Column Discussion (Expert)｜コラムディスカッション（上級）Lesson73 : Why Americans Don't Wear White After Labor Day

PART A_1

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

PART A_2

1.　right	/rayt/
	-something that the law allows you to do
	Every state should recognize a person’s right to life.
2.　formal	/FOR-mal/
	-describes language, clothes and behavior that are traditional and correct
	In attending hearings, one should wear formal clothes.
3.　ignore	/ig-NOR/
	-to pay no attention to something or someone
	The mother ignored the complaints of her child.
4.　wealthy	/WEL-thee/
	-rich
	He’s a very wealthy man
5.　ease	/is/
	-If you do something with ease, it is easy for you to do it.
	She was able to deliver her speech with ease.

PART B_1

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

PART B_2

Why Americans Don’t Wear White after Labor Day

Every September, Americans celebrate Labor Day, a day to celebrate workers’ rights. But as to them, it also meant not wearing white until the following May, the day after Memorial Day. One reason for this is the weather. Since it is summer from June to September, people prefer to wear light-colored clothes during these months. Historically, Americans used to wear formal clothes all year. Thus, the wearing of white seems like a breather to them. It also became a fashion rule especially to the wealthy. Back in the 1930s, wealthy people only wear white while they are on summer vacation in cozy hotels. Eventually, wearing white had become related to ease, beauty and money. It became an unspoken rule in fashion if one is rich or purports to be one. Nowadays, people have been encouraged to ignore the rule. Fashion magazines cite Coco Chanel, Kim Kardashian, and Michelle Obama as examples of personalities who wear white during all seasons.

PART C_1

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

PART C_2

1.	What does Labor Day mean to the Americans?
2.	In the 1930s, wearing white is characterized with what?
3.	How did the non-wearing of white evolve as an unspoken fashion rule?

PART D_1

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

PART D_2

1.	What do you think about this culture?
2.	Will you be willing to do the same?
3.	Why do you think people are now being encouraged to ignore the rule?
4.	Is there an existing strange rule in your country as well? Tell me more about it.
5.	Do you think this kind of fashion rule can be sustainable and followed in your country?

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