Korean Job Discussion Forums

lookingtoteach · Joined: 18 Feb 2003

I used Spectrum Writing, Language Arts, and Reading for my low-level elementary and they seem to be doing fine with them. They don't like the Writing one but that's mainly because it's too over their heads and they don't like writing.

New Parade, Domino, Let's Go and Tiny Talk were absolutely horrid. They had one sentence to do like "It's rainy" for two 45 minute classes. Dreadful I tell you.

tommynomad · Joined: 24 Jul 2004 Location: on the move

Rather_Dashing · Joined: 07 Sep 2004

SAM on Radio 3 2 1

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

I think "Best Friends" is a good series. Doesn't seem to be used a lo9t though.

peppermint · Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2005 3:36 am Post subject:

Compared to the elementary school texts- New Parade is heavenly to teach. I only have to teach "I like Apples" for 45 minutes instead of almost 4 hours spread out over a month. woohoo!

MixtecaMike · Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2005 4:20 am Post subject:

Anybody using Smart English? The stories and cassettes are OK, although the "grammar" section is a total farce. Only other shortcoming is there aren't enough exercises for homework.

I used New American Streamline, mainly the Departures book, in other countries and liked it a lot for high school kids.

English Time is OK, once you get the system under your belt. It just trains them up so they can pass the tests at the end of each unit, rather than teach them to use English, but I think that's what most of the parents want, anyway.

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

Well, I think the parents would love to have their kids know how to speak English too. But when would they even use it, other than with a teacher?

Passing tests and getting good scores is important here.

(wonder what it might be like in the future if they start using that speaking test a lot? --- SEPT ---Spoken English Proficiency Test, )

marista99 · Joined: 05 Jun 2004 Location: Incheon

Don't have all that much experience with different books, but...

American Start With English: Okay
Side by Side: GREAT for both adults and middle school
Get Real: Bad...too short with not nearly enough practice exercises

But I love Side by Side. If I could teach it (to teens/adults of course) all day long I would be a happy camper. However, I don't think my kindy kids would really get much out of it. Although they WOULD have a great time crunching the pages up into balls and throwing them at each other.

matthews_world · Joined: 15 Feb 2003

I second Best Friends series for elementary students. There are 5 or 6 levels increasing in difficulty. Each chapter covers basic grammar. New vocabulary, sentence patterns, possibly some western culture thrown in.