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Another version of the same magic trick goes like this;

The Secret: The initial setup is slightly different but achieves the same separation of card ranks.

The Setup (Do this secretly beforehand):

Prepare four packets of four cards: Take the Ace, 2, 3, and 4 of each suit. Now, arrange these 16 cards into four face-down packets of four cards each, ensuring that each packet contains one card of each rank. For example:

Packet 1: Ace of Hearts, 2 of Diamonds, 3 of Clubs, 4 of Spades (order within the packet doesn't matter)
Packet 2: Ace of Diamonds, 2 of Clubs, 3 of Spades, 4 of Hearts
Packet 3: Ace of Clubs, 2 of Spades, 3 of Hearts, 4 of Diamonds
Packet 4: Ace of Spades, 2 of Hearts, 3 of Diamonds, 4 of Clubs
The key is that each packet has one Ace, one Two, one Three, and one Four.

The Performance:

Introduce the Packets: Show the four face-down packets to your audience. Explain that each packet contains a special mix of cards.
The Explanation: Tell your audience that you will deal one card from the top of each packet into a new row of four cards. You will do this four times.

The Dealing (First Round): Take the top card from each of the four packets and deal them face up in a row from left to right.

The Dealing (Second, Third, and Fourth Rounds): Repeat the process. Take the next top card from each of the original four packets and deal them face up below the first row. Do this two more times until you have four rows of four cards.

The Reveal: Point to each of the four columns you have created. Explain that magically, each column now contains all four cards of one rank (all the Aces in one column, all the Twos in another, and so on).
Why it Works:

Because each of your initial packets contained one of each rank, dealing one card at a time from each packet into the rows ensures that each column will receive one card of each rank over the four rounds of dealing.

ESL Language Focus (Similar to the original, but with slightly different vocabulary):

Vocabulary: packet, row, column, mix, top, deal.
Instructions: "I have four packets of cards." "I will deal one card from each packet." "Look at the rows and then the columns."
Sentence Structures: "Each packet has four cards." "I am dealing the top card." "The columns now show the families."

Best wishes,

Michael.

Recently some teachers asked me about a magic trick I sometimes do with students.

1 The Secret: This trick relies on a clever setup and a bit of misdirection. You secretly arrange the cards in a specific order before you begin.

The Setup (Do this secretly before showing the trick):

Choose four "families" of cards: For simplicity, use the Ace, 2, 3, and 4 of each of the four suits (Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, Spades). This gives you a total of 16 cards.

Arrange the top eight cards: Take one card from each family (e.g., Ace of Hearts, Ace of Diamonds, Ace of Clubs, Ace of Spades). Place these on top of the deck in any order. Then, take a second card from each family (e.g., 2 of Hearts, 2 of Diamonds, 2 of Clubs, 2 of Spades) and place these on top of the first four. So, the top eight cards will have one of each rank (Ace, 2) from each suit.

The remaining eight cards: The order of the remaining eight cards (the 3s and 4s of each suit) doesn't matter for the trick. Just place them below the top eight.

2 The Performance:

Introduce the "Families": Show the 16 cards to your audience and explain that you have four "families" – the Aces, the Twos, the Threes, and the Fours. Briefly show one of each rank to illustrate.

The Deal: Explain that you are going to deal the cards into four piles, and each pile will magically end up containing one complete family.

The First Round of Dealing: Deal the cards face down, one at a time, going around in a circle to create four piles. Deal through all 16 cards.

The Collection: Pick up the piles one at a time. Crucially, when you pick up each pile, place it on top of the pile you picked up before it. Do not shuffle or change the order of the cards within each pile. This action maintains the secret arrangement.

The Second Deal: Explain that you're going to deal the cards again in the same way. Deal the 16 cards face down into four new piles, going around in a circle.

The Reveal: Turn over the top card of each of the four piles. To everyone's surprise, each pile will now have all four cards of one rank (e.g., the first pile will have all the Aces, the second all the Twos, and so on)!

3 Why it Works:

The initial arrangement ensures that when you deal the cards the first time, and then stack the piles on top of each other, the cards of the same rank become separated by exactly three other cards. The second deal then brings those separated cards together into individual piles.

ESL Language Focus:

Vocabulary: family, Ace, Two, Three, Four, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, Spades, pile, deal, top, bottom, reveal, magic.
Instructions: "Watch carefully." "I am dealing the cards." "Pick up this pile." "Place it on top." "Now, let's reveal the magic!"
Sequencing words: "First, I arrange the cards. Then, I deal them into four piles. Next, I pick up the piles... Finally, I reveal the families!"
Describing actions: "I am shuffling the imaginary cards." (Even though you're not actually shuffling during the performance). "The cards are going into different piles."

Best wishes,

Michael.

皆さんこんにちは！蒸し暑い日が続きますが、いかがお過ごしですか？？
アミティーも明日から約1週間、お盆休みに入ります！
次回のレッスンで、お休み中何をして過ごしていたか、詳しく教えてくださいね！
そして夏休みが始まってから、英検対策のレッスンを沢山させていただいているのですが、
短期間でありながら、成長をものすごく感じています！
一人で問題を解けなかった子が、ヒントを頼りに解けるようになっていたり、日本語で意味を言えるようになっていたりと、
出来ることがだんだんと増えてきました！
この調子で、これからも頑張っていきましょう！(^O^)／

川口

アミティー呉校は英検チャレンジキャンペーン対象校です。
5級と4級は、万が一不合格となったとしても、受験料無料で再チャレンジできます。
更に今年から2回まで再チャレンジできるようになりました。
詳しくはお問い合わせください。

アミティー呉校では2学期から英語学習を始める仲間を受付中です！
体験レッスンは夏休み中に受けて、新学期からスタートダッシュしましょう。
今月のキャンペーンは入会金0円。

Following from the previous post; Why "experience in marketing" and not "the experience"?

When we say "experience," we're usually talking about it as a general, uncountable concept – a body of knowledge and skills gained over time.

Adding "the" would imply a *specific*, identifiable chunk of experience, perhaps one we've already mentioned or that's unique in some way.

For example, "I have *the* experience needed for *this* particular role." In most contexts, for general professional background, we treat "experience" as an abstract noun.

It's a subtle but crucial distinction that highlights how articles shape meaning, even for advanced learners!

- Michael.

Last week in our Integrate English discussion class, we had a lively debate.

We were discussing job interviews, and a student asked, "Is it correct to say 'I have experience in marketing' or 'I have *the* experience in marketing'?"

Most of the class instinctively went with the first option, but couldn't quite explain why.

We explored the difference between general and specific references, and how "the" signals something already known or unique.

It was a great opportunity to dig deeper into an often-overlooked article rule, proving that even at CEFR B2 level, the little words can cause the biggest headaches!

- Michael.

皆さんこんにちは！
夏休みいかがお過ごしですか？？
今週は通常レッスンがお休みのため、セミナーを主に行っています！
いつもレッスンを担当していないお子様とレッスンをする機会も多くあり、
初めての子たちとも沢山お話が出来ているので、とてもうれしいです(*'ω'*)
そして皆さんとても勉強熱心です！レッスンをしながらいつも感動しております！
さて、来週はお盆休み前最後のレッスンがあります！
あと1週間！頑張りましょう(^O^)／

毎年大人気のアミティーの夏期セミナー☆
完全マンツーマンのオーダーメイドでレッスンをいたします。
短期集中、安心・安全のプライベートレッスンで英語力アップ↑↑↑

7月の「入学金0円」キャンペーンは本日が最終受付日です。
8月からの定期受講、短期受講をご検討の方は、本日20時までにご連絡ください。