How reading works
Read a lot of easy English, read often, and your English grows. Even when reading is homework, the main point is simple: just read, and read more. You don't need to study the stories or remember every word. Here is how to get the most from it.
How to read one story
- Choose a story that feels easy. Start with Level 1.
- Keep reading. If you don't know a word, try to guess it from the story and go on.
- Tap a word only when you really cannot understand the sentence without it.
- When you finish, press "Finish reading". Then choose the next story.
Step 2 is the most important. Stopping at every word is slow and tiring. Following the story is what makes you a faster, stronger reader. Many stories also have audio. Listening while you read can help, especially when you read a story again.
Choosing your level
A good level is one where you understand most of the story without stopping. If you must tap many words on every page, choose an easier story. If it feels very easy, try the next level.
Easy is good. Reading many easy stories helps your English more than struggling with one hard story. If a story feels too hard, just stop and choose another one.
The more words you read, the better
Studies of Japanese university students found that the number of words they read was one of the clearest signs of how much their English improved. Students who read more words became faster readers, and their test scores went up more.
So your number of words read is worth watching. You can see it in "Your reading totals" on the Library page. Reading a story again counts too, and it helps you read more smoothly.
Every day adds up
About 10 minutes is enough for one Level 2 story, or about 1,000 words. Here is how many words that makes in one semester.
This is simple arithmetic. Longer stories and books add up even faster.
- When you read often, you meet the same words again and again, before you forget them. That is how words stay with you.
- Every day you finish a story counts as a reading day. Try to keep your reading days going.
- 10 minutes every day is better than 1 hour once a week.
Reading and flashcards work together
Flashcards help you learn what a word means. Reading shows you the word again and again in real stories, so you learn how it is used and you understand it faster.
If you use flashcards (Flashcards in the menu next to the site name), do both. Words you learn on cards are easier to notice in stories, and words you meet in stories are easier to remember on cards.
Common mistakes
- Choosing stories that are too hard.
- Tapping every word you are not 100% sure of.
- Showing the Japanese translation before trying to read the paragraph.
- Reading a lot on one day, and nothing on the other days.
Is this normal?
- I don't understand every word.
- Yes, this is normal. If you can follow the story, keep going. You will meet common words again in other stories.
- Easy stories feel too easy to help.
- Easy reading is how you get faster and read more words. That is what helps your English grow.
- I forget words I looked up.
- That is normal too. The words you look up are saved in My words, so you can look at them again later. Your teacher can also see them, to help you with your reading.