Below are answers to the Frequently Asked Questions about each of the recurring types of activities in the Student's Book. Click on an activity type below to continue:
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SNAPSHOT
Q: What is a Snapshot for?
A: A Snapshot contains interesting, real-world information that introduces the topic of a unit or cycle. It also builds receptive and productive vocabulary. Follow-up questions encourage discussion of the Snapshot material and personalize the topic.
Q: How long does it take to teach a Snapshot?
A: It takes about 10 to 20 minutes to teach a Snapshot.
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WORD POWER
Q: How should I review vocabulary learned in the Word Power activity?
A: There are several ways to review vocabulary learned in the Word Power Unit:
- Use exercises in the Workbook.
- Use the Unit Summary at the back of the Student's Book.
- Begin a class with a five-minute review.
Q: Is the vocabulary in Word Power for productive use?
A: Yes, absolutely. Students will be using these words again and again throughout the unit.
Q: How many additional words should be taught?
A: Try to gauge your students' level of readiness for new vocabulary by paying attention to their use of current vocabulary. As a rule of thumb, it is better to teach a small amount of new vocabulary and make sure your students learn it well than to teach many new vocabulary words that your students might not be able to grasp.
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CONVERSATION
Q: What is the Conversation activity for?
A: The Conversation activity introduces a new function or grammar in each cycle. It presents the grammar in a communicative and situational context. The Conversation also serves as a good model for conversational expressions as well as providing a listening task.
Q: Why is Conversation before Grammar Focus?
A: The Conversation activity introduces a new grammatical structure in context. By showing students how the new grammar item is used and what it means, students are better able to understand the rules of the structure when they reach the Grammar Focus.
Q: How can I prevent students from simply "reading" the dialog aloud while practicing with a partner?
A: There are several techniques:
- "Look up and say" technique: A student looks at the line of the dialog that he or she needs to say next, and then looks up and says the line while maintaining eye contact with a partner. This encourages students to avoid a "reading-like" pronunciation and intonation when practicing Conversation exercises together.
- Seat students across from one another.
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GRAMMAR FOCUS
Q: Where can I find more controlled grammar practice exercises for my student?
A: New Interchange offers controlled practice of new grammar items in a number of places:
- Workbook
- Games and optional activities in the back of the Teacher's Edition
- Lab cassettes
- CD-ROM
- Video Activity Book
Note that the Writing activity in the Student's Book also provides further grammar practice.
Q: Is it necessary to add supplementary grammar exercises?
A: Students generally do not learn grammar by studying rules and doing lots of mechanical exercises. It is better to move on to the Fluency Activities and have the students apply the new structure in a communicative situation. However, if students have major problems during the Fluency Activities, you might need to give them some more controlled practice.
Q: Why aren't the grammar rules written down in the Grammar Focus summary box in the Student's Book?
A: The rules are generally written on the teacher's page in the Teacher's Edition instead of in the Student's Book. This gives the teacher the freedom and the flexibility to teach rules either inductively or deductively.
Q: How important is accuracy at this stage?
A: Accuracy is very important at this stage. Students need to understand a grammar rule in order to deal effectively with the Fluency Activities.
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PRONUNCIATION
Q: Are the models in the Pronunciation exercises written in North American English?
A: The models are written in North American English. However, New Interchange reflects the fact that English is the major language of international communication and is not limited to any one country, region, or culture.
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FLUENCY ACTIVITIES
Q: What are the Fluency Activities (also known as Pair Work, Group Work, Role Play) for?
A: A Fluency Activity gives students the opportunity to put the new grammar and function into practice. Students also try out conversational skills, such as the abilities to open and close conversations, introduce and develop topics, request clarification, and take turns in conversation.
Q: What is the teacher's role in a Fluency Activity?
A: The teacher's role changes as the activity progresses:
- Before the activity: The teacher gives clear instructions, models the task, and sets the activity up so that students can work in pairs or groups using their own language resources.
- During the activity: The teacher monitors, helping students where necessary but taking care not to interrupt the students' flow. If possible, the teacher should take a note of errors made during the activity.
- After the activity: The teacher provides feedback, including praise, and deals with any important errors.
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LISTENING
Q: How much should I expect the students to understand?
A: Students do not have to understand everything that appears on the audio program, but they should have general comprehension of the situation and know key vocabulary that is essential for the task.
Q: How many times should the audio program be played?
A: Play the audio program until students are able to complete the task you have outlined for them. You may find it useful to break the listening up into shorter segments as you play the audio program a second and third time.
Q: How can I help students to better understand Listening exercises?
A: During Listening exercises, it is important to remind students that in most listening situations, the aim is not to understand every detail but to extract the main ideas or information. When you present an exercise, it is also important to prepare students for the task through pre-listening activities. These include asking questions about the topic, asking students to make predictions, and making use of the context provided by the pictures and the situation.
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INTERCHANGE ACTIVITIES
Q: What is the Interchange Activity for?
A: The Interchange Activity is the consummation of the whole unit. Students have a chance to put into practice the vocabulary, functions, and grammar they have learned during the unit, as well as to improve their speaking skills. The teacher has the chance to see how well students have grasped the language learned during the unit.
Q: How important is accuracy at this stage?
A: Accuracy is important during an Interchange Activity. But just as important, if not more so, is fluency. Try not to interrupt your students while they are speaking in pairs and groups so as not to stop the flow. Instead, make a note of errors made during the activity and deal with these after the activity is completed.
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WRITING
Q: What is "process writing"?
A: In order to improve your students' level of writing, you could take them through the "process" of writing. First, have them brainstorm what they are going to write about. Then have them write a first draft, concentrating on the content at this point, not grammar or spelling. Eventually, students revise their work, paying special attention to the language and write a final draft for the teacher.
Q: Do the Writing activities have to be done in class?
A: The best time to do a Writing activity is in class. However, if time is an issue, have students begin Writing activities in class and complete them at home. The work should then be followed up in class so that students can benefit from peer feedback.
Q: How can I stop my students copying the model?
A: There are several ways to prevent this from happening. For example:
- Do a model on the board with the students.
- Direct students to other parts of the unit where they can find additional information to put in their compositions.
- Have students close their books after a brief time limit.
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READING
Q: What reading skills do students practice in New Interchange?
A: Students practice a number of reading skills in New Interchange: how to skim, scan, read for inference, and read for detail. They will also learn how to guess the meaning of new words from context. The purpose of each Reading activity is different, so it is important to look in the Teacher's Edition to find out what skill your students will be practicing.
Q: How much of the text should I expect students to understand?
A: Total comprehension of the text usually is not the goal. It is more important that students use the strategies outlined in the Teacher's Edition (for example, skimming and scanning.)
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