三つの「気」をサポート
語学の習得には三つの「気」、すなわち「やる気」と「根気」と「暗記」が欠かせません。これらは自分一人では持続させるのは困難です。経験豊富な講師と一緒に英語の練習をしましょう。
Method学習方針
EquipmentUsed使用教材
使用教材について
本塾は、聖マリア女学院高等学校に通う生徒のための専門塾です。聖マリア女学院高等学校ではコースによって使用教科書が異なります。当英語教室では生徒の学習負担を減らし定期テストの成績を上げるために学校で使用している教科書および副教材を使用して英語指導を行います。
英語はコミュニケーション英語において英特・特進コースはいいずな書店の「ニューレイズ」を、文理コースは啓林館の「ランドマーク」を使用します。
なお、英語の論理・表現の授業ではどちらのコースもいいずな書店の「be!」を使用していますが、advanced と standard の二種類に分けて使っています。
文理コースで使用している「ランドマーク LANDMARK English Communication Ⅰ 」は岐阜県内や愛知県内の進学校の多数で採用されている非常に評価の高い教科書です。英語の教科書を難易度という観点から判別すると、易しいほうから１、難しい教科書を５とした場合、この教科書は3.5くらいの難易度だと思います。対する英特・特進コースで使用している「ニューレイズ」は4.2くらいでしょうか。
しかし、学習に適しているかという観点から見ると、評価は５に値すると思います。文が明快で暗唱するのに適していることに加え、内容も非常に面白いトピックスが並んでいます。
文章の難易度は高校の英語教科書として中の上ほどと申しましたが、中学校英語を終えた生徒が取り組んだ場合、かなりハードルが高いと感じるはずです。
以下に「 LANDMARK English Communication Ⅰ」の本文を載せますので、どれほどの難易度であるかを体感してください。なお、著作権の観点から画像の転写やデーターのコピーはできませんので、以下の本文は私がタイプしたものです。
LESSON 1
Enjoy Your Journey !Part 1
1)Welcome aboard! You are now at a new stage in your life. What do you want to do? Many of you may not be able to answer this question easily. Some may reply, “ I have no idea.”
2)Do not take the question too seriously. Start with something familiar. For example, you can try to “make a lot of new friends,” “learn how to play the guitar,” or “learn five new English words a day.”
3)You see? You can find many things to do. You may say that you do not know how to achieve these things. Well, if that is the case, here are four pieces of advice for you.
Part 2
4)First, you should have a clear image of your goal. Then, you will have a better chance to achieve it. Do you know Hanyu Yuzuru, a figure skater? When he was a little kid, he said he wanted to win the gold medal at the Olympic Games. He achieved this goal when he was 19 years old. Like Yuzuru, successful athletes tend to have a vivid image of the goal that they want to achieve.
5)Second, declare your goal. By doing so, you cannot give it up easily and you may also get help from others. Here is one good example. A high school girl declared her goal to make a box lunch for herself every day. She needed to get up at five in the morning to make one. She almost gave up in the middle, but her family and friends supported her. Eventually, she achieved her goal.
Part 3
6)What should you do when your goal is too difficult to achieve? The third piece of advice is to take small steps toward your goal. Here is the story of Minamiya Marin.
7)When Marin was a high school student, she set a goal to climb Mt. Everest. It was an extreme goal for her because she had very little experience in climbing high mountains. However, she did not give up and took small steps. She trained hard every day and improved her climbing ability. She also found sponsors on her own and collected money to go there. Finally, she reached the top of Mt. Everest when she was 19 years old.
Part 4
8)The last piece of advice is to enjoy the steps toward your goal. You may face difficulties at some steps. Overcoming them will require a lot of your time and energy. However, as Marin said, “Avoiding things will get you nowhere. Go for it! Instead of running away from the difficulties, try to enjoy the small steps and the whole journey toward your goal. If you get tired, take a rest. It is not a waste of time.
9)So, bon voyage! Enjoy your journey to the fullest!
以上が LANDMARK English Communication ⅠのLesson 1です。中学校の教科書と比較するとずいぶん難しいと思われるかもしれませんが、他の教科書よりも読みやすい文が使われています。語彙に関しても新出単語は約560語で他の教科書と大差ありません。この課を4月中に終えるほどの進度になると思います。
この教科書の優れている点は、文がすっきりしていてそのまま暗唱するのに適している点です。コミュニケーション英語の教科書としては非常に考えて作られた教科書だと私は感じました。このような教科書を採用する学校は教科書選定においてもしっかりした議論や検討がなされていると思います。英特・特進で使われているNew Rays（いいずな書店）よりも生徒は英語に親しみやすいと思います。
続けてLesson 3の本文も見てみましょう。これは１学期の期末テストの範囲になる箇所だと思います。
Lesson 3
School UniformsPart 1
1)What do you wear to school every day? Most of you will probably say, “My school uniform.” In fact, over 80%(percent) of high schools have uniforms. There are many variations such as blazers, stiff collars, blouses with sailor collars, suits, and one-piece dresses.
2)Did you care about school uniforms when you chose your high school? This question was asked to about 2,000 high school students in a survey. Around 20% of high school boys and 60% of high school girls said, “Yes.” In the same survey, the students were also asked, “Do you like your high school uniform?” Approximately 80% of the students said, “Yes.” Most students feel positive about their uniforms.
Part 2
3)Many overseas schools also have school uniforms. What are uniforms like in other countries? The uniforms in South Korea are quite like those in Japan. Many students wear jackets and ties. The uniforms in Australia also look much like ours.
4)In some countries, the traditional costume is adopted as the school uniform. For example, at some high schools in Vietnam, girls wear the native costume called “ao dai.” In Bhutan, all schools adopt the native costumes called “gho” and “kira” as uniforms.
5)The design of some uniforms differ because of the religious backgrounds of the students. In Malaysia, girls wear different kinds of uniforms because of their religion. Some girls show their hair, but others cover it with a head scarf.
Part 3
6)While many schools in Japan have uniforms, some do not. Nearly 20% of Japanese high schools do not have uniforms. At such schools, students wear their own clothes. There are also high schools that allow both uniforms and plain clothes.
7)What about overseas? Germany, for example, has not traditionally required school uniforms. In the past, the government considered introducing school uniforms, but many people were against it. They worried that adopting school uniforms could limit their personal liberty.
8)Uniforms are not required in most schools in the United States either. Instead, many schools have address code. It is a set of rules about clothing and appearance. However, there is a recent movement to adopt uniforms at schools in that country. Some people think that having school uniforms might prevent students from bullying others about fashion.
Part 4
9)Are you for or against school uniforms? High school students in Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, South Korea, and China answered this question in a study.
10)Here are some reasons in favor of school uniforms. First, uniforms can prevent bullying about fashion. Second, uniforms can increase students’ sense of belonging to their school. Third, uniforms can show the wearer’s social status as a student. Fourth, uniforms can put students into the mindset of studying. Finally, some students say uniforms are good because they do not need to pick out clothes for school every day.
11)What are the reasons against school uniforms? Some students insist that they cannot show their individuality or feel free when they wear a uniform. Others worry that their freedom may be limited by their uniform. Others say it is not easy to adjust a school uniform to the weather.
12)What is your opinion?
以上がLesson 3です。各paragraph のヴォリュームが1.5倍ほどになっています。しかし文は非常に簡明で素直な英文で表現されていて生徒がそのまま暗記するには理想的です。これが2学期中間テストの範囲であるLesson 5でも、3学期の範囲であるLesson 9でもだいたい同じくらいのヴォリュームで構成されています。
生徒にとって大切なのは、この秀逸な文章を単なる読解するだけではなく、暗唱して使えるようにすることです。当英語教室では授業の進度より少し先回りして学習します。