Some experienced learners not infrequently show discontent with popular “contemporary” textbooks such as JACT and Athenaze. What are the shortcomings of them? Thank you.
The readings of JACT are not related to the grammar that is freshly introduced. Rather they have simply leveled down the texts so that the learner can more or less handle them. The exercises are tedious and unfocused. The grammatical explanations are either too brief to be of use or overlong and hence confusing.
Athenaze has better explanations but in the second volume there is very sharp rise in difficulty in which we are dropped into the deep end of unadapted text.
There is not enough input comprehensible to beginners. The readings become too hard too quickly.