[Eric]

what textbook(s) do you like to use? i need some ideas for my new classes but i'd also like to know what everyone likes to use in general.

for me:
children: Let's Go
university students: side by side
adults: north star

any other good ones?

[little sage]

Hi, good question. I'd like to hear some new suggestions as well.

Children: I've been using the Let's Go series as well, which I like, but sometimes I just like to use something else. Our school started using English Time published by Oxford, and I have been really pleased with the structure and content. Each chapter is well layed-out, the workbook has writing activities that require comprehension and thought, not just copying skills, and the teachers' books are full of supplemental worksheets and activities. It's a really great series.

University/ Adults: I don't teach this level, currently. But I was using a straight up grammar book, Basic Grammar in Use which divides lessons into 1 page of explanation + 1 page of practice activities, then I would find a matching production exercise from a book like Grammar Practice Activities (all of these published by Cambridge, I believe) and that was that. The higher levels of the book do more usage-based (should you use present perfect or present simple here?) type of lessons.

For high level classes of the elementary - highschool age, I have twice used the series called Daybook of Critical Reading and Writing which is not actually an ESL series; it's intended for North American students whose mother tongue is English. However, the thinking skills related to reading that it teaches are so lacking in Korean ESL classes that I think it's a really valuable resource. Supplemental lessons is usually required because the vocabulary level is very high, and grammar is not an explicit component of the book. I chose a level a few grades below the students I was teaching here in Korea. It was really wonderful to read real literature with them!

Hope this helps. Again, I'd like to hear some other series that teachers enjoy using. I need some recommendations on supplemental grammar books for kids.

[fishead soup]

For middle school students -New Interchange
For Adults-Lets talk( This is a Dear Abby type discussion book)
When I first came to Korea I used Small Group discussion topics. I stoped using this because it had too many articles that were negative about Korea.

For teaching Culture. I used to use. The Ugly Americans Ugly Koreans
its actually quite funny I believe they changed the title

[Eric]

Quote fishead soup

The Ugly Americans Ugly Koreans

That sounds hilarious. what type of book is it? is it mostly reading? do you know the name of it now?

[fishead soup]

Quote Oreamnos

That sounds hilarious. what type of book is it? is it mostly reading? do you know the name of it now?

I think its called Universal citizens. I haven't seen the up to date version. With some of my students I made a short video, The video was about culture shock. I had them take me to a resteraunts and feed me living octopus. Then we went to a singing room and watched men slow dance with each other. It was hilarious.

[sighisoara]

North Star is great, but Side by Side I could easily do without. My personal fave is a new series from Longman. Some years back they came out with a series called What A Life and it contained bios of famous people from all of the world. It's great, but the new series from them: What A World rocks! There are 3 levels and contains stories from around the globe. Examples: how did the Egyptians make mummies, what are fattening rooms, the legend of Kind Arthur, who invented the www, etc. Every story has vocabulary, comprehension, discussion, and writing exercises. And a wonderful bonus: books 1 & 2 have a CD available, so you can easily turn a reading lesson into a listening lesson.

I've tried out these books and students really enjoy them. It's history, world culture, and language learning rolled into one. Oh, and the cover picture for each story really opens up the class to context prediction or any warmer activity you may want to do.

[fishead soup]

True stories in the News, is also good. It has a set of hard to believe stories.
Pictures and comprehension questions. It has stories about triplets who were separated at birth and then reunited later on. Or an obese man who lost weight.

Dear Ann landers or Dear Abby are good for high level adults.Simply go into the site find somthing interesting. Print it out and make your own comprehension and discussion questions. These also are a good way of teaching idioms as most of these problems will contain idioms.

Small Group discussion Topics- I've seen the new versions of this text and it's really improved. Not so many articles that are negative about Korea. Lots of stuff about Terrorism.

[Eric]

Quote sighisoara

North Star is great, but Side by Side I could easily do without. My personal fave is a new series from Longman. Some years back they came out with a series called What A Life and it contained bios of famous people from all of the world. It's great, but the new series from them: What A World rocks!

What a World/Life are great. I taught those last year.
Those are heavy on reading. What would you use in place of Side By Side, which is not so heavy on reading?

eric

[fishead soup]

Quote Oreamnos

What a World/Life are great. I taught those last year.
Those are heavy on reading. What would you use in place of Side By Side, which is not so heavy on reading?

eric

I think pretty much any textbook is better than Side by Side

Side by Side just has too many substitution activities.

Sure used sparingly substitution activities and Side by Side might be OK

If you use them all the time your students will get bored

Don' care much for the reading materials and someones vacation gone wrong at the Sludge motel childish and silly.

[Eric]

what non-reading based book would you choose over Side By Side?

[fishead soup]

New Interchange is much better.

[Eric]

yeah, i've used interchange in the past and liked that. maybe i'll switch to that when i get a chance.

[sighisoara]

try Stand Out. Each level is really half a level above what it says, but outside of that, it's great. I've met the authors: one is an ESL Instructor and the other is a ESL computer specialist. The book has been so well received by local colleges & adult ed programs here in California that other books (including side by side, interchange, etc) are considered re-formatting their series to mirror Stand Out. And, I know many teachers don't bother to get the teacher's guide for most books, but for stand out, do it. It is the easiest, best put together, user-friendly, lists all the various standards (casas, calla, adult ed esl standards, etc) for each activity, and covers all the basic functional language plus extras.

[Eric]

Quote sighisoara

try Stand Out. Each level is really half a level above what it says, but outside of that, it's great. I've met the authors: one is an ESL Instructor and the other is a ESL computer specialist. The book has been so well received by local colleges & adult ed programs here in California that other books (including side by side, interchange, etc) are considered re-formatting their series to mirror Stand Out. And, I know many teachers don't bother to get the teacher's guide for most books, but for stand out, do it. It is the easiest, best put together, user-friendly, lists all the various standards (casas, calla, adult ed esl standards, etc) for each activity, and covers all the basic functional language plus extras.

that sounds sweet! how long has the book been around? i'll look for it next time im at the bookstore.

thanks

[sighisoara]

The book was published (1st edition) 3 or maybe 4 years ago max. I believe the very low beginning book is the newest and was written by a different author, but still holds the same format. The benefit to it's "newness" is that the material is fresh, probably hasn't been used extensively outside the U.S., and has a much better flow from activity to activity, AND the majority of students actually like it compared to some of the older stuff.