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Name (): Course: Date:Example: Eng. I b (Tue. 2nd)

Lesson created by Steve Silver, Kwansei Gakuin University, Nishinomiya, Japan. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Mottainai Grandma

National Public Radio, October 8, 2007

http://sn.im/mottainai

What do you do to conserve energy and resources at home? What does mottainai mean to you?

Do you practice mottainai at home? Did your parents or grandparents say mottainai to you?

Vocabulary

Japans population has been decreasing in recentyears.

a. what someone thinks or believes, and how this affectswhat they do

Modern daily life in Japan requires the use of a lot ofelectricity.

b. an experience that is so shocking and upsetting that itaffects you for a long time

Mottainai Grandma looks a little stern. c. behavior that is very difficult to stop or control, and isoften a result of a mental problem

She has a compulsive need to get every bit ofusefulness from an object.

d. to stop having or doing something you want in order to getsomething more important

Her father made her eat all of her food as a child; itwas a traumatic experience for her.

e. The goal of the Kyoto Protocol was to reduce carbon

emissions.

f. serious and strict, and showing strong disapproval ofsomeone's behavior

Many scientists have said that humans have causedchanges in the earths climate.

g. a gas or other substance that is sent into the airHow much should we sacrifice to help protect the

environment?

h. the typical weather conditions in a particular areaShe says it is part of the Japanese peoples

psychology.

i. preventing something from being lost or wastedConservation of energy and resources is important in

improving the environment.

j. all of the people who live in a particular area, country, etc.She says the idea ofmottainai is having a harmonious

relationship with nature.

k. describing a situation in which people are friendly andhelpful to one another

Comprehension

1. Junko Takahashis father made her eat all of her [rice / vegetables / natto] when she was a child.2. Japans carbon emissions have [gone up / gone down / stayed the same] since 1990. 3. Ikuzo Fujimura wants to buy [a hybrid car / a Hummer / an airplane].4. The book Mottainai Grandma has sold about [4,000 / 40,000 / 400,000 / 4,000,000] copies.5. [ T / F ] Mariko Shinju wrote Mottainai Grandma because her son eats too much. 6. Which of the following is NOT true about Wangari Maathai?

a.

She is from Kenya.b. She won the Nobel Peace Prize.c. She talks to Japanese people aboutmottainai.d. She is a sociologist.

Discussion

1. Did you have a parent or grandparent like Mottainai Grandma? Describe a time when they said mottainai. Whenand why did they say it? How did you feel when they said it?

2. Ms. Shinju says thatmottainai is something that has been largely forgotten. Do you agree? Explain.3. Professor Kawanishi says, The whole idea [is] that we are part of the nature and therefore we should be in a veryharmonious relationship with the nature. Its very much a deep part of the Japanese peoples psychology. Do you agree?

Explain and provide examples.

a Hummer

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Name (): Course: Date:Example: Eng. I b (Tue. 2nd)

Lesson created by Steve Silver, Kwansei Gakuin University, Nishinomiya, Japan. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Wangari Maathai on Mottainai

NHK http://bit.ly/maathai March 12, 2010

reduce / reduction useless

destroy / destruction respect

planet human beings

animals recycle

coexist / coexistence contempt

materialistic / materialism exploit / exploitation

reuse

1. Wangari Maathai say the three Rs are r______________________________, r______________________________, andr______________________________. She also says mottainai includes the concept of r ______________________________.

2. Wangari Maathai says that there is a lack of respect for ______________________________, other ______________________________,and the ______________________________.

3. Wangari Maathai says that without respect for others, you have ______________________________ for them, youe______________________________ them, and you d______________________________ them.

4. She says another important concept is g______________________________. In m______________________________ cultures, she says,we tend to think of people as things we need to e______________________________. If we cannot e______________________________ them,

we consider them ______________________________s.

5. She says when we understand the concept of mottainai, we want to save the ______________________________ andc______________________________ with other forms of life.

6. Recently, Wangari Maathai went to a temple in [ Kenya / Kyoto / India ] where she talked about the concept of[contempt / coexistence / exploitation] with the head priest. She says all of us would be better off if we learned to

______________________________ with other forms of life and with each other.

Discussion

1. Wangari Maathai says that the concepts of respect, gratitude, and coexistence are important in the world. Think aboutan example of respect, gratitude, or coexistence in the world (for example, a personal experience, a story you read in a

newspaper or saw on television, etc.) Describe this example and explain how it shows respect, gratitude, or coexistence.

2. What is an additional concept which you also think is important? Describe the concept and provide an example(personal experience, story, etc.) and explain how it shows this concept.

Assignment

Choose one of the discussion questions (from either Mottainai

Grandma or Wangari Maathai on Mottainai) to write about. Write

at least seven sentences and use at least three vocabulary words.Use specific details, such as examples, personal experiences, data,

etc. to explain and support your opinion.

Extra credit

Who is Wangari Maathai? What did she do? How has she made an

impact on her home country and the world? Research her and

write a report about her. Dont copy and dont translate from

another source use your own words. (1-2 pages, up to 5 points)

More information

Mottainai campaign

http://mottainai.info

The Green Belt Movement

http://greenbeltmovement.org