Once again I’d like to welcome you to The Bookmark, after some weeks of investigating and gleaning information regarding all that material which may be of interest to you.
I’d also like to welcome you to the new year (better late than never!) and wish you peace, love and happiness – to all those of you who have visited our page, whether teacher, writer or publisher, without whom…………………………"GRACIAS".
How To Teach English
Jeremy Harmer (report by Leslie Smith, our man at the news desk; material published by Longman)
O.K. you may chuckle at the title, after all, you wouldn’t want your
students to catch you reading it, would you?
First published in 1998 as part of Longman’s “How To” series this book, aimed at the less-experienced teacher, is an excellent introduction to the theory and practice of ELT, and is also very useful for those taking the CELTA- see section on COURSES in this edition.
After looking at what makes both a good teacher and a good learner, Harmer moves on to the actual process of teaching and learning. He sets out what he describes as the necessary elements for successful language learning, namely: Engage – Study – Activate.
Examples are given and comparisons are made between the various recent teaching models which have influenced classroom practice.
The section on describing language is not, by the author’s own admission, a comprehensive treatise. However, it is extremely compact and makes a very useful reference work.
What follows are the teaching of the 4 basic language skills and these are dealt with in an unassuming way- it’s no coincidence that each chapter in this section begins with the question-Why?.
Chapters on Lesson Planning, What If?, and How to use a Textbook, which I found particularly helpful, complete the main part of the book.
There is also a task file which comprises of many exercises which build on the information given in the previous sections, and these can either be used on a training course or by teachers working on their own.
All in all , a very compact practical introduction to English language teaching.
Author: Jeremy Harmer
Published by: Longman
This is the first in a series of videos created for business English courses, and it offers a combination of genuine reports and a dramatised story to give the student a broad, stimulating view of Business English in context.
The themes dealt with revolve around four leading companies from the current world of business and commerce:
· 1.- A company profile - "VODAPHONE"
· 2.- A business trip.
· 3.- Company History - "JAGUAR".
· 4.- New Developments.
· 5.- Organising your diary/agenda.
· 6.- A success-story - "PIZZA EXPRESS".
· 7.- Making Plans.
· 8.- Working in the 21st Century XXI."ARTHUR ANDERSEN".
· 9.- The job interview.
The course structure is based on the New Business English coursebook, but it can be used as supplementary material for any business English course.
Written by Tom Hutchinson, author of the “Project” and “Hotline” series, the name behind this video is Oxford University Press.
* Available: Video, Student’s Book, Teacher’s Book.
WORDFLO:
Your personal English diary, to be used in conjunction with any textbook, or for home study.
Wordflo is based on the organisation of information, from
vocab. and grammar to pronunciation, useful phrases and
learner strategies.
Published by: Longman.
Authors: Steven Smith and Jacqueline Smith.
Level : Pre-intermediate - Advanced.
And here’s one you can photocopy!
Two attractively designed titles by the publisher E.L.I, from the popular "English Crossword" series, to build up that elementary and intermediate vocabulary.
I promise you that you’ll find lots of useful supplementary material in this publisher’s catalogue:
Songs, reading texts, board games, masks and more……….
* ISBN: 8881485583 English Crossword Level 1.
* ISBN: 8881485563 English Crossword Level 2.
…….and they’re spiral bound to make photocopying easier.
Publisher: Eli - Stanley.
And finally, as we promised in the last edition, here is the list of this year’s most used texts:
3º of E.S.O
* TOP TEAM (Heinemann) * DISCOVER (Burlington)
* EXPLORE (OUP) * BURLINGTON 3º
* SNAPSHOT (Longman) * SHOUT (OUP)
* THUMBS UP (OUP)
4º of E.S.O
* LINK UP (OUP) * TEAMWORK (Heinemann)
* THUMBS UP (OUP) * EXPLORE (OUP)
* BURLINGTON 4ºESO * SNAPSHOT (Longman)
1st & 2nd year of BACHILLERATO
* PRE-SELECT (OUP) * SELECT (OUP)
* RESULTS 1º (Burlington) * RESULTS 2º (Burlington)
*EXAM STRATEGIES (Longman) * VISION (Heineman)
* REWARD (Heineman)
There are many more titles on the market, but these are the ones I recommend, and have received the best reports about.
ELT MATERIALS
Check out the Bournmouth English Book Centre on www.bebc.co.uk elt@bebc.co.uk They issue an annual critical guide to a huge variety of books and software. They also offer a free ordering service by fax on 900 984404 ( direct from Spain-no country code required)
Also check the English Book Centre at www.ebcoxford.co.uk for their definitive guide to ELT materials.