Project You!

Introduction to Extensive Reading:
Reading for Pleasure!

Do you enjoy reading in your native language?
日本語の読書は好きですか。

Do you wish you could read more in English?
もっと英語で読めるようになりたい？

Have you ever bought an English book and started reading, but had to give up because it was too difficult?
英語の本を買って読もうとしたら難しくて諦めたことありますか？

If you answered yes to any of these questions then Extensive Reading is for you!
「はい」と答えたら、あなたには「多読」が必要です！

What is Extensive Reading?
多読とは何ですか


Extensive Reading, often called "Graded Reading", is reading for pleasure in a second language.
We have to learn basic vocabulary and grammar before we can understand a written or spoken language.
Once we have learned the basic vocabulary and grammar, we need to read and listen to the language used in different contexts to learn it deeply.

The easiest way to do this is to read and listen to simple stories.
Graded Readers are a great way to do this.
They are called “graded” because they are written for levels or “grades”.
These levels are defined by the number of “headwords” and by the level of the grammar.

Very simply, “headwords” are simply individual vocabulary words.
For example, in the basic level of most graded reader series, there are about 250 headwords.
The books or stories in that level are mostly written using only the vocabulary from that group of words.
The grammar at each level is also limited.

SEG (Scientific Education Group) or SSS英語学習法研究会 in Japanese, publishes a series of books about Extensive Reading.
They call it めざせ100万語! "Toward One Million Words!".
The goal is to read a million words in English in a year.
To do this they have three guidelines or 「多読３原則」:

1. 辞書は引かない => Don't use a dictionary
2. 分からないところは飛ばす =>　Skip over parts you don't understand
3. つまらなくなったら止める　=> If it's boring, stop reading it

You won't need a dictionary if you are reading a book at your level.
If you do come to a part you don't understand, skip over it and keep reading.
Remember, Extensive Reading is reading for pleasure so if it's boring or too difficult, stop reading it!
There are many interesting graded readers for you to choose from!

Question of the Week:
What are your experiences with reading in English?
What kind of books do you like to read?

I'm looking forward to reading your comments!

I recommend the following books and links:

100万語多読入門 by 古川 昭夫 (Akira Furukawa)
This book is a great introduction to Extensive Reading.
It has samples of graded readers from different levels and publishers to help you find your level and get started reading.

めざせ100万語! 読書記録手帳 by SSS英語学習法研究会
I recommend this notebook to all my students and often include it in class materials.
This book helps you to set reading goals, keep track of the books you read, and even includes almost all the data for the graded reader series including "yomiyasui level", headwords, and total words for every individual book.

英語多読完全ブックガイド [改訂第2版] By 古川 昭夫/神田 みなみ (Akira Furukawa & Minami Kanda)
This is a great resource with lists of most graded readers, their levels, total number of words, and ratings.
It also includes a lot of children and teen literature as well as well known books like the Harry Potter Series.

I have created a Graded Reader Store to make it easier for students to find and purchase books through Amazon.co.jp.

However, these books are also available at most Maruzen or Kinokuniya bookstores in Tokyo!

Enjoy reading in English!

Matthew