Hello, Class! This is Towako from MEL School.
How are you doing?
This week, we explored two topics: endangered species and cultural differences.
In ELST, we studied how habitat loss puts wildlife in danger and expanded our vocabulary through the word family of habitat. We also discussed what we can do to protect endangered species, including learning about animals and habitats in our own local communities.
In Bridge Work, we moved from reading about cultural differences to sharing our own experiences abroad. Traffic rules, business hours, food portions, and even the way people use car horns or buses can be very different from what we are used to. Rather than simply deciding which way is better, we thought about how understanding the local context can change the way we experience another culture.
See you next week!
Towako
<Lesson Review>
ELST Reading B2.1 #7 — Endangered Species
We worked with a reading about endangered species and habitat loss.
You copied the text into your notebook, worked on the translation, and checked the meaning and structure of some challenging sentences together.
One important structure was a pattern like:
The temperature rose rapidly, causing the ice to melt.
Here, the -ing phrase shows the result of what happened before it.
We looked at similar patterns such as:
Heavy rain continued for several days, leading to severe flooding.
The company closed several factories, leaving hundreds of people without jobs.
When reading longer sentences, don't translate one word at a time. First identify what happened, and then think about how the next part is connected to it.
Cause → Result
Recognizing this relationship makes complex sentences much easier to understand.
Vocabulary Focus — habitat and its Word Family
We also spent some time exploring the word habitat and related words:
habitat — the natural home of an animal or plant
inhabit — to live in a place
inhabitant — a person or animal that lives in a particular place
inhabited — having people or animals living there
uninhabited — having no people living there
habitable — suitable for living in
habitation — the act or state of living somewhere
Learning a word family helps you understand unfamiliar vocabulary without memorizing every word separately.
Instead of learning:
habitat = 生息地
as one isolated translation, try to see the common idea connecting the words: a place where something lives.
From Reading to the Real World
The reading also led to a discussion about what we can do to protect endangered animals and plants.
One interesting idea was to begin locally.
What endangered species live near us?
What kinds of habitats do they need?
Are those habitats being protected?
At Advanced level, reading should not end when you understand the text.
Read → Understand → Ask questions → Explore
Use English as a way to learn more about the world.
Bridge Work -3
Chapter 34 Unit 1
Ron has a bike he bought last year.
Grammar in Use — Diverse Cultures
We reviewed Diverse Cultures through overlapping and then discussed examples of cultural differences around the world.
We talked about differences in:
traffic rules, date formats, electrical standards, business hours, transportation, food, and everyday customs.
Then you shared your own experiences abroad.
For example, we heard about shops closing much earlier in England than in Japan, drivers using their horns as a form of communication in Vietnam, bus customs in Ireland, and much larger food portions in Canada.
These examples show that culture is not limited to traditional food, clothing, or festivals. It can be found in the small rules and habits of everyday life.
Something that seems strange or inconvenient at first may begin to make more sense once we understand how people live in that society.
This connects with the expression:
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
When we travel, instead of assuming that our own way is the “normal” way, we can ask:
Why is it different? How do local people understand it? Can I adapt to it?
Writing — My Experience in a Foreign Country
Finally, you used your discussion as the basis for a short essay about a cultural difference you experienced abroad.
Aim for about 10–15 sentences, including:
Topic sentence → Reasons / Examples → Your thoughts → Closing sentence
For example, don't simply write:
Shops in England close early.
Develop the idea:
What happened?
Why did it surprise you?
How was it different from Japan?
How did you feel at first?
Did your view change after spending more time there?
A good paragraph or short essay is not simply a collection of correct sentences. Each sentence should help develop one central idea.
