New books for new school year recommendations? I teach ages 5-18, so any level recommendations are ok.

4 comments

1. Please check out the publisher websites. For example, I like Oxford University Press, but I don’t teach at an eikaiwa, so you’ll want to see samples of each book. You can check their website, and if you’re interested, send them an email asking for a catalog or samples.

   Of course, given the timing, you might need to keep on with the current books so you can properly look into your options for the next school year. Alternatively, you can try going to a Book-Off. You can find various texts there to peruse, but you may find outdated copies that do not give a proper glimpse into the current edition.

   Best of luck!

2. I really like the Talk and Talk series. I currently use Book 1 for J1 and J2 and find it a useful addition to most lessons.

   https://www.seishinsha.co.jp/book_c/detail.php?b=180

3. I publish a course for Japanese junior high school students based on fluency through lots of speaking, timed reading, and writing.

   There are samples and supplementary materials on the website: https://fluency-course.com/

4. Side by side is so unnatural but is really controlled so that does work for a lot of people. I have enjoyed English Firsthand access and a lot of the Oxford press series. Qskills for success is pretty good though it takes a little getting use to. Lots of good meaning-based activities that really get the kids using the phrases and structures from the readings in their writing. Also, the explicit knowledge is useful instead of just a bunch prescription grammar rule. The vocabulary breadth though can be difficult.