Week 2

1. One New thing that you learnt from any of your HELP classes.(For example, did you learn any new strategies? New phrases? Use them here and reflect on what you have learnt.)

  From GO class and Writing class in week 2, I learned that the most important strategy to analyze the structure of reading is "Logical connectors" or "Transition Signals". There are a specific relationship between group words or sentence and another one. To recognize their relationship help us to understand contents. Logical connectors or transition words are key words to know their relationship; the structure of the sentence or the paragraph.
  For example, "It would be a lot of fun to buy a car. On the other hand, taking the bus would be cheaper." "On the other hand" in this sentences is one of logical connectors. It shows us contrast between two ideas. If you know the function of this transition signal, you can immediately recognize their relationship.
  Some of logical connectors still make me confused to recognize the relationship, because there are similarity between some categories of relationships like "SEQUENCE" and "TIME". Sequence shows us logical order or process that means you are not able to change the order like how to cook the cake. Time shows us time information that means you can choose the time anytime you would like. The difference of "CONTRAST" and "CONTRADICTION" in Transition signals is more difficult for me. As far as I know, contrast is intense difference like red balloon in the blue sky. And contradiction is saying the opposite idea, for instance, "Although he said he does not like orange, he was eating a lot of oranges at the school."
  I need to study and practice using these strategies, so that I can recognize the relationship between sentences and I can understand contents of reading easily. It will help me to read English faster and accurately.



2. One New thing that you learnt from outside of HELP classes.
(For example, did you learn any new things about Hawaii? Did you learn any thing new from the Halloween fest? Did you learn any thing new from talking to your friends or anyone?)

 I have just got my temporary drivers license yesterday. I learned a lot of traffic rules in Hawaii. I introduce you some rules which I think they are interesting or different from ones in Japan.
 As you know, you use right lane when you drive in Hawaii. It is most major difference from Japanese traffic rules, because we use left lane in Japan. So Japanese driver can be most nervous about this rule. We Japanese can be involved in the accident easily until we get used to it.  One of traffic rules here I think it is reasonable is that drivers can turn right at intersection with red signal if there are no traffic. I think this rule help reducing traffic. In Japan, we are not allowed to go any direction if traffic signal is red, hence there are many traffics especially around stations where have a lot of traffic signals.
  I often see auto bike drivers do not wear helmet in Hawaii. It is really dangerous though, it is allowed in Hawaii. I think they should warn them like in Japan. Actually there are a lot of biker's accident and death in Hawaii. It was a terrible scene, when I saw the biker with no helmet was driving faster in front of our car on highway first time.
  Some of yours who do not drive in Hawaii might not care about traffic rules. However, you all should be careful about this rule "The cross walk law" in Hawaii.  Basically, this law force drivers to stop and yield pedestrians until pedestrians walk across the driver's direction road completely. But it also require pedestrians to walk in only pedestrian crossing when they across the road. Pedestrians who do not use the pedestrian crossing called J-WALKER have to pay $70 as fine, when they are asked by the police man. After I knew this rule, I try to be careful to use the pedestrian crossing in Hawaii especially Waikiki, although I often do not use the pedestrian crossing in Japan.


3. Are there any reading strategies in reading in your L1? (For this question, just write as much as you can. It does not have to be 200 words.)
 If you would like to read Japanese reading, you have to understand three different type of forms; Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji. I think Hiragana and Katakana is easy to remember because they have not many forms. Kanji is hard to remember, however, because they have tremendous forms as you can not count them.  Of course, Japanese also do not remember all of Kanji, but we Japanese can guess the meaning of new Kanji. Many difficult Kanji can be separated a few parts. For example, 灰,災,灯, and 灸 have a form of 火 which means the fire in common. Thus, you can imagine that these forms of Kanji might have meanings related to the fire. When I was a elementary student, I learned a lot of parts of Kanji and meanings. I think this strategy help you read Kanji.


4. Do you have any questions about creating GOs so far? Anything you would like yo know at this point?

  I think I almost understood them so far, I need to review and practice by myself though. As I mentioned above question, I need to practice how to use logical connectors. When I get used to use some of them and remember some majors of them, my understanding of structures of reading will be better.
  Besides our past classes, I have some questions about creating GOs now. The reason why I would like to learn GOs is improving to take my note. This means that I would like to use GOs while I listened to the lecture. Taking note with listening is thoroughly different form with reading. It is more difficult for me, because of my listening skill, so I would like to learn tips and how to practice for that. In my listening class, I was trying to use some graphics and diagrams, but I could not use them effectively. I think I missed some important words such as logical connecters. It is difficult to find key words in the lecture unlike reading.