The Introduction of SSS in English

Hello everyone! This is Mariko@SSS

I made an introduction of SSS in English.
I heard some English speaking teachers had already visited this web site and more English people might come this web site while Prof Sakai is in UK.

I will show it here though this introduction is still simple and not the perfect version because I would like to get them to understand us well.
I can make it more precisely a little by little.
When you find some mistakes Please let me know.

I hope this English version of SSS is going to be shown on the web page soon when 'In English’ has been clicked.

Best Regards
Mariko

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SSS Extensive Reading Method (This is still a temporary name.)
by Mariko KAWATE April 18th /2003

SSS Extensive Reading Method is a new way to learn English as a Second Language.

Almost all Japanese feel they cannot use English as a tool for communication. Nor can they read books or write a letter or a report in English, though they have studied English 4-6 hours a week for at least 6 years in junior high and senior high schools.

This is due to the teaching method of English at school. The emphasis on intensive reading where we are forced to learn new words with a dictionary and memorize them and to understand the structure of difficult sentences. Most students study English to get high scores in examinations. And teachers are supposed to teach them in the traditional way.
Few people had questioned the way we study English at school because it was traditional and has been used in Japan for many years. And they only find their ‘English’ was no use only when they happen to need to use English for work or further study.

Prof. Sakai who is the chairman of SSS Extensive Reading Club has been researching for a new method to improve of Teaching of English as a Foreign Language for many years. And he found that they need more input of natural English. He has shown that when students read many easy books with pleasure the amount of input becomes extremely large.

Then SSS was created to support Prof Sakai and to spread SSS Extensive Reading Method all over the world to help many people who feel it difficult to learn English as a second language.

The main activity of SSS is
To run the website
To show how to do the extensive reading
To make a book list for SSS Extensive Reading
And to show how to teach English with extensive reading

1.To run the website
The most noteworthy are the eight bulletin boards where anyone can write what he/she thinks of a book he/she has read and discuss problems on reading books. Many people are now actively participating to exchange their views and ideas.

2.To show how to do the extensive reading includes
Which books to read at start and afterward.
How to chose books to read.
How fast they need to read.
How fast they go up to the next level.
How many words there are in each of the books shown on the book list.
How the scenario goes, how good the books are and how the reviewers like it.

3. To show how to do the extensive reading
There are over 2800 books introduced on the web with reviews. They include Graded Readers and paper backs published for children.
The level of the books is from for beginner to for advanced English learner as a second language. The members of SSS English Reading Club evaluated all the books on the book list and has given the rating from 0.0 to 9.0.

4. To show how to teach English with extensive reading
Most of the English teachers have taught students in a traditional way and they do not know how to guide them and get them to experience the pleasure while reading English books.


The aim of SSS Extensive Reading Method is to read one million words with three simple rules.
1. No dictionaries while reading.
2. Skip over difficult words and phrases.
3. Quit reading when the book is heavy going.

No one could not realize these rules necessary when he reads the books because they were too simple and natural. Thinking of the way we read the books in mother tongue, even small children read the books with this way.
These rules are very important and difficult to keep them in mind when reading the books because people does not imagine that reading with these rules can make them improve English. They believe that they just need hard work to learn English.

Many people had already started SSS Extensive Reading and enjoy reading books. Most of them have read more than one million words in a year. They are now realizing this method is the best way to improve their English. To their surprise, SSS Extensive Reading Method also lead to people to feel comfortable and understand it well when listening English. It is thought that they could understand the words in the order they listen.

The principle of our method is given in the book
"Toward One Million Words and Beyond " by SAKAI Kunihide.