Column Discussion (Expert)｜コラムディスカッション（上級）Lesson17 : World's Oldest DNA Discovered in Million-Year-Old Mammoths

PART A_1

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

PART A_2

1.　exist	/ig-ZIST/
	-to have actual being
	Some individuals believe that aliens exist.
2.　detect	/dih-TEKT/
	-to discover the existence of
	The security system detected intruders within the vicinity.
3.　extract	/ik-STRAKT/
	-to get, pull, or draw out, usually with special effort, skill, or force
	Bees extract nectar from flowers.
4.　gradually	/GRAJ-oo-uh-lee/
	-by small degrees or little by little
	The old building is expected to gradually fall apart.
5.　form	/fawrm/
	-to begin to exist
	As anticipated, dark clouds started to form.

PART B_1

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

PART B_2

Oldest DNA found in mammoths

The oldest DNA ever discovered was found in the teeth of mammoths that lived about 1.2 million years ago in northeastern Siberia. Mammoths are an ancient kind of elephant that existed during the Ice Age. Scientists are convinced that this discovery will provide them a deeper understanding of the long-dead species.

The remains of three mammoths were found in the 1970s, but scientists did not have the means to detect and extract DNA back then. DNA is the carrier of genetic information in the cells of creatures.

As stated by scientists, DNA can provide more comprehensive data regarding the organism than fossils. However, DNA may get gradually damaged. Good thing is that new research methodologies are now available for scientists to repair older DNA. With the continuous development of these methods, scientists anticipate they can work with up to three million years old DNA in the future.

Scientists emphasized that these ancient discoveries can offer substantial information about how new species are formed.

PART C_1

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

PART C_2

1.	What is a mammoth?
2.	Where were the three mammoth remains found?
3.	Can fossils provide more accurate details than DNA?

PART D_1

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

PART D_2

1.	What do you make of this discovery?
2.	What can you say about the pace of research method development?
3.	Do you agree that studying extinct species can be beneficial in the future?
4.	What do you know about mammoths?
5.	Do you think more and more people should be aware of such discoveries?

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