iiTomo Japanese Language Resources for Secondary Educators

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The third edition of the iiTomo Student Book retains the trusted structure of a hybrid textbook and workbook, while introducing a range of exciting updates and enhancements to better support Japanese language learners.

This edition offers a refreshed design for improved navigation, and updated reading and listening texts now feature comprehension and higher-order thinking questions, viewing tasks, and skill-building activities to deepen understanding. Chapters include revised grammar explanations with check-in tasks and cumulative practice pages, as well as fine-tuned “Got it!” sections to reinforce learning.

New manga and realia texts add authenticity and engagement, while vocabulary has been updated to reflect contemporary Japanese usage. There’s also expanded Power Up! content, providing extra support and challenge for students with background or prior learning, offering even greater differentiation in the classroom.

In iiTomo 3 & 4, the third edition will introduce a stronger focus on exam skills development, with annotated samples and updated exam-style questions tailored to state curricula. A new feature in this edition includes links to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, enriching intercultural understanding.

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The updated iiTomo Activity Book continues to support learners across all levels with thoughtfully structured and engaging activities. Designed to follow the progression of the Student Book, it now offers greater support, more differentiation, and stronger learning design, while remaining affordable and more sustainable than ever.

What’s updated in the third edition:

• Improved learning design and layout for better navigation
• Increased student support throughout each level
• Expanded Power Up! tasks for differentiated learning
• More affordable pricing, with reduced costs for iiTomo 1 and iiTomo 2.

What’s new in the third edition:

• Brand-new tasks and additional pages at every level
• Fully recyclable and more sustainably produced
• Inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures through new task links.

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Pearson Digital Hub features a comprehensive bank of resources to consolidate and further student learning. You and your class can access: 

• lesson content
• differentiated practice tasks (for 3 levels)
• differentiated summative assessment chapter tests to assign digitally, or available to print
• multimedia content
• additional grammar and vocabulary drilling
• additional character learning, support and activities
• opportunities to practise all key language skills in one place.

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All core teacher resources are now free for classes using iiTomo 1-4 Third Edition. 

From Pearson Digital Hub, teachers can access class and lesson preparation materials, and a results dashboard streamlining formative and summative assessment with built-in differentiation and comprehensive teaching support. 

The teacher resources help ease lesson prep and planning with a range of supporting assets to help you bring your students to success. You’ll find: 

• complete mapping of the iiTomo resources and assets
• Progress ladders and rubrics
• supportive teaching notes
• activity ideas
• audio files (available free from Digital Hub, or to purchase if you wish to download them)
• editable chapter practice and final tests
• curriculum grids
• projectable activity book answers. 

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Teachers have the option to also purchase a Teacher eBook with access to the audio packs for download. A Teacher eBook, which includes all of the Student eBook content and audio, as well as teaching and planning resources, including:

• curriculum mapping grids
• editable differentiated chapter assessments, and relevant answers and audio scripts
• rubrics and feedback forms
• projectable activity book pages with all answers
• worksheets and answers

The audio download pack includes all audio files for the Student Book, Activity Book, worksheets and differentiated chapter assessments.

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The second edition of iiTomo Senior is available now. 

iiTomo Senior builds on from the junior iiTomo resources with the spiralling and intercultural approaches to language learning at its core. Authentic, relevant and supportive, the senior resources provide learners and teachers with what they need to achieve learning goals, build up skills and prepare for final exams.

The second edition now offers even more support, including:  

• new state-specific exam preparation chapters in the Student eBook  
• up-to-date and relevant core content  
• more accurate levelling  
• updated viewing, listening and reading texts and questions  
• new dedicated tasks to practise multimodal skills  
• two extra pages per chapter including a new grammar cumulative tasks page 
• additional oral examination preparation page elements 
• added grammar animations  
• new digital tracked activities  
• new and updated teacher resources, including state-specific practice exams and a teacher dashboard. 

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The second edition of iiTomo Senior is available now. 

The iiTomo Senior 2nd Edition Student Book is a hybrid textbook and workbook, with a variety of updated texts for viewing, reading, listening, kanji and multimodal practice. The topic texts present grammar and vocabulary in context along with writing and speaking practice and support.

Each chapter also provides revised supportive grammar explanations with check-in tasks and a cumulative grammar practice page. Updated exam-style questions, skill-building guidance and annotated samples for written and oral exams wrap it all up for efficient exam preparation.

Throughout the book students practise their intercultural, inquiry, reflection, multimodal and viewing skills while building on meaningful and personalised language and cultural skills in context.

iiTomo Senior 2nd Edition Student Book overview:

• A hybrid textbook and workbook for learners of Japanese in Years 11 and 12
• Aligned to state senior curricula and exams requirements
• Updated texts for viewing, reading, listening and multimodal practice
• Speaking and writing practice and support in situ
• Revised supportive grammar explanations accompanied with check-in tasks and chapter cumulative grammar tasks page
• Updated exam-style texts and questions
• Skill-building and exam preparation guidance throughout
• Additional oral examination sample questions and model answers
• Annotated exam writing samples and preparation guidance

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The second edition of iiTomo Senior is available now. 

With the iiTomo Senior 2nd Edition Student eBook + Assessment, students can access the student book and audio, take notes and save bookmarks – anywhere, anytime, online and offline.

The new edition digital resources include a bonus state-specific exam preparation chapter, additional grammar animations for more support, new digital grammar, reading and listening activities, as well as updated vocabulary lists, audio, and grammar and kanji worksheets, providing more ways for students to engage with their learning of Japanese and prepare for their exams. All student books come with an eBook access code.

iiTomo Senior 2nd Edition Student eBook + Assessment overview:

• Access all Student Book pages and audio online and offline
• Add notes, save bookmarks and more
• New bonus state-specific exam preparation chapters
• Grammar explainer animations (including new ones!)
• New digital tracked prior learning and reflection, grammar, viewing and reading, listening and speaking activities with instant feedback in the Assessment section
• Updated vocabulary lists, audio and worksheets

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The second edition of iiTomo Senior is available now. 

The iiTomo Senior 2nd Edition Teacher eBook + Assessment with audio download provides teachers with access to all student eBook content including the new edition bonus state-specific exam preparation chapters, as well as updated answers, audio scripts and downloadable audio files.

The second edition teacher resources also include new state-specific practice exams with audio and their relevant marking guides and audio scripts, providing more ways for teachers to engage and prepare students for exam success.

It further supports teachers with updated curriculum mapping, new scope and sequence documents and other teaching guidance documentation.

Teachers also have access to the teacher assessment tasks allocation and dashboard to help them formatively assess students learning and progress, and assign work.

They will also find a wealth of additional material for reading, writing and listening assessment skill building and practice.

iiTomo Senior 2nd Edition Teacher eBook + Assessment with audio download overview:

• All Student eBook content, including the new edition bonus state-specific exam preparation chapters
• Updated answers, audio scripts and downloadable audio files
• New state-specific practice exams with audio, relevant marking guides and audio scripts
• Additional material to support assessment in reading and listening
• Updated curriculum mapping and teaching guidance documentation
• New state-specific scope and sequence documents
• Teacher Assessment dashboard to allocate tasks and formally assess class and student learning to inform teaching and remediation needs

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iiTomo 1–4, 2nd Edition student books integrate the intercultural language learning approach at their core and have been revised based on teacher and student feedback. They now better-support students with their learning of Japanese and their development of language, intercultural, creative and critical thinking skills. They include:

• updated prompts (including viewing, intercultural and higher order thinking)
• updated, current visuals
• relevant real-life contexts and texts
• revised, more supportive grammar sections
• extension opportunities and extra support for personalised learning
• chapter vocabulary lists and updated projects.

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The eBook is the electronic version of the student book and provides students with a range of materials that can be used on any device, including:

• animations for grammar explanations and hiragana, katakana and kanji stroke order
• interactive games
• all student book audio, activity book audio and worksheets audio
• pronunciation modelling videos
• drama-style videos that bring the language, culture and gestures to life
• editable worksheets
• character writing grid templates
• complete editable chapter vocabulary lists.

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The activity books cater for a variety of learning styles, with updated engaging activities that enrich key skills by:

• following the student book progression
• offering differentiated learning opportunities
• supporting autonomous learning with student progress tracking
• providing audio files for students from the relevant eBook.

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The teacher resources help ease lesson prep and planning with a range of supporting assets to help you bring your students to success. You’ll find:

• a print teacher guide including:
  • complete mapping of the iiTomo resources and assets
  • supportive teaching notes
  • activity ideas.
• a teacher-specific eBook with a range of additional resources including:
  • all student eBook content
  • downloadable audio files
  • editable chapter tests
  • curriculum grids
  • projectable activity book answers.

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Yoko Nishimura-Parke has been actively involved in language education for more than 30 years as a high school teacher and senior education officer at the NSW Department of Education. She has extensive experience with syllabus writing, material development, HSC examination and supporting language teachers with their language proficiency, pedagogy and technology skills. She is a co-author on the iiTomo 1-4 Student Books and Activity Books and was an author on the Mirai series. She was also part of the lead author team on iiTomo Senior. 

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Naoko Florence Abe has extensive years of teaching experience in the Years 7 to 12 NSW Curriculum and the International Baccalaureate Programs. Additionally, she has significant experience in educational leadership through her roles as a Coordinator of Languages, year coordinator and as a teacher mentor. She works in NSW Curriculum development, as an HSC examiner and as an IB examiner and workshop leader. She is an active member of the Japanese Teachers’ Association of NSW. Naoko is a co-author on iiTomo 1-4 Activity Books and iiTomo Senior.

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Mami Izuishi is one of the co-authors of iiTomo 1, iiTomo 2 and iiTomo Senior. She has been teaching Japanese at secondary schools in NSW for more than 25 years. Her experience in curriculum development includes being a member of the syllabus-writing team for the Japanese Heritage course (now Japanese in Context) and its sample examination, as well as being a member of the course-writing team for Japanese Extension. She has been actively involved in the HSC examination for more than 20 years as both an oral examiner and a marker.

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Junko Nichols has taught Japanese and English languages at pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary levels in Japan, China, England and Australia over the past 25 years. Junko also taught the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach at the University of Melbourne and a Japanese immersion program at Central Queensland University. She has been involved in language teaching and language teacher training, using a range of methodologies and approaches. Today, Junko is the Director of the Monash Japanese Language Education Hub. She is a co-author of iiTomo Senior and the author of the iiTomo 1-4 junior secondary years’ Japanese sitcom videos 'Naomi and Friends' and 'Noah and Friends', as well as the Japanese pronunciation videos. Junko has also contributed to the Pearson Digital Hub teaching notes for iiTomo.

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Miki Thomas has been teaching Japanese in Australia since 1998 across both primary and secondary school education. She is particularly passionate about teaching VCE Japanese and helping students achieve their full potential. She believes that high-quality learning resources play a vital role in student success and in fostering a lifelong interest in the Japanese language and culture. Miki is a co-author of the iiTomo 3+4 Activity Book in the 3rd Edition, and of the Pearson Digital Hub content for iiTomo 3+4.

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Lauren Wainwright has been teaching Japanese across both primary and secondary settings since 2012. She is particularly passionate about middle years learning, where students are developing their confidence, curiosity and love of Japanese language and culture. Lauren enjoys creating dynamic, purposeful resources and assessments that bring language learning to life and provide meaningful opportunities to celebrate and support student growth. Lauren is the author of the Pearson Digital Hub chapters content and assessments for iiTomo 2 and the co-author of the Pearson Digital Hub chapters content and assessments for iiTomo 3+4.

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Rachel Francis has taught Japanese in secondary schools for 30 years in both South Australia and Victoria. She has been actively involved in the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) Board of South Australia for 30 years in a variety of lead roles. Rachel initiated and shared an accelerated program for languages in South Australia that has been successfully implemented in many schools. A contributing author on iiTomo Senior 2nd Edition, she is also the co-author of the Pearson Digital Hub chapters content and assessments for iiTomo 1.

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Nathan Lane has been teaching Japanese in Victorian secondary schools for more than 20 years and has presented at state, national and international language conferences. He is currently the deputy principal teaching and learning at St Mary MacKillop College and president of the Japanese Language Teachers Association of Victoria (JLTAV). In 2017, Nathan was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Modern Languages Teachers Association of Victoria (MLTAV) in recognition of his exceptional and outstanding contribution to Languages teaching in Victoria. Nathan is a co-author on iiTomo Senior, and the co-author of the Pearson Digital Hub chapters content and assessments for iiTomo 1.

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Emma Lowry has taught Japanese in Queensland independent secondary schools for the past 12 years and is an advocate for authentic learning opportunities outside the classroom. She has experience as Head of Department for Japanese and has held a key leadership position as Associate Dean (Students). Emma also has experience in curriculum development and design and has been a member of the QCAA’s District Review Panel. Emma is now principal at a regional school in Queensland.

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Kelly Harrison taught Japanese in Queensland for about ten years and was a contributing author of the first edition of iiTomo Senior. Kelly has a keen interest in CLIL and implemented a Japanese Media Studies program at her school in Brisbane and ran the Languages Roadshow for many years before retiring from education.

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Shoko Vujic is an experienced educator, who has been teaching Japanese in Australia for over ten years. She also has a background in TESOL and has taught Japanese both for the HSC in New South Wales and the International Baccalaureate. Shoko has also spent time as both a marker and examiner for the HSC. Shoko has authored some assets and reviewed iiTomo content across levels.

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Leil Whittingham is an experienced Senior Teacher at Wavell State High School. She has worked at Wavell for over fifteen years in a variety of faculties including Languages, English and Humanities and a variety of year levels across Years 7-12. Leil is particularly passionate about Languages education and the opportunities it affords students in the current climate of globalisation. Leil has experience as an Endorser for QCAA, textbook reviewer for Pearson and Focus Group Leader for Wavell State High School. She enjoys exploring innovative digital resources and strives to utilise technology to enhance teaching pedagogy.

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Anne de Kretser has been involved in Japanese language education for more than 30 years. She’s worked as a secondary teacher of Japanese, a teacher educator, a Japanese language consultant, a Japanese language curriculum writer, and professional learning provider. Anne has conducted research on Japanese language education in Australian schools and works across Australia with teachers of Japanese through professional learning seminars.

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Edward Kent is an experienced secondary teacher of Italian, Japanese and English and currently oversees Languages at his public-sector school. Having taught in New South Wales, Japan and the United Kingdom, he brings extensive international and cross-curricular experience to his work. A passionate advocate for language learning and literacy development, Edward has contributed to several educational initiatives, including reviewing content for iiTomo Digital Hub.

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Gary Passmore is a Badimia Elder from Western Australia and an experienced educator and school leader. When he began his teaching career in 1968, Gary was one of South Australia’s first five First Nations teachers. He has worked in primary and secondary levels and lectured at the University of South Australia. Gary has written, managed and developed curriculum resources to support the integration of Aboriginal perspectives, including with the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) and the South Australian Education Department. He holds a Master of Aboriginal Studies and has worked in consultancy roles, including for ACARA and the Association of Independent Schools. Gary is the First Nations Consultant on all components and levels of the iiTomo series.