New Conversations in Class,
Book 1 and Book 2
💡 The textbooks will be on sale from February 2025. Sample copies are available now!
A step-by-step confidence-builder for lower level university students
New Conversations in Class is a series of two oral communication textbooks which are specifically designed for low-intermediate Japanese students. Many university students have studied English but have had little or no experience with actual conversation. Using clear visual guides, logical scaffolding and ample speaking practice, the material gently leads students to the ability to have simple conversations.
New Conversations in Class, Book 1
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CEFR A2 level
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One-semester course
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ISBN: 9784905343356
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Authors:
Stephen Richmond et al. -
96 pages (A4), color
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Price: ¥2,700 + tax
0. Orientation
1. Origins
2. Your Lifestyle
3. Routines
4. Habits
5. Your Studies
6. Your Clubs
Contents
7. Part-time Jobs
8. Future jobs
9. Your Money
10. Going out
11. Hobbies
12. Catching Up
New Conversations in Class, Book 2
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CEFR A2 level
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One-semester course
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ISBN: 9784905343363
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Authors:
Stephen Richmond et al. -
96 pages (A4), color
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Price: ¥2,700 + tax
0. Orientation
1. Travels
2. Entertainment
3. Movies and Books
4. Skills and Abilities
5. Your Meals
6. Family and Pets
Contents
7. Childhood and the Past
8. Your Hometown
9. A Place to Live
10. Seasons and Events
11. Marriage and Family
12. Dreams
What teaching contexts are these textbooks appropriate for?
1. Large classes with low motivation
The textbooks are designed in a way that has proven to work in the Japanese cultural context.
Each lesson is focused on an achievable goal -a basic conversation on a topic of the students’ daily life. This removes a lot of the inertia which often plagues basic level classes, leaving teachers free to use their creativity instead of having to struggle just to get the class moving.
2. Mixed-level classes
Students who need more help are reassured they can reach the goals, and higher level students have the chance to review, since the class has a strong common base. Students are very aware of this, and they happily cooperate with one another.
Asking the higher level students to incorporate cultural guidelines (the "Golden Rules") into their conversations is an easy way to give them an extra challenge. They can also be given more opportunities to challenge themselves to have real-time conversations, once they have mastered the scripted conversations that help lower-level students build confidence.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
1. User-friendly presentation
Toolboxes display target language in an easy-to-understand visual manner.
This material “holds students’ hands” as they review chunks of conversational phrases and expressions.
2. Guided drills
Scaffolded conversation drills are a reassuring step between the presentation of new language and free conversation.
They provide vital repetitive practice in an engaging manner, helping students to easily assimilate the target language.
3. In-class interviews
Once they have learned some basic questions and answers, students move around the classroom and have real-time, guided speaking practice with their classmates.
4. Conversation models
Listening dialogs provide students with conversation models.
They are recorded in two native English speakers’ accents (American and British or Australian) and one non-native “mystery” accent.
5. Communication tips
In order to conduct more natural, more interactive, and friendlier conversations, Japanese students need to understand and repeatedly practice a few basic culture-based “rules” of English communication.
6. Dialog writing
Students love to write personalized dialogs in pairs, as this activity is both creative and cooperative.
It is the apex of the lesson.
They can then perform it for the teacher or classmates, or use it as a base for real-time conversations.
7. Accessible study material
Preview and Review Summary Sheets are clear lists of key vocabulary connected to online audio and translations that help students study between classes.
8. Comprehensive website
The Teacher Website gives the teacher everything they need to conduct dynamic classes: digital textbook to project during class, answers to exercises, audio tracks, Japanese translations and teaching advice.
The Student Website gives them access to audio tracks, vocabulary lists and Japanese translations (password-protected so that teachers can choose to give access).
💡 The textbook website will be online from March 2025.
Praise for previous editions of Conversations in Class
"It is pretty flexible and works with mixed level classes and with large classes. I also like the clarity, flexibility, and focus on repeated practice and useful patterns."
Alex Bodnar
University of Kitakyushu
"Of the many books I have used over the years, the cultural "Golden Rules" really nail it in terms of letting students know what to work on to sound more natural."
Chris Schoenwald
Onomichi Gakuen
"Having three different accents for the Listening model conversations was excellent."
Martin Baildon
Nagoya Junior College
"Has a tight focus and a variety of supporting features that can be used, or not, depending on the situation. Clearly superior to previous editions. Good job!"
Paul Spijkerbosch
Matsuyama University
"It is pretty flexible and works with mixed-level classes and with large classes. I also like the clarity, flexibility, and focus on repeated practice and useful patterns."
Thomas E. Bieri
Nanzan University
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What makes this textbook unique?
1. Each unit revolves around a topic of daily life. Students can quickly get to the stage of talking about their lives, which is something they can really enjoy.
2. Each lesson is centered on a few basic question-answer structures, called Model Sentences.These are presented in a simple and visual way so that students can infer grammar patterns at a glance. Variation vocabulary allows students to then create many meaningful sentences. This combination of simplicity and flexibility is what brings about something rare in Japanese EFL classrooms:students actually having and enjoying interactive conversations in real time.
3. Simple yet powerful pragmatic strategies are introduced and practiced. These help students avoid making the kinds of mistakes which typically hinder conversation, such as long silences, overly short answers, and an over reliance on questions.
2. What are the differences between New Conversations in Class (New CiC) and Conversations in Class Third Edition (CiC3)?
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New CiC textbooks are semester-long courses, while Conversations in Class Third Edition is for one year courses.
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All Japanese support in New CiC is online instead of printed in the textbook.
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New CiC features an improved, streamlined format.
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New CiC contains Summary Sheets to facilitate study outside of class time.
3. Will Conversations in Class, Third Edition remain in circulation?
Yes it will, since it’s a quite different textbook: (1) Japanese support printed in the book, and (2) enough content for a one-year course. Please choose the one that suits your needs better.
💡 The textbooks will be on sale from February 2025. Evaluation copies are available now!
Request a sample copy
We send evaluation copies free of charge to university and high school teachers
based in Japan who are considering them for adoption.
They will be delivered to you within a business week.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us! We will be happy to help you determine if our textbooks are the right fit for your teaching context.
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