Bits and Pieces is a collection of activities forteachers of the Japanese language--whether veterans or those new to the classroom. It aims to make their teaching lives easier, more enjoyable, and considerably more rewarding. The fifty-one ready-made activities that form the core of the book can be put into immediate use in classrooms from kindergarten to high school. Each activity is clearly explained, step by step, and is accompanied by illustrative line drawings, forms, and photocopyable materials when needed. The complete text is given in both English and Japanese.

The activities are not only instructive but also fun. They include card games, storytelling, role-plays, roulette games, board games involving numbers and particles, and much more. All the activities are learnercentered, with students playing the active role in the process of learning Japanese. For this very reason, students learn faster, retain more fully what they have learned, and come to a full appreciation of the magic of language.

To help teachers decide which activities are suitable to a particular group or class of students, the appropriate level of language ability, student age, and time required are indicated before each activity. All this information is consolidated in indices at the end of the book for easy reference. In addition, there is a chart showing how each activity can be employed in the classroom, as a warm-up exercise, as a complete lesson, in a small group, or with the class as a whole.

While one purpose of this book is to help teachers to prepare interesting activities and materials, the ultimate beneficiaries are, of course, the students themselves. Each of the stimulating activities in Bits and Pieces has been put to the test, and has proven its worth, through years of classroom use by teachers and students of schools belonging to the Japanese Council of International Schools.

"While it is important that tasks be interesting and enjoyale for learners, that is not enough. They must also be interesting and enjoyable for teacher. In developing Bits and Pieces, the authors were very much aware that good materials, in addition to facilitating more effective and more enjoyable learning, should also make the teacher's work easier and more meaningful." From the "Foreword" by David Nunan