Japan has entered another State of Emergency in three prefectures in Japan. The same day many elementary school students went back to school after their winter vacation. There must be a lot of different emotions welling up. Everyone must be …
The James Webb Telescope Images
Have you seen these beautiful images taken by the James Webb Telescope? They are fascinating! Did you know they are images of a galaxy cluster as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago! We aren’t sure that we can wrap our …
Does Rhyming Lead to Better Reading?
We recently read this cute little rhyming book. Although it has some hard animal names and action words in it, we think it would be the perfect book to read together with mom and dad. Does your child have a …
It’s World Refugee Day. Let’s Open Our Hearts and Minds!
This book is really quite a lovely story. The pictures not only add to the story but I would argue, are a big part of its success. Although the story is not complex at all, there is quite a lot …
Learning a Language is Learning about People not Words
Congratulations to Learning A-Z on winning the 2021 Supes’ Choice award for Equity and Anti-Racism Champion! Learning A-Z is the parent company of the Reading Program, Kids A-Z, which we use in our lessons and homework here at the Transposed …
Sometimes Understanding Less is More Important Than Remembering a Word
I was recently watching Atsueigo’s YouTube channel, a favorite of mine. Much of his content is aimed at higher-level English students. Many of whom are trying to pass a certain test or understand the small details of the language. However, …
Is Reading the Answer to Perfection?
Yesterday in my lesson, I worked with a fairly advanced student on irregular past tense verbs. Many of these were very easy for him but I also included verbs that he had never heard of before so, in all fairness, …
The Spirit of the Olympics: Materializing Your Dream from the Get-Go
I had tickets to be a spectator at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. They were for the 3m springboard men’s final (happening on August 3rd) here in Tokyo. I was super excited as I, myself, also dove for 10 years when …
Reading Out Loud is the Absolute Only Way
I know many students’ families may be thinking, why should we practice reading a lot when we study this in school? Likewise, many of my students have said, “I can read but I can’t speak.” However, did you read almost …
Can’t Speak English? This Sentiment is Not Unique to Japan
Japan, you are not alone! I watch, read and listen to a lot of different language learning videos, blogs, and podcasts. Recently I’ve noticed a common thread that seems to be overlooked in Japan. So many of these people, who …
Olympic Ticket Lottery Postponed… Is it Time to Give Up?
Is there a time when we should just throw in the towel? Wave the white flag? It seems organizers of the Tokyo Olympics have postponed announcing the results of a lottery to determine which ticketholders can attend the opening and …