U N I T. 1. What are Maxine and Debbie talking about? They are talking about. 2. What doesn t Maxine like? She doesn t like. 3. What is a shame?

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Cordelia Briana Reynolds
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1. Conversation: U N I T 1. What are Maxine and Debbie talking about? They are talking about 2. What doesn t Maxine like? She doesn t like 3. What is a shame? 4.

5 10 15 Maxine Debbie Maxine Debbie Maxine Debbie Maxine Debbie Maxine Debbie - I m worried about my son. - What s wrong?

We used to go to the park and run and play, and we had fun, right? - Yeah. It s a shame that kids these days stay inside the house all day playing video games.

1 1. Conversation: U N I T 1. What are Maxine and Debbie talking about? They are talking about 2. What doesn t Maxine like? She doesn t like 3. What is a shame? 4. Whose fault is it and why? 5. What did Maxine hear on the news? Maxine Debbie Maxine Debbie Maxine Debbie Maxine Debbie Maxine Debbie - I m worried about my son. - What s wrong? - I don t like the fact that he spends so much time playing video games. - Oh, my daughter does that, too. - Do you remember when we were children? We used to go to the park and run and play, and we had fun, right? - Yeah. It s a shame that kids these days stay inside the house all day playing video games. - Well, it s the parents fault that they do that. After all, we buy the games for them. - I m more worried that some kids copy violent video games and hurt other kids at school. - Actually, I heard on the news that bullying in schools is increasing. - We should talk about this at the next PTA meeting. 530 Lesson

2 2a. Can you match phrases 1-10 with the pictures at the boom of the page? 1. Violent video games are bad for children. 2. Video games can help children learn. 3. Video games can lead to school violence and bullying. 4. Virtual pet games can teach children about responsibility. 5. Video games can be addictive. 6. Video games are a great social activity. 7. Video games can cause obesity. 8. Video games can improve hand-eye coordination. 9. Video games can cause bad eyesight. 10. Video games can improve reflexes. C B A E D I H 議論の余地のあるエッセ G F の記述 J 2b. A: What do you think about (number 1)? B: I (agree / disagree) with the idea that... / I don t know whether ~ or not. How about you? 議論の余地のあるエッセーの記述 / writing a debatable essay 531

3 3a. 3a. Read the following essay below and on the next five pages. After each section, answer the questions. The Introduction I think that video games are bad for children and adults. There are three reasons: video games are violent, addictive, and bad for your health. 1. What is the main idea of this essay? The main idea is that 2. Why does the writer think that video games are bad? (What are the reasons?) 3b Paragraph 1 First of all, it s true that there are different kinds of video games such as adventure games, virtual pet games, and puzzles. However, many video games are very violent. Many psychologists support the idea that violent video games are bad for children. Some children think that hitting, kicking, and killing are O.K. because they see it in video games. This can lead to school violence and bullying at school. My husband, David, is a junior high school teacher. He worries that some students might copy violent video games and hurt or bully other students. 3. What is the main idea of paragraph 1? The main idea is that 532 Lesson

4 The idea that video games are bad for people is a debatable topic, meaning that some people agree with this and some don t. When you write an essay on a debatable topic, it s important to briefly show an opposing point of view. The purpose of this opposing point of view is to show that the writer has thought deeply about the topic and has looked at both sides of the issue. This brings a sense of fairness and balance to the essay. 4. What is the opposing point of view of paragraph 1? There are Thus, one way to express an opposing point of view is with the phrase, it s true that... ( 確かに... である ). This can be followed by However, + the main point of view. Look at the example below: A: English is difficult. (Opposing point of view) B: English is also useful. (Main idea) C: It s true that English is difficult. However, it s also useful. Complete the blank for F: It s true that ~. However, SV... D: Japanese students study English in school for six years. E: Many of us cannot speak English well. Why? F: One more time, write the opposing point of view form paragraph 1. This time however, also write the main idea of the paragraph which follows. Notice that the opposing point of view usually appears close to the beginning of the paragraph and is short, often just one sentence. After you have given the opposing point of view, return to your main idea and begin to support it. Don t come back to the opposing point of view. 議論の余地のあるエッセの記述議論の余地のあるエッセーの記述 / writing a debatable essay 533

5 3b. Next, answer questions 5-8 about paragraph What do many psychologists support? They support 6. What do some children think? They think 7. What may this lead to? This can 8. Why does David worry? He 3c. 15 Paragraph 2 Second, studies show that video games can be addictive. While addiction to video games is rare, it s a fact that some people stay home and play video games all day. They don t socialize with other people and they don t go to school or work. Their grades go down because they don t study or they lose their jobs. It s sad that these people are destroying their lives for video games. 9. What is the main idea of paragraph 2? 10. What is the opposing point of view? Addiction 534 Lesson

6 In the second paragraph, the opposing point of view is expressed with the word while. This while doesn t mean ~ しながら as in I was eating popcorn while watching a movie ( 映画見ながらポップコーン食べてた ). It means ~ だが ~ けど. Look at the example below: G: English grammar is important. (Opposing point of view) H: Grammar should not be the final goal. (Main idea) I: While English grammar is important, it shouldn t be the final goal. While ~, SV... Complete the blank for L: J: English grammar is important. K: It is only a tool for communication. L: Next, answer questions about paragraph What is a fact? It s 12. What don t these people do? They _ 13. What happens to their grades and jobs? Their _ 14. What s sad? It s 議論の余地のあるエッセの記述議論の余地のあるエッセーの記述 / writing a debatable essay 535

7 3d. Paragraph 3 Finally, video games may lead to poor health. While it s true that a few video games require the players to move around, research shows that most video games don t have enough physical activity. It s important that people get some exercise every day such as walking or swimming. However, video game players stay inside the house playing video games so they don t go outside and they don t exercise. Some become overweight or have other health problems. My brother is like that. I hate the fact that he spends so much time inside the house playing video games. He is overweight and his eyesight is bad because he often plays in the dark What is the main idea of paragraph 3? 16. What is the opposing point of view? A few In the third paragraph, the opposing point of view is expressed with the phrase while it s true that (while + it s true that). The structure is the same as with while : M: Some Japanese people hate English. (Opposing point of view) N: Words such as パソコン and ファミリーレストラン are part of the Japanese language. (Main idea) O: While it s true that some Japanese people hate English, words such as パソコン and ファミリーレストラン are part of the Japanese language. While it s true that ~, SV Lesson

8 Complete the blank for R. P: The Japanese language uses many English words and phrases. Q: Some of them such as マンション and サラリーマン are strange. R: Rewrite the introduction of the essay from section 6a. 3e. Next, read the conclusion and notice how similar it is to the introduction. The Conclusion In conclusion, video games can make players violent, lonely, and sick, and that s why I think that they are bad for children and adults. There s a lot of information available about this topic. Why don t you check it out for yourself? Notice that the essay ends with a question (There s a lot of information available about video games so why don t you check it out for yourself?) This is a good way to end your essay. The question leaves the reader with something to think about. 議論の余地のあるエッセの記述議論の余地のあるエッセーの記述 / writing a debatable essay 537

9 4. In the previous lesson, you were introduced to how to write an essay. Here is a quick review: The introduction This introduces the main idea of the essay as well as the supporting ideas. The supporting ideas can be introduced with There are (three) reasons. The body Starting the paragraphs General/personal information The conclusion Many essays have three paragraphs, but any number is O.K. Each paragraph has a main idea, which was introduced in the introduction. The paragraphs usually start with such words as First of all, Second, and Finally. At the beginning of the paragraph, it s better to give general information. At the end of the paragraph, the writer can add some personal information. This is very effective, because it shows that the writer has actually experienced what he or she is writing about. The conclusion should basically restate the introduction. If possible, try to use different wording. Also, it s very important that no new ideas are added in the conclusion. If you didn t write about them in the body of the essay, you should not write about them in the conclusion. In this lesson, we looked at two more points about writing an effective essay, especially a debatable one: Opposing points of view Ending with a question Giving opposing points of view in a debatable essay is very good because it shows that the writer has deeply thought about both sides of the issue. The opposing points of view should be introduced towards the beginning of each paragraph and should be brief. After this brief introduction of the opposing points of view, don t talk about them anymore. Focus on your point of view for the rest of the paragraph. An effective way to end the essay is with a question such as Why don t you...? or with a suggestion such as You should try... This is good because it gives the reader something to think about. 538 Lesson

10 5. Making a word map before writing the essay Also, in the previous lesson of this book (as well as in the advice lesson in ATLANTIS Higher Learning I), we looked at how to come up with ideas for writing the essay using a word map. Word maps are effective because they can clearly show how ideas are connected to other ideas. Write your topic in the center and draw lines which lead to the main ideas. These main ideas are also connected to supporting ideas. Each main idea should have at least two or three supporting ideas. These supporting ideas can be connected with such words as because, so, moreover, and so on. such as is a good phrase to give examples. Below are some topics for writing a debatable essay. Choose one and write about it. Of course, you can also write about an original topic. 1. Japan is a great country. 2. Clubs in school aren t very important. 3. Marriage is necessary. 4. Going to university isn t very important. 5. Japanese education is very good. 6. The Internet is great. 7. There is too much violence on TV. 8. Japan won t be a world leader in the 21st century. 9. Climate change is real. 10. English is important. 議論の余地のあるエッセの記述議論の余地のあるエッセーの記述 / writing a debatable essay 539

U N I T. 1. What are Maxine and Debbie talking about? They are talking about. 2. What doesn t Maxine like? She doesn t like. 3. What is a shame?

U N I T. 1. What are Maxine and Debbie talking about? They are talking about. 2. What doesn t Maxine like? She doesn t like. 3. What is a shame? 1. Conversation: U N I T 1. What are Maxine and Debbie talking about? They are talking about 2. What doesn t Maxine like? She doesn t like 3. What is a shame? 4. Whose fault is it and why? 5. What did