World Class 1. - Teacher's Book [antikvár]

Introduction General Principles 1Themes For young learners motivation and interest are crucial factors in the learning process. Therefore the course is based around themes which have been chosen for their interest and relevance to this age group. Themes have not been dictated by language. There are three main thematic elements in World Class. Students can use English to find out about the world; they can develop their imagination and have fun in English; and they can relate English to their own lives and environments. 2Bridge from primary As the first in a secondary coursebook series, a conscious attempt has been made to integrate primary and secondary approaches to language learning. This is reflected in thematic content, in the organisation of the book, in the treatment of language and in skills development. This 'bridge' approach is seen in themes dealt with in the book. The first part of the book deals with topics which are immediately related to students* own lives: Famiües, Fun (hobbies and interests) and Villages (local environments). The second half of the book contains broader thematic elements related to the wider world: The Wild West, Travel and Planet Earth. 3Language input Rather than beginning directly with the usual World Class balance between Language focus and Skills lessons, the first part of this book has shorter Language focus spots in every lesson. The aim of this is to cover basic language areas (which students may have seen at primary) in a systematic way. Language is presented in small, manageable chunks and students are encouraged to think about rules of form and usage. They are introduced to very basic grammatical terms, though they are not expected to use many of them at this stage. There are then plenty of spoken and written practice activities to follow up. The second half of the book has the formát used in other books in this series: alternating Language focus and Skills lessons. Thus in Skills lessons, the reading and listening texts provide exposure to language and opportunities for acquisition. In Language focus lessons, target input is controlled and graded, with new language items (structures and functions) previewed, presented and practised. At this level, lexical input is much more carefully graded than in following levels of the series. Key vocabulary sets are systematically presented (e.g. colours/parts of body/family relaüonships, etc.). As at other levels of the series, students are alsó encouraged to store lexis in their own vocabulary books. Pronunciation is dealt with systematically and carefully linked with new language. Difficult sounds are looked at, contractáons are focussed on and intonation and word and sentence stress are introduced. Tasks are kept simple and at this level phoneüc symbols are not used. However there is a phonemic chart at the back of the book and phonetic transcriptions are given in the minidictionary. 4Recycling New language is recycled within each modulé, with the last lesson devoted to consolidation and revision. Language is alsó recycled between modules of each level. In addition, a large amount of recycling occurs between different levels of the course. For example, all the language areas covered in the first book are comprehensively revised in the following level. 5Skills In the first level of the course the four skills are developed systematically in the following ways: speaking. Students are encouraged to develop this skill through activities where they can communicate freely and develop fluency in English. Effective communication, rather than accuracy, is the goal. At this level there is a particular emphasis on giving and asking about personal information, with personalisation activities and surveys as well as somé basic role-play situations. Guessing games, memory games and quizzes are alsó common. listening. Texts in the first level of the series are much more closely graded and controlled than in following levels. Students are gradually introduced to the extensive listening tasks that are common throughout the series: gist listening and listening for specific information. Stories, songs, dialogues and quizzes are among the text types. reading. In the same way, reading texts are more closely graded in this book and new lexical input is carefully controlled, especially in the first half of the book. Towards the end of the book texts become longer and more challenging, to prepare students for the authenűc texts they will meet in the second level. Extensive tasks are given priority, with plenty of 2