Self-Study Guide with PANORAMA

This page provides the guidelines and recommendations for those who are studying Japanese by themselves using PANORAMA.

To-Do Checklist

Before you begin studying, please make sure to complete the following four preparations:

1. Purchase the textbook

PANORAMA is available in both paperback and ebook. Please visit the publisher’s book club page for more information. You can find the contact form there if you have any questions.

2. Read about PANORAMA’s teaching methods

When learning something by yourself, it is important to be cognizant of effective and efficient learning methods and to be intentional about implementing them. Although the information about PANORAMA’s teaching methods on the Instructor Page was primarily written for teachers who use this textbook, we encourage self-study learners to read the information of this section as well, because you are the teacher of yourself! Pay particular attention to the importance of building a solid knowledge base where pieces of information are well connected to each other. Also, pay attention to an effective study routine where practices for each expression are distributed over time instead of being crammed into a single section.

3. Download, install, and setup Anki and its PANORAMA decks

Incorporating spaced repetition practices in their study routine is important for every user of this textbook, but it is even more critical for self-study learners because you don’t have an opportunity to use the language in class with your classmates and teachers. Visit our learning app page; read thoroughly about how spaced repetition works with Anki, and complete the necessary installations and setups following the instructions. For ensuring effective learning, it is particularly important that you change the default settings of Anki as described on the page.

4. Watch the introductory video for self-study learners

Sample Curriculum: Module I. Sounds and Writing

First day of study

You can stop your study of the first day at any step below depending on the time and energy you can spend. At a minimum, however, we recommend that you complete Steps 1, 2, 3, and 6 before you finish. For example, if you don’t have time to complete all of the steps below, complete steps 1 to 3, skip 4 and 5 leaving them for the next day, and complete 6 before you finish.

1. Watch the short “Key Concept Video” for “Sounds and Writing 1. The Japanese Sound System and Hiragana.”
   https://panorama.learnjapaninjapanese.com/key-concept-videos/#sw15
2. Read the first section in Module I in the textbook (pp.15-16).
3. Try working through Section 1 of the Practice Module in the activity booklet (p.05). You may skip Practice 1-2 “Classroom Expressions” because you may not need these expressions at this point. They will be introduced in a more systematic manner later in Grammar Point 6 of the Grammar Module (p.114).
   https://panorama.learnjapaninjapanese.com/pm-sw01/#1-1
   It is not necessary to try memorizing the greeting expressions during these video practices because memorization of expressions will be facilitated more effectively later using spaced repetition. Rather, at this point, just enjoy listening to and repeating the expressions in Japanese!
4. Read “SW1-1: Basic Syllables in Hiragana” on pp.16-18. 
5. Try working through Section 2-1 of the Practice Module (activity booklet p.05) as much as possible.
   https://panorama.learnjapaninjapanese.com/pm-sw02/#2-1 
6. Add five new cards on the PANORAMA Hiragana & Katakana deck in Anki and practice all of them in the manner described in the “Anki and Spaced Repetition: How does it work?” section on the learning app page. It is critically important for self-study learners to use Anki in the correct and efficient manner.
7. Add five new cards on the PANORAMA Sound & Writing Systems Module Vocabulary deck in Anki and practice all of them in the same manner as the previous deck.
8. Continue adding new cards on these two decks if you still feel motivated after studying all of the added cards. Remember that the goal of this practice at this point is not to memorize the word perfectly but simply to get yourself familiarized with it. (Read the “How does it work?” section again if you have missed this point.)

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Practice Tips: Rereading vs. Retrieval Practice

When you practice, it is always recommended to do retrieval practice as much as possible. For example, you can learn each hiragana character by repeatedly looking at different characters in the hiragana chart on p.17. Studies suggest, however, that this kind of method (rereading a text in close succession) is ineffective and, even worse, it can help learners experience illusions of competence – you feel a sense of satisfaction by becoming familiar with the chart although the information learned in this way is quickly forgotten. These kinds of illusions can have significant consequences for the strategies learners select when they monitor and regulate their own learning. As a self-study learner, it is important that you intentionally avoid this common pitfall.

Retrieval practice is a more effective method and helps you avoid being deluded by such illusions. To achieve the maximum learning effect, instead of spending too much time looking at the characters in the hiragana chart, test your knowledge repeatedly using the practice quizzes on the website (https://panorama.learnjapaninjapanese.com/pm-sw02/#quiz). Anki flashcards are another wonderful tool to facilitate effective retrieval practice.

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Subsequent days

From the second day onward, we recommend that, before beginning any of the activities in the textbook or on the website,  you study all the review cards that appear under “Due” in Anki. This study routine facilitates effective spaced repetition and retrieval practices, helps you memorize material effectively, and prevents you from forgetting it.

1. Open Anki and study all the review cards that appear under “Due.” 
2. Continue practicing hiragana using video practices and quizzes for Practice 2-1 on the website.
3. Keep adding as many new cards as you feel you can manage on the two decks that you started studying on the first day. Make sure to study all the cards you’ve added before finishing your study for the day.

After learning hiragana

When you become modestly confident about reading most of the hiragana characters, you can move on to the next section in the textbook “SW1-2 The Pronunciation of [-ei] and [-ou]” on p.19.

1. Read the textbook’s explanation.
2. Complete the Comprehension Check SW1-2 on pp.20-21. You can find the answer keys on the website.
3. Try working through Section 2-2 of the Practice Module (activity booklet p.05).
   https://panorama.learnjapaninjapanese.com/pm-sw02/#2-2

Of course, it is not necessary to complete all of the activities above in a single day. Spend as many days as you need. Please just make sure, however, that each day, before you begin activities above, you study all the due cards in Anki. It is also important that you add new cards whenever you feel motivated. In this way, you can keep improving your fluency in reading hiragana while learning new material.

You can continue studying the subsequent sections in Module I in the same way. When you finish the last section of Sounds and Writing 1 (p.28), begin learning katakana.

Sample Curriculum: Module II. Grammar & Module III. Practice

If you want to begin learning Japanese grammar after learning hiragana, start the grammar module after you finish the section SW1-7: Pitch Accent on p.28. If you want to begin learning grammar as soon as possible, you can start anytime while you are working on any of the hiragana sections. It is even possible to start module I and II on the same day. We encourage you to follow the sample curriculum below.

First day of studying Module II

1. Watch the short “Key Concept Video” for “GP1-1. Particles and Word Order.”
   https://panorama.learnjapaninjapanese.com/key-concept-videos/#gp41
2. Read GP1-1 in the textbook (pp.41-43).
3. Read the example sentences that appear in the section above once again, this time on the example sentence slide on the website. Be sure to play the audio and check the pronunciation. You can also check the meanings of new vocabulary words.
   https://panorama.learnjapaninjapanese.com/es-slides-gp01/#41-43
4. Complete the Comprehension Check GP1-1 on p.44 in the textbook. You can find the answer keys on the website.
5. Try Practice 5-1 of the Practice Module in the activity booklet (p.07).
   https://panorama.learnjapaninjapanese.com/pm-gp01/#5-1 
6. Add five new cards on the PANORAMA Grammar Module Vocabulary deck in Anki. Practice all of them in the manner described in the “Anki and Spaced Repetition: How does it work?” section on the learning app page. It is critically important for self-study learners to use Anki in the correct and efficient manner.
7. Add five new cards on the PANORAMA Grammar Module Sentences deck in Anki and practice all of them. It is particularly important to use this deck not only for learning sentence patterns but also improving listening skills and pronunciation. When you practice each card, listen to the audio first without looking at it and say the sentence out loud. If you don’t understand what it says, play the audio and say it out loud again. Look at the card only after you figure out the meaning or you find it too difficult to comprehend the audio.
8. Continue adding new cards on these two decks if you still feel motivated after studying all of the added cards. Remember that the goal of this practice at this point is not to memorize the word or to master the sentence perfectly but simply to get yourself familiarized with them. (Read the “How does it work?” section again if you have missed this point.)

You can stop your study of the first day at any step above depending on the time and energy you can spend. At a minimum, however, we recommend that you complete Steps 1, 2, 3, and 6 before you finish. For example, if you don’t have time to complete all of the steps above, complete steps 1 to 3, skip 4 and 5 leaving them for the next day, and complete 6 before you finish.

Subsequent days

From the second day onward, we recommend that, before beginning any activities in the textbook or on the website, you study all the review cards given in Anki. This study routine facilitates effective spaced repetition and retrieval practices, helps you memorize material effectively, and prevents you from forgetting it. 

As the number of review cards increases, there may be days when you aren’t able to do any additional practices in the text or on the website. In fact, it is expected. You don’t need to learn something new every day, but it is important to be consistent in reviewing old material when it is due.

1. Open Anki and study all the review cards that appear under “Due.” 
2. Continue practicing sentences using the comprehension check in the textbook and video practices for Practice 5-1 on the website.
3. Keep adding as many new cards as you feel you can manage on the vocabulary and sentence decks. Make sure to study all the cards you’ve added before finishing your study for the day.

Let us remind you again that, when you practice, it is always recommended to do retrieval practice as much as possible. (See “Practice Tips: Rereading vs. Retrieval Practice” above if you have missed this point.) For example, you can learn Japanese grammar by repeatedly reading textbook explanations. You may feel a sense of achievement by becoming fluent with the text in front of you. Studies suggest, however, that this kind of method (rereading a text in close succession) is ineffective and helps learners experience delusions of fluency. As a self-study learner, it is important that you intentionally engage yourself in retrieval practice such as the 5-1 video practice and Anki flashcards. Testing your knowledge by doing comprehension checks in the textbook is another high impact study activity.

After finishing GP1-1

When you become modestly confident about the grammatical rules and sentence patterns covered in GP1-1, you can move on to the next section in the textbook “GP1-2 Other Uses of で/に and Other Basic Particles” on p.45. Use the study routine that you used to learn GP1-1. 

Subsequently, you can continue learning the following sections and grammar points in the Grammar Module in the same way. Please make sure that, each day before you begin studying a new section or doing practices in the textbook or on the website, you study all the due cards in Anki. It is also important that you add new cards whenever you feel motivated. In this way, you can keep increasing your vocabulary, improving your fluency in using learned grammar, and improving your listening skills while learning new material.

Sample Curriculum: Module IV. Kanji

You can begin Module IV: Kanji when you become somewhat confident about reading most of the katakana characters. We encourage you to follow the sample curriculum below.

First day of studying Module IV

1. Watch the short “Key Concept Video” for “SW3-1. The Three Japanese Writing Systems.”
   https://panorama.learnjapaninjapanese.com/key-concept-videos/#sw35
2. Read the sections in “Sounds and Writing 3: Kanji” on pp.35-38 in the textbook.
3. Complete the Comprehension Check SW3 on p.38. You can find the answer keys on the website.
4. Read the first section of Kanji Module (“K1” on pp.6-7 in the flipbook) on the website.
   https://learnjapaninjapanese.com/panorama-kanji/ 
5. Learn the stroke orders of each kanji and practice the kanji words repeatedly using the practice quizzes found right below the kanji module flipbook. 
6. Add five new cards on the PANORAMA Kanji deck in Anki and practice all of them in the manner described in the “Anki and Spaced Repetition: How does it work?” section on the learning app page.
7. Continue adding new cards on the deck if you still feel motivated after studying all of the added cards. Remember that the goal of this practice at this point is not to memorize the kanji perfectly but simply to get yourself familiarized with it. (Read the “How does it work?” section again if you have missed this point.)

Subsequent days

1. Open Anki and study all the review cards that appear under “Due.” 
2. Continue adding five new cards on the deck and study them all if you still feel motivated after studying all of the review cards. 
3. You can stop adding new cards when kanji words from the next section begin appearing.
4. When you become modestly confident about reading most of the kanji words from K1, begin learning kanji in K2 on p.8 in the flipbook. You can use the same study routine that you used to learn kanji in K1.
5. Thereafter, you can continue learning new kanji in the following sections.

Here again, please remember the difference between rereading and retrieval practice. Learning various information about each kanji and using mnemonics provided in the flipbook of the Kanji Module on the website is important and helpful to memorize kanji but, without retrieval practice, you won’t be able to retain them efficiently. It is important to keep engaging yourself in retrieval practice as much as possible by testing your knowledge using the practice quizzes on the website and Anki flashcards.