Ellen Wants Purple Ramen: Creative Storytelling to Increase Japanese Fluency

Abstract

Since 2003, Middle Tennessee State University’s Center for Accelerated Language Acquisition (CALA) has been providing successful language classes in Spanish, German, French, Tamil, Latin, Chinese, and Arabic, and it now has a Japanese class. I utilized research from Total Physical Response (TPR), Comprehensible Input (CI), and Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS). The languageacquisition theories contrast with the more popular notion that successful language learning is best done by the younger age groups. Taking the research into account, I wrote an easy-reader novella in Japanese to expand acquisition for language learners. The novella also strengthens the teaching materials I have already created for CALA’s Japanese language classes. My goal is for the novella to be used by all language levels to reinforce listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills.