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shrewsyj · Joined: 02 Jan 2008 Posts: 22 Location: Wales

Hi all

I'll be teaching a couple of hours a day at a primary school in Thailand soon, and I was wondering whether there are any really good course books for primary-age kids that anyone can recommend?

Thanks

soapdodger · Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 203

johnslat · Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 2:10 am Post subject:

Dear soapdodger,
Your extreme verbosity is becoming tedious.
Regards,
John

rusmeister · Joined: 15 Jun 2006 Posts: 867 Location: Russia

I can, actually.
Try Oxford University Press's "Get Ready" for 6-7 year-olds with no prior language and "Chatterbox" (the original edition, anyway - the new one looked worse to me) for 7-11 year olds. Round-Up 1 and 2 (Longman) are good for the 8-and-over crowd as supplements, but not for anyone younger than that. Get Ready is really super and if you are going to be working with the same kids long-term (ie, a few years) it is definitely worth a year to run them through Get Ready (both 1 and 2) first.

I don't use any L1 and only need to have someone else explain things to the kids (primarily if there is a discipline problem) a few times a year. It helps a lot if the kids really believe you don't speak their language. If they know you do, they tend to not be so interested in learning yours. On the other hand, they learn "May I go out?" for toilet trips really fast! (Don't let them do any mass exoduses (exodi?), though.)

Good luck!

soapdodger · Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 203

John, much to some people's relief I expect, I have some kind of virus-like thingy which is screwing my typing capabilities on internet, mail and Word; chucking the cursor around, moving bits of text with it and other cunning stunts which render lengthy writing a bit of a chore. Neither good antivirus or expert poking-around have provided a solution, hence alot of short stuff from me recently, and why you haven't had my promised reply...and at this rate we might as well forget it! Planning on getting a new laptop, but I don't have much time to stake out which underpasses Yuppies use to get home from the office!

johnslat · Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 2:21 pm Post subject:

Dear sopadodger,
If might offer some advice, try to pick a Yuppie who's toting a MacBook Air.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBCfW9-hjKI

Regards,
John

soapdodger · Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 203

Right, that does it. Balaclava-check. Gloves - check. Cosh - check. I'm off out for a while, see you later!

Dedicated · Joined: 18 May 2007 Posts: 972 Location: UK

Both Longman and Cambridge Univ Press have quite a few coursebooks for children from absolute beginners to pre-intermediate. Try:

Cambridge

1. Primary Colours (Beginners - Elementary) 4 levels
comes with accompanying songs CD, flashcards
2. Join In! (ages 7 - 10) 5 levels from beginners - elementary.
Appropriate for those working towards A1 CEF level (Movers exams)

Longman

1. English Adventure. Starter A and B, then 4 levels, with free readers for levels 3 and 4. Comes with Activity book, Songs CD, Posters and Flashcards. (May be called English Land in Asia??)

2. Excellent! From beginners to Upper Elementary 4 levels.
Good preparation for Cambridge Young Learners exams.

3.New Let's Learn English - 6 levels from beginner to Pre-Intermediate.

4. Backpack. 7 levels.

Also try <www.longman.com> and < www.cambridge.org/elt> websites for a range of online resources including free course support, teaching tips and interactive practice.

rusmeister · Joined: 15 Jun 2006 Posts: 867 Location: Russia

I'll add about my recommendations that I have used them on the battlefield for years. One huge problem in EFL publishing is textbooks with pretty format and colors and uh, extremely poor language development, ESPECIALLY for beginners who know no English.

shrewsyj · Joined: 02 Jan 2008 Posts: 22 Location: Wales

Many thanks to rusmeister and dedicated for your helpful comments!

I'll definitely check those out - there seems to be about a million out there so it's good to know these have been tried and tested.

Cheers!

All the best

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

I teach fifth grade. What I do is use grammar twice a week (Way Ahead), Reading Comp twice a week (Reading 5) and readers on Friday. WE change readers about every quarter.

Games help a lot.

Penpals are nice as well.

With primary kids everything takes FOREVER. For example, we finished the Jumping Frog by Mark Twain and I had them do a new cover, title and last chapter. Took them three days. But they turned out nice.

alexcase · Joined: 26 Jul 2007 Posts: 215 Location: Seoul

I'd also recommend English Adventure (and its differently named local variations). I've never used it as a main text but I used it as a supplement when reviewing it for MET magazine. Quite high level though.

TEFLtastic blog- "All the truth that's fit to teach"- www.tefl.net/alexcase