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PART TWO

2. LANGUAGE CONTENT

2.I. Appropriateness of grammar items to its level.

Does the coursebook cover the main grammar items appropriate to its level?

Starter Pace Setter gives in each unit different grammatical structure as; in ıntroduction unit; Imperatives with pictures and matching activities, in unit are; imperatives and the verb be (singular) in reivew section rules are given in forms than with fill in the blanks activities it is practised, in unit two; the verb be (plural) Who? What?, indefinite article a/an, demonstratives this/that firstly they see the structure below pictures than they guess others (pictures) later on they listen the from from casette in review part they see whole explanation of the structure of that unit, in unit three; have got, plural nouns and adjectives are given, in unit four; there is, there are, prepositions of place, possesive is, possesive adjectives are given, in unit five; the present simple countable and uncountable nouns some and any are given, in unit six; adverbs of frequency, present simple questions, object proununs are given in exercises form, in unit seven; Demonstratives this, that, those and those, quantifiers; a little, a few, and a lot of are given in chart (see Appendix A₅), in unit eight; can/can’t, must, prepositions of time, in unit nine; the present continuos, adverbs of manner are given, in unit ten; The present simple and continous, how much / many? ardinal numbers are given, in unit eleven; the post simple be, have, go, the post simple questions: Why? Because: Adverbs of past time are given, in unit twelve; the post simple regular verbs, sequencing verbs are given, in unit thirteen; the past simple irregular verbs are given, in unit fourteen; the present continous with future meaning shall we / why don’t we…? How about…? Let’s…? are given, in unit fifteen; I’ll, Shall I, let me used for offers, possesive pronouns, one and ones are given.

As it is seen below coursebook covers all the main grammar items appropriate to its level.

2.II.   QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF VOCABULARY TEACHING MATERIAL

Vocabulary;

Until recent years, vocabulary was a negleeted area of foreign language teaching, but it has gained its due recognition in the last few years, as realization come that sustained communication is virtually impossible without access to a relevant and fairly wide range of vocabulary. It is often asserted with some tirth that, particularly ot lower levels, student can communicate more effectively with a knowledge of vocabulary than with a knowledge of grammer. (Cunnigsworth, A. (1995; p.38)).

Is material for vocabulary teaching adequate in terms of quantity and the nange of vocabulary?

The vocabulary content of Starter Pace Setter is sufficient in terms of quantity and quality. It is as a whole package gives importance to vocabulary teaching. In introduction part it shows how to use a dictionary and gives pictures and words together to be matched. Each unit has a vocabulary part as in unit three, there is parts of body. In unit four; rooms, furniture, clothes and adjectives, in unit five; names of food, drink and nationalities, in unit six; clothes and colours, in unit seven; shopes and useful things at home and work, in unit eight; names of languages, sports and hobbies, days of the week, in unit nine; the weather, directions, holidays, in unit ten; numbers, dates, months, in unit eleven; adjective to describe feelings, adverbs of post time, adverbs of manner, in unit twelve; sequencing words, verbs for telling stories and writing reports, in unit thirteen; films and jobs, in unit fourteen; places in a town, travel and exhibitions, time phrases, in unit fifteen; personal property and offers are given.

In Workbook at the end of each unit for preporing the next one there is a vocabulary activity (see Appendix A₆)

2.II.1. SUITABLE AMOUNT OF VOCABULAR AT BEGINNER LEVEL

At beginner this amount is nearly 1200 words. And this is completely covered in Pace Setter starter.

2.III. MATERIAL FOR PRONOUNCIATION WORK

2.III.1. What is the role of pronunciation in ELT Classes?

Pronounciation is an important subject to be dealt with in ELT classes. When ever the communication comes about the meaning gains importance so the pronunciation needs to be learnt carefully to analyze each syllable, words, sentence and paragraphs.

For example are students need to know the difference between I’m bed or I’m bad. These two sentences have different pronuniation the first one with /e/ the second are with /æ/

2.III.2. Does the coursebook package include material for pronounciation work ıf so what is covered?

In Starter’s student’s book each unit has a pronounciation work section.

¾  In Unit 1® Sentence stress in greetings /i:/

¾ In Unit 2® Sentence stress in questions /e/ and /i:/

¾ In Unit 3® Intonation in questions and answers /a/ in have

¾ In Unit 4® Word stress in questions and answers /e/ and /aı/

¾ In Unit 5® Word and sentence stress in simple dialogues /s/, /z/, /iz/

¾ In Unit 6® Word stress /æ/ and and /L/

¾ In Unit 7® /q/  and /ð/ words and sentence stress

¾ In Unit 8® Word and sentence stress can can’t

¾ In Unit 9® /ŋ/

¾ In Unit 10® Word and sentence stress, Ordinal numbers

¾ In Unit 11® Was and were sentence stress

¾ In Unit 12® ed endings words stress and intonation

¾ In Unit 14® /w/ and /v/ sentence stress

¾ In Unit 15® word and sentence stress /s/, /z/

2.III.3. What are the activities that provide opportunities to enchance the development of pronounciation ralent?

Firstly Teacher say the sound to the class then students repeat it. After than student’s listen tape-recorder and repeat the words.

Teacher repeats the Task with closed books for the aim of only concentrating on listening.

Than in pairs students say the words to each other to see if they can quess which ones contain for example the sound /i:/

Also in Grammar and Practice book each unit has pronounciation section consisting of filling the blanks activities as unit 1.

Write the wards in the correct list.

 /i:/          /I/

 be          is

PART THREE

SKILLS

3.I. ARE ALL FOR SKILLS ADEQUATELY COVERED BARING IN MIND THE COURSEBOOK AIM & SYLLABUS REQUIREMENTS?

All four skills are covered in the coursebook related to the coursebook aim and syllabus requirements. But speaking activities only encourage students to express themselves in a variety of practical situations. Many speaking activities are controlled with regular dialogues and role-plays.

Listening activities are for repeation and pronounciation studies.

Writing activities are related to development of grammatical structures.

Reading activities are placed in each unit student’s book and grammar & practice book and work book to develop reading comprehension.

Related to its syllabus type there are integrated skills work that enable students opportunities to use their language in practice.

3.II. SUFFICENCY OF READING MATERIAL IN THE COURSEBOOK

In Starter Pace Setter like the other main course books %40 percent of the book is dedicated to reading skill. It can be simply said to be sufficient for beginner at this level.

3.II.1. Criterias For Sufficiency In Reading

We have three main points to search in reading materials in a coursebook these are;

- Are they of real interesT/

- The authenticity of the language taking into consideration of the level

- If the reading material is well presented and accompanied by purposeful activities which help the reading process.

3.II.2. How is This Suffficiency Provided in the Starter Pace Setter?

In addition to skimming, students are taught to scan a text for specifi pieces of information, finding answers and possibly making simple notes in the process. They are introduced to ways of quessing meanings of unknown words from context or other non-verbal clues, such as pictures. They are taught to understand the way pronouns are used to make references, and to recognize how some words, are used as links of structure and meaning between parts of texts. These reading sub-skills and others are introduced gradually and then practised throughout the whole course, with the aim of teaching students to be efficient readers of English from the start. In every unit of Pace Setter there is at least one main reading text, and in many units there are two. With each text there are appropriate skills tasks to be done pre-while-and / or after reading.

       3.III. IS LISTENING MATERIAL WELL – RECORDED AS AUTHENTIC AS POSSIBLE WITH BACKGROUND INFORMATIVE QUESTIONS & ACTIVITIES WHICH HELP COMPREHENSION?

There is listening practice in every unit of Pacesetter. In the casette recordings, students are presented with a wide range of types of spoken English; dialogues, mini dramas, annoncements, recorder messages, TV or radio programmes, phone calls, and so on. With all The Pace Setter recording learners are helped by sound effects, pauses, repetitions or rephrasings (built-in redundancy) and by the clear delivery of all the language on the cassettes.

There isn’t seen much informative questions and activities to help and develop student’s comprehension.

3.IV. IS MATERIAL FOR SPOKEN ENGLISH WELL-DESİGNED TO SUPPORT LEARNERS?

With listening activities students learn to listen to Spoken English with confidence, to understand it accurately, and to develop specific sub-skills for effective listening such as understanding the gist of a conversation / message, listening for detail, listening ‘through’ difficult or unknown language without panicking, understanding the speaker’s mood or attitude, and so on.

3. V. HOW THE COURSEBOOK DEALS WITH WRITING SKILL?

The writing activities in Pacesetter are carefully structured so students are supported at each stage of the process. As with all skills activities, there is an emphasis on the communicative purpose, so students are encounaged to think about their reader while they are writing. For example, if they are, writing a tourist guide for their town, their ‘reader’ will be someone with little or no knowledge of the are, so they would need to include basic information.

The writing activities help to build students’ confidence to write a variety of types of text in accurate English, for example, notices, letters, posters, articles, stories, and diary entries.

Pace setter helps students to develop essential sub-skills of writing such as planning and organizing ideas, checking and editing so they can develop their confidence in – and enjoyment of – the written form. There are frequent opportunities in Pacesetter for students to write about their own ideas and experiences, using new language in personalized ways.

PART FOUR

4. TOPIC AND METHODOLOGY  

4.I.    CONNECTION OF THE TOPICS STATED IN THE UNITS WITH STUDENTS’ OWN CULTURE

The first four pages of every main unit of Student’s Book are devoted to two loosely linked aspects of a theme or topic – Topics are carefully selected to provide natural contexts for language presentation and to be of real interest to teenagers.

With two related topics in each unit, a good range of vocabulary from the overall topic area can be introduced and recycled. A further important aim is to build on students’ own interests and experience, and to develop their understanding of the world around them.

The topics stated in the units don’t have any connection with students’ own culture as it commonly presents something related to European culture as; carnivals, hamburger or OK Club (The Youth Club). Some of them also become closer to Turkish culture nowadays.

4.II. THE METHODOLOGY OF STARTER PACE SETTER

One of the functions of coursebooks is to present the language in such a way that is learned as effectively and quickly as possible. This implies that the coursebook writers have a view on have language is learned and how it is best taught. Although the coursebook may not seek to impose a rigid methodology on learner’s and teacher’s, nevertheless the way it organizes its materials and the kind of activities it promotes can have a profound infivence on what happens in the classroom. (Cunnigsworth, A. (1995; p.97)).

Inductive learning is the style of Pace Setter. Firstly structure given in a context than student hypothesize about what the rule going to be than they see it in review part.

· Presenting new language

In Pacesetter, new grammatical structures and key words are introduced one by one, and the communicative use is always emphasized.

The topic of the unit is typically introduced with a warm-up activity which encourages the students to make predictions about the subject, or to say something about their own experience of it. This stage is vital as it mentally prepares the students for the unit, and gives the teacher an opportunity to generate interest in the lesson and to find out how much the students already know.

All new language – whether grammatical or functional – is presented in relevant and interesting contexts to ensura that the meaning and use is as clear as possible. A variety of presentation techniques are used, for example, listening to a dialogue, discussing pictures or looking at language in reading texts.

· Practising new language

The presentation stages is immediately followed by contextualized, controlled practice activities which allow the students to become confident in using the new language.

This confidence-building stage is followed by freer practice activities which allow the students to use the language and to experiment with what they have learned.

Many of the practice activities provide opportunities for the students to talk about their own experiences. This stage is vital for learners to perceive the language as something they can really use to communicate their ideas. Students, like most people, enjoy talking about themselves, after all.

· Grammar

New grammar is always presented in clear, meaningful contexts that encourage the students to work out the use and construction of the grammar for themselves. In this way, students develop the habit of thinking about language, which in turn helps their confidence and communicative use of the language.

The practice stage ensures that students have the opportunity to manipulate the structure in a controlled context before moving to more demanding free practice activities.

· Vocabulary

New vocabulary is systemetically presented in clear contexts so students can easily understand the new words and build up sets of vocabular. By learning vocabulary in lexical sets, or groups of words, students will find it eaiser to remember the new items. Throughout the course, vocabulary is recycled and extended in the context of different topics.

To encourage personal development in vocabulary learning, students are taught how to start and build up a vocabulary book, using va variety of helpful methods of vocabulary recording. There are frequent reminders to the students to refer to and add to their vocabulary book.

To help teachers identify the active or key vocabulary in each unit, there is a list at the beginning of each unit in the Teacher’s Book which dividies the unit’s vocabulary into Key (the words which should be actively used), and Other (the passive vocabulary which is for recognition only). This division means that development of vocabulary and the learning load is carefully controlled.

In later levels of the course, the Vocabulary sections in the Student’s Book units are designed to build students’ awareness of ways in which they can generate words and combination for themselves through correct use of prefixes and suffixes, word families and their relationships of meaning, common phrasal verbs, and so on.

4.III. THE METHODOLOGY FOR TESTING

Checking students’ progress takes place regularly in the self assesment (Check your self) sections in the Workbook. Students can see the areas they are strong or weak in, and teachers can then suggest ways of tackling individuals’ problems.

In Teacher’s Book there is a photocopiable progress test for each unit, which will provide teacher with a regular up-date of each student’s development. Bear in mind that a progress test is a positive tool for both teacher and student, and is designed so that the majority of students will do reasonably well. As well as monitoring progress on a regular basis, the test results should have the secondary benefit of motivating the students; a good mark is more likely to achieve this than one which is harsh.

PART FİVE

THE TEACHER’S BOOK

5.I. COMPRENSIBILITY OF TEACHER’S BOOK

The Teacher’s Book is the coordinating book in the Pacesetter series at each of the four levels.

It contains the full introduction, with general notes to help teacher use Pace setter effectively.

Following the introduction are unit-by-unit teaching notes, with tape scripts and answer keys, where necessary, there are notes an cultural or other specific factual details, so that teachers can prepore themselves with extra information on some topics. Basic lesson planning is reliably done for teachers in this book.

5.I.1. Are There Clear Objectives For Each Unit?

Yes, there are clear objectives for each unit stated under the topic as for unit one; students learn now to greet people they are meeting for the first time, for unit three; students learn adjectives of colours through listening and speaking activities, for unit five; students learn to talk about likes and dislikes, using the present simple, the language is presented through pictures, and listening and reading activities, and practised through guided discussion. The pronounciation section focuses on third person endings /s/ /z/ and /iz/ and so on.

5.I.2. Are there any guidelines for evaluating how well lesson go on?

There is not ony guidline for evaluating lesson but the teacher’s book itself is a guide for teacher with the tip and options section it directs teacher and help him to develop his understanding of teaching (see AppendixA₇)

5.II. THE ROLE OF TEACHER

Coursebook sees the Teacher’s role as a guide. But teachers who use this starter pacesetter become manager of learning. Especially in the school that I observed teachers do not make pair or group work activities in which they are guide so this role of them disappear and they suddenly manage class activities. If it was done I mean pair and group work the monitoring role of teacher would come about.

5.II.1. Does the coursebook recogmize different learning styles?

People differs in how they learn. Some of them learn by listening, some of them by writing and some of them by watching and some them learn both listening and watching.

Listening activities enable students to hear spoken language and by writing activities and reading comphrension passages, they can reinforce what they learnt in review section.

In tip section in Teacher’s book it provides opportunities for teacher to suggest or to opply in the class for students who have different learning styles. (see Appendix A₈)

        5.II.2. Does the coursebook promote the development of learner autonomy?

The coursebook promotes the development of learner autonomy in many ways as; providing them pair and group work activities in which they have the chance to use language and take some danger of making mistake into account then gain and live the happiness of success of using a foreign language.

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