Most foreign language textbooks are quite dull, but the Genki I Teacher’s set of six CDs is an Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese that actually follows the pace of students learning the language. Anyone who has tried to pick up a book on the topic was probably hit over the head with very boring business situations and such. However, The Japan Times has finally created this great course that actually takes students into consideration. That newspaper has an interesting history, and it was originally created in 1897 by Motosada Zumoto to allow Japanese readers a chance to view the news in English.
The course itself has twenty-three lessons in total, and it does not simply teach individuals to read hiragana and katakana as many series do. Instead, it actually guides new students of the Japanese language to be able to decode more than 300 common Kanji characters. This particular set of CDs is perfect for those who are working with the textbook and workbook for the part one of the Genki series. This comprises the first twelve lessons, and each of the CDs is jam packed with dialogue and conversation practice sessions. Moreover, there are grammar sections and Listening Comprehension sections recorded on the discs, which means that almost all of the Japanese from the books are here.
Each lesson has sets of dialogue, vocabulary, and grammar with English explanation. The text contains usage notes and additional material, for those who already possess it. Those who have textbooks and workbooks will also be happy to have the included guide that shows which tracks correspond to which parts of the written text. The set is also built to last, and stored in a special clamshell case that can take a bit of punishment. It will need to, since learning a new language can be frustrating! Then again, with the Genki set, it never has to be, and even the Japanese Language Proficiency Test doesn’t have to be difficult with this design.
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