Learning Materials
Last Updated: January 13, 2018
This is an annotated list of learning materials. We hope you find them useful as well as enjoyable!
Listen
- Sweaty Suzuki
- This is a YouTube channel. The videos introduce life in Japan in ways that are are easy to understand, entertaining and informative.
- Sharla in Japan
- A YouTube channel where Vlogger Sharla introduces her life experiences in Japan. Her language use is very rich and descriptive, which makes her videos ideal learning resources.
- バイリンガルニュース (Bilingual News) by Michael & Mami
- A podcast channel where Michael and Mami introduce the latest news of their choice in English and Japanese. The pair then discuss the news freely and thoughtfully, with Michael speaking in English and Mami using Japanese. This is a great learning resource for increasing your vocabulary in the two language as well as stay updated on the latest topics.
- Phrases for Participating in a Conversation
- Sample phrases you can use to join and stay in a conversation.
- "Perfect" - Ed Sheeran with lyrics
- This is a slow-tune by Ed Sheeran, and the video comes with lyrics. It's perfect for learning the rhythm of English.
- Slow Down! Why Some Languages Sound So Fast
- This article discusses differences in rates of speech across languages, focusing on the average amount of information conveyed in a syllable.
- Graded readers
- Reading materials specifically designed for language learners, with its language levels and complexity controlled. See Read Extensively/たくさん読む for details.
- Parallel texts:
- A quick and sure way to increase your vocabulary in both English and in Japanese! Click the links below for a pair of examples:
- Other materials
- Emma Watson
- We introduced actor Emma Watson's Facebook page to show an example of how we can try to understand language that is above our comprehension level. Her page not only gives us a great access to latest pop culture but is educational with respect to human rights protection.
- The Japan Times
- An English-language newspaper in Japan. It reports on domestic and international news as well as discuss intercultural issues catering for the English-speaking community in the country.
- Dispelling Language Acquisition Myths: Learning a Foreign Language 101
- The article talks about some of the major misconceptions held by language learners.
- Freewriting sample (sample video)
- This is a sample video of a way to work on your fluency in writing. See Write Freely/自由に書く for details.
- Below are links to downloading dictioinary apps for smartphones (iOS and Android). See Grasp the Sense/意味の本質をとらえる for benefits of using a monolingual dictionary.
- Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary (for iOS)
- Collins COBUILD Advanced American English Dictionary 2 (iOS)
- Collins English and Thesaurus (Android)
- Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (for iOS)
- Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (for Android)
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary (for iOS)
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary (for Android)
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