Incredible English, 2nd Edition
reviewed by Senem Özkul, Germany
Dr. Senem Özkul graduated from Hacettepe University in Ankara, Department of English Language Teaching in 2002. She holds a M.A. and PhD degree in TEFL from the University of Munich, specializing on nonverbal communication and teacher training. Dr. Özkul has been teaching and pursuing a post-doctoral degree at the Chair for TEFL, Augsburg University, since 2010. Some of her research interests include intercultural learning, multilingualism, and teacher training. E-mail: senem.oezkul@phil.uni-augsburg.de
Title: Incredible English, 2nd Edition
Author: Sarah Philips
Year of publication: 2012
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Items reviewed: Class Books, Activity Books, Teacher’s Books, and accompanying CD-ROMs, DVDs and iTools
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Summary
Review
General information
Class books and audio CD’s
This comprehensive and well-structured set of teaching materials should dismiss any fears teachers might have about content and language integrated learning (CLIL). The abundance of practical teaching ideas provides a rich resource for teachers preparing CLIL lessons. The colourful Class and Activity Books and multimedia cater to different learning styles while striking a balance between traditional and innovative teaching methods. Incredible English extends learning beyond the classroom; the OxfordParents website enables parents to access engaging activities and online versions of stories for enriched learning at home.
Students taking my graduate course “Multilingualism in TEFL” at Augsburg University in Germany have been daunted by the challenge of integrating content and language with insufficient materials to draw on. To help them, I collected a sampling of CLIL materials for critical examination in the classroom. The process led us to form expectations by which we evaluated successive sets of materials. Our expectations were often disappointed until we discovered Incredible English. The colourful appearance and creative diversity of these materials aroused our curiosity at first glance and surpassed our expectations upon further examination. Most appreciated by all were the Teacher’s Resource Packs, which my students re-named “Teacher’s First Aid Kits” because they thought that the amount of material in these packs would save teachers countless hours of preparation.
Incredible English is a seven-level course for pupils at starter level and levels 1-6. Both the layout and the content of the materials are suitable for these age-groups. The set for each level consists of the Class Book, Teacher’s Book, iTools-DVD, Audio CD, and Teacher’s Resource Pack. Sets for levels 1-6 also have an Activity Book and an additional Activity Book accompanied by a DVD. All of these materials bridge the target language and topics in mathematics, art, science, geography, and music in natural and communicative ways.
Five basic threads contribute to the linguistic and cultural competence of pupils at each level: namely Language, Strategies for Learning, Learning for Life, Learning through English, and Assessment. One additional thread, either Understanding Myself and Others or Me and My World, boosts the cultural awareness and geographical knowledge of pupils at levels 1-6. In these, children from various countries around the world tell about their environment and lifestyle.
In the starter-level Class Book, language basics such as knowledge of colour and counting are linked to other areas of the curriculum, such as biology (colours of leaves) and mathematics (counting coins). Activities are based on listening and responding non-verbally, i.e., pupils listen to a recording and then in response they draw, circle, point, colour, or match. My students really loved the use of stickers in games and other activities, because collecting and exchanging stickers with friends is a sort of addiction for children in this age group, in the classroom and in daily life.
The Class Books contain 90-100 teachable lessons, divided in each book into 9 or 10 units with a revision section in the form of games after every third unit. In addition to activities for practicing linguistic skills, there are subject-specific activities reinforced by self-assessing yes/no and true/false questions. The Class Books are accompanied by Audio CDs containing all the chants, rhymes, songs, and stories referenced in the text.
Activity Books supplement the Class Books with additional activities. For example, at level 2, a Picture Dictionary with stickers will help young learners to memorize words by matching the images on their stickers with words on the page. At levels 5 and 6, there is a pronunciation record that serves to motivate speaking practice. My students were quick to see in these Activity Books the potential for assigning homework and for dealing with “fast finishers” in the classroom.
The DVD and DVD Activity Books expose learners to the target language through authentic, interactive dialogues about various subject-specific topics. The DVD Activity Books are like teaching manuals; they include teaching tips and classroom activities related to the DVDs.
Every Class Book has a supplement of digital interactive classroom resources (iTools) for use on an interactive white board (IWB) or digital projector. As a result, all the pages in the Class Books plus supplementary materials such as flashcards and animated stories can be projected on to the screen. The iTool resource is user-friendly; teachers can access all written and audio-visual features of the lessons by clicking on icons that indicate an answer key, audio recording, document, image, activity, video, or link to the web. A tool box of icons enables the use of coloured pens, an eraser, and digital features such to zoom, notes, and links.
On the Oxford Parents website (www.oup.com/elt/oxfordparents) parents will find an electronic version of the Class Books and additional activities for joining their children in practice at home. This website is beautifully illustrated and made comprehensible in clear and simple language. In accord with recommendations of the Council of Europe, the website also offers pupils at levels 5 and 6 downloadable materials for the creation of their own language portfolio.
The Teacher’s Books start with succinct explanations of objectives, principles, and course outlines and continue with lists of handy phrases for use in the classroom, transcripts of recordings, exercises, and photocopiable tests. All the teaching tips and suggestions are explained step-by-step.
The highlight of the whole set is the Teacher’s Resource Pack. This includes flashcards, character masks, photocopy masters, text cards, and picture cards. For example, in the wonderful Teacher’s Resource Packs for levels 1 and 2 one finds Norton, a bird puppet from one of the story frames. With Norton’s help a teacher can connect the real and the imaginary world of language and learning. Norton can introduce vocabulary, ask and answer questions, give instructions, and, an endearing suggestion, make mistakes in sympathy with children who are fearful of making mistakes. In the same box, there are two story frames coordinated with Class Book stories, facilitating story-telling in front of the class. Instead of playing a recording the teacher can use a story frame to tell the children a story.
In the Teacher’s Resource Pack for levels 5 and 6, there are finger puppets with which pupils can dramatize stories; big, colourful posters to help teachers provide extra information and extra practice; and grammar tiles to make teaching and learning grammar more enjoyable.
One of the strengths of Incredible English is the clarity of the language and layout in all the materials, which are tailored appropriately for children in each age group. Altogether, they are beautifully written and presented, and they will prove to be a boon for busy teachers who want to integrate content and language learning. That said, Incredible English is not without its limitations. A DVD and DVD Activity Book at the starter level would have been nice, supporting an early encounter with multimedia devices in a learning context. Also, the level of English in the starter materials might be difficult for young learners lacking prior exposure to English.
Another limitation worth noting is the relationship between the goal of learning English and the content. In CLIL curriculum in Germany, for example, content is taught in English by means of course books specifically designed for the purpose. Accordingly, pupils who learn a subject in English are exposed to the same content as pupils learning the same subject in German. In Incredible English, however, the goal of learning English is dominant. English is not used primarily as a vehicle for teaching another subject; instead, the other subject is used primarily as a vehicle for teaching English.
In conclusion, my students and I really enjoyed discovering the array of materials that comprise Incredible English. All teachers of CLIL would benefit from a chance just to see these materials and appreciate the variety of learning activities they embody. The teacher who has Incredible English available for use in the classroom would be fortunate indeed.
Please check the Methodology and Language for Primary Teachers course at Pilgrims website.
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