Column Discussion (Expert)｜コラムディスカッション（上級）Lesson63 : Margaret Atwood Honored with Dayton Literary Peace Prize

PART A_1

Let’s learn vocabulary. Listen and repeat the words and the sentences with your tutor.

PART A_2

1.　foster	/FAW-ster/
	-to encourage the development or growth of ideas or feelings
	It is important to foster a positive learning environment.
2.　negotiate	/ni-GOH-shee-eyt/
	-to have formal discussions with someone in order to reach an agreement with them
	Leaders must negotiate in favor of their team.
3.　plight	/plahyt/
	-an unpleasant condition, especially a serious, sad, or difficult one
	The country should shed light on the plight of farmers.
4.　spark	/spahrk/
	-to cause the start of something, especially an argument or fighting
	The article has sparked my interest.
5.　debate	/dih-BEYT/
	-serious discussion of a subject in which many people take part
	Education has been the family’s subject of debate recently.

PART B_1

Let’s read the article. Please read it aloud, and I will check your pronunciation and intonation.

PART B_2

Margaret Atwood Honored with Dayton Literary Peace Prize

Margaret Atwood, a Canadian author, has received the top prize in the International Dayton Literary Peace Prizes. The award recognizes the ability of literature to foster world peace, social justice, and awareness. The award is named after the former American ambassador who negotiated the 1995 Dayton Ohio peace talks that brought an end to the Bosnian war. Since the early 1960s, Atwood’s works have been published. She writes poems, fictional novels, and magazine and news articles. She focuses a lot of her work on women’s plight. Her popular 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale was adapted into an American television series. It is the story of a future America in which men have full political influence. The book and its television adaptation sparked a lot of political debate, particularly in the United States. Readers and viewers found the story to be frighteningly similar to recent political events in the United States.

PART C_1

Let’s answer comprehension questions. Please answer them based on the article.

PART C_2

1.	What is the significance of the award given to Margaret Atwood?
2.	What does Margaret Atwood write?
3.	Why did The Handmaid’s Tale spark a lot of political debates?

PART D_1

Let’s discuss the article. Please answer the questions below and express your opinions.

PART D_2

1.	What can you say about Margaret Atwood as a writer?
2.	Would you read a book by Margaret Atwood? Why or why not?
3.	What makes a book worth reading for you?
4.	How important is literature in your country?
5.	Should books be used to discuss social issues? Why or why not?

REVIEW AND FEEDBACK

Now, let us review the things that you learned in this lesson.

ではこのレッスンで学んだことを振り返りましょう。

(Please give a short feedback on how your student did on your class.)

	Grammar 文法	Pronunciation 発音	Vocabulary 単語	Comprehension 理解
GOOD	文法の誤りはほとんどなく、完全な文章で話すことができる	ほとんどの単語をはっきりと正しく発音することができる	習った表現を適切に使うことができる	文章を理解し、質問に正しく答えることができる
FAIR	文法の誤りはあるが、完全な文章で話すことができる	発音の練習が必要な言葉がいくつかある	たまにミスはあるが、習った表現を適切に使うことができる	文章を完全に理解するのは難しく、質問に正しく答えられないときもある
POOR	文章で話すのは難しく、単語だけで話すことができる	発音の練習が必要である	習った単語と表現を少しだけ使うことができる	文章を理解するのは難しく、質問に答えるのは難しい

TUTOR FEEDBACK

GRAMMAR
Good:	Was able to speak in complete sentences with minimal grammatical errors.
Fair:	Was able to speak in complete sentences with evident grammatical errors.
Poor:	Was able to speak using words only.
PRONUNCIATION
Good:	Was able to pronounce most of the words clearly and correctly.
Fair:	Mispronounced a few words.
Poor:	Mispronounced most of the words.
VOCABULARY
Good:	Used appropriate expressions learned in class.
Fair:	Used appropriate expressions learned in class and made a few errors in word choice.
Poor:	Used only a few words and expressions.
COMPREHENSION
Good:	Was able to understand the passages and answer the questions correctly.
Fair:	Had a little difficulty in understanding passages and answering questions.
Poor:	Had a hard time understanding passages and answering questions.

Parts of this lesson material are based on:
An article by Voice of America