New English File ELEMENTARY (3rd Edition)
By the end of the course… …learner should be able to manage well at an early KET (A2) level. They should be able to understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help. Materials: At ELEMENTARY level we use the 3rd edition of ENGLISH FILE ELEMENTARY. It has a wealth of resources which you should ensure your students are aware of and know how to use: CD ROM RESOURCES - The students get 2 CD Roms in their textbook pack: I-tutor and I-checker 1) I-TUTOR: Revision and extension of things done in class 1) Students can see all the texts, videos and listenings from the book. The accompanying exercises are different to the textbook, so are ideal for using a second time for consolidation. 2) Shows grammar/vocab tables from the lessons + a few exercises 3) Pron: Students can listen to and drill the phrases that appear in the book 4) All the audio of each unit is included, including the reading texts being read out loud. 5) The Practical English videos from the textbook with subtitles and extra exercises 6) Every 2 units, there’s a “Revise and Check” Section which includes a Dictation! 2) I-CHECKER: It’s both a Workbook CD and a resource for extra exercises and tests for self-study (i.e. for students to test themselves) – looks like a very good resource when preparing for Level Exams. When you open it, there are 3 thumbnails: 1) AUDIO BANK contains all the Workbook Audio 2) TESTS - Each unit has 30 multiple choice Qs (“Progress Check”) and then 20 Qs (“Challenge”) where you recreate a text by choosing from 2 options. It shows you your errors at the end, and you can retake it all. 3) LINKS – There is one link which takes you to the www.oup.com/elt/englishfile website (See next column) WEBSITE RESOURCES - www.oup.com/elt/englishfile Students should access this through the i-checker CD ROM (direct link). There are loads of excellent resources, including: 1) Games: Anteater, space Game, Match the Pairs (might be a good way in to get students using the website more) 2) A phrasebook for the phrases which come up in the Practical English Sections 3) “Test Maker” – A teacher or a student can make their own tests, selecting grammar or vocab items, and either do it on-line then or print it out. There are 10 Qs per vocab/grammar section, so the test can be as long as you want to make it. If you do it on line, it tells you the score and can print out a page with all the errors highlighted and corrected. 4) Learning Record: Each unit has a printable sheet showing all the extra resources there are for that unit. This could be a very useful tool for teachers to print out and check what extra work their students have done. 5) Extra links: these are ordered by unit and show students further reading connected to the theme of the unit. Note that it is not filtered by level, so, for instance, the Pre-Int topic of “Fashion” takes you directly to an on-line, unabridged version of the magazine Vogue. However, it does extend the range of material available to students. OTHER * iTools – this contains the student’s book, Workbook and teacher’s book which can be projected onto the interactive whiteboard in class. It also has grammar powerpoints, flashcards, timers etc. It is very briefly explained here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koP52y5MMXY * Online learner management system (www.oxfordenglishtesting.com ) * Option of buying the book from Oxford Learners’ Bookshelf * There is an English File App for pronunciation (can download from App Store). See how it works here: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Qeny_lvdURk#at=49) * From i-tutor you can copy all the audio files to a mobile device
Student profile Adults at this level are either mature students who studied French when at school and would now like to take English as a hobby for travel purposes or younger adults who have never really made the grade in English at school and are trying again to help them with their studies or work. Pronunciation is usually poor and should be emphasized a lot when introducing any new language. Testing o You should give students a progress test at the end of the 1st and 2nd terms and individual feedback afterwards. END OF LEVEL EXAM IN JUNE:
Grammar & Vocab Writing Listening Reading Speaking
Taken from End of Book Exam in Teacher’s Book (Gram./Voc. only) Write about 75 words on one of the following topics: description of a town or city; description of a person; a holiday; plans for the future 1) Three conversations booking tables in a restaurant. Students circle correct info. 2) Text about daily routine of two people. Students fill in info in sentences. Reading text about life of a famous person. 10 true/false sentences In pairs (5 mins each) – (1) personal info. questions (2) A-B role play (restaurant)
Advice TOPIC ADVICE ONLY IN ENGLISH From day one encourage students communicate in class ONLY in English reminding them that this will help them reach their goal in June. You can do this by spending time in the first term drilling and encouraging the use of the classroom language. A good first lesson would be a get to know you activity, the book quiz and classroom language. PRONUNCIATION Ensure pronunciation is a constant thread throughout your lessons.
STUDY SKILLS
LISTENING SKILLS
You should also show students study skills especially if they have been away from education for some time. The introduction unit to ENGLISH VOCABULARY IN USE offers some useful advice. Many students have been given bad habits by teachers in the past and so you may need to show them other ways of learning that may suit their learning style. Encourage students to listen to English outside class as often as possible. You could suggest material from the study centre and websites as well as the coursebook materials!
MATERIALS Refer to classroom language speech bubbles frequently in class.
Tree or three English pronunciation in use elementary o Phonemic chart in your classroom o You! English Vocab in use o o
www.ello.org www.podcastsinenglish.com
Why not take a look at p.90-112 of LEARNER ENGLISH Ed. By Michael Swan & Bernard Smith on the methodology shelf for a very good summary of the typical profile of a Spanish learner! Have fun!