Unit 14: Coursebooks and Lesson Materials

ITTT 014
Unit 14
Coursebooks
and lesson materials
©
International TEFL and TESOL Training
Where the world is your classroom
Unit 14 Coursebooks
Books and Materials
Course books are a very emotive issue for many
teachers. Some teachers swear by them, while other
teachers despise them. Almost every published course
book has its fans and its detractors. The choice of
whether or not to use a course book, and if so, which
one, can be quite a complex issue. In this unit we will
examine this issue, as well as looking at other sources
of materials. You should have the prior course
materials (units 1 to 13) available for review in order to
gain the most from this lesson.
As usual you will need to complete the worksheet after

you have fully absorbed the content.
The table below shows a selection of the course books

that are available for teaching English to adults and
young adults from a variety of different publishers.
Many of these books can be bought online either
through Amazon or direct from the publisher.
Key: A1 – B1 etc. = Language levels from the Common

European Framework of Reference for Languages;
BrE = British English; AmE = American English
OUP Cambridge Pearson/Longman
New Headway (A1 – C2) English 365 (BrE, A2 – B2) Speakout (A1 to C2)
New English File (A1 – C2) English Unlimited (A1 – C2) Cutting Edge Third Edition (A1 to
English for Life (A1-B1) Four Corners (AmE, A1 – B1), C2)
Step Forward (A1 – C2) New Total English (A1 to C2)
Macmillan ABAX ELT Publishers Barrons English Language Arts
Global (A1 to C2), Communication Spotlight 2nd Edition (A1 – B2) English for Foreign Language
Inside Out (A2 – C2) Top-Up Listening 1 Second Edition (A1 – B1) Speakers the Easy Way (AmE)
Mind Series 2nd Edition (AmE) World Around (B1)
Helbling Languages MM Publications Compass Publishing
Jetstream (A1 – C1) Traveller (Young Adults, BrE & AmE editions, A1 – C1) Everyday Survival English
For Real (Young Adults, A1 – B2) American Channel (Young Adults, A1 – B1) Motivate (A2/B1)
Sure (Young Adults, A1 – B2) Open Skies (A1 – B2) Hot Topics (B2 – C1)
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Where the world is your classroom ITTT 014 Copyright © 2011 International TEFL and TESOL Training. All rights reserved.
Unit 14 Coursebooks
In an ideal world, schools would have all the books and materials that you could need. The reality, however, is somewhat
different. This means that often the teacher has to create his/her own materials to either supplement the course book, or
replace sections that are not suitable for the class. For many students, compared to the course book, materials created
by the teacher are more interesting, more relevant and a welcome change from the course book.
These materials can be divided into 2 groups:
Authentic materials
Just about anything a native speaker would hear or read can be described as authentic - programs, magazines,
newspapers, songs, poems, brochures, menus, films on video – the list is endless. Because authentic materials are not
designed for the EFL student, they are not graded for level, and so should be selected carefully. The teacher must also
decide what the students should do with material. Some material could be used for different tasks at different levels. For
example, a TV guide could be used at an elementary level for students to identify different types of show, while higher
level students could compare it with the TV stations of their native country.
So why use authentic materials?
n They are real and therefore more interesting and motivating

n Students gain confidence when they understand them
n They can be geared to the interests of a particular group of students
Created materials
These are usually designed by the teacher to replace or supplement materials from a course book. Many artistic
teachers use their abilities for material production, whilst those who are less artistically gifted have to rely on pictures cut
out from magazines or newspapers, or stick people drawings, etc. They can, unlike authentic materials, be graded to the
level of the students. Common created materials include:
n Crosswords
n Word search puzzles
n Role-play cards
n Flashcards
n Gap fill activities
n Picture stories
If you're unfamiliar with these types of materials, there are some examples on the following pages. Pages 3 to 9 are used
with permission of Lanternfish ESL at www.bogglesworldesl.com. A good resource for making your own crosswords and
wordsearches, etc is www.puzzlemaker.com.
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5 6
7 8
9 10
11
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Across Down
2 These insects often pollinate trees. (4) 1 These gather sunlight to make food
3 A building material that comes from for
trees. (4) trees. (6)
4 This can grow into a new tree. (4) 2 Flowers just before they open. (4)
5 Apples, oranges, or bananas. (5) 3 Trees soak this up through their roots. (5)
7 The part of a tree that attaches it to the 6 A colorful part of some trees that later
ground and soaks up water. (5) makes seeds or fruit. (6)
9 Where the seed of a pine tree is. (4) 8 The sticky liquid inside a tree. (3)
11 The skin of trees. (4) 10 The leaves of a pine tree. (7)
13 The thick part of a tree. (5) 11 The part of a tree where leaves are. (6)
14 Trees need this to make food. (8) 12 The leaf of a flower. (5)
© 2005 www.bogglesworldesl.com/
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Find the
words below
in the grid to
the left.
afraid embarrassed relaxed

angry excited sad
awkward exhausted safe
bored frightened scared
cold furious strange
comfortable happy thirsty
confident hot tired
confused hungry uncomfortable
cool itchy warm
depressed mad weak
dizzy nervous worried
© 2006 www.bogglesworldesl.com/
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Coursebooks
Choose three pictures from a magazine. The first picture should be of people that are in some sort of relationship. The
other two pictures should be of objects. (Example pictures below.) Put students into groups of three or four.
Show the class the first picture and ask them to discuss the relationship of the people
in the picture:
Show them the second picture and tell them that the object is
something that is important to the people in the first picture. Ask
students to discuss why they think that object is important to the
people.
Show them the third picture and tell them that this object is something that the people
in the first picture really don't like. Ask them to once again discuss the reasons why.
After you have finished the activity, have the class compare the various stories that
they came up with in their groups.
Alternatively, you could pick a set of random pictures, copy them, cut them out so that
they appear in no particular order, and give a set to each group, telling them to
produce a story. You'd be amazed what they come up with, and how different each
group's story will be, even though their pictures are identical.
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These are telephone role-plays, which are © BBC | British Council 2005, from www.teachingenglish.org.uk. Bear in mind
that neither student can see his or her partner's card.
Telephone role-play cards
1a 1b
You need to telephone your doctor. You have an appointment on You are the receptionist at Medical centre, the doctor's clinic. You have
Tuesday the 3rd at 16.45 but you need to change it to Thursday the 5th no free appointments on Thursday 5th as the doctor will be away that
at 15.00. On Monday 9th you are busy all day, but on Tuesday 10th you day. The next day the doctor is free is Monday 9th.
have a free day.
Answer the telephone and help the patient to make a new appointment.
Telephone the doctor's clinic and speak to the receptionist. Make a new
appointment.
2a 2b
You need to telephone your partner at his or her office. You planned to You work at Smith and Jones Publishing Limited, in an office with one
be home early today so you could go out for dinner together but you other person. He or she is in an important meeting and you are taking
have to stay at work until very late. messages if anyone telephones.
Telephone your partner's office and tell him/her the bad news! Make Answer the telephone and take a message.
sure you say sorry.
3a 3b
You need to telephone a flower shop and order some flowers for You work at Blooming Wonderful, the flower shop. One of your
friends who are having their 20th wedding anniversary. They love red services is delivery of flowers ordered by telephone.
roses. You want the flowers to be delivered to their house tomorrow.
Answer the telephone and take an order. Remember you need the
Telephone the shop and order the flowers. Don't forget to include a address and details of the message. Don't forget to ask what kind of
message saying congratulations. flowers the customer would like.
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Telephone role-play cards (2)
4a 4b
You need to travel from London to Glasgow tomorrow on urgent You work in the travel advice section of your company. Your job is to
business. Your company has a travel advice section which can help help colleagues find the best way to travel.
you. You are not worried about the cost but you need to be in Glasgow
by 11 o'clock in the morning and travel back to London in the evening. Answer the telephone. To help your colleague, you need this
information:
Telephone the travel advice section and find out what the best way is to
travel. London to Glasgow by train, leaves 8.00, arrives 12.30. Returns to
London in the evening.
London to Glasgow by coach, leaves 7.00, arrives 15.00, returns to
London next day
London to Glasgow by air, leaves 7.30, arrives 8.45. There are flights
back to London all day.
5a 5b
You need to find out what the homework was from your last English Your name is Joe. Your friend is going to telephone you.
class. As you missed it.
Answer the telephone.
Telephone your friend Joe and ask him/her to tell you about the class
you missed and the homework.
6a 6b
You work for United Engineering. You need to ask Express Delivery You work as a receptionist at Express Delivery Services.
Services to collect a parcel from your office.
Answer the telephone. Connect the customer to the correct office (for
Telephone Express Delivery Services and ask them to help you. Have collection of parcels they need to speak to Customer Services).
your office address details ready to give them. Unfortunately there is no one in the Customer Services Office at the
moment. Apologise and take a message. You need to find out what the
parcel is and where the office of the customer is.
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Telephone role-play cards (3)
7a 7b
You want to stay at the Spring Waters Hotel in Hawaii for your next You work in the reception of the Spring Waters Hotel in Hawaii. You
holiday. Before you make a booking, you want to ask the hotel for answer telephone enquiries from clients about the hotel.
some information.
Answer the telephone. You need the following information:
You need to find out these things: - no pets are allowed
- are pets OK? - there are special family discount prices
- is there a special price for families? - you have football, swimming, tennis and water sports
- what sports can you play? - the weather in September is warm but windy
- is the weather good in September?
Telephone the hotel to find out the answers to your questions.
8a 8b
You met someone new in your class. You want to invite your new You met someone in your class but you didn't really like them very
friend out for a coffee on Saturday. much and you don't want to be with them outside the class.
Telephone your friend and make a date! Answer the telephone. Try to be polite but say 'no'.
9a 9b
You are going to miss a month of your English classes at Wordsworth You work in the reception of the Wordsworth Language School.
Language School because you have to travel abroad for work. You
want your teacher to e-mail you the homework and class work you will Today all the teachers are away on a training course.
miss.
Answer the telephone.
Telephone the school and speak to your teacher. Leave a message if
necessary.
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Unit 14 Coursebooks
Course books Course books usually consist of a set of materials:
Student's book (for classroom use)
Workbook (for individual and supplementary work, class work,

homework etc)
Cassettes (for use in class and at home)
Teacher's book (gives a step-by-step guide as to how to teach the

material in the student's book. Often also contain progress tests)
In some cases a video (video activities to reinforce the material in the

student's book)
Other published materials include – reading books graded to varying

levels of students, test books, learner dictionaries, vocabulary flash
cards
Probably the most commonly used course books today are the
Headway, Reward, and English File series for British English, and
Interchange/New Interchange for American English. Books used in
different countries can vary enormously and depend on local
availability.
Course book advantages n It is usually expected by the students

n Although not all materials may be suitable for
your class, it is considerably easier and less time
consuming to supplement than to design a
syllabus and create materials from scratch
n It provides a syllabus which is graded to a level
suitable for the students
n It provides security for students and teachers
alike
n It normally provides a balanced mix of grammar,
vocabulary and skills work
n It offers continuity and progression
n The materials will have normally been tried and
tested before publication
n It is usually attractive and appealing to the eye
n It continually practices language items
previously introduced
n The teacher's book offers many good ideas for
the inexperienced teacher
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Unit 14 Coursebooks
Course book disadvantages n It does not always fit the specific needs and
interests of all the class members
n The students may not like the book and might be
reluctant to use it
n Exclusive use of a course book can become very
predictable and boring for the students
n It can make teachers lazy, and stop them from
being creative and searching for activities and
materials which will motivate and interest their
students
n A course book is almost always a compromise
n Most course books on the market are designed
for use by all nationalities and may not cover in
enough depth language problems specific to the
nationality of students that you are teaching
n Teachers rarely get to choose the course book
and many can be outdated and unattractive to
your students
n Course books dictate what is to be taught. This
can stop teachers analyzing particular problems
that their students may have and prevent the
lessons from being student centered.
Best use of course books n If you have the choice of course book, look at a
range that could be used for your group. Which
is the most suitable?
n Do not use the course book for the whole
lesson.
n When planning your lessons think about which
items will motivate your students, and which
need to be supplemented/adapted/replaced.
n Think about how much time will be needed for
each task and create a balanced lesson.
n Explore ways to match the book to the needs of
the students.
n Approach the book critically: Read the teacher's
book, but also do your own research into the
language, and look for difficulties not highlighted
by the authors.
n Don't base all lessons around the course book.
Look at what your particular students need too.
n Don't regard the course book as the solution to
everything. Try out new ideas and vary your
activities.
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Unit 14 Coursebooks
Four different options for 1 Omit. Teachers may decide to omit certain
course book use lessons from the course book if they are not
beneficial or relevant to their students. Care is
needed though, because if the teacher omits too
much, then the students might wonder why they
bought the book in the first place!
2 Replace. Instead of omitting unsuitable material

the teacher may choose to replace it with similar, but
more appropriate, material.
3 Supplement. At times the teacher might want to

add extra material to the course book to reinforce a
language point, or to extend the students'
engagement with the language.
4 Adapt. This is where the teacher will use the

same basic materials but in his/her own way and
style.
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Unit 14 Coursebooks
Analyzing a course book If the teacher is fortunate enough to be able to

choose the course book for a particular class,
he/she will probably need to analyze and consider
the following factors:
n Price. How expensive is the book in relation to

the income levels of the students/area?
n Availability. Are the books readily available in
the local area? Do the books allow for
progression t h ro u g h v a r i o u s l eve l s ? A r e
supplementary materials available?
n Design. Is the book attractive? Will the teacher
and students feel comfortable with it? Is it user
friendly?
n Methodology. Is there a good balance between
study and activation? Does it readily allow for
ESA style lessons?
n Skills. Is there an appropriate mix and balance
of skills (reading, writing, listening and
speaking)?
n Difficulty. Is the level of language right for your
students?
n Syllabus. Does the book cover the right
language points for the level? Does it progress
in difficulty level? Does the syllabus constantly
review previously taught language items?
n Topic. Are the topics relevant, varied and
interesting for your students?
n Teacher's guide. Does the teacher's book
provide you with all the help, information and
answers that you require?
n What ancillary materials are there – student
workbooks, audio cassettes, videos, CD ROMs,
etc?
Have a look through the materials you have received

so far. Imagine that they are part of a course book,
and that you are a teacher of elementary English
students visiting your home city. How does this
course book match the above criteria?
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Unit 14 Coursebooks
Task sheet
Check your knowledge before attempting the unit test.
Please note that this task sheet is solely for checking

that you have understood the course unit content. You
do not need to submit this task sheet – just use it to
check you have understood the major points.
Task 1 – State the advantages and disadvantages of authentic and created materials. Which kind of materials would you
favor for a class of intermediate students? Why?
Task 2 – What do you consider to be the advantages and disadvantages of using course books with a class?
Task 3 – How can the teacher use the course book to maximum effect?
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Unit 14 Coursebooks
Task 4 – Find an authentic reading text of your choice online appropriate for an upper-intermediate class, and using a
blank lesson plan similar in format to the lesson plan form on pages 5 and 6 of unit 9, devise a full ESA lesson
plan that revolves around the text. As always, complete all sections of the lesson plan, as well as the procedure.
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Unit 14: Coursebooks and Lesson Materials

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What are the different options for using course books?

What are the different options for using course books?

What factors should be considered when analyzing a course book?

What factors should be considered when analyzing a course book?

ITTT 014

As usual you will need to complete the worksheet after

The table below shows a selection of the course books

Key: A1 – B1 etc. = Language levels from the Common

OUP Cambridge Pearson/Longman

Macmillan ABAX ELT Publishers Barrons English Language Arts

Helbling Languages MM Publications Compass Publishing

These materials can be divided into 2 groups:

So why use authentic materials?

n They are real and therefore more interesting and motivating

afraid embarrassed relaxed

Telephone role-play cards

Telephone role-play cards (2)

Telephone role-play cards (3)

Telephone the hotel to find out the answers to your questions.

Course books Course books usually consist of a set of materials:

Student's book (for classroom use)

Workbook (for individual and supplementary work, class work,

Cassettes (for use in class and at home)

Teacher's book (gives a step-by-step guide as to how to teach the

In some cases a video (video activities to reinforce the material in the

Other published materials include – reading books graded to varying

Course book advantages n It is usually expected by the students

2 Replace. Instead of omitting unsuitable material

3 Supplement. At times the teacher might want to

4 Adapt. This is where the teacher will use the

Analyzing a course book If the teacher is fortunate enough to be able to

n Price. How expensive is the book in relation to

Have a look through the materials you have received

Please note that this task sheet is solely for checking

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