Course Books Analyses 1a
- 1. Teaching English to Young Children Course books Analyses Guide 1A Title: COOKIES AND FRIENDS A Title: ENGLISH ADVENTURE COLLECTION Target audience/age and Level:PRE-SCHOOL Target audience/age and Level: 4- 10 Publisher: OXFORD YEARS OLD Publisher: PEARSON-LONGMAN General Questions Comments Comments 1 – Does the book fit the It fits students’ background in language, English Adv. 1, for students that have students’ background – cognitive maturity, native language, culture never been in contact with English before; age, cognitive maturity, and motivation, but it doesn’t mention the it uses characters from Disney to motivate native language and purpose of learning English. them. culture, educational They will have the opportunity to trace, background, motivation mime, sing, observe, develop their and purpose for learning creativity… communicate. English? 2 – What values are No. the content is the focus. There is no The values presented are useful for their projected through the mention of cross-cultural comparison. lives. materials? What scope is there for developing citizenship education? Are there opportunities for cross-cultural comparison? 3 – What sort of Teacher shows the content The book methodology presents motor methodology does the Exposition, practice, reinforcement skills, coloring, and chants. Each unit brings book appear to adopt? lesson which includes Mickey Mouse puppet. 4 – What are the Audio-lingual underlying theories of learning and theories of language? 5 – Does one approach Lexical approach The predominant approach involves lots of predominate? Which one? visual techniques, such as: picture cards, coloring, Disney films, posters, stickers 6 – What kind of syllabus Lexical. Although the syllabus is lexical, it is It’s a lexical book with motor and does it have – clear to see the subject of each unit. observation skills included in each unit. It’s grammatical, lexical, • Commands, classroom, language clear and objective. In the beginning of grammatical-lexical, each leasson is shown the skills that the situational, topic-based, kids will learn. notional, functional- notional, mixed or ‘multi- strand’, procedural or process? Is it clear and objective? Does it help you see what the whole book and each specific unit are all about? 7 – How are new teaching Contents are presented in 5 lessons, when Lots of practice in each lesson, each unit
- 2. points graded? How the unit changes, there is a new content and words with around five words and repeats frequently are they the review of the previous one. some words from previous lessons. introduced and how much practice material separates them? 8 – How is the new It’s presented with flashcards, movements, Usually with songs, the new items are language presented? How puppets. always related to the previous one. is the meaning of items conveyed? Are new items related to what has been learned previously? 9 – How much new Yes, it is appropriate for them. language is printed in each unit? Is the rate at which new material is introduced appropriate for your pupils? 10 – Is the organization of It is cyclical. It is a good way for them the course linear or cyclical? to memorize what have been taught. Linear – teaching points are added one at a time, each being practiced before moving on to the next. Cyclical – a particular teaching point recurs in a different context to be enlarged on throughout the course. What are the implications of this to young learners? 11 – What kind of practice Listening, puppets, drawings, visual. activities are there? Is there Yes, there is a variety of activities. a variety from controlled to Yes, for all the questions. freer practice? Is there a balance? Is there a balance between fluency and accuracy? Are they motivating and meaningful? Do they provide opportunities for real language use and possibilities for interaction? Is the active participation of students encouraged effectively? 12 – Does the course The dvd shows a lot of examples. include any examples of authentic language and materials? 13 – Are there any special There isn’t a special page for it. During pages for revision, self- the lessons is made a review with the testing, self-assessment or words that were seen before. reference?
- 3. 14 – Are opportunities for The independent work is done when independent work provided the kids are coloring. such as through project work? 15 – Are learning strategies Yes developed in a systematic and explicit way? Does the book encourage learners to develop them and become independent and autonomous learners? 16 – Can young learners Yes handle the book easily? (What is the size of the book? Is it appropriate for young learners?) 17 – What are the Yes very attractive. illustrations and layout like? Are they comfortable or busy? Are they attractive? Are they useful or only decorative? Will your pupils like them? 18 – How is each unit titled? Will it be clear to your pupils what they are expected to learn in the unit and what they have to do? 19 – Are the topics, tasks, . activities, techniques varied so as to provide for different learner levels, learning styles, interests, different intelligences? 20 – Does the book contain songs, rhymes, and nursery rhymes, action stories with drama, hands-on activities, crafts, play and games which enthrall young learners? 21 – What components does the course offer the teacher and the students: books, tests, cassettes, CDs, DVDs, CD-ROMs, videos, flashcards, posters, puppets, stickers, readers, portfolios, games, workbooks, story books, Internet sites? Are they useful?
- 4. 22 – Is the teacher’s guide easy to follow? Does it contain interleaved pages from the pupil’s book? Is the guidance adequate for the teacher? Is it useful? Or does it take the teacher too long to prepare lessons? Does it offer methodological guidance? Does it provide the teacher with alternative and supplementary exercises? 23 – Can you spot any notable omissions? Will you have to supplement the coursebook in any way? 24 – How are the different skills treated? Are they integrated? 25 – How much receptive language are students exposed to? 26 – What kind of listening activities are there? Listen and do, listen and repeat, comprehension questions, interactive activities? 27 – Are there reading and writing activities? Are they suitable for young learners? 28 – Are there speaking activities? Are they meaningful and fun? Are they too demanding? What kind of speaking activities are there? Final comments According to what we have already analyzed we would recommend this material for young learners between 3 and 5 because it brings lots of colorful pages which presents Disney characters and works step by step, actually, in a slow way so kids have enough time to understand the meaning of what has been presented to them; Also, songs, movies, picture cards are helpful in a way they can use
- 5. the listening, visual, speaking.