I have been in Taiwan for a few years now and I have taught in other places too (China and Korea mostly) and this is the first time to run across the Cambridge Young Learners English series as a foundation for the schools teaching system. I use the word system very loosely, since they don’t have a Real curriculum for the school.
I was introduced to this job by a friend who was leaving and needed a replacement. After a few months of being here they asked me to help develop their teaching system. I figured it would be fine, so I agreed. However, all the resource materials I brought and introduced to them they rejected in lieu of using the Cambridge set that they have been using. So I am trying to build a comprehensive lesson plan and structure for the school from a book that I have only seen used as a supplementary book or activity book. So, I feel like I am beating me head against a wall trying to build a plan, test it and tweak it after each lesson, only to have the head teacher tell me that she wants me to hand in 2 lessons each week while incorporating more “English culture”… I thought she was joking, but I guess not. (I am american so English culture is not something I know anything about).
Anyway I looking to see if anyone has experience with this set of crap books with their English-English. Really anything would help, I would even be open to example lesson plans or sites that have info on how to teach this series.
For those who wonder why stay with such a place, its because they have been good to me in my times of need and don’t yell if I am few minutes late.
I thank you beyond words for your help almighty Forumosans
On the other hand, we have such an exemplar of English usage as what you have presented.[/quote]
Sorry, I know I should have double checked what I typed before I submitted it, however, I was in a hurry since technically I shouldn’t be using the computer in the school to surf the net for non-school related topics.
I am sorry that I wrote “Anyway I looking” my intentions were to write “Anyway I am looking to see”… but even better would have been … “Anyway, I am hoping to see if anyone has experience with this set of crap books (I am sorry but I can’t give it any more credit than that) with their English-English.” If you have a problem with “English-English” then you should take it up with British for naming their country England.
Still aside from the flaming comments for my obvious disapproval of the material, does anyone have comments regarding methods to teaching from these books?
[quote=“tomthorne”]
Your boss is aware that s/he is asking you to do exam preparation? The books you are using are exam preparation texts.
At least you’ll be able to learn God’s language as it should be spoken. Chips instead of fries, trousers instead of pants etc.[/quote]
I thought it was the Queen’s language… and that God spoke Hebrew. Eh… my bad.
As for the bosses knowing that these are test prep books. I highly doubt it. The one boss is aloof and doesn’t put much stock in what’s taught as long as he makes money. The other boss doesn’t understand the difference between American culture, and British culture and how they effect the way the language is used. So, I am sure they don’t really understand that these books are test prep material, since I have not seen any signs for any age group’s tests anywhere in the building.
[quote=“Black Country Woman”]Are you doing starters / movers / flyers or the higher levels too (PET KET FCE)?
They are very popular tests here in Vietnam. These were useful supplementary texts at my school:
[amazon]0521613582[/amazon][/quote]
The kids I teach are using Starters book A and Movers book B. Movers is up to Chapter 9, and the starters just started the book.
They have a book that is all text, and is useful in pulling out the key words they need to know and setting up Questions, but they have 1 book. So its not useful to the students at large, just me.
I’m not really sure which books you mean. I’ve finally remembered the core text we used - Kidsbox - it’s really good for kids and gets them using the language well. It also has a DVD series and flashcards along with it.
Are you sure the books are published by Cambridge University Press?
It is very possible that someone has published a book related to the YLE tests from Cambridge ESOL (not the same company as Cambridge University Press) and that you are required to use these books.
Sorry to say this, but you don’t seem to be very well informed about how the Cambridge Young Learners tests work. Teaching kids about the animals that live in a zoo hasn’t got any cultural aspect involved in it at all. Teaching them that some people say trousers and others pants should not be too difficult and quite useful if they are going to communicate to a variety of people in the future. Why the English-English comment?
I think he’s talking about these books. They are just test preparation books that Cambridge publishes to accompany the tests.
I’m afraid that I don’t have much useful advice, OP. You’ve been given a test at the end of the course and now you have to go backwards and plan how you are going to teach to that test. I think that I would just divide the pages in the books by the number of lessons before the end of term, and then devise a lesson around whatever language is to be taught. You should be able to see the grammar point that is to be taught. You could do it in a more modular style, but that would be more work.
I’m afraid that your school has created a lot of work for you to do. I would actually enjoy doing it, but not if I wasn’t getting paid extra (which I assume you are not).
[quote=“heimuoshu”]Are you sure the books are published by Cambridge University Press?
It is very possible that someone has published a book related to the YLE tests from Cambridge ESOL (not the same company as Cambridge University Press) and that you are required to use these books.[/quote]
Since I don’t have a copy of the books with me at the moment (off work now) I can’t really say with confidence that they are the real thing and not a knock off. I just remember that the Starters books have a blue and yellow-orange cover with Cambridge Young Learners written on it, and the Movers is all blue.
The difficult part doesn’t come from explaining America says Pants…Pants…and England says Trousers… Trousers. Vocabulary isn’t too difficult because I can show a picture of a flash light and say In America this is a Flash light. In England it is a Torch. or something like that.
The difficulty comes when they are reading along and it says something like “I fell from the tree and hurt me leg. So me mum put plaster on it. Then we visit hospital. The doctor said me mum’s plastering was bonny.” Now in American English I admit we use some strange words to stand for something or have a totally different meaning than in English-English, but seriously had it not been for the pictures and my phone having an excellent dictionary I wouldn’t have figured out that this meant that he had a bandage wrapped on his leg and that the doctor said his mother’s wrapping was good. I would have guessed that the kid fell from the tree broke his leg and his mom put a plaster cast on his leg, took him to “the” hospital, and the doctor … well I wouldn’t have got that. They don’t teach these kind of words to Americans in school, we learn plaster is a liquid it turns hard when dried and the doctors use it for putting casts on your body, and bonny is a girl’s name. If they did I was sick that day.
So when the texts use slang words from England (Bonny apparently is Scottish) or words that in America have a completely different meaning than they do in England it becomes difficult to explain the difference when I don’t even know what the word means. Yea I know I should have paid better attention in my Linguistics classes, especially when we were doing dialects. Or I should hang out with more Brits, and Scots. to pick up on things, I just don’t have that kind of time.
EDIT
After seeing Tom’s posted book I am sure we’re not using the same books. I guess at some point someone scammed the school, or they just wanted to use something cheaper. I don’t know, all I know is my book and these books look different.
[quote=“tomthorne”] cambridge.org/gb/elt/catalog … cale=en_GB
…
I’m afraid that your school has created a lot of work for you to do. I would actually enjoy doing it, but not if I wasn’t getting paid extra (which I assume you are not).[/quote]
Yes. They have created a paradox for me, in my opinion. Your correct again on the not getting paid extra for it. Its basically all take home work, because they wont pay for office hours and I wont sit around for 3 hours and not get paid when I could just as easily be out riding my bike, walking my dog, sleeping, or doing my other work. If there was real material to the books I wouldn’t have a problem with building the lesson plan and would enjoy it. However, this book that I am using which now I see everyone’s is different and I am having trouble finding doesn’t have enough content and enough explanation to the kids about whats what to really make a lesson plan. Its like giving someone a potato, a banana and a piece of bread and asking them to make a hamburger. So I am just going with what I can.
Well,
Go to cambridgeesol.org.
Look at the young learners section.
You can download the teachers book that has all the structures required and covers ALL the vocabulary that will appear in the tests. They have a teachers section where you can register for free and then you can use their lesson plans to prepare students for the exams or you can make your own lesson plans based on those on their site.
The tests are very high quality and you can use ANY textbook by a proper publisher to prepare for the tests. You do not have to use Cambridge materials, but based on what you mentioned above, you are using what appears to be rubbish.
If you get stuck with the site or need advice, PM me and I can send you some links.
[quote=“ThatGuyInTaichung”][quote=“tomthorne”]
Your boss is aware that s/he is asking you to do exam preparation? The books you are using are exam preparation texts.
At least you’ll be able to learn God’s language as it should be spoken. Chips instead of fries, trousers instead of pants etc.[/quote]
I thought it was the Queen’s language… and that God spoke Hebrew. Eh… my bad.
[/quote]
God has spoken English since 1611. Before that, He spoke German, thanks to Martin Luther and the printing press. Before that, He spoke Latin, then Greek, then Hebrew.
I thought she was joking, but I guess not. (I am american so English culture is not something I know anything about).
and that God spoke Hebrew. Eh… my bad.