Column Discussion (Expert)｜コラムディスカッション（上級）Lesson6 : Ancient Fish Early Bones Found in the Human Hand

PART A_1

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

PART A_2

1.　structure	/STRUHK-cher/
	-mode of building, construction, or organization
	The organizational structure was updated right after the manager resigned.
2.　striking	/STRAHY-king/
	-noticeable
	The model is a fan of striking fashion.
3.　similarity	/sim-uh-LAR-i-tee/
	-the state of being similar; likeness
	Their parents cannot seem to find a single similarity between the twin sisters.
4.　hint	/hint/
	-an indirect, covert, or helpful suggestion; clue:
	The game show contestants were not given any hints.
5.　enable	/en-EY-buhl/
	-to make possible or easy
	His scholarship enable him to graduate from university.

PART B_1

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

PART B_2

Study: Ancient fish bone structure similar to human hand

A group of researchers studied a fossil of a fish called Elpistostege watsoni that lived more or less 380 million years ago in the waters of Eastern Canada.
Striking similarities between the bone structure of its fins and that of the human hand caught the eye of the researchers. They infer that the findings of the study give hints as to how the fish developed into vertebrates that could live on land.

Pectoral fins are composed of several tiny bones that appear like fingers. This bone structure would have enabled the fish to hold its weight with its fins to move on land. According to the researchers, this goes to show that human beings came from a long line of evolution, just like Elpistostege watsoni.

In addition, the researchers stressed that this kind of development they had observed in the study was essential not only for human beings but for all living things.

PART C_1

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

PART C_2

1.	What caught the attention of the researchers?
2.	How do pectoral fins look?
3.	What did the researchers say about evolution?

PART D_1

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

PART D_2

1.	Did you find the findings of the study surprising?
2.	Do you believe that ancient fish could have survived on land?
3.	Why do you think it is important to study fossils?
4.	Have you ever seen a fossil? Please share your experience.
5.	What do you make of human evolution?

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