[stanley]

Can anyone recommend a good text book to use with a 12 year old Chinese boy. It is so hard to find books suitable for one-to-one use. I'll be adding plenty of games and other activities to the lesson but I'd really like a book to give the classes some structure. Thanks

[duygugul]

I would recommend you "English Grammer In Use" by Raymond Murphey. It's rather a grammar book, but it can be enriched by reading texts and writing tasks..

[stanley]

Thank you. However, grammar is not really the area I wish to focus on as it is done to death in Chinese schools. I'll teach it indirectly of course but really, the main focus of our classes will be speaking

[duygugul]

Then, I can recommend you Language to Go series..little grammer, more conversation, rich vocabulary, interesting topics and so on.. Please let me know when you choose the text book.. I am interested in learning from and taking advantage of different kinds of text books, instead of classical ones..

[stanley]

Thanks. Who publishes 'Language to go'?

[duygugul]

language to go is a book from Pearson Longman..

[DaveESL]

Some good, no-brainer kinds of books are Side by Side, Interchange or Passages (depending on level). They're all organized by theme, and have vocabulary and discussion activities.

For a one-on-one lesson, though, I'd probably try to get the student to come up with materials. With a younger learner that could be tough, but if the student brought in their own materials, that way the materials should be relevant to their own lives. You could have him teach you about what he's learning school or reading online or something like that.

My 2 cents.
Dave

[carlacampestre]

Hey!
I'd recommend the Smart Choice series by Oxford University Press. The first book is indeed Called FIRST CHOICE (used for real beginners) . I own an English Language school and this material is EXCELLENT for both group or individual classes. It comes with a very nice CD-Rom too. The book has been recently released and I´m sure you'll love it! Its very up-to-date and it contains lots of things teenagers dig! If u want to check it, you can go to Oxford University Press: OUP.COM Home Page

[Eric18]

All those suggestions sound sane and safe. I'd be tempted, however, to create an individualized course based on his interests. The internet makes finding wonderful materials easier than ever. If the parents/sponsor requires a book, then I would go for a name brand publisher - partly for marketing considerations.

For older adult students, I would also recommend my own book which was created from tutoring professionals one to one. But that's another story.

Good luck. Have fun.