Earle sensei’s books do the following:
- Are not only “made easier” for non-native readers but also contain carefully selected words and sentence patterns based on the reader’s reading level to teach authentic Japanese.
- Contain visual clues, such as photographs and illustrations, to enable readers to easily follow the story.
- Contain cultural aspects to enable the readers to “feel” and experience the Japanese culture.
- Include ten levels so that the reader can progress at their own pace.
- Are in alignment with the Australian Japanese Curriculum and the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT).
- Include over 250 Kanji with furigana (all Kanji from the Senior Japanese Syllabus).
- Use textbook fonts for the beginner levels and gradually introduce various fonts as the reading level progresses.
My aim is to help readers to experience successful reading so that they say, “I could read a story by myself” and “I enjoy reading Japanese books now.” I want to help readers to enjoy the journey of becoming more confident and avid readers in Japanese.
READING LEVEL DESCRIPTIONS
初級レベル Beginner Level (Book Level 1 – 3)
Words & Phrases Level ・ Simple です・ますSentence
ひらがな、カタカタ、易しい漢字（振り仮名付き）Written in Hiragana, Katakana, and basic Kanji with Furigana
Equivalent level to the Australian Curriculum Japanese Language, Foundation – Year 6 Achievement Standards
Level 1
- Words and phrases
- In alignment with the Australian Curriculum – Japanese language/ Foundation to Year 2
Level 2
- Factual descriptions, literacy descriptions, and information reports
Sentence Pattern:
- Modeled sentences with です ending
- Present and interrogative forms
- In alignment with the Australian Curriculum – Japanese language/ Year 3 to 4
Level 3
- Factual descriptions, literacy descriptions, information reports, narratives, recounts, etc.
Sentence Pattern:
- Basic sentences withですand ます endings
- Present, past, and interrogative forms
- In alignment with the Australian Curriculum – Japanese language/ Year 5 to 6
中級レベル Intermediate Level (Book Level 4-6)
ます・て・たい Form 文章 & 五段活用Godan grade conjugation
ひらがな、カタカタ、ふりがな付き漢字 （Japanese Language Proficiency Test N4 & N5: １７０ Kanji ＋ Japanese Senior Syllabus: 300 Kanji）
Equivalent level to the Australian Curriculum, Year 7-10 Achievement Standards
Level 4
- Factual descriptions, literacy descriptions, information reports, narratives, explanations, recounts, etc.
Sentence Pattern:
- Sentences, including additional information with です and ます endings
- Present, past, and interrogative forms
- In alignment with the Australian Curriculum – Japanese language/ Year 7 to 8
Level 5
- Factual descriptions, literacy descriptions, information reports, narratives, explanations, recounts, etc.
Sentence Pattern:
- Sentences with ます, てandたいforms
- Present, past, and interrogative forms
- In alignment with the Australian Curriculum – Japanese language/ Year 9
Level 6
- Factual descriptions, literacy descriptions, information reports, narratives, explanations, recounts, etc.
Sentence Pattern:
- Sentences withます, て, たい, and plain forms
- Present, past, dictionary, interrogative, plain negative, potential, command, and volitional forms
- In alignment with the Australian Curriculum – Japanese language/ Year 10
上級レベル Advanced Level (Book Level 7 – 9)
Equivalent level to the N4 & N5 Japanese Language Proficiency Test and above Equivalent level to the Year 11-12 Senior Japanese Syllabus Written in ひらがな、カタカタ、ふりがな付き漢字 （Japanese Language Proficiency Test N5 & N4: 170 Kanji ＋ Japanese Senior Syllabus: 300 Kanji）
Level 7
- All text types
Sentence Pattern:
- equivalent to the required grammar for level 5 JLPT e.g., ～のがすき、～たことがある、～より～のほうが、～でしょう、～にする
- In alignment with the Senior Japanese syllabus (Year 11)
Level 8
- All text types
Sentence Pattern:
- equivalent to the required grammar for level 4 JLPT e.g., ～かもしれない、～ことができる、～みたいに、～のように、～にくい
- In alignment with the Senior Japanese syllabus (Year 12)
Level 9
- All text types
Sentence Pattern:
- equivalent to the required grammar for level 3 JLPT e.g., ～ば～ほど、～ばよかった、～によって、べつに～ない、～たらいい、～くせに