Review by IATEFL Voices journal
The bi-monthly newsletter of the International Association of
Teachers of English as a Foreign Language, July-August 2007
QSE - Quick Smart English Series
Advanced Level by Maurice Forget, Brookemead ELT 2007
"What
a welcome ESL / EFL teaching series is this English language communication course
for advanced level students (Common European Framework B2-C1). These materials
will be especially helpful preparing for Grades 10 and 11 of the Trinity College,
London examinations. However, the content material is compatible with Cambridge
CAE, IELTS and IGCSE, and the corresponding photocopiable tests are provided
in the Teacher's Guide.
Compactly laid out, the text will easily engage students and sustain their
interest. The fold-out 'language banks' on the cover flaps will be invaluable
for busy teachers and eager students who want to easily reference previously
covered material or to quickly revise for assessment. The book also includes
a unit-by-unit monolingual glossary.
Topics have been carefully selected to stimulate debate and encourage discussion.
Audiovisual materials are particularly effective in combining suitable combinations
of both native and non-native English speakers including a variety of dialects,
voices and speech patterns. The high quality video mix of face-to-face interviews,
voice-overs, and simultaneous translations, provide opportunities for students
to engage with the language in differing contexts. Take for example, Gunther
von Hagens' eerily discussing the intent of his exhibition 'Body Works",
or a highly adaptive exploration of language for the internet in Kuala Lumpur.
Differing themes provide content for cross-curricular learning in science,
music, law or drama, and include a wide range of sources, from reporting
to fiction. The instructional design of the Teacher's Guide will satisfy
even the hard-to- please, classroom traditionalist. Suggestions, transcripts
and
discussion points are organised for immediate use. In each unit, there is a
focusing 'Big question' to get the topic underway. Four skill areas are augmented
with loads of additional discussion material and integration ideas. Take a look
at this resource: highly adaptable, very useable."
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