Sprint is a motivating, easy-to-use, four-level course for young teenagers. The combination of printed, digital and online material enhances the learning experience and helps teachers respond to students’ needs. Strong focus in 21st-century Skills Two language presentation sections per unit Consolidation and expansion vocabulary exercises Word bank section included in the Student’s Book Videos for learning and practising communicative functions Multiple approach to grammar: focus boxes, oral and written practice Grammar reference included in the Workbook Pronunciation box and practice per unit Gradual preparation for certifications (Cambridge and Trinity) A wide variety of exercises for developing and testing competences Cultural insights into the English-speaking world Drama Readers (Levels 1 and 2) and Videos extra (Level 3) included in the Student’s Book
Components Student: Student’s Book Workbook + Audio CD Digital Book (downloadable)
Teacher:
Teacher’s Book with Tests and Resources Class CDs 1 and 2 + Test-maker Multi-ROM Class Digital Book Poster Pack
AUDIO CDs
MULTI-ROM
DIGITAL BOOK
ONLINE RESOURCES
Sprint 1 - Teacher's Book with Tests & Resources Editorial Project and Coordination: Simona Franzoni Editors: Simona Franzoni, Maria Letizia Maggini, Gigliola Capodaglio Language Cunsultant: Ann-Marie Murphy Art Director: Marco Mercatali Page Design: Airone Comunicazione – Sergio Elisei Page Layout: Airone Comunicazione Illustrated by: Daniele Pasquetti Picture Editors: Giorgia D’Angelo, Simona Franzoni Production Manager: Francesco Capitano Cover Design: Paola Lorenzetti Photos: Shutterstock (left) © 2017 ELI S.r.l. P.O. Box 6 62019 Recanati Italy Tel. +39 071 750701 Fax +39 071 977851 www.elionline.com No unauthorised photocopying All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of ELI. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. While every effort has been made to trace all the copyright holders, if any have been inadvertently overlooked the publisher will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity. Printed by Tecnostampa – Pigini Group Printing Division 16.83.406.0 ISBN 978-88-536-2330-0 Acknowledgements The Authors would like to thank ELI Editorial Department for their creative approach to problem-solving, their endless drive, energy and commitment to the project. The Publisher would like to thank Mill Hill School Enterprises, London; New Era Flagship store, London – Soho; Burlington Cafè, London; Carmen & Jordan at Bellfields Rd, London. Student’s Book photo acknowledgement Commissioned Photography and Production in London: Giuseppe Aquili Photography and Production Assistant: Anthony Dawton Second Assistant: Jim McFarlane London Model Agency: Allsorts Agency Giuseppe Aquili: p. 16, p. 17, p. 18, p. 28, p. 29, p. 40, p. 41, p. 50, p. 60, p. 61, p. 62, p. 72, p. 84, p. 94 ELI Archives; Shutterstock.
Contents Student’s Book 1 Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
p.
4
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
p.
6
Objectives of Sprint
p. 6
Characteristics
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 6
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Certifications
p. 22
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p. 24
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Special Educational Needs
Teaching notes for Sprint 1 Student’s Book
Starter Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 26 Unit 1
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Unit 2
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Unit 3
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Unit 4
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Unit 5
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Unit 6
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Unit 7
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Unit 8
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Culture
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Festivals
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Workbook Key and Audioscript
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p. 139
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Student Book's Contents Starter unit p. 8
Vocabulary Alphabet and spelling • Animals • Numbers (1-100) • Regular and irregular plurals • Colours • School objects • Time • Days, months and seasons • Ordinal numbers and dates • School subjects • Classroom language
Unit
Vocabulary
Grammar
Welcome to our school
Countries and nationalities
Personal pronouns (subject) be (Present simple) • Affirmative Possessive adjectives Indefinite article a/an Definite article the
p. 16
My family p. 26
Greetings
Family members Adjectives to describe personalities
Test your competences 1-2 p. 36
My favourite things p. 38
At home p. 48
Extra practice 1-2 p. 37 Personal possessions Physical descriptions
The house: rooms and furniture Food and drinks
Test your competences 3-4 p. 58
Daily routines p. 60
Free-time activities p. 70
p. 82
What’s the weather like? p. 92
have got (Present simple) • Affirmative • Negative • Question forms and short answers Possessive ‘s Prepositions of place there is / there are there / they’re / their Countable and uncountable nouns some / any How much? / How many? Extra practice 3-4 p. 59
Daily routines Musical instruments
Free-time activities Literary genres
Test your competences 5-6 p. 80
I can dance
be (Present simple) • Negative • Question forms and short answers Question words: Who, What, Where, When, Which, How old Demonstrative adjectives and pronouns: this, that, these, those
Present simple • Affirmative • Spelling variations • Negative Adverbs of frequency Prepositions of time: at, on, in Present simple • Question forms and short answers How often… ? + expressions of frequency The verb like Personal object pronouns Me too. / So do I. / I don’t. Extra practice 5-6 p. 81
Sports The body
The weather Clothes
Test your competences 7-8 p. 102
can (ability) • Affirmative • Negative • Question forms and short answers very well, well, quite well, (not) at all Imperative – Affirmative and negative like / love / hate + -ing Present continuous • Affirmative • Negative • Question forms and short answers like as a preposition Extra practice 7-8 p. 103
Word bank 1-8 pp. 104-112 A poem to remember p. 113 Culture pp. 104-112 The British Isles • London • Wales • Scotland • Northern Ireland • British Food • Sports and leisure in the UK • School life in Britain Drama Reader pp. 129-144 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
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Student Book's Contents Functions Asking and saying your name, your age, your favourite colour, the time, the date and your birthday Pronunciation
Functions
Build your competences
Resources
/T/ and /D/
Greetings and introductions
CLIL – Geography: Around the UK Reading: Understanding an article about amusement parks in the United Kingdom Listening: Understanding two guys talking about their own cities Speaking: Introducing yourself to a companion giving personal information Writing: Writing a post in a blog giving personal information
WORKBOOK Grammar reference Section 1-6
/I/ and /i…/
Talking about yourself and others
Culture: Modern families Reading: Understanding an article about the modern British family Listening: Understanding a guy talking about his family Speaking: Interacting in a dialogue talking about modern families Writing: Writing an email describing a typical family in your own country
WORKBOOK Grammar reference Section 6-8
/h/
Describing people physically
Culture: Avatars Reading: Understanding an article about avatars Listening: Understanding the description of applications related to avatars Speaking: Describing someone to let others guess who you are talking about Writing: Writing an email describing yourself and objects you own
WORKBOOK Grammar reference Section 9-10
/´/ and /ø/
Shopping for food
Culture: School menus Reading: Understanding an article about a food blogger’s story Listening: Understanding an interview about the importance of balanced diet in canteens Speaking: Interacting in a dialogue talking about your own diet Writing: Writing an email describing your school’s canteen menu
WORKBOOK Grammar reference Section 11-16
/s/, /z/ and /Iz/
Talking about daily routines
Culture: British teen life Reading: Understanding an article about the routines of British teenagers Listening: Understanding two guys talking about their own routines Speaking: Interacting in a dialogue talking about what you do in your free time Writing: Writing a letter describing a typical teenager’s day
WORKBOOK Grammar reference Section 17-19
/u…/, /O…/ and /‰…/
Talking about freetime activities
CLIL – Teen literature Reading: Understanding a book review Listening: Understanding two guys talking about their favourite literary genres Speaking: Interacting in a dialogue talking about your favourite books Writing: Writing a review of your favourite book
WORKBOOK Grammar reference Section 18, 20-23
/œ/ and /A…/
Talking about ability
CLIL – PE: Team sports Reading: Understanding an article about a sport Listening: Understanding a conversation about sports Speaking: Describing images by answering questions Writing: Writing an email about your favourite sport
WORKBOOK Grammar reference Section 24-27
/dZ/, /tS/ and /S/
Talking about what we are doing
CLIL – Science: Water, water, everywhere! Reading: Understanding an article about the correct use and conservation of water Listening: Understanding a speech about water as a resource Speaking: Interacting in a dialogue talking about the usage of water Writing: Writing an email about your holiday in an eco-friendly resort
WORKBOOK Grammar reference Section 28-29
Festivals pp. 126-128
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Introduction Objectives of Sprint
n
Starter unit in levels 1 and 3: to help students to both transition into the course, and then out of the course. These Starter units include a revision section and a summary of the syllabus covered.
n
Lexical approach: every unit opens with the presentation of an area of lexis.
n
Double language input: narrative texts (articles, blogs, emails, interviews) followed by dialogues with a storyline in the first two levels and dialogue texts in the third level.
n
Multifunctional approach to grammar: spoken practices in the presentation pages, rules and exercises in the Grammar section, Grammar reference in the Workbook, and Functions Videos in the DIGITAL BOOK for the Teacher.
n
Gradual preparation for certifications.
Characteristics
n
CLIL and Culture both in the presentation texts as well as in the Build your competences section.
Sprint is directed at a pluralistic and heterogeneous market where the learning of English is of central importance. The course of study offered proposes a multicultural vision of society based around the exchange and collaboration between individuals and within the learning environment, and develops a balanced communicative ability as well as an internalisation of the structures of the language at the same time valuing the attitudes of the individual student and the resources of group interaction. The whole Sprint course is organised so that it is both teacher friendly and student friendly thanks to the clear graphics and layout of the sections and the cross referencing within the material.
n
Translation, Dictation and Dialogue writing both in the Student’s Book and the Workbook.
n
A focus on competences both knowledge and know how.
n
Civilisation and Festivals integrated within each level.
n
Use of video both for learning and to aid production.
n
DIGITAL BOOK for the Teacher: the DIGITAL BOOK includes both audio, video and karaoke material integrated along with lots of other resources.
Sprint is a new English course for young teenagers. It consists of four dynamic and lively levels of solid and functional material. The stimulating units come with both print and digital components and help pre-teen and teenage students to become passionate about language learning and English Speaking cultures. The syllabus used in Sprint reflects the development and competences and linguistic knowledge as defined within the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages taking students to the level of competence A2/B1 (Level 4). Extension tasks to take students to a level of excellence or for those who wish to broaden their knowledge at this level are available in the Tests and Resources section available for teachers.
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Course characteristics
Introduction Components For the student n Student’s Book + Workbook 1 with Audio CD n
Student’s Book + Workbook 2 with Audio CD
n
Student’s Book + Workbook 3 with Audio CD
n Student's DIGITAL BOOK downloadable from the site: www.elionline.com (Student’s Area)
Each Student’s Book contains: n
Starter Unit (in Levels 1 and 3)
n
Eight (in Levels 1 and 3) and nine (in Level 2) ten page units with a fixed structure
n
Test your competences and Extra practice every two units
n
Word bank in Levels 1 and 2
n
A sixteen page colour section dedicated to civilisation and festivals
Each Workbook contains: n
Eight (in Levels 1 and 3) and nine (in Level 2) six page units with a fixed structure
n
Grammar reference
n
Word list: all the words from each unit with phonetic script
For the teacher n Teacher’s Book 1 + 2 Class CDs n
Teacher’s Book 2 + 2 Class CDs
n
Teacher’s Book 3 + 2 Class CDs
n
Test-maker Multi-ROM 1
n
Test-maker Multi-ROM 2
n
Test-maker Multi-ROM 3
n
DIGITAL BOOK 1
n
DIGITAL BOOK 2
n
DIGITAL BOOK 3
n
Supplementary material downloadable from www. elionline.com (Teacher’s Area)
n
Phonemic Chart: Pronunciation wall Poster
n
UK and Ireland Poster
n
The United States of America Poster
n
English-speaking countries Poster
Student’s Book Starter Unit The evolution in the way that young students learn is considerable. They go from learning through doing and play to the ability to reflect on what they are learning with the objective of looking for rules both for the subject they are studying or for other areas of knowledge, and they begin to develop the understanding of their place in the group, in the class and in society in general. The Starter unit in Sprint 1 aims to look after and facilitate this passage towards a revision of the Primary school syllabus which was light, colourful and full of movement and energy. This section also aims to help students who have had different linguistic preparation to start the course smoothly. The section has a practical approach and starts from the beginning with particular attention to pair work and small group work so that interaction and sharing of progress is encouraged. The Entry Test in the Tests & Resources section should be done at the start of the school year. It’s an entry test which allows the teacher to quickly evaluate the general level of the class. Following this test the teacher can decide whether and to what extent they need to do the exercises in the Starter Unit.
Units Vocabulary and lexis Each unit begins with a presentation of the first area of vocabulary in the Vocabulary section. This aims to stimulate interest in the topic of the first text to help comprehension of the material. The words are presented by way of photos and illustration to help understand meaning, each word has also been recorded to help students hear the correct pronunciation of the words and the phonetic script is available for the teacher in the teaching notes. The illustrated tables in the Word bank at the end of the Student’s Book are cross referenced for easy use. The second lexical area is introduced in the dialogue of the second presentation and the summary of words can also be found in the Word bank.
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Introduction Presentation 1 and 2 – a double presentation The Student’s Book offers a dynamic course of study with two dynamic input points in every unit, Presentation 1 includes a narrative text and Presentation 2 uses a dialogue. Dividing the presentations into two parts allows for the use of two different linguistic registers. The use of the dialogue in the second presentation makes sure that the language reflects as much as possible the natural use of language, which is thanks to the opportunity to re-use the language and vocabulary learnt in the previous presentation earlier in the unit. The topic of the texts in the first presentation are often of an interdisciplinary nature which aim to motivate the students with cross-curricular topics that students may have some knowledge of. The dialogues reflect the interests of the teenagers in this age group and they aim to stimulate curiosity and interest in particular aspects of a sociocultural reality different from their own. In Levels 1 and 2 of the Student’s Book the dialogues in the second presentation have four London based characters who go to the Thames Valley High School: Arif, a boy whose parents were born in Bangladesh; Evie, a Londoner; Sasha, who was born in Jamaica; and Logan whose mother is English and whose father is Scottish. The photo sequences that accompany the dialogues were shot on location in London. In the first level, the teenagers are busy preparing for a school competition; they will be up against other children in their favourite subjects and the winner will win a new tablet computer. In the second level they take part in the development and publishing of a school magazine. The presence of the same recurring characters through the second presentations on both Levels 1 and 2 helps to add continuity to the course and the students can identify with the activities of the teenagers. In Level 3 the course offers a jump in the quality of the dialogues which no longer follow the four friends of Levels 1 and 2 but instead offer different speakers for
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each of the units the contents of which will be relative to the communicative situations presented within the units. Every presentation is followed by a comprehension task, often in the format of a Cambridge Test. This is to facilitate the student’s gradual preparation of the exam tasks. Then tasks that follow are for usage of the vocabulary and communicative functions that focus on the use of the spoken language, and on cooperation and interaction with classmates. Both presentations close with a feature task of personalisation (Over to you).
Learn to learn The Learn to learn box focuses students’ attention on possible areas of difficulty both lexical and grammatical that is either based on difficulties from English language.
Grammar Sprint is characterised by a multi-functional approach to the teaching of grammar. The first time new language is presented in small chunks on the presentation page where there is a box with examples from the presentation text with the target structures highlighted. Students are immediately invited to check their understanding of the new forms and structures through guided spoken exercises. Grammatical structures are presented completely but graded in the three page Grammar section with examples taken from the input pages, tables, explanations on form and use and practice tasks of the rules. This section ends with concluding activities called Round up! and some additional translation tasks are offered in the Translation section. The final Grammar reference section at the end of the Workbook offers a summary of all the grammatical structures in the same order in which they have appeared in the main units which are useful for revision during the lesson or for autonomous revision at home.
Introduction Pronunciation Every Grammar section contains a Pronunciation box which draws attention to the pronunciation and intonation of the English language. Students are guided to recognise and differentiate sounds through simple physical activities individually or in pairs so that they imitate the sounds of the English language. The common areas of difficulty highlighted are word stress and sentence stress, intonation, specific sounds, a focus on minimal pairs and on the differences between sound and spelling. It is suggested that: n
Teacher teaches the phonetic symbol that is on the page and explain what IPA is (the International Phonetic Alphabet).
n
Students then listen to the word or phrase with their books closed.
n
Students listen a second time with their books open, possibly translating the word or phrase.
n
Students repeat the word or phrase chorally or individually (the teacher can use karaoke and recordings of the voices from the DIGITAL BOOK).
n
Then finally the students can do the activities in the Student’s Book.
Functions The practice of communicative functions, apart from being introduced in the presentation pages is done in the spoken activities in the Over to you sections. In Sprint you’ll find a full page dedicated to these called Functions. With the aim of getting the students to use the ‘typical’ language of teenagers today, which we can call ‘digital-natives’, it has been decided to present the communicative functions through a series of videos with two teenage actors in situations that are linked to the topic of the units. All the video content is contained within the DIGITAL BOOK for the teacher. The activities of spoken production require that students work in pairs or in small groups to facilitate the use of the target language but also to get students to share knowledge and work with their classmates. The activities are in order of difficulty from controlled practice to free practice.
Build your competences Every unit of Sprint closes with two pages dedicated to written and spoken linguistic competence with practice of the receptive skills Listening and Reading and the
productive skills of Writing and Speaking. The genre of the texts used has purposefully alternated between sociocultural and cross-curricular (CLIL). The Listening tasks begin with the students hearing a short dialogue or monologue which then move on to discussions and more detailed conversations. The Reading tasks begin with short texts, articles or emails which move gradually on to longer newspaper articles, questionnaires and texts from encyclopaedias and so on. For an integrated skills approach, the Speaking activities are based around the topics of the reading and listening texts. The method used is of spoken interaction in pairs or group discussions along with the role of spoken production when giving class presentations or storytelling. The Writing activities are carried out using the contents of the reading and listening texts and any conversation topics. The tasks cover writing messages, emails and letters and then as the course progresses the writing tasks would be longer.
Kids at Work! The final double page spread of Build your competences ends with a Kids at Work! section. There are two parts to this section – VideoSprint and SprintAhead, they are not a compulsory part of the course but we highly recommend that you do them because they allow the students to become actively involved in adding to their own knowledge. The students are gradually encouraged to do work which links language learning with cultural and social areas. To conclude, the students end up using their knowledge and their competences to make real sense of what they are learning. n
VideoSprint
The first activity in Kids at Work! section uses digital devices such as mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, computers, digital cameras but also digital games such as mobile consoles which are extremely popular with teenagers in this age group. Students are asked to do homework which involves use of these devices (technology) to put into practice the language they have learnt while doing these extracurricular activities. In this way the students learn how ‘to do’ things with the language they have learnt, and can work individually or in groups with a common aim; they are ‘actors’ who are learning a foreign language and want to show what they can do with it, even outside of the classroom environment.
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Introduction The next step is then to share the project with the class with the aim of comparing and growing in knowledge and then gain use of the language as a means of communication for expressing and organising and transporting meaning, but in this case the students have chosen the means and organised the content from their own perspective. n
SprintAhead The second activity in Kids at Work! section gets students to actively take part in future lessons by getting some part of it ready. They may need to collect or prepare some authentic material from ‘their personal world’ which could be photos, objects, books or simply notes taken or lists created and projects. These will all be used in class as realia which will enrich the lesson and personalise tasks for each student by bringing their experience into the class.
Preparation for certifications From the first pages of Sprint, preparation for certification is given generous coverage. The exam style tasks are introduced gradually with the aim of familiarising the students with its format beginning with a simplified version then moving towards a more complete practice of the exact exam tasks that they will meet in the Cambridge or in the Trinity Exams. The activities are clearly sign posted using the following icons:
The Word bank section can be found at the end of the Student’s Book, it contains tables with illustrations and photographs of the vocabulary presented within each of the units in Sprint and are presented in the same order that they appear within the course with the same numbering. There are page references which link the vocabulary to the units so that students can use the Word bank during the lesson along with the support in the DIGITAL BOOK. They can listen to recordings of the words and they record their own pronunciation to enable them to compare it with the English version.
Culture The civilisation pages cover aspects of English life and culture with informative texts and activities which will stimulate discussion and encourage students to compare aspects of their own culture with the English one (Comparing cultures). The topics presented are particularly interesting and meaningful for teenagers of this age group. Level 1 of Sprint offers pages focusing on Great Britain, Level 2 opens up to the American continent and Level 3 looks at the rest of the English-speaking world (Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India and South Africa),
K Key (KET)
Festivals
T Trinity (Grades 1-6)
This section concludes with a page dedicated to the main festivals and celebrations in English-speaking countries, or of cultural groups who have a large population in Great Britain or the United States of America.
P PET (Level 4)
Test your competences The evaluations are not only carried out by the teacher but also by the student who can find within the pages of Sprint self-evaluation tasks. The section Test your competences in the Student’s Book should be used to this end. It is developed over one full page every two units and contains formative tests on the language covered in class or at home. It is possible to give marks using the guidelines offered and to reflect on the level of difficulty met by students and discuss this with the teacher to decide on the best way forwards and whether to revise the areas further. There is a final page of Extra practice where the student meets summative tasks which revise the practice already carried out.
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The Word bank
Workbook The Workbook has the same number of units as the Student’s Book and aims to develop autonomous learning by the student. The Vocabulary & Functions section offers vocabulary exercises to consolidate the vocabulary introduced in both of the presentation pages, and also exercises to practice the communicative functions which cover the topics in the input stage of the unit. Dialogues similar to those in the unit are also offered to revise the functions once again (Dialogue work) and also cover the language taught in the Functions section. In addition there are dictation tasks. Two pages of Grammar follow which cover a wide variety of grammatical
Introduction exercises (transformation tasks, fill the gaps, multiple choice, matching and much more) to consolidate the work done in the Student’s Book. A part of this section is dedicated to translation work too. Pages within the Workbook are dedicated to linguistic skills (Build your competences) and use reading texts, listening tasks, writing and speaking prompts to facilitate spoken production and interaction in class. The main objective of these is to consolidate what has been covered in the Student’s Book and to facilitate student’s autonomy.
Grammar reference At the end of the Workbook there is an entire section dedicated to the summary of the grammatical structures in the course with tables, explanations and examples which are not the same as those already presented in the Student’s Book. This section will be useful for the students when they need to consolidate and revise at home to develop their learner autonomy.
Word list This helps students to understand the meaning of words and see their phonetic script. These final pages are easy to use because they are divided by unit and they can be used by the students studying on their own and will help them enrich their vocabulary.
DIGITAL BOOK In the DIGITAL BOOK you will find the Student’s Book which can leafed through and contains interactive exercises and integrated resources to use in class on the interactive whiteboard. The DIGITAL BOOK allows the teacher to organise and construct learning of knowledge and competence not only through the use of paper based materials like the Student’s Book but also and above all using multimedia means which also includes the integrated audio and video which brings learning closer to what the students use without hesitation in their ‘digital native’ world. It is also possible to read texts using the karaoke function, to save and print exercises, to create and copy personal documents and to manage your own teacher and student profiles. In addition, thanks to the listen and record your own voice function students can practice and improve their pronunciation at any moment throughout the course.
Resources in the Student's DIGITAL BOOK downloadable n
UK, USA and English-speaking countries maps
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Phonemic chart poster with audio
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Extension worksheets
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Civilisation worksheets
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Word bank
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Functions videos
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ELI Games: a digital game for each level to do in class with the interactive whiteboard or at home with friends.
Resources in the Teacher’s DIGITAL BOOK n
UK, USA and English-speaking countries maps
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Phonemic chart poster with audio
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Extension worksheets
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Civilisation worksheets
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Word bank
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Functions videos
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ELI Games: a digital game for each level to do in class with the interactive whiteboard or at home with friends.
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All of the answers to the interactive exercises in the Student’s Book.
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The ability for exercises to be saved by the teacher.
Online Resources A further flexible feature of Sprint is the area of online resources at the following location: www.elionline.com The online resources can be continually updated and enriched with didactic support materials for the course and can be downloaded free. These resources can be adapted to suit the changing reality and formative objectives of the young teenagers.
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Introduction WebLAB This is a platform that allows the teacher to assign multimedia exercises and tests of various kinds with integrated audio and video, based on a vast archive of material organised by linguistic level and topic. It allows students to complete their course of study in a personalised way with self-marking. What is more, it is in fact possible to create specific courses of study for classes or for groups or for individual students and consign homework and tests and get back detailed reports on progress. There are already a lot of exercises available on the platform and class tests based on elements of the grammar syllabus which the teacher could use in class for revision, or set as homework or use as progress test. The teacher can also create new exercises ‘to fit’ the students and use them in class. WebLAB is available at: weblab.elionline.com
WebCLOUD The WebCLOUD is a new easy-to-use platform where teachers and students can create and publish albums, blogs and class magazines. The platform is available at: webcloud@elionline.com for teachers who have adopted ELI courses, it offers the following teaching support: n
n
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It promotes creativity and the ability to communicate and intercultural and digital skills, it also fosters planning skills which are all essential skills for the adult of tomorrow. It creates the ideal environment for the teenagers of the digital world to do the following most practiced activities: publish photos and read and write blogs or articles. With WebCLOUD all of this can be done in a secure environment to motivate the learners.
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The fact that the environment online is protected means that only other schools have access along with teachers and students who have been invited. Teacher and student access is password protected. Anything published on WebCLOUD is only visible, at the discretion of the school or institution, to the class and other members of WebCLOUD wherever they are in the world.
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It’s a great way to stimulate students to work together to publish the best photos, or the best articles or the most interesting magazines.
Teacher’s Book For each level of Sprint the Teacher’s Book comes packaged with two class audio CDs which contain all the listening material for the Student’s Book, the audio CD for the Workbook, the Test-maker Multi-ROM and the DIGITAL BOOK. Each Teacher’s Book contains: n
A table of contents for each level.
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An introduction to the methodology and how to use the methodology.
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Information on the Common European Framework of Reference and certifications: Trinity and Cambridge.
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The pages of the Student’s Book reproduced with the Answer keys inserted in the exercises, wherever possible.
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Teaching notes, extra activities and cultural notes.
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The transcripts of the Student’s Book, wherever necessary.
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The pages of Culture and Festivals reproduced with Answer keys, wherever possible.
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The Workbook Answer keys and transcripts of the recorded material.
Tests and Resources The Tests and Resources section (in the Teacher's Book) is completely photocopiable and contains a wealth of evaluation and testing material. The Entry Test can be used as a diagnostic tool at the beginning of the first year to understand the level of competence of the students and it contains the principal elements of learning objects that tend to be covered in the beginner level. The Entry test needs to be administered before students begin the Starter unit of Sprint to understand whether the teacher needs to work through all of the activities in this unit and how much time to spend and what the eventual gaps in learning that need to be filled are. For each unit of the course there is a Reinforcement Worksheet which is made up of one page of lexical and grammatical exercises which should be done before the formative assessment in the Unit Test. The aim
Introduction of these worksheets is to verify the students’ progress in the areas of vocabulary and grammar and to identify eventual areas that need revision or further practice. It is recommended that teachers indicate which areas of grammar and vocabulary are being tested and guide the students through the test. Every unit of Sprint has a Unit Test available in two versions: row A and row B. The structure of both versions in the lexis and functions covered are the same or equivalent to each other but the exercises are slightly different from each other (some words of vocabulary, single grammatical items or information requested). The aim is for the tests to be different enough in running order and items for students in large classes not to be able to copy directly from the student sitting nearest to them. The two versions of the tests could also be used one after the other if the teacher wishes. Each Unit Test offers a formative evaluation instrument which allows the teacher to check the progress of students and identify any areas of weakness which may need further practice and revision. The tests called Round-up Tests contain summative exercises of grammar, vocabulary and functions and cover two units of material in each test. They also try to evaluate the learning of competences acquired by students who have excellent or above average level of linguistic ability. When two units have been completed the teacher can offer a Competences Test once again in two versions: row A, and row B. Similar to the Unit Tests these versions are designed to test students equally and similarly but the exercises are slightly different in layout and running order. These tests offer a summative appraisal and the objective of using it is to verify the student’s knowledge and competence gained by the student over the course of study in the preceding two units. The Competences Test is divided into three sections: Reading, Writing and Listening. These are followed by a Speaking Test divided into Spoken production and Spoken interaction. Furthermore there are tests dedicated to the assessment of reaching minimum requirements which have been designed for students with special educational needs so that teachers can measure whether these students have reached a basic level of knowledge.
Methodology In line with the Common European Framework of Reference, Sprint proposes the actionable approach. According to this approach the teacher, through his/ her own pedagogic actions takes into consideration the cognitive, affective and motivational resources of the students and together with their own skills aims to reach the maximum linguistic and communicative objectives as well as social objectives. Learning a language is not only considered a subject central to what they are learning instead the students are seen as ‘social’ actors who need to use the foreign language to carry out social interactions, in other words, ‘get things done’. The students and the execution of their course work become the pivot around which the course is organised. Sprint offers activities which are pertinent to everyday life and easily transferable to real life situations so that learning a foreign language means knowing how to use it. The students are slowly guided to carry out activities that take into consideration not only the linguistic features but also the cultural and social aspects, so that in the end the students are using their knowledge (what have been learnt) and their competences (their new abilities) and can make real sense of what they have learnt. The Kids at work! section is based around just this concept. According to recent studies, if students are actively involved in the learning process it helps to fix not only the knowledge but also the abilities so that it is more difficult to forget what has been learnt. As long as the students not only acquire scholastic knowledge but also become active users of the language studied at school, in Sprint the spoken word takes pride of place: it is important to understand but also to know how to understand and speak.
Cross-cultural aspects The cross-cultural aspects of Sprint are fundamental because teaching a language cannot be separated from the cultural aspects and a solid knowledge of socio-cultural areas can only positively influence communication. The course offers pages and activities which push the students to reflect and establish differences and similarities in order to overcome stereotypes and adopt an appropriate linguistic behaviour when using the language. According to the CEFR lan-
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Introduction guage is a vessel for communication of culture and from which comes the knowledge of a variety of cultural aspects which allow the student to communicate appropriately. For appropriate communication to take place students need communicative competence both linguistic and intercultural. With cross-cultural competence, from one perspective the student needs to learn how to use the linguistic structures and adopt socio-cultural behaviours which allow her/him to be understood by others, but from the other perspective the student needs to identify, recognise and interpret the attitudes and behaviours (verbal and non-verbal) of the interlocutors.
Teaching the competences The teaching of competences is an important chapter of today’s schooling. It not only looks at the objective of learning and learning to learn but above all knowing how to apply what you have learnt. In the recommendations of the European parliament of 28 April 2008 you can read the definition of Knowledge, Ability and Competence. n
A Knowledge: the result of assimilation of information through learning. Knowing is a coming together of facts, principles, theories and practices relevant to one area of work or study. In the context of the Common European Framework these are qualified and described as theories or practices.
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B Abilities: the capacity to apply knowledge and use know-how to complete tasks and resolve problems. In the context of the Common European Framework these are qualified as abilities and are described as cognitive (including the use of logical thought, intuition and creativity) or practical (including manual skills and the use of methods, materials and instruments).
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C Competences: proof of the capacity to use knowledge, abilities and personal skills, social and/ or methodological, in work or study situations while developing professionally and personally. In the context of the Common European Framework the competences are qualified and described in terms of responsibility and autonomy.
The teacher therefore needs to bring the students clo-
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ser to knowledge by means of experience and help them discover and then acquire and not just acquire by means of transmitting the knowledge to them. The students need to exercise critical thinking in the face of knowledge and use their own knowledge to resolve problems, work in groups but also individually using the knowledge and abilities they have to bring about new ones. This means assigning authentic tasks that touch on different disciplines, because students learn better when they participate in the construction of their own knowledge. In this scenario the teacher acts as a guide who helps students to resolve a problem and bring the task to an end, or plan something and collaborate but also to behave autonomously and above all use what they know in a new context.
Teaching with Sprint To present dialogues with more advanced classes the teacher could encourage the students to act out the dialogues without reading them, and then afterwards, guide the students to produce a similar dialogue, recreating the same context in the role-play activity proposed. Even though this won’t be straightforward it is still suitable for advanced classes especially for Levels 2, 3, and 4, the role play is a fundamental activity for the free practice stage of the lesson, and is not therefore designed to be a simple repetition of memorised structures. It would be interesting to propose this activity, wherever possible, with active participation of the teacher. If the teacher opts to use the Interactive Whiteboard the Karaoke function presented in the DIGITAL BOOK is a useful instrument for motivating and involving the whole class in the reciting of the dialogue; all the dialogues and reading and listening texts have this function. The Vocabulary section, present in every unit contains the words that students not only need to understand but actively use when they produce utterances in English (active vocabulary). The vocabulary is organised by lexical sets, many of which are also illustrated in the Word bank. For revision of the vocabulary that students already know, or also to understand which students have a richer vocabulary than that presented in class, there are fun games for each topic (for example ‘hangman’ which is useful for parts of the body). Teaching the meaning of vocabulary can be done in a variety of ways depending on the lexical set.
Introduction For concrete nouns – like clothes, classroom objects, food – you can point to objects in the classroom or the Word bank illustrations, alternatively use objects brought into class by the students which is suggested in the Kids at work! section. In addition, pictures can be cut out from magazines and newspapers before the lesson and used with the students. The aim is not to use dictionary type definitions in class but instead to guide and help the students to deduce meaning themselves. For physical action the teacher can mime and use gestures, give orders and show illustrations. Mime, in particular, can be used in a game like manner and become an enjoyable fun interlude in the lesson when students activate the process of unconscious learning – an important and precious ally to every teacher. For abstract language (adjectives to express feelings, verbs of emotion and thought) the teacher can offer a definition or paraphrase the language as well as offering examples of the language in context and/or a translation into the children’s own L1 (mother tongue), explaining any eventual shades of meaning between the two languages and asking students to reflect on how the differences contribute to the cultural characteristics of the country. Whichever of the above methods the teacher uses they need to highlight to students any cognates (words which have the same root and meaning in both languages) and false friends (words which have the same root but different meaning for example ‘library’ in other Latin languages is a similar word which means ‘bookshop’). To help students remember new vocabulary, it is suggested that they create pages and sections in their notebooks or files divided into lexical sets or topic areas, each student needs to feel free to use whichever method of remembering that they wish to experiment with. Students can: n
Draw a picture next to the work if they have a visual memory.
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Write the translation or look into the origins of the word and look at the similarities and differences between the new word and the same one in their own language, if they have a ‘linguistic’ memory.
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Link the new word to an action, if they have a kinaesthetic memory.
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Invent a rhyme or a short song with the new word(s), if they have a musical memory.
For the new words in a reading text, especially one that has been given as homework, students must be stimulated to try and understand meaning from context, but it would also be opportune to make sure they are able to use a bilingual dictionary efficiently. In the spoken production exercises Over to you and Pairwork students practise some of the communicative functions present in dialogues. To exploit the material the teacher could follow the following steps: n
Students can be asked to do the tasks individually with the teacher going from desk to desk monitoring.
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The teacher can give an example out loud and ask students to repeat the model sentences or use a recording if there is one available.
When working on the dialogues in the functions section the teacher can get the students to use a simple technique. In pairs the students can read their lines silently then look up and turn to face their partner and say the lines. In this way, little by little students will move away from the written word and get used to speaking. Another way of working with the dialogues is to get students working in groups of three: one student has the role of prompter and keeps his/her book open and the other two are interlocutors A and B and keep their books closed. The prompter needs to keep the line of dialogue moving, by giving A their lines or by telling them the lines in L1. A says their lines in English. This continues alternating between A and B. When students feel confident enough, the teacher can ask certain groups to recite their dialogues in front of the class, and be encouraged to dramatise their performances with gestures and slightly exaggerated intonation to enrich the communicative aspect. The learning of grammar in Sprint takes on an important role, thanks to a multi-functional approach which involves the use of different means and sees numerous occasions for summarising and consolidating. Grammatical structures and the spelling of words are presented gradually in Sprint and they are continually recycled, in the same way that the mother tongue uses the same words and phrases over and over if they are high frequency items to communicate meaning. In some cases it could be necessary to activate the use of terminology from L1 (what is a verb and an adverb or a preposition) and elaborate on what the differences are between those in L1 and those in English (for example the possessive, contracted forms of auxiliary verbs, the
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Introduction continuous aspect and verb conjugations). For the part of the lesson focussing on the Student’s Book, the teacher is advised to: n
Ask students to underline key phrases and structures in the presentation that illustrate the grammar focussed on, in this way the teacher is getting the students to use the deductive method of working out rules right from the start.
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Ask students to read the rules in the grammar section and ask students to provide alternative examples for each structure presented and at the same time try to recycle vocabulary learnt in previous lessons. These can be written up onto the board and students can be asked to copy them into their notebooks.
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Ask students to carry out the exercises as spoken productive tasks and then set them the same exercises as writing tasks to do at home. Alternatively the exercises could be done in pairs or groups of three and then correct them immediately (especially for classes with weaker students). Set the corresponding tasks in the Workbook for homework and correct these tasks with the class in the next lesson.
In order to develop receptive skills, and in particular the ability to understand when listening, Sprint offers specific activities both in the Student’s Book and Workbook. In order to do this type of activity, the teacher is advised to: n
Use the illustrations in the task along with the title and the questions in the task and/or the tables and any lists of vocabulary to help students predict as much as possible what they are about to hear.
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Ask students if they can offer any information on the topic they are about to listen to or any English words that they think they may hear on this topic, and then write them all up on the board.
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Let students listen to the recording more than once, if necessary, and ask for feedback in L1 on the meaning of what they have listened to. If the listening text has proved too difficult for the students, the teacher can go back and ask one of the students who found the text easier to understand than the other students to help build students confidence in the fact that they will understand and they need to believe in themselves. If however the whole class meet with difficulties while listening make sure that
the vocabulary and grammar have been practised and go back and revise them if necessary. It’s also a good idea to make sure that the classroom environment is suitable for effective listening (noises outside the classroom need to be kept to a minimum, and the speakers and listening device needs to be accessible to all and the students need to be quiet and concentrated). n
The same listening text can be replayed after a few weeks to show students and prove to them that progress has been made with their comprehension and this will build the self-esteem and self-confidence.
In order to develop reading ability Sprint offers specific tasks in the Student’s Book and Workbook. These activities can be done in similar ways to those suggested for the reading skills tasks: n
Teach the students to identify paragraph breaks and get them to think of a short title that could be given to each paragraph to summarise it which will help students to focus on the key content.
To stimulate the students during spoken productive tasks where they are not interacting with another speaker but where they are communicating with the whole class or a teacher, the teacher is advised to: n
Explain the task that need to be done clearly to the students making sure they have the words they need and giving them an example if possible.
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Ask the students to practice in pairs beforehand so that even the most timid of students have the opportunity to speak without feeling as if the whole class is staring at them.
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Ask for volunteers to come forward and offer their version of the task.
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It’s best not to interrupt the students while they are speaking even if they make mistakes because at this stage it is important to focus in fluency and on the ability to communicate rather than on grammatical accuracy.
For the activities of spoken interaction the same techniques are advised and it is important to focus and organise activities around solid pairwork interactions as follows: n
Put the class into pairs and make it very clear who is Student A and who is Student B.
Introduction n
Explain clearly what the task is that you want them to do and explain, if necessary, in L1 what their roles are and what the context is.
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Ask two students, who should be some of the stronger ones, to do an example in front of the class and encourage them to dramatise their roles a little if possible.
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basis of this profile the teacher can try to bring the levels in line with each other with a series of reinforcement activities for those with gaps in their knowledge and revision activities for the stronger students. It is advisable to: n
Get the students to do the task in their pairs and go around the class to monitor progress, checking that they are speaking in English, helping any pairs that are having difficulties and making notes of any mistakes – but without interrupting the flow of conversation.
Explain clearly at the beginning of the lesson what your aims are (for example ‘Today we are going to learn how to order a meal in a restaurant’)
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To close, invite one or two pairs to perform their task for the rest of the class or guide the class if they are stronger to act out their dialogue as a role play.
Give an outline of the stages of the lesson (first we’ll learn some words on the topic of foods, then we’ll listen to a dialogue with a waiter, and then you’ll act out a dialogue with your partners).
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Give a short teacher led presentation.
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Give out different tasks dividing the class into different ability groups, or do an open ended free practice task where each student is able to do the task by suing the language they have at their disposal.
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Alternatively, give each student the same task but make the students work together in mixed groups of ability.
To develop writing skills Sprint suggests written compositions based around recent reading or listening tasks. In this way students are able to recycle language recently learnt and use it in a productive task to help personalise it. To help students with this skill it is advisable to explain to students that writing compositions requires several steps and it would be best to give them an example on the board: n
Draw up an outline of what you want to say using the following scheme: the opening in which you say what the argument will be, the development of two or three points with exemplification, then the conclusion which can also include a new added idea.
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Proceed with the first draft which can be re-read and corrected individually or by a classmate.
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Do a final draft which has been corrected and is ready to submit.
It’s always a good idea to encourage students to look at each other’s drafts and suggest corrections and improvements. This can motivate them and encourage cooperation, it helps understanding and invites students to share their knowledge and skills. Mixed ability classes It is expected that the majority of classes are made up of students of different levels of competence especially during the first level of the course because they will all have different language learning experiences. At the beginning of the English course it would be advisable to administer the Entry Test (in Tests and Resources section) to get a class profile of abilities. On the
Classes of students with mixed cultural backgrounds It is becoming increasingly common to find large sections of classes with students who have different cultural backgrounds. Often it’s the case that these students could get left behind in the general courses of study, above all because the language used in the classroom by the teacher is unfamiliar to them. For this reason the English lesson (whether it’s the first foreign language or the second) can become a time for these students to show what they are made of rather than a moment for weakness. It is important to try and avoid the use of L2 in the classroom and try to use methods and teaching techniques which exploit other methods of learning and other languages, in particular the visual, kinaesthetic and musical methods. Sprint proposes ways of working which can be easily adapted to working with culturally diverse classes, importance is given to cooperation and the opportunity for individual expression. In general the teacher can follow the suggestions below: n
Invite students who have different cultural backgrounds to offer examples from their cultural context, historical and linguistic, each and every time you think it is opportune and possible. It is important that they feel they are participating and
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Introduction all the students need to understand and accept the cultural, linguistic and religious differences because these provide a precious opportunity to enrich the lessons.
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Propose activities (especially in Build your competences and in the Culture sections) which offer opportunities for continual comparison of the culture in which they are studying and that from where they have come.
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Wherever possible, use, together with the English
language, also the L1 of the students in the class (for example, produce multi-lingual posters, or during vocabulary tasks). n
And finally, if you have time, and if you think it is opportune involve the students who are from other cultural backgrounds from the beginning of the lesson (for example, as the students are coming into the class invite a Chinese girl to tell everyone what the day and date is in their own language, then say it in English to check the comprehension of the rest of the class).
Introduction The Common European Framework of Reference The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) published by the European Council in 1996 and updated in 2001 allows a homogenous evaluation of competences acquired in any of the Europe-
an languages. The descriptors of the communicative competences are articulated in three levels (A, B, C) each of which is divided into sub levels (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2). For each sub levels there is an articulated list broken down into Listening, Reading, Spoken Interaction, Spoken Production (which covers range, fluency, interaction and coherence) and Writing.
A Basic User A1 Breakthrough
A2 Waystage
Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/ herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.
Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate Basic need.
B Independent User B1 Threshold
B2 Vantage
Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.
Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and Independent disadvantages of various options.
C Proficient User C1 Effectiveness
C2 Mastery
Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.
Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of Proficient meaning even in more complex situations.
(Source: Council of Europe - http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/Source/Framework_EN.pdf)
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Self-assessment sheets The European Council has produced a detailed list of the competences that need to be met at the end of each of the levels presented in the CEFR. We are now going to give you a checklist which is in line with Level A1. With regards to communicative competence, Sprint takes students to an introductory level of Breakthrough (A1) at the end of the first level. The next level of Waystage (A2) is reached at the end of Level 2 which is consolidated and extended in the third year. The level of Threshold (B1) is reached and consolidated at the end of the fourth year. It is possible to use these checklists as a form of self-assessment (column 1) and to allow other people such as the teacher to assess the language level of the student (column 2). When thinking about the abilities not yet acquired it is possible to rank the importance of each skill (column 3 = objectives). Thus it is possible to add objectives – with the help of the teacher – skills that could additionally be acquired or that are considered useful to learn at this level. Use the following symbols: In columns 1 and 2 ✔ I am able to do this under normal circumstances. ✔ ✔ I am able to do this without any difficulty. In column 3 ! This is my objective. !! This is a priority for me. If the student can put ticks in approximately 80% of the boxes it means you have got the level indicated in the table.
Self-assessment table – Level A1 1 – me
2 – teacher/other
3 – my objectives
Listening
1
2
3
1
2
3
I can understand if you speak to me slowly and clearly, with pauses to give me time to understand. I can understand simple directions, such as how to get from A to B, on foot or by public transport. I can understand a question and simple invitation to do something if asked clearly and slowly. I can follow simple brief instructions. I can understand prices, numbers and the time. Reading I can understand details about people (address, age etc.) in a newspaper article. I can choose a film or concert and understand where and when it starts from an advert or poster. I can understand a questionnaire (at border controls or hotel reception) sufficiently to be able to give key personal details (e.g. name, surname, date of birth, nationality). I can understand words and expressions on notices and signs (e.g. Train station, Car park, No smoking, Turn right). I can understand basic commands on a computer (e.g. Save, Cancel, Open, Close). I can understand simple written notes (e.g. how to get from A to B). I can understand short message on postcards (e.g. holiday greetings). I can understand, in everyday situations, simple notes written by people I know or colleagues, such as ‘I’ll be back at 4’.
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Self-assessment sheets Spoken interaction
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
I can present someone and use simple phrases for greetings and salutations. I can ask and answer simple questions, and make and react to simple statements, as long as it is in an immediate situation and I have time to formulate the response. I can express myself simply as long as the other people are prepared to repeat things more slowly or reformulate phrases. I can make simple purchases if I can use simple gestures and indicate what I want to buy. I can talk about numbers, cost, prices and time. I can ask for and give things to people. I can ask people personal questions such as their address, who they know, what possessions they have and I can answer the same questions if they are asked slowly and clearly. I can talk about time with the help of expressions such as ‘next week’, ‘last Friday’, ‘in November’, ‘at 3’. Spoken production I can give personal information (e.g. address, phone number, nationality, age, family, hobbies). I can describe where I live. Speaking strategies I can say that I don’t understand something. I can ask people to repeat something. I can ask people to say things more slowly. Writing I can fill in a form with my personal details (e.g. job, age, address, hobbies). I can write a simple greetings card (e.g. birthday card). I can write a simple postcard (e.g. send greeting when on holiday). I can write a simple note to someone to say where I am or where we will meet. I can write simple sentences about myself (e.g. where I live and what I do).
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Certifications The competences acquired by students in foreign languages can be measured in terms of qualifications recognised all over Europe as well as within the school system of their own country. The most wellknown and recognised examining bodies both in Europe and internationally are Trinity College, London and UCLES (University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate). Their examinations conform to the parameters set out by the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). Sprint prepares students for Grades 1-6 of Trinity Graded Exams in Spoken English and Key for Schools (KET) and PET tests of Cambridge English which correspond to levels A1 – A2 – B1 of the CEFR. CEF level
Trinity Grades
A1
Grade 1
UCLES
Grade 2 A2
The Graded Exams in Spoken English are offered at twelve levels and verify the spoken skills of students. The twelve levels are divided into four stages: Initial (Grades 1, 2, 3), Elementary (Grades 4, 5, 6), Intermediate (Grades 7, 8, 9) and Advanced (Grades 10, 11, 12). Trinity College recommends Grades 2-4 (the initial and early Elementary stage) for the early years of secondary school. For an accurate description of the exams and syllabus, go to their website: www.trinitycollege.co.uk. To help students prepare for the Graded Examinations of Trinity College Sprint offers: n
Communication tasks which develop comprehension and production of the spoken word
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Pronunciation tasks to help with stress and intonation
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Speaking tasks on the skills pages
Grade 3 Grade 4
B1
Trinity GESE
KET
Grade 5 Grade 6
PET
Table of objectives for Grades 1-6 and the levels of the CEFR European Framework of Reference (CEFR)
Trinity Grade Initial 1
A1 Breakthrough Introductory or discovery
2
Description of the CEFR
Trinity: test format
Trinity: test duration
At the end of this Initial stage the student can: • Understand and use common expressions and basic phrases to talk about family and people and the world around them. • Present yourself to others. • Ask and answer questions on personal details and about personal belongings. • Interact in a simple way if others speak slowly and clearly and are patient.
Conversation
5-7 minutes
At the end of the Elementary stage the student can: • Understand and use English in everyday situations such as school, work, travel and free time. • Talk about interests and give opinions on familiar topics or which areas they have prepared. • Talk about past, present and future events. • Express opinions and intentions.
Conversation Presentation of a topic Discussion
10 minutes
3 Elementary A2 Waystage Intermediate or survival
4
5 B1 Threshold Independent User
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6
Certifications Cambridge English: Key (KET) and PET Cambridge English: Key (KET) is the first in a suite of UCLES (University of Cambridge Examinations Syndicate) exams which corresponds to level A2 Waystage of the Common European Framework of Reference.
Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET) is the second in a suite of UCLES (University of Cambridge Examinations Syndicate) exams which corresponds to level B1 Threshold of the Common European Framework of Reference. For a detailed description of the exams and the syllabus go to the website: www.cambridgeesol.org/exams which describe the test parts.
Key (KET) Examination Paper 1: Reading and Writing Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes Number of Parts: 9
Paper 2: Listening Time: approximately 30 minutes. Number of Parts: 5
In Part 1, candidates are tested on their ability to understand the main message of a sign, notice or other very short text.
In Part 1, candidates are asked to identify simple factual information in short conversations.
A matching exercise follows. In Part 2, candidates are asked to fill the gap with one of the three options provided. In Part 3, candidates are tested on their ability to understand the language of the routine transactions of daily life. In Part 4, candidates are tested on their ability to understand longer texts from authentic sources, such as newspaper and magazine article. In Part 5, candidates are tested on their knowledge of grammatical structure and usage in the context of texts adapted from newspaper and magazine articles, encyclopaedias and other authentic sources. Words are deleted from the text and candidates are asked to complete by choosing the appropriate word from three options. In Part 6, candidates are asked to produce items of vocabulary and to spell them correctly. For each word, candidates are given a definition, followed by the first letter of the required word and a set of dashes to represent the number of remaining letters in the required word. In Part 7, candidates are asked to complete a gapped text, like notes, emails and short letters. Correct spelling of the missing words is essential in this part. In Part 8, candidates are asked to use some information to complete a note. The required written production is at word and phrase level, not sentence. Correct spelling is essential in this part. In Part 9, candidates are asked to write an authentic, message, for example a note, email or postcard to a friend.
On the question paper, the candidates see a simple question and three multiple-choice options. In Part 2, candidates are asked to identify simple factual information in a longer conversation. Candidates show their understanding of the conversation by matching two lists of items. In Part 3, candidates are asked to understand an informal conversation between two people about a topic of personal interest to the speakers. In this part, candidates show their understanding of the conversation by answering five multiple-choice questions. In Parts 4 and 5, candidates are asked to extract specific information from a dialogue or monologue and write it down. Paper 3: Speaking Time: 8-10 minutes Number of Parts: 2 Part 1 takes 5 to 6 minutes. In this part, each candidate interacts with the interlocutor, giving factual information of a personal kind, for example, name, place of origin, study, family‌ Candidates are also expected to be able to talk about their daily life, interests and likes. Part 2 takes 3 to 4 minutes. In this part, the two candidates interact with each other. This involves asking and answering questions about factual information of a non-personal kind. Prompt cards are used to stimulate questions and answers which will be related to daily life, leisure activities and social life.
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Special Educational Needs Inclusive teaching intends to allow and permit the maximum development possible of student’s capacity, and for each student to reach their potential. Teachers are invited to maximise and update their professional development to make sure they have the skills and appropriate tools necessary to meet the challenge of teaching in special conditions, equipping themselves with methods that have been tried and tested over years as well as the possibility to offer new technology. The diffusion of new technology in schools offers concrete advantages to all students. The use of new technology in teaching has the main objective of widening the ways of learning which includes all learning styles and attitudes and ability levels. Through technology and its language you can give every student the chance not only to demonstrate what they can do but also to do it in their own individual way, and share this knowledge and ability with the rest of the class. It is this integrated use of standard methods and new technology which will foster the exploration of new learning methods and the coming together of knowledge, competence and experience.
Special needs resources and extension tasks In order to help the teacher with the wide variety of needs of the class, Sprint offers special needs resources and extension tasks for every section of each unit. The Special Needs Resources aim to guarantee that students reach the minimum requirements and have corresponding evaluation worksheets in the Tests and Resources section. Alternatively, the extension resources offer additional activities and materials at the end of each unit or can be done instead of certain parts of the unit. As well as paper based materials, the extension tasks can also be done digitally, and using not only the technology offered by the school (Interactive Whiteboard, CD players and DVD players) but also instruments that the teenagers have got (tablet, smartphone, video camera, digital cameras). This technology, if used correctly offers instruments which permit the students to broaden their skills and become active players in their own learning process. The interactive whiteboard offers different ways of presenting materials and different levels of elaboration
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of the information to make the content relevant to as many students as possible, including those students who have different learning styles. The extension tasks offered by the Sprint DIGITAL BOOK can be done in groups to get all the students motivated and involved. The interactive whiteboard can be used with the following sections of Sprint: Functions Videos: functions in the video are designed to make the students inquisitive and to stimulate them to learn or simply to revise the structures using different means to the ones written in the Student’s Book, which can also hold the students attention as well as teach them, and meet the needs of students who have limited concentration spans or limited reading skills. Kids at Work! The activities of VideoSprint stimulate students to produce and enhance their work digitally and through this they will be enjoying themselves and show that they can do things with the language they have learned. These activities are optional and can be used as an alternative way for students to produce language and expression away from the standard methods, giving students a way of expressing themselves with language and methods closer to their daily lives and their range of interests. Word Bank: this section of illustrated words with audio gives the students an opportunity to memorise and practise the new vocabulary using the correct pronunciation. ELI Games: these are interactive digital linguistic games, which like board games, can get all the students involved and interested.
International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health To identify any possible SEN (Special Educational Needs) we take inspiration from the examination of a person ICF (International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health) model which outlines some large categories in which you can verify the difficulties of learning (such as physical conditions, body structure, personal activities, social skills, contextual
Special Educational Needs environmental factors and personal contextual factors). For each one of these categories the parameters which must be considered to confirm a SEN are the eventual presence of damage, an obstacle or abnormal learning. For each one of these cases it is necessary to create a specially-made teaching plan, by using all of the resources that are able to facilitate inclusion, but above all through the support of classmates. Often SEN regulations underline firmly that all the teaching addressed to SEN students must refer to ICF. Thanks to this classification and its codes it is possible to evaluate the entire area of learning. A model of evaluation of learning must explain codes, categories and descriptions, to which you can attribute a grade, numerically defined (see table below). Minimum requirement tests in Sprint (in Tests and Resources section) try to help students with different and multiple needs of SEN students. They were developed in collaboration with secondary school teachers who have extensive experience in the practice of special needs teaching. The lessons follow lexicons, grammatical structures and the communicative functions which are presented in the different units of the course
and they propose them again by following a few criteria of adaptation which can be summarized as follows: n Use a clear legible font (in particular we advise Verdana, Comics, Georgia, Arial). n Clear requests written in L1 (the teacher should read them out loud). n Exercises focussing on types of identification with iconic reference should be avoided (for example word scramble). n Phonetic and orthographic exercises that ask for completion of grammatical rules. n Multiple answer exercises are preferable. n The lexicon should always be provided in a specific box for those exercises which ask for the insertion of words. n L1 should only be used for simple identification exercises which aim to verify English comprehension. n Copious usage of images and photographs. n Activities should develop from personal experiences and everyday life. n Activities with personalisation starting points. We then remind teachers that when difficulties persist, oral tests could be used to supplement or integrate the written material.
Code
Category
Description
D130
To copy
He/she mimics or copies an event or a symbol, such as a gesture, a sound, the letters of the alphabet.
D135
To repeat
He/she repeats a series of events or symbols (for example he / she repeats a poem).
D140
Reading ability
He/she recognizes the letters of the alphabet and pronounces words correctly.
D145
Writing ability
He/she produces letters to compose words or sentences, by using orthography and grammar correctly.
D150
Calculus abilities
He/she uses numbers and does arithmetical operations.
D1550
Easy abilities
He/she does intentional basic actions.
D1551
Difficult abilities
He/she does a combined set of actions.
D166
To read
He/she comprehends and interprets a written language.
D170
To write
He/she produces words and sentences to give informations.
D172
To calculate
He/she solves problems by counting and presents and exposes results.
D177
To make decisions
He/she chooses between many options, evaluating the consequences.
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Starter unit Page 8 Objectives Revise the pronunciation of letters of the alphabet. Spell people’s names. Ask someone their names and how they spell it. Know how to say your own name and how to spell it.
A for Animals Exercise 1 B F I L N R T Y
for bus for fish for ice cream for lion for notebook for rabbit for tea for yo-yo 1.2
Audioscript A for apple B for bus C for cat D for dog E for elephant F for fish G for giraffe H for hippo I for ice cream J for juice K for kite L for lion M for mouse
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
for notebook for octopus for pineapple for queen for rabbit for starfish for tea for umbrella for violin for whale for xylophone for yo-yo for zoo
Exercise 3 Farm animals cow, sheep, cat, dog, mouse, rabbit Wild animals monkey, tiger, elephant, giraffe, hippo, lion Sea creatures turtle, dolphin, fish, octopus, starfish, whale
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Minimum requirements Animals p. 8 ex. 1, 2
S Page 9 Objectives Revise/Learn numbers from 1-100. Ask someone their age and answer. Know the basic rules for forming plurals.
Numbers Exercise 1 3 three 5 five 6 six 7 seven 9 nine 14 fourteen 16 sixteen 17 seventeen 18 eighteen 23 twenty-three 24 twenty-four 25 twenty-five 26 twenty-six 29 twenty-nine
Exercise 2
Audioscript one two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven twelve thirteen fourteen fifteen
Exercise 3
Audioscript forty fifty sixty seventy
53 64
52
65 76
77 88 99
1.3
sixteen seventeen eighteen nineteen twenty twenty-one twenty-two twenty-three twenty-four twenty-five twenty-six twenty-seven twenty-eight twenty-nine thirty
four bananas
six monkeys
eight apples
four girls
two pizzas
Minimum requirements Numbers p. 9 ex. 1, 2 Plurals p. 9 es. 1
1.4
eighty ninety a hundred
Plurals Exercise 1
1.5
Audioscript See Student's Book page 9.
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S Page 10 Objectives Revise/Learn colours. Ask someone what their favourite colour is and answer.
Colours Exercise 2
Audioscript white black blue grey red green orange yellow purple pink
black 1.6
grey
School kit Exercise 1
1.7
Exercise 2
1.8
Audioscript 1 scissors 2 notebook 3 book 4 rucksack 5 rubber 6 pencil 7 pencil sharpener 8 pen 9 felt-tip pen 10 ruler
Tommy My rucksack is black. I’ve got scissors, an exercise book and lots of pencils in it! Meera My rucksack is red and black. I’ve got felt pens, a rubber, a pen, a lot of pencils and a pencil sharpener in it.
red
green
orange
yellow
purple
6 5 7 10 1 8 4 9 3
B
Audioscript Liam My rucksack is yellow. I’ve got some books in it.
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blue
Minimum requirements Colours p. 10 ex. 1, 2 School Kit p. 10 ex. 1
C
A
pink
S Page 11 Objectives Revise/Learn to read, say and write the time. Ask someone what time it is and reply.
The time Exercise 1
1.9
Exercise 2
1.10
Audioscript See Student's Book page 11.
Audioscript 1 It’s a quarter past three. 2 It’s five past five. 3 It’s a quarter to ten. 4 It’s half past eight. 5 It’s ten to seven. Teaching note Make students aware that the time can be written and said with the indefinite article a/an or without. Point out this difference between exercise 1 and 2.
Minimum requirements The time p. 11 ex. 1
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S Page 12 Objectives Revise/Learn days of the week, months and seasons.
Days, months and seasons Exercise 1
Monday
1.11
Audioscript See Student's Book page 12.
Tuesday
Exercise 3
Friday
Wednesday Thursday
1.12
Audioscript See Student's Book page 12, exercise 2. Extra activities Divide the board into four areas and write the names of the four seasons in each of the areas. Ask students to write the months of the year in / under each season where they feel is appropriate. Invite two/three students to come to the board and write up the months. Alternatively or in addition, the task could be done the other way around starting with areas on the board for the months.
Autumn
Summer
Saturday
Spring
Winter
E R UA R Y R CH
A RIL MAY J
NE
ULY
A G US T
Summer
S PTEMB R O TOBER NO E
BER
DE E MB E R Autumn
Minimum requirements Days p. 12 ex. 1, 2, 3
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Winter
S Page 13 Objectives Revise/Learn to read, say and write ordinal numbers and dates. Ask when someone’s birthday is and reply.
Ordinal numbers and dates Exercise 1
1.13
Exercise 2
1.14
Audioscript George: Wow! London is beautiful! Here are my favourite places: first of all The London Eye, it’s incredible! Then, second, Hamley’s Toy Store: there are so many toys in it! Third, Ted’s Easy Diner: their hamburger is the best! Fourth, Madame Tussauds with all its celebrities! Fifth, London Aquarium, it’s really interesting! The sixth place is the London Transport Museum and the seventh is the British Museum, with all its Egyptian Mummies! And then, eighth, Hyde Park: it’s so big! Ninth the Tower of London, its history is really fascinating. And last but not least, tenth, Spitalfields City Farm. Meet Derek the donkey and Holmes and Watson the pigs!
Audioscript See Student's Book page 13. Extra activities Game: The birthday train The idea of the game is to get the students (compartments) to make a train in the order in which their birthdays fall; whoever has it first in the year will be at the front of the train behind the engine. The teacher calls out the months, for example ‘January’, one at a time and students come forward and make the first compartment. When they are together they need to ask each other the exact day of each other’s birthday to get into the correct running order. In the end you should have the whole class in the birthday train.
Minimum requirements
Ordinal numbers and dates p. 13 ex. 2
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S Page 14 Objectives Revise/Learn the names of the schools subjects and classroom language.
School subjects Exercise 1
1.15
Audioscript See Student's Book page 14.
Classroom language Exercise 2
1.16
Audioscript See Student's Book page 14. Extra activities Ask two students to come to the board and write up the subjects that they have in their school timetable. Ask the whole class: ‘What’s your favourite subject?’ The students at the board need to write a plus sign [+] next to each subject each time a student says it is their favourite. At the end of the task get students to add up the plus signs and see what the favourite subject of the class is.
Open the window.
Listen.
Close your book.
Stand up.
Write.
Underline.
Look.
Go to the board.
Open your book.
Read.
Minimum requirements School subjects p. 14 ex. 1
Classroom language p. 14 ex. 1
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Close the door.
S Page 15 Objectives Check that students have learnt the basics.
Exercise 2 1 2 3 4 5 6
white rabbits black cats grey dogs yellow sheep orange starfish red and orange fish
nine eighteen fifty-one fifty-four fifty-five eighty-three
MUSIC ART ENGLISH SCIENCE ITALIAN HISTORY MATHS SPANISH GEOGRAPHY FRENCH
Exercise 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
half past nine May the twenty-first a quarter to five December the fifteenth five past eight July the twelfth ten o’clock
Exercise 6
1 Stand up. 2 Close the door. 3 Look. 4 Open your books. 5 Close your book. 6 Listen. 7 Go to the board. 8 Read. 9 Sit down. 10 Write.
notebook rucksack rubber pencil felt-tip pen ruler pen pencil sharpener scissors books
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