Communicative Use of the Textbook

The materials in the textbooks for Junior and Senior High are there to be used in a variety of ways. The textbook forms a solid base for the lesson yet should be used in conjunction with activities which are more student-focused and communicative and actually 'bring the language to life'.　In this way, the syllabus is being followed, yet the learning methods are varied.

Not only does this avoid boredom on the part of the students (and sometimes the teachers as well!) but it also provides them with a clear purpose for learning the language if they can see how it would help them in a real-life situation.

Relying solely on the textbook is, perhaps, not the best strategy for teaching English communicatively.However, the structure of the textbook should be used as the main guide for the creation of any communicative activity (as mentioned above). With this in mind, try to find creative communicative activities to supplement the textbook teaching points i.e. the grammar and the vocabulary etc.

Often task-based activities are good for addressing grammar, vocabulary and communication and are interactive and heavily student- focused. These activities do not necessarily have to relate directly to the text, itself, but should be based upon the same lesson grammar and communicative aims.

In this way, the textbook serves as a reference source for both grammatical and vocabulary structure and also as a practical learning review when used in conjunction with a communicative activity.　

Included in this section are examples of certain activities, and how they can supplement your textbook.　These examples have proven to be successful in several classroom environments.

Junior High School

Symbol Substitution- Role Plays e.g. asking for directions to bus/train/plane etc. pp.56- 57 Speaking Plus 3 NEW HORIZON 1), telephone dialogue (New Horizon 3).

Symbol substitution role-plays are immensely enjoyable for the students and allow them to practice the language in a controlled way whilst providing them with options/decisions as to which words and phrases to use in their dialogue.

The easiest way to create your own Symbol substitution role-plays is to create a table in word with several columns headed with symbols and listing a number of options. Below the table, write a dialogue e.g. a restaurant/telephone conversation etc. and substitute words for symbols. The students then practice the dialogue- picking and choosing which phrases they wish to use in the dialogue from the list of options under that particular symbol.

Schedule Interview- Speaking Plus 4 (NEW HORIZON 1 p.66)- design an MSWORD template with picture boxes and small clock faces inside. Write one question and one half-completed answer under each box. Since this is a speaking/listening gap-fill activity, each student has to reply with the full answer and has to write down their partners answers once they have interviewed their partner and obtained their information.

Noughts and Crosses Q & A activity　 to practice any question structure (e.g. Do you know how to? Yes/No. What must you do? I must .) Simply divide the class into 2 groups and then get one member of a team to ask a member of the opposing team a question. The opposing team member should then provide the correct answer. You can score both teams on questions and answers or just one team at any one time. You can make one team miss a go if their sentence is incorrect and you can also modify the activity so that students report back information to you (reported speech) once they have asked a question and received an answer from the opposing team member.

Bingo ( for new vocabulary review e.g. "Mother's Lullaby" p.36 New Horizon 3- new words)- try explaining the words using actions as well as just saying them out loud. Traditionally bingo is played by reading out the words and acts rather as a listening comprehension exercise. Another modified version of BINGO is to do mime or gestures to explain the words. This adds in an extra fun element and also greatly aids student learning memory since Japanese students, culturally, are generally more visual learners.

Flashcards　　for learning and practicing vocabulary. Make your own if you can draw or see the Resources page and click on one of the clipart web links that we have provided for you. One option is to pass some flashcards round to your students and get them to test each other in pairs by asking "What's this in English?" to which the other student must reply "It is　". After several turns, students then change cards and pass theirs on and begin the whole process again.

Oral Matching Exercises/Oral investigative exercises- Find Someone Who　('knows how to' (p.44 NEW HORIZON 3) In this instance, Who? What? where? Questions were used together with and 'Must/must not' (p.42 NEW HORIZON 2) An activity that can be used to practice just about any question structure and is particularly effective when it comes to getting the students to mingle and ask each other questions.

Specific investigative questions and answers activities are very good for 'interactive teaching' (e.g. find your twin; find your sports partner, find someone who) where students either have to find out who has the same information as they do or obtain information about someone else. This can be tailored to any grammatical point.

Lexical Matching Exercises e.g. Word/Sentence Strips (pelmanism)- providing the students with strips of paper with words or sentences on which have to be re-arranged to coincide with a given theme i.e. matching countries to languages, matching expressions or commands to a specific situation or when asking for specific information.

Rhythm drills/chants- use clapping and tapping to reinforce pronunciation intonation and stress on words or sentences. Since this is a TPR activity (total physical response activity) the students are more active in the classroom and this avoids boredom even when drilling new words/phrases.It enhances the learning process and makes even word/phrase repetition more 'interactive'. Evidence suggests that they actually enjoy it! ( New Horizon/New Crown 1,2 & 3　 any new vocabulary).

Debates- take a theme that has been briefly looked at in one of the books (for JHS see New Horizon 2 &3 e.g. children should not play computer games NEW HORIZON3 pp.56 onwards). Pre-teach some debating vocabulary e.g. I am for/ I am against/ I agree/ I disagree etc. Thereafter, get the students to brainstorm 2 opposing views either in groups or individually and then debate their points of view respectively.

Example of using a textbook

Elementary School

Jazz chants/Rhythm drills- You can make your own chants if you want to. Clapping when drilling is helpful as it provides a basis for rhythm for the students. The students usually enjoy this a lot since it is a Total Physical Response activity(i.e. using the body as well as the mind) You can also buy specific CDs/tapes that can be used for young children at most bookshops.

Creative activities/pictures　 lots of visual aids and things that the children can touch/create, like making Xmas cards, drawing pictures in relation to a topic, decorations, Hallowe'en costumes etc. are enjoyable for the children and help to teach them about Western culture. They are also a more fun way to introduce vocabulary or grammar to a young audience.

Senior High School

Debates ( as above for JHS )

Discussion groups on contentious issues (e.g. teenage pregnancy, drugs, under-age drinking, violent films/games and crime etc.) using authentic resources e.g. radio broadcasts, news flash, newspaper/magazine article etc. and even the internet if the students can have access to computers.

Symbol Substitution role- play activities- (as above for JHS).

Please see below, a table which clearly explains the difference between a textbook- related activity and an 'irrelevant' activity-which should be avoided in class:

Textbook-Relevant Supplementary Activities

back