Korean Job Discussion Forums

[hotsalsa]

My hagwon uses the FUN FUN series. I don't particularly like it but my director says the kids like the Korean names and characters (Dug-bo the pigboy...whatever). Four of the classes have now completed the 6 books and I am having a difficult time finding another series of similar books. I looked up the publisher,VITSAEM, but the site is all in Korean. I've suggested Let's Go for the younger kids and True Colors or Open House for the six graders but my director won't order them.

Three of my classes have been without books for about six weeks and I am just not one of those people who love the "freedom" of classes without textbooks. So if you could please recommend another series of books, I would be most grateful. Thanks!

[katydid]

How can you stand Fun Fun? All that annoying repetition in that even more so annoying voice!
Try English Time. I want to say it's an Oxford or Longman Series book. Those were pretty entertaining in my opinion, and provided lots of ways to jump off the book and expand the lesson, as well.

[visviva]

Me too... I think English Time is a great deal better than Let's Go. (It's published by Oxford). However, it seems unlikely that your moronic director would go for it... You might look into the materials put out by Eastern English (or something like that) -- they're not well-designed, IMO, but they have Korean themes...

How is Sokcho, as a place to live?

[whatthefunk]

Im very sorry...fun fun sucks and what sucks more is a class without a book.

For the more advanced kids, try New Interchange. I love these books, but they are a little hard, so they more only work for your best classes.

[hotsalsa]

Thanks so much for your suggestions! Yes, I could go on and on (and on) about the Fun Fun books but hopefully I won't have to endure them for much longer

About Sokcho: It is an awesome town if you like hiking and the beach. For a couple of weeks of the summer you could go to the beach before work and have it to yourself. Seorak is an amazing park and we are a 20 minute bus ride away. The seafood is fantastic, people are usually really friendly to the foreigners--eager to join you for a drink or at the Nori-bong. I don't know anyone who isn't enjoying living here. It IS small and not a lot of cultural things going on oh, and until recently we couldn't get cheese but aside from that I really love it.

[Eazy_E]

I happen to like Let's Go... it's actually quite similar to English Time. ie: a lazy teacher's best friend! Lots of activities, enough workbook to keep them occupied, and it teaches them most of the important stuff without a lot of irrelevant garbage.

If possible, stay away from the Up and Away series. It's grammar-based and uses technical language in the book (eg. past progressive tense, superlatives). Needless to say, it's way too hard for the kids to understand. What's more, there isn't enough in the workbook for them to do. It's always a scramble to make up activities and games to teach the lesson with, which is why they pay us the big bucks I suppose But some days I just want to go through the motions....

[ratslash]

i've been using the see saw books recently. very happy with them.