Question for English (conversation) teachers in Japan?

Question

I have been using the Side By Side series (Steven J. Molinsky; Bill Bliss) for intermediate learners for several years. Based on your experience what other series works best for students who have completed book four and are ready to move on?

Answer 1

Side by Side.

One of the towns I used to live in used that series. But, we never could seem to get beyond level 2 (the red book).

These are your students so you of course would know better than I (or is it me), but I would guess that if they have advanced through for levels of that series then they must be pretty good by now.

The two levels (blue and red) of Side by Side that I used were not very complicated books but the vocabulary and conversation patterns used were certainly more advanced than anything I saw at that time in junior high school English textbook. (about 8-10 years ago). So, if they've gotten through level 4 then maybe they're ready to advance something less textbook like and more real world life.

Maybe a magazine like Time, Newsweek or a newspaper like the Daily Yomiuri or the Japan Times might be more exciting for them to study from. Many of these offer special rates for school/classes and I think some have study materials/guides to go along with their articles.

I know that when you teach Eikaiwa, you are often expected to use standard textbook type materials. These can be very useful for teaching certain patterns and vocabulary.However, I often came across people who were very good in using these patterns and vocabulary within the structure provided by the text but had a very hard time when the text was not the focal point of the lesson.

You might have limitations placed on what you can try, or maybe expectations to meet, but if your students might enjoy some more unorthodox materials: western comics, newspaper articles, novels, poetry, a famous painting, a piece of music (classical/rock, western/Japanese), western TV commericals/tv programs/news programs, etc.,etc., etc.

Something to challenge them into using the English they all ready know in ways they are not used to. Something to get them talking and expressing themselves and thinking about what they want to say instead of just repeating a pattern they saw in a textbook.

I think you have probably taken them as far as you can with texts. Maybe they will get more out of something different.

Answer 2

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