Sky 2 - Teacher's Book [antikvár]

IntroductionGeneral description1 Who the course is forSky is a four-part course for young learners of English aged from 9/10 to 13/14. There are two possible entry points: Sky Starter for complete beginners or for students with a minimal knowledge of English, and Sky One for false beginners.2 What the course is aboutSky Two features a typical British family living in Richmond, near London, and their friends. Together, they are seen in domestic, school and leisure settings. The real characters and the authentic photographs and situations provide an up-to-date realistic view of the UK today - its people, their lifestyles and their cultural background. Although the main focus is the UK, the leamers also get regular glimpses of life in the USA and other English-speaking countries.3 How the students learnNew language is presented through dialogue or text, and practised in a series of simple steps which include carefully graded listening, speaking, reading and writing activities, and a lively selection of games, songs and raps. From the beginning, students leam to commianicate information and ideas in realistic and amusing situations.4How the syllabus is constructedThe language syllabus is a careful mix of grammar, vocabulary and communication. Grammatical structures are linked closely to everyday language use, whilst the topic areas relate to the students' own lives and experiences, and have been specially chosen to present a range of useful vocabulary.5How the material is organisedEach lesson in the Students' Book is presented on a double-page spread in order to foster a sense of achievement and progress in the student. Clear signposting of each activity enables both teacher and student to identify the leaming focus at every stage of the lesson. For more details on the organisation of the Student's Book, see Course Components.Principles behind the course1Capturing young learners' attentionWe believe it is essential that young learners' contact with leaming English should be rewarding and fun. The first step towards this is to capture their attention as soon as they open their new textbook. Sky does this by:using colourful, authentic location photographyintroducing real characters with whom young leamers can identifyshowing real life simations which children can immediately recognise and respond topresenting lively, everyday language and expressions which they will want to leam2Making language learning activeYoung learners need to be actively involved in the language lesson. This not only makes leaming more effective but also makes it more enjoyable. In Sky, students are involved when they:repeat and act dialoguescommunicate and share information with otherssolve reading and listening taskswrite in simple, real-life contextsplay language gamessing, rap, draw and role play3Keeping learning goals simpleIf leamers are to stay motivated and make progress, it is important to keep leaming goals simple. An over-heavy vocabulary load can be daunting, especially if the words are low frequency. Equally, too many new grammar points in one lesson can be confiising. Each lesson of Sky keeps leaming simple by:focussing on a limited number of grammar pointspresenting grammar in clear and prominent Look and learn boxesrevising the new language regularly through stories, exercises and puzzlesintroducing a carefully regulated number of wordspresenting key new words with pichires and sound4Keeping pace with the learners' developmentA language course for young learners is more effective if it keeps pace with the children's physical, cognitive and social development. In Sky, the leamers' physical development is mirrored in the main characters; their cognitive development is reflected in the subject matter and organisation of the texts and task types; and their social development - how they interact with peer groups and adults, and how confident they feel about themselves - is reflected in the methodology, in particular with the types of activities, projects and games suggested for language practice.