List of Textbooks

                                            (مقررات اﻹعداد العام) 

         

 

 

 

 

 

Abstract of English Courses taught in the Language Unit

 

Evaluation of books for different courses:

reviewed by Dr. Syed Sarwar Hussain

 

1. New English File – Elementary Student’s Book:

     This is a very basic book and it comprises only two basic skills, namely Grammar and Vocabulary.

This book, in my view, is not suitable for either the skill-based courses or the integrated language courses.

 

2. International Express – Intermediate Student’s Book:

     This book includes the skills of Reading and Listening only. It cannot be used to teach our Pre-Intermediate level students who offer the General Integrated Language course.

     This book is also not a skill specific book and is rather too clumsy in its design. I, therefore, would not prefer this book for any of the newly introduced courses.

 

3. Understanding and Using English Grammar:

     This is a time-honoured book but with an extremely traditional approach to teaching English Grammar. The exercises are drawn-out and grueling which often times betray monotony, and the components are not clearly explained As a result, it doesn’t help much in building awareness among the target students. I’d not like to go for this book for our new courses.

 

4. Oxford Practice Grammar: Intermediate:

     This book is exclusively designed for the teaching of grammar. It is a very useful and interesting book for Intermediate level students of English grammar. Neatly illustrated dialogues, well-structured units, lucid and balanced explanatory notes, and motivating exercises are some of its salient features, but it does not appear to me of any use to us because our new courses do not have a Grammar programme for the Intermediate level.

I would regard it as not relevant for the new courses.

 

5. Oxford Practice Grammar: Advanced:

     This is a very useful book for Advanced level students of English Grammar. The book is written with the needs of those students in mind, who have progressed beyond the intermediate level. We do not have any advanced grammar specific courses in our new language-teaching programme.

     I, therefore, would not recommend this book.

 

6. Open Forum: Academic Listening and Speaking – 1

     Not suitable for any of the proposed courses.

 

Evaluation of books for different courses:

reviewed by Dr. Syed Sarwar Hussain

 

1. New English File: Pre-Intermediate Student’s Book:

     This book is suitable for the Reading course (ENGL 121).

     It has all the necessary skills useful for the teaching of Reading.

     It comprises short, lucid, motivating practical texts for fresh learners of the skill of Reading.

     The vocabulary focuses on everyday language.

     The exercises on the texts and on vocabulary are innovative and interesting.

 

2. International Express: Pre-Intermediate Student’s Book:

     This book is suitable for the Reading course (ENGL 121).

     Though this is a four-skills book, it is very suitable for teaching the Reading skill to first-year university students.

     It has informative passages with simple everyday vocabulary.

     The Reading texts are interesting and practical.

     The assorted exercises on the texts are motivating and useful at the same time.

     There lessons include fresh and stimulating vocabulary exercises.

 

3. Oxford Practice Grammar: Basic

     It is a very useful book for learners of English Grammar at the Pre-Intermediate level. (Course – ENGL 124)

     This book is very helpful for students who are in the first year of the college. It helps them in revising the basics of English grammar they have learnt in their schools. It also provides them with some very basic insights into grammar. The exercises are well developed and consistent. Each unit consists of simple and clear explanations. The practice exercises are wide-ranging and stimulating. They are structured in such a way that they encourage the learners to work through them with ease and interest. The distinctive feature of the book is the presence of practice tests at the end of each section.

 

4. Reward: Intermediate Student’s Book:

     I recommend this book for the General Integrated English language Course (ENGL 125)

     It is an interesting book for teaching the integrated language skills to Pre-Intermediate learners. The Lessons are flexible, clear, practical, and neatly organized. It encourages communication and discussion. The exercises are enjoyable and informative. The division of lessons and skills is well balanced. It is a very inspiring book for learners of English as a foreign language.

 

5. Open Forum: Academic Listening and Speaking – 1

     It is a very useful book in developing the listening and speaking skills of students at the pre-intermediate level. The book is divided into chapters that expose learners to interesting exercises, various specific learning skills and stimulating conversations covering a wide range of social activities and academic content areas. 

 

Book Review

 

Title: Skills in Listening – Level: 2 Author: Terry Philips (Garnet Publishing Ltd., Reading, UK)

Listening / Speaking Course Book:

This book comprises of Listening texts and Aural skills and is designed to be used by students who have attained a fairly good knowledge of English vocabulary and sentence structures. The Lessons are too comprehensive and exhaustive to be adopted for teaching those learners who have just entered their university.

 

Writing Course Book:

This is a broad based Writing Skills book. It focuses on developing writing skills of those language learners who have already been exposed to some sort of creative writing at an earlier stage of their language learning program. The input texts in this book are clumsily divided into lessons, which can be difficult for untrained learners of the writing skill. This book is good for the Upper Intermediate level of learners.

 

Reading Course Book:

The Reading components in this book are extensive and lengthy. In addition to this, the vocabulary used in the lessons is all across the board, and this makes the book not quite suitable for students who are not well introduced to the English words and their usages.

 

In all probability the Level 2 books in the Skills in English series will take longer than just one semester if they are to be really used for the purpose of meaningful and result oriented language teaching for the new comers to the university education. The four-skills books in this series can be difficult for students in the first year of their college or university course.

Level: 3

 

Listening Course Book / Speaking Course Book / Reading Course Book / Writing Course Book:

 

The four skills courses at level 3 prepare students to do their advanced level reading research, to make them capable of writing their assignments and term papers in English, and to help them speak English and understand it at a fairly advanced level. The Level 3 courses, therefore are far too advanced and complex to be taught at the Intermediate or upper Intermediate level. These courses are meant for students doing their final years in a language-learning program.

 

 

 

Book Review 

Title: Skills in Listening – Author: Terry Philips (Garnet Publishing Ltd., Reading, UK.

Part A

Vocabulary and Grammar / Reading and Writing / Listening and Speaking

The courses at this level are designed to teach learners the preliminary language skills. They are good for beginners who have just started learning their language. The books in Part A teach the basic skills of teaching letter shapes, reading and writing numbers, saying letter names, identifying key parts of speech. These books build the ability to and hear and produce basic English, as proclaimed in the blurb of the books themselves. The books at this level are not recommended for those who have already learned their English at the school level.

Part B

Listening and Speaking : Themes 1 – 5 & 6 – 10 / Reading and Writing :  Themes 1 – 5 & 6 – 10 / Vocabulary and Grammar Themes 1 – 5 & 6 – 10:-

The series of books at this level takes the learners to the Elementary level of the language learning process. The Vocabulary and Grammar book helps students build up their understanding of the basic sentence patterns, the Reading and Writing Skills book is useful in making the learners use and form the basic SVO sentences, and the Listening and Speaking Skills book teaches the basic skills usually taught at the school level. The books in this series are very useful for those new learners who have not studied English at school.

√ Level 1

The four skills books at this level are aptly and deftly designed for learners in the first year of their university education. They contain useful grammar exercises well integrated into the lessons in Writing. The writing assignments are distributed into interesting lessons in building Vocabulary, developing Writing skills, applying new skills and, teaching spelling rules. The passages are fittingly short and interesting and the exercises are adequately planned.

The Reading Skills book contains reading texts with useful grammar integrated into the body of the text. The Reading contents are skilfully drafted for students at the Intermediate level of the language learning process. The lessons instruct learners to read well and infer meanings from the text. They prepare students for functional reading so that they are able to read and understand texts of a fair length. The contents are also culturally suitable.

The Listening and Speaking Skills books contain different listening themes and text types. They are very useful in developing the aural and oral skills of learners at the intermediate level or, more succinctly, those who have completed their school levels and have joined their courses at a university. The exercises are neatly arranged and teach students to apply whatever they have learnt at their school level. The contents in these books are very practical and interesting.

The books at Level 1 are recommended for learners who are in the first year of their university education.