JapanEasyReads

07/10/2026

Our brains love a story.

Stories give language meaning. They give words somewhere to live.

And when we ask questions and make connections around a story, we create even more opportunities for our students to acquire language.

03/10/2026

We acquire language by understanding messages.

We hear them.
We read them.
We understand them.

That’s Comprehensible Input.

And as we understand more and more of these messages, our brains build a mental picture of how the language works.

That’s the foundation for acquisition.

And over time, that’s what allows us to use the language with confidence.

World language teachers: What would change in your classroom if you prioritised understanding before production?

01/10/2026

If I am honest, I really didn't know the difference between language learning and language acquisition till later in my language teaching journey.

That understanding came when I became a beginner student myself, learning a new language with a teacher that taught her lessons with a focus on using Comprehensible Input.

She was using language that we could understand and interact with in our very first lesson. I remember I felt in control of my leaning. I felt successful. I felt really supported.

And I remember coming back home from my first lesson and thinking, 'This is how I want my own students to feel'.

01/10/2026

Surely I’m not the only non native Japanese langauge teacher who has, at some time or other, beaten themselves up about their own proficiency level?

I wonder what would happen if we dished out a bit of self-compassion?

My guess is, we’d feel a whole lot lighter, and maybe we’d create a classroom where everyone feels a little more comfortable having a go.

World language teachers, what say you?

30/09/2026

What you need to know about CI (Comprehensible Input) in 20 seconds.

Is 'CI' a new term for you? 🌸

28/09/2026

As a Japanese teacher I can't tell you how many times I have hear

"I Taylor Swift like." or some variation of this language structure fruit salad, where students apply the English structure to a Japanese sentence.

But rethinking "errors" in the languages classroom has helped me know what language input I need to provide more of.

That's why using language in a way that the students can understand and engage with is so important.

We just need to be patient and trust the process. 🌸

27/09/2026

EASY VOCAB REVIEW GAME: Rip Bingo

One of the best things about the JapanEasyReads Hub is the sharing of teaching tips and ideas between the members.

Big thanks to Anna Yamaura for sharing this great idea that she heard from the The Comprehensible Classroom

I love this "game" (shhh don't tell the students it is really an excuse to re-read familiar text and revise vocabulary in context).

Give it a go and let me know how it goes!

25/09/2026

Get in quick! Early bird rates ending soon.

I’ll be there presenting with Kathryn Tominaga. We are sharing our BIG learnings from the CI Down Under conference and how we have implemented these into our classrooms.

I’ll also be sharing practical ways to help students experience reading success without memorising a bunch of characters and vocabulary.

Hope to see you there!….please come say hi!👋

⏰ Early Bird Extended to September 20th!
Don't miss out on discounted rates for NSJLE 2026. Check out the program and secure your spot today!📖

Online Program:https://nsjle.org.au/nsjle/media/NSJLE26-Abstracts-spreads.pdf
🎟️ Register: https://nsjle.org.au/registration/

24/09/2026

Build A Unit From One Reader

In the lead-up to 平和の日 (Peace Day, August 6th) , Sadako’s Cat was the book we chose for our Beginner Readers Book Club in the JapanEasyReads Teacher Hub.

We met weekly to work together on how we could sequence a unit around the story, exploring ways to help beginner students connect with the language in comprehensible and meaningful ways.

Now that our Book Club has finished, it was so lovely to receive this feedback from one of the teachers who used the book:

“Just wanted to let you know that these books are an excellent launching point for gently introducing the true Sadoko Sasaki story. Getting ready to pack the peace cranes my students folded to be delivered to the Children’s Peace Memorial at Hiroshima. It was a meaningful and rich unit that lent itself well to lots of comprehensible input and language learning.”

It makes me so happy to see the ideas we explored together making their way into classrooms and to know that Sadako’s Cat helped provide an accessible starting point for students to connect with Sadako’s story.

Thank you to all the teachers who joined us in the Book Club and shared their ideas along the way. 💛📚

22/09/2026

“I’ve taught this. Why don’t they remember it?” 🤔

Maybe we’re asking the wrong question.

Maybe instead we need to ask:

“How can I use Japanese in a way my students understand, while talking about things that are interesting and meaningful to them?”

Because knowing about a language and acquiring a language are two very different things.

Understanding this more fully has a profoundly positive impact on my teaching, and in turn my students' experience with 'learning' Japanese.

Are you teaching for learning or acquisition? 🌸