Author: Edward J. Francis
ISBN: 1412020034
To read Norm's Interview With the Author Click Here
One of the most challenging difficulties teachers of a second language face is creating an atmosphere where the learning process becomes meaningful and at the same time practical, painless and enjoyable.
From my own personal experience learning French, it was only when my ear became tuned in to the nuances and subtleties of the language, and I ceased translating from English to French, that I achieved a certain amount of fluency.
One of the keys that aided my personal plight was being immersed into situations, where I had no alternative than to make myself understood to individuals, who could not converse in English, such as in a shopping mall, a restaurant, or hotel.
When I picked up a copy of Edward J. Francis’ A Year In The Life Of An ESL Student: Idioms And Vocabulary You Can’t Live Without, I asked myself, would life not have been far simpler if I had at my disposal this excellent workbook?
Francis is an ESL professional with over 15 years of teaching experience. He has put together an innovative and creative workbook that serves as a compliment to the classroom teaching of English as a second language.
Specifically, through the various exercises included in the book, students are exposed to a variety of practical circumstances, wherein certain words and idioms are regularly employed.
Rather than just providing vocabulary for the sake of language, students are stimulated by true- life situations rather than abstract concepts.
Divided into sixteen chapters, the workbook format follows the life of André, a student from Switzerland, who spends a year in North America in a private language school learning English. André experiences include his arrival in the country, wandering around the city, sitting in the student lounge, attending a TOEFL class, eating dinner with a roommate, shopping in a mall, picking up a friend at the airport, a day at the beach, waiting for a fireworks show, working out at a fitness club, drinking in a bar, catching a movie, driving to a cabin for the weekend, finishing classes, snowboarding and returning home.
Each chapter is set in motion with a conversation between André and another party, wherein certain key words and idioms are identified and printed in bold letters, and subsequently defined. As an example, where André works out at a fitness club, some of the key words and phrases are tuckered out, cleaned up my act, kicked the habit, pooped, carried away, do wonders for and many more.
This is followed by a series of exercises where the words are reinforced by having the student match the words/idioms, use them within sentences, complete a cross word puzzle, rewrite sentences using the word/idiom from the dialogue, fill in the blanks, comprehension questions, discussion questions, and identifying where certain words were more apt to be heard.
Also included at the back of the workbook are a list of related websites to the topics covered, answers to the exercises, and a glossary of terms.
No doubt, the traditional methods of teaching a second language are passé. Gone are the days when students only regurgitated vocabulary and rattled off verbs without integrating what they have learned into everyday situations. For the most part, with excellent workbooks as, A Year In The Life Of An ESL Student: Idioms And Vocabulary You Can’t Live Without, there is recognition that what is the key to learning a second language is creativity, innovation and experimentation in the classroom.
This workbook should be a must for anyone who wishes to learn English, and will definitely prove to be an invaluable learning aid.
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