)

Shore・・・岸辺
The couple walked along the shore．(そのカップルは、浜辺を歩いた)

Coast・・・海岸
The typhoon is approaching the coast of Kyushu. （その台風は九州の沿岸に接近中です）

Waves・・・波
I like watching the waves hit the shore．(私は波が海岸に打ち付けるのを見るのが好きだ)

Dock・・・波止場
Make a boat fast to a dock．(船着き場に舟をつなぐ)

Sunscreen・・・日焼け止めクリーム
I put on a lot of sunscreen．(日焼け止めをたくさん塗ります)

Sunbathing・・・日光浴
They are sunbathing　during the day．(彼らは昼間に日光浴をしています)