teaching resources by other organizations

(The following resources were created by organizations not affiliated or sponsored by the Japan Foundation, Los Angeles. We do not necessarily reflect the views and recommendations of the Japan Foundation. Suggestions for additional websites can be sent via our online form Click Here and select "Anything Related to Japanese Language Education"!)

Reading

• Customize “Reading in Japanese” Stories for Creative and Innovative Classrooms!
  The collection of thematic digital downloadable stories to supplement teaching aids, to meet the needs of students’ motivation, critical thinking, and diverse and inclusive classroom settings, and to promote equalities.

Teaching Methods *UPDATED!*

• Online Japanese Learning During School Closure
  The Japanese teachers in Salinas has been great in giving advice, fun videos, and ways to deal with the current pandemic. 
• AATJ Online Resources
  American Association of Teachers of Japanese (AATJ) has been posting online resources and webinars to help Japanese language teachers transition through this difficult time.
• Learner.org: Teaching Foreign Languages K-12: A Library of Classroom Practices
  Lessons 29 and 30 have videos of Japanese classes.
• Japanese Teaching Ideas
  Japanese language teacher resource exchange website.
• Teaching Heritage Languages: An Online Workshop
  Free online self-study course for heritage language teachers. It has a section specifically for Japanese
• What does good teaching look like in a Japanese language classroom?
  Features several videos from highly accomplished teachers.
• Ready Steady NihonGO!
  Free resource for teachers that would like to introduce a short Japanese language course to young kids. Includes lesson plans, audio clips, flash cards.

Curriculum Design

• Australia's National Japanese Curriculum
  By the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority
• ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines 2012 (in Japanese)
  A helpful description of the ACTFL Proficiency Levels.
• Integration of National Standards in a Japanese language classroom
  Manual and video which familiarizes teachers with the "five C" goals of the Japanese National Standards and how to integrate them into the classroom.

Current Events

• News Web Easy
  NHK news articles written in easy Japanese, for second-language learners.
• Huffingtonpost.jp
  Excellent source of engaging, relatable articles in Japanese.
• Yomiuri Online KODOMO
  News articles for children.

Audio Lessons and Recordings

• Strategies for Learning Speech Acts in Japanese (CARLA)
  Set of web-based modules for intermediate to advanced students.
• Foreign Service Institute Japanese
  Student guide, textbook, glossary, flashcards (PDF) and nine audio lessons (MP3).
• Learning Through Listening Toward Advanced Japanese Proficiency
  Free database of audio clips for intermediate and advanced level Japanese courses. Registration required.
• Japanese songs
  Learn grammar through songs.

Apps

• Memrise
  Offers hundreds of courses for all aspects of learning Japanese.
• Wanikani
  Kanji learning app.
• Japanese: More than a dictionary
  Free dictionary with different functions. Auto stroke order feature.

Videos

• JapanesePod101.com Youtube channel
  This Youtube channel features quick, professional listening comprehension videos for learners.
• NHK for School
  Free site for children with a variety of video content including science, history, art, etc.

Textbook resources

• Irodori: Japanese for Life in Japan 
  Japan Foundation created a free textbook for foreign people to learn basic Japanese communication skills that are needed for daily life and working in Japan.
• Japanese through Real Activities
  Created by The Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, Kansai, this is a material to learn Japanese through experiences by utilizing various resources outside the classroom.
  With conversation examples and worksheets, this book introduces the activity flow: (1) preparation in the classroom; (2) activity outside the classroom; and (3) summarization of the activity in the classroom.
• Monty's Bridge to Tomorrow (モンティの明日への架け橋)
  Free textbook, downloadable online.
• Intermediate Reader in Technical and Scientific Japanese
  Free textbook designed to teach complex grammar and scientific knowledge at the same time. Increases in difficulty.
• Japanese Language Extensive Reading Collection
  Long list of Japanese reading materials divided into difficulty levels. Links to sites where you can purchase them.
• Usagi-chan's Genki Resource Page
  Resources for students/teachers using the Genki textbook
• Exchange in Basic Languages-Activities for Exchange Partners
  Bilingual textbook designed to facilitate multilingual discussion in face-to-face and online environments.  Contains various activities and discussion topics.

Games

• Games in Japanese class!
  List of online games Japanese language teachers often use in class.

• Kahoot!
  Interactive quizzes and surveys.

• Quizlet
  Make flashcards, quizzes, and study games.

• Gimkit
  A live learning game. Students answer questions and earn in-game cash and purchase upgrades and powerups.
   
• Mentimeter
  Getting students involved with polls and questions during presentations.

Images

• Irasutoya.com
  A free-use Japanese image library.

• JNTO's Japan Photo Library
  Large database of beautiful photos of Japan and Japanese culture. Can be used only for nonprofit purposes which may increase the number of foreigners visiting Japan.

• The Lives of Japanese Elementary School Students
  A photo resource introducing children to elementary school life in Japan.

• Royalty-Free Clip Art Collection for Foreign/Second Language Instruction
  Created by Purdue University.

• Illustrain
  Free Japanese-style clip art

• Illpop
  Free Japanese-style clip art

Others

• International Children's Digital Library
  Children's books from around the world, including Japan, in English, Japanese, and other languages.
• Onomato Project
  Cute illustrations and quizzes for onomonopoetic expressions.
• High School 3-11 Project
  Teaching materials for the advanced high school level, themed around the disasters of March 11, 2011.

• MIT Open Courseware: Japanese I
  MIT freely provides college-level syllabi, course materials, exams etc as a reference for teachers. Search "Japanese" for intermediate and advanced levels.
• Professional Standards for Language Teachers: Japanese
• National Foreign Language Resource Centers
  Search through a huge database of foreign language teaching resources. Can search for Japanese resources specifically under "Resources & Products" tab.
• Ready Steady NihonGO!
  Free resource for teachers that would like to introduce a short Japanese language course to young kids. Includes lesson plans, audio clips, flash cards.
• Epals.com
  Connect with schools around the world and set up classroom exchanges.
• Japanese role play cards
  Role play cards for Japan-related task-based situations.
• Wikispaces.com
  Make a class website.
• Google Sites
  Make a class website.
• AP Japanese Teacher Community
  Connect and share resources with other AP Japanese teachers.
• Testmoz
  Test generator. Not necessary to register.
• Voicethread
  Make and comment on student presentations
• Edomodo
  Online classroom community. Post assignments, calendars, announcements.
• Animoto
  Make slideshow videos. Free version limited to 30 second videos.