Absence makes the heart fonder: people often feel more affectionate toward each other when

they are apart

Actions speak louder than words: peoples actions are more convincing than their words are
After the feast comes the reckoning: people must always pay the price of their excesses
All that glitters is not gold: some things are not as valuable as they appear to be
An apple a day keeps the doctor away: eating an apple every day helps a person to stay
healthy
The apple doesnt fall far from the tree: children take after their parents
Bad news travels fast: reports of problems and misfortune spread quickly
Barking dogs seldom bite: people who threaten others usually do not hurt them
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder: what seems ordinary or ugly to one person might seem
beautiful to another
Beggars cant be choosers: when a person has nothing, he or she must accept whatever help
is offered
The best things in life are free: the things that give a person the most happiness dont cost
anything
Better a live coward than a dead hero: its better to run from a life-threatening situation than
to fight and risk being killed
Better late than never: its better to do sth late than not to do at all
Better safe than sorry: it is better to choose a safe course of action than a risky one that
could lead to regrets
The bigger they are, the harder they fall: the more important someone is, the more severe
are the consequences of his or her failure
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush: sth you already have is better than sth you might
get
Birds of a feather flock together: people of the same type seem to gather together
Blood is thicker than water: members of the same family share stronger ties with each other
than they do with others
Charity begins at home: one should take care of ones own family, friends or fellow citizens
before helping other people
Clothes don not make the man: a person should not be judged by the clothes he or she wears

Curiosity killed the cat: it is dangerous to be curious

Do as I say, not as I do: follow my advice, but dont follow my example
Dont bite off more than you can chew: dont assume more responsibility than you can
handle; dont be overconfident
Dont bite the hand that feeds you: dont hurt someone who takes care of you
Dont count your chickens before they are hatched: dont plan on the successful resultd of sth
until those results actually occur
Dont cry over spilt milk: dont grieve about having done sth that cannot be undone
Dont judge a book by its cover: dont form an opinion about sth based on appearance alone
Dont judge a man until youve walked in his boots: dont criticize a person until youve tried
to do the things he does
Dont look a gift horse in the mouth: dont complain about sth that is given to you
Dont put all your eggs in one basket: dont risk losing everything at once
Dont put off for tomorrow what you can do today: dont unnecessarily postpone doing sth
Dont put the cart before the horse: dont do things in the wrong order
Familiarity breeds contempt: when you know people well you will discover their weaknesses
and you may come to scorn them
The first step is always the hardest: the most difficult part of accomplishing sth is getting
started
A fool and his money are soon parted: a foolish person quickly spends his or her money on
worthless things
Forewarned is forearmed: being warned about sth before it happens allows a person to
prepare for it
A friend in need is a friend indeed: a true friend will help you in a time of trouble
A friend who shares is a friend who cares: a true friend unselfishly shares what he or she has
Good things come in small packages: small containers can hold objects of great value
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence: another place or situation always
appears to be better than your own
Haste makes waste: when one hurries too much, one is likely to do a poor job and have to

waste time doing it over

He who hesitates is lost: a person who doesnt act decisively is unlikely to succeed
He who laughs last, laughs best: the person who succeeds in making the last move has the
most fun
Hindsight is better than foresight: people see and understand things more clearly after
theyve happened than before theyve happened
If you cant beat them, join them: if you cant defeat your opponents, join forces with them
If you cant stand the heat, get out of the kitchen: if you cant tolerate the pressures of a
particular situation, remove yourself from that situation
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery: trying to be like someone is the most genuine way
of praising that person
In unity, there is strength: a group of people with the same goals can accomplish more than
individuals can
It never rains but it pours: good and bad things tend to happen in groups
It takes two to tango: when two people work as a team, they are both responsible for the
teams successes and failures
Leave well enough alone: dont try to improve sth that is already satisfactory
A leopard cannot change his spots: a person cannot change his or her basic character once it
has been formed
Lightning never strikes twice in the same place: the same misfortune wont happen twice to
the same person
Look before you leap: consider all aspects of a situation before you take any action
Love is blind: one sees no faults in the person one loves
Love makes the world go around: when people show respect and consideration for one
another, the world is a better place
Make hay while the sun shines: take advantage of an opportunity to do sth
Man does not live by bread alone: peoples psychological needs as well as their physical
needs must be satisfied if they are to live
A man is known by the company he keeps: a person is believed to be like the people with
whom he or she spends time
Might makes right: the stronger of two opponents will always control the situation

Misery loves company: unhappy people often get satisfaction from having others share their
misery
A miss is as good as a mile: losing by a narrow margin is no different than losing by a wide
margin
Money does not grow on trees: money is not easily obtained
Necessity is the mother of invention: most inventions are created to solve a problem
No news is good news: if one does not hear the outcome of a situation, that outcome must be
positive
No pain, no gain: nothing can be accomplished without effort
Nothing hurts like the truth: it is painful to discover an unpleasant truth about oneself
Nothing ventured, nothing gained: you cant achieve anything if you dont try
Old habits die hard: it is very difficult to change an established pattern of behaviour
One good turn deserves another: a favor should be repaid with another favor
One mans gravy is another mans poison: what is pleasing to one person may not be
pleasing to another
One swallow does not a summer make: one piece of evidence is not enough to prove sth
The pen is mightier than the sword: the written word is more powerful than physical force
Possession is nine-tenths of the law: the person who possesses sth has the strongest claim to
owning it
Practice makes perfect: doing sth many times improves ones skill at it
The proof of the pudding is in the eating: the only way to judge sth is to try it
The road to hell paved with good intensions: good intentions dont always lead to good
actions
Rome wasnt built in a day: important things do not happen overnight
The spirit is willing, but the fresh is weak: a persons body is not always as strong as his or
her mind
The squeaking wheel gets the oil: those who complain the loudest get the most attention
Strike while the iron is hot: act at the best possible time

There is no honor among thieves: one dishonest person cannot trust another
Theres more than one way to skin a cat: there are many ways to achieve a goal
Theres no fool like an old fool: a foolish act seems even more foolish when performed by an
older person, who should have a lot of wisdom
Theres no place like home: a person is happiest with his or her family and friends
Too many chiefs, not enough Indians: too many people are giving orders, and not enough
people are following orders
Too many cooks spoil the broth: too many people trying to take care of sth can ruin it
Two heads are better than one: two people working together can solve a problem quicker and
better than a person working alone
Twos company, but theres a crowd: couples often enjoy their privacy and dislike having a
third person around
Variety is the spice of life: differences and changes make life enjoyable
The way to a mans heart is through his stomach: the way to gain a mans love is by
preparing food that he enjoys
when the cats away the mice will play: some people will misbehave when they are not being
watched
where theres smoke, theres fire: when there is evidence of a problem, there probably is a
problem
you can lead a horse to water, but you cant make him drink: you can propose a course of
action to someone, but you cant force that person to accept it
you cant have your cake and eat it too: you cant enjoy the advantages of two conflicting
activities at once
you cant teach an old dog new tricks: elderly people cant change their behavior or learn
anything new
you have to take the good with the bad: you must accept disappointment along with success
you reap what you sow: the amount of effort you put into sth determines how much you will
get out of it
youre never too old to learn: a person can learn at any age

The Language Teacher -Textbook Evaluation Form

De Erhan Ergenler, el Viernes, 13 de mayo de 2011 a la(s) 13:48

Textbook Evaluation Form

James B. Brown
Textbooks are indispensable tools, but how many times have you started out with a textbook
only to find the exercises turning to thin gruel, forcing you to scramble to fill in the gaps? This
article provides an evaluation system and score sheet to help university conversation
teachers anticipate and forestall these and other problems in textbook selection. By first
systematically recording their overall evaluation of the textbook and peripherals, followed by
carefully inspecting key components, teachers can best choose the textbooks appropriate for
each class.
PART I. Start with the textbook's "system" and avoid inspection errors
When you choose a textbook, you are not only selecting what the students will see but also
an array of peripherals, the textbook's "system," which may include the teachers manual,
tests, and audio tapes. All of these have considerable bearing on the overall ease of use and
quality of the textbook.
The better textbooks have teacher's manuals. Producing a good manual can require a lot of
deliberation and may affect the development of the textbook itself. Even if the teacher's
manual is not sensational, the authors will have had to look through each and every exercise
to be able to present them in the manual. Generally, the longer the manual, the more
"goodies"--such as teaching ideas and supplemental activities--it has and the more useful it
will be. Features to look for in a teacher's manual include: interleaving--putting the manual
and the student's book together; comprehensive vocabulary lists; additional activities-perhaps photo-reproducible, and clear presentation not only of the lessons but also the
strategy behind the textbook. Unfortunately, publishers rarely give away sample copies of
the teacher's manual, so teachers may need to rely on the limited information available in
the catalog to assess them.
A very few textbooks come with tests. Whether you use the tests or not, the development of
tests is a "good sign," which often indicates more careful preparation of the textbook.
Moreover, the test materials can often be used as supplementary activities.
Tapes also can be a productive supplement to a textbook if they contain genuine listening
tasks. The common pattern is for publishers to send out a promotional tape with sample
lessons rather than a complete tape, but even these allow a useful assessment of the tape.
Do the tapes merely provide recordings of the conversations that appear in the text, or do
they introduce expanded listening opportunities?
The typical university conversation class has around 35 students of mixed levels, meeting
once a week for ninety minutes for a total class time of about 45 hours per year. Most
teachers probably wouldn't use a single textbook as their only classroom resource, but at the
same time, many feel reluctant to make students purchase two textbooks, especially since
popular texts can run close to \2000 per copy. If the textbook has too few or skimpy lessons,
you will be struggling to produce "supplemental" materials or running the copy machine
overtime.
When you first examine the textbook, ignore the cover copy. The blurb on the cover will
usually emphasize how easy the textbook is to use, how useful and fun it is for the students,
and how it will address the needs and level of your class, sometimes by using a less-thaninformative level-definition such as "false beginner." One textbook describes false beginners

as "students who have studied English previously but who have not had much chance to
actively use what they have learned" (Graves & Rein, 1988, p. viii), a definition that probably
includes 95 percent of the EFL student population in Japan. Talk about marketing strategy!
The publisher's claims that the text addresses a certain level are also largely unhelpful since
there is little or no consensus among textbook writers about what grammar points, what
functions, or how much practice of each fit which level (Brown, 1994). You are better off
looking at the actual material itself and making your own judgment.
Always begin by looking at the textbook from back to front. Beyond greetings and selfintroductions, which usually come up in the first few lessons, there is little agreement about
what is important to teach or when to teach it (Brown, 1994), so starting your inspection at
the back may help you to see how the textbook is unique. Moreover, some textbooks do not
maintain a consistent focus from beginning to end. The authors may have run out of ideas at
lesson 10 but have been asked by their publisher to create 15 lessons. If you can only use
two-thirds of a textbook, it will affect how much time you plan to spend on the lessons and on
creating materials to compensate for their inadequacies.
In addition, looking from the back prevents the "to the teacher" or "for the student"
messages from prejudicing your own assessment. It also assures that you will assess each
lesson critically, without having seen an introductory table, for instance, purporting to tell you
which grammar points and functions are taught in each lesson.
PART II. Looking at the lessons in the textbook
Now that you've ignored the covers and opened the book "Japanese-style," here are some
suggestions for looking at the lessons for maximum benefit. This overview of the process will
help you prepare to fill in the evaluation form.
a) Weigh what skills the lessons focus on. Some textbooks offer lots of reading practice, while
others stress one of the other skill areas. Few teachers spend all of the class time in
conversation activities. Reading, writing, and listening exercises can also contribute to a wellbalanced lesson. How much attention each textbook focuses on the respective skills varies
from book to book, so it is up to the teacher to decide what arrangement will best serve the
interests of the students.
b) Glance over the last three lessons. How many of the exercises would you want to replicate
if you were writing your own textbook? If they don't capture your attention, your students will
probably find them uninteresting as well.
c) Act out a couple of activities in your head. Are they useful? Do your students really need to
know how to gossip by saying, "Did you hear that Ron had cholera?" (Richards & Bycina,
1985, p. 84)? Are the pair-work activities really pair-work, or do they have the students doing
things like "pricing items" (Richards with Hull & Proctor, 1990, p. 78)?
Many exercises don t seem to achieve much. Richards, with Hull and Proctor (1991) ask
students to put such places as an American Express office, city hall, a concert hall, the IBM
building, the Immigration office, etc. under the headings "commercial buildings," "gov't office
buildings," and "arts and entertainment centers" (p. 78). While individual weaknesses such as
these may not detract too heavily from well-designed textbooks, teachers need to assess
how many of them there are how much teacher-time might be necessary to compensate for
them.
Other functions taught may be inappropriate for the proficiency-level of your students, such
as "complaining" in a textbook which describes itself as low-intermediate (Richards, with Hull
& Proctor, 1991), for example. How much complaining is even an advanced EFL student likely
to do? A single textbook can have exercises which are relatively easy for your students while
presenting others which are extremely challenging. You, the teacher, are best situated to
decide about the suitability of the materials for your students.
d) If you were studying a foreign language--say, Japanese--would you want or need to

practice the points in the lessons?

e) Can your students really learn to use the points in the lesson? This is a difficult question,
but I think most teachers will have some sense of how much practice their students need to
learn a point. Low-level students asked to practice apologies and give excuses, for instance,
are simply not likely to be able to use them effectively. Textbook-level opportunities to
apologize are far too infrequent for students to make use of them outside the classroom.
Moreover, the cultural "fine points" of making excuses are often difficult even for native
speakers to handle. For most students, the fall-back "I'm sorry" is enough.
f) Consider the number of points being covered by each lesson. Are the students required to
practice a large variety of grammar items and functions in each unit? There is wide
discrepancy among textbooks claiming to address similar levels. One may provide several
exercises for each grammar point (Graves and Rein, 1988), while another mixes grammar
points with fewer exercises (Harmer, J. and Sunguine, H., 1990, p. 4). Think about your own
study of language. Did you learn a language by doing exercises like the ones in the textbook
you are considering? Could you?
g) Is it immediately apparent what grammar items are being practiced? Look closely at any
boxes, often highlighted in a different color, listing grammar points taught. Do the points in
the box stick to a single element or do they include a variety of features? One textbook may
introduce only one grammar point in a lesson with a variety of practices (Viney, P., Viney, K. &
Rein, 1993, pp. 44-46). Another introduces at least four grammar points in one highlighted
box (Helgesen, Brown, & Mandeville, 1988, p. 39), while a third hardly mentions grammar
structures as such at all, requiring that students practice conversations (Richards, Bycina, &
Aldcorn, 1995)--a kind of "phrase book" approach. These dramatic differences in presentation
mean that you must judge which format is most appropriate for your students and your style
of teaching.
h) How about the functions? Do you use them yourself frequently? If not, why are EFL
students learning them? Some textbooks ask the students to practice things that even native
speakers might use infrequently: returning purchased items, for example (Richards, Bycina
and Aldcorn, 1995, p. 54). Similarly, practicing "Could I borrow your cat?" (Helgesen, Brown
and Mandeville, 1988, p. 49) may provide useful practice of the "could I borrow..." form, but
you, the teacher, must decide how often your students will need to borrow things.
i) Look at the amount of art work in each lesson. While colorful pages make for a lively
presentation, occasionally the art work seems to conceal the fact that there are really very
few exercises on each page. There is no problem with this in principle, but it may have a
direct bearing on whether there will be enough of the "right stuff" to keep your class going for
the full year.
PART III. The textbook's extras
Next, turn to the front of the book. At the beginning of what I consider the better books, there
is a table showing the grammar focus and functions of each lesson. This simple guide is often
missing from textbooks, making the teacher flip through the pages to grasp the contents of
each lesson. As with the teacher's manual, the preparation of this kind of list can have a
positive effect on the textbook writing process. As the list is made, adjustments such as
changes in the order of presentation, for instance, may be made to good effect. A simple
table of contents with the lesson titles is rarely adequate to make a preliminary judgment
about what will be presented in each unit. One textbook offers this information for Lesson 34:
"Macumba!" (White & Williams, 1990, p. 3), while another provides the following for Lesson
13: "I won't be home for lunch today" (Buckingham & Whitney, 1995, p. 3). Neither would be
transparent enough to aid a teacher in deciding whether to use that textbook or not. In
contrast, other texts provide dense outlines in print so small that one finds oneself paging
through the lessons to get some idea of what the text is all about. One textbook offers clear

information in a chart form, presenting topics, functions, grammar/pronunciation, listening,

writing/reading, and a class activity in a two-page spread (Richards, J.C. with Hull, J. and
Proctor, S., 1991, pp. iv-v). Again, since publishers rarely send desk copies of the teacher's
manual, we usually have to evaluate how the textbook will work in our classes based only on
the student's book.
Either by examining the introductory table of information or by paging through the textbook
in front-to-back order, look to see if points made in earlier lessons are "recycled" in later
lessons. Recycling will have an effect on how you use the textbook, since not doing lessons in
sequence could be less effective.
Some textbooks have a continuing story which often appears either as a reading or as the
introductory conversation of each lesson (Graves & Rein, 1988; White & Williams, 1990).
These continuing stories may work for the student who never misses a class or the teacher
who starts with lesson one, continues straight through the textbook, and finishes it without
skipping anything. For university classes where attendance can be spotty, however, the
continuing story may end up being dropped. This means less useful material overall.
Finally, the age of the textbook can be an important factor. Exercises that ask young students
to talk about famous people they may never have heard of, such as Bishop Desmond Tutu or
Dolly Parton, for example (Richards, J.C. with Hull, J. and Proctor, S., 1990, p. 4), or mention
events that are "ancient history," often force the teacher to scramble to substitute other
information.
I have worked up this process into an evaluation form which you can use as you evaluate
textbooks. While not covering all the points that we may look at in choosing a textbook, this
evaluation process should provide a good jumping off place for assessing the books for your
classes. The evaluation form itself follows the instructions below.
As an example, let's review a textbook for a listening and speaking class. The textbook we
will review is Interactions 2, a listening/speaking skills book.
Textbook Evaluation Form Instructions
(Total 100 points)
1. Is there a teacher's manual? Yes = 5 points. Add one point for each ten pages it is longer
than the textbook up to 5 more points, or subtract one point for each ten pages it is shorter
than the textbook down to no less than 2 points.
In our review textbook there is a manual but it is only 22 pages long while the text is 182
pages long. It gets 2 points
2. Does the textbook come with its own tests or testing suggestions? Yes = 10 points
The textbook we are reviewing provides tests, so it gets 10 points in this category.
3. Flip quickly through the last three lessons, and using the lines on the form, mark the
number of times each skill is addressed. If there are four reading exercises, eleven speaking
exercises, and three listening exercises per unit, you will have those numbers in the boxes on
the evaluation form. "Listening" does not include mere tape recordings of the grammar or
function points unless a genuine listening task could be created from them. The numbers on
the lines provide an outline of the textbook's focus. Does the resulting outline fit what you
want for your class? Rate 1 to 5; top score 5 points. Multiply the score by 2.
In the text we are reviewing, a lesson has: 1 reading, 3 writing, 8 listening and 6 speaking
exercises. Since ours is a listening/speaking class, this looks pretty good. Let's give it a 5;
times two equals 10 points.
4. Allowing for skipping some exercises and supplementing with teacher-created materials, is
there enough stuff? A typical college conversation class could run through two or more pages
per hour in some textbooks; more if you skip some of the exercises. Choose a lesson at
random and decide how much time you will need to cover it in your class. This should be
easier than it seems, since you will have already looked at the exercises carefully in Part II of

the evaluation process. Multiply this amount of time by the number of the lessons. Conduct
this test after you have eliminated the points that you think will be hard or impossible to
teach. In other words, if you eliminate 20% of each lesson because it is not what you want to
teach or because it is plain stupid, this will reduce the volume of the text by 20%. Will there
still be enough goodies to last the whole year, or will you be hogging the copy machine
during the last couple of weeks?
1 = probably not enough
2 = probably enough
Multiply the score by 5.
In our review text, we could expect to spend about three to four hours per lesson: at least
two on the major listening features and perhaps a little more than one on the speaking
portions. Let's split the difference and call it 3 and a half hours. Since there are 12 lessons,
this gives us about 42 hours of class time-- not quite enough. If we allow for testing and other
activities, it might be enough, so let's give the text the benefit of the doubt and 10 points in
this category.
5. Look at the last three lessons. Are there exercises you would want to replicate in the
textbook you would like to write?
1 = nothing really gripping
2 = maybe one exercise
3 = a couple of exercises look pretty good
4 = only a couple of exercises look weak
5 = I would use entire lessons "as is"
Multiply the score by 2.
Looking at the last three lessons in our textbook, I find that the mini-lecture with the note
taking outline already provided looks like something I d want in a textbook I would write.
Let's say that is "a couple of exercises" since the lecture is one and the note-taking outline is
another. I'll give it a score of 3; times two equals 6 points in this category.
6. Choose two more lessons at random to look at the content of the exercises they present.
(a) Is the level of all the practice exercises suitable for your students, or are some much more
difficult than others. Consistent level = up to 2 points
All of the exercises seem to be of consistent level in our review textbook, so it gets 2 points
here.
(b) Do the activities in the lessons ask that the students practice something that they are
likely to use? Yes = up to 2 points
All of the exercises focusing on listening are useful, but the speaking exercises may obligate
the students to carry on rather "artificial" conversations. This will require creativity on the
part of the teacher, me. Let's give it 1 point here.
(c) Do the activities that ask students to work together give them a "real" task? Yes = up to 2
points
All of the group activities and discussions are "real" in that they tie directly to the listening
materials, but that may not have any bearing on the real world out there. Some of the role
play activities stretch my sense of what students might "really" do, so let's rate this category
a O.
(d) Are grammar items presented and explained clearly? Yes = up to 2 points
There are no grammar items presented or explained in this book. 0 points.
(e) Look at the art work and pictures. Do they cover for skimpy lessons? No = up to 2 points
(A word-count of a page of exercises can be informative here. Fewer than 200 words,
including instructions, is often a sign that you might be able to whiz through the lessons
faster than you want to.)
The art work is actually quite skimpy in our textbook, and in no way acts as a cover for a lack

of material. Let s give the text a 2 on this one.

Total for (a) through (e) is 5 points.
7. Look at the last three lessons again. If the textbook were a text for a foreign language you
were studying, would it be useful for you? Assign a score.
1 = not really necessary
2 = probably not necessary
3 = maybe I could use it
4 = probably necessary
5 = it would be essential
Multiply the score by 2.
I think I could improve listening using much of what this textbook has to offer, but some of
the speaking exercises would leave me cold. Let's be middling here and call it a 3. That gives
us 6 points for this category.
8. Is there an overview of the textbook at the beginning that lists the functions and structures
that will be taught in each lesson? Yes = 5 points.
Does it provide immediately clear information about what the contents of the lessons are?
Rate it 1 to 5 for this and add the score to the 5 points above. If it is opaque to you and you
find yourself looking at the lessons to find out what actually is covered, subtract 2 points.
In the review text, there is a comprehensive chart showing the listening skills, the
conversation features/functions, the note-taking skills, the listening tasks, and the speaking
activities at the front of the book. The text gets 5 points for having the information and
another 5 for presenting it clearly. That s 10 points in this category.
9. Choose another lesson at random. Are your students likely to learn the points presented?
Does the lesson provide lots of exercises for one grammar point or several grammar points
with only one exercise each. Does the lesson try to teach more than one function? Are there
enough exercises that some of it would stick to most of the members of your class?
1 = doesn't look too acquirable
2 = some of the points could be acquired
3 = about half of it could be acquired
4 = most of it could be acquired
5 = almost all of it could be acquired
Multiply the score by 2.
Since listening is one of the major features of the text, I'd have to say that it provides enough
practice to be useful. The speaking activities, while reinforcing the listening portion, don't
look like they would "stick" as such. Let's rate this a 3; times two equals 6 points in this
category.
10. Is the book a recent publication/edition?
1 = more than 5 years old
2 = 4 years old
3 = 3 years old
4 = 2 years old
5 = one year old
Multiply the score by 2.
Materials can get out of date very quickly. The 1970's may seem like only yesterday to you,
but most college students were not born until the mid-seventies. This means that lessons
which need popular information from as late as 1985 will be challenging for many of them.
Our review book is very recent, having been published in 1996. It gets the full 10 points here.
Our total score for the textbook is 75 points.
Textbook Evaluation Form
Textbook Name ____________________________ Author _____________________

Publisher __________________________ ISBN number ______________________

Agent's name _____________________ Phone ____________ Fax ______________
_____ 1.
Is there a teacher's manual? Yes = 5 points: + 1 for each ten pages more than students book;
-1 for each ten pages less.
_____ 2.
Are there tests? Yes = 10 points
_____ 3.
Is the skills orientation suitable? 1 = poor; 5 = excellent (x 2)
Reading
Writing
Listening
Speaking
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____ 4.
Is there enough material? 1 = probably not; 2 = probably (x 5)
_____ 5.
Are there any exercises you would replicate for your textbook? 1 = none; 5 = all of them (x 2)
_____ 6.
_____ a. Are the practice exercises all at a consistent level? Yes = up to 2
_____ b. Are your Ss likely to use what they get from the text? Yes = up to 2
_____ c. Do the pair work activities give Ss a "real" task? Yes = up to 2
_____ d. Clear grammar point presentation and explanation? Yes = up to 2
_____ e. Too much art work? No = up to 2
_____ 7.
Would the exercises be useful for you in your FL study? 1 = not really; 5 = essential (x 2)
_____ 8.
Is there an overview of the textbook at the beginning or only a table of contents? Yes = 5
Does it provide clear and helpful information? + 1 = a little; + 5 = a lot; No = -2
_____ 9.
Can your students acquire the material using the presentation?
1 = doubtful; 5 = definitely (x 2)
_____ 10.
Is it a recent publication/edition? 1 = >5 yrs. old; 5 = 1 yr. old (x 2)
_____
Total (out of 100 points)
References
Brown, James B. (1994). Conversation Instruction: Do we know what we're
doing? KeiwaBulletin, Vol. 3.
Buckingham, A., & Whitney, N. (1995). Passport . New York: Oxford University Press.
Graves, K., & Rein, D.P. (1988) East West 1 . New York: Oxford University Press
Harmer, J., & Sunguine, H. (1990).Coast to Coast 2. New York: Longman.
Helgesen, M., Brown, S., & Mandeville, T. (1988) English Firsthand Plus. Japan: Lingual House.
Richards, J.C., & Bycina, D. (1985). Person to Person 2 . New York: Oxford University Press.
Richards, J.C., with Hull, J. & Proctor, S. (1990)Interchange 1 . Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Richards, J.C., with Hull, J. & Proctor, S. (1991).Interchange 2 . Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press.
Richards, J.C., Bycina D., & Aldcorn S.B.(1995). New Person to Person 1. New York: Oxford
University Press.
Tanka, J., & Baker, L.R. (1996) Interactions 2 A Listening/Speaking Skills Book. New York:
McGraw-Hill Company, Inc.
Viney, P., Viney, K., & Rein, D.P. (1993). Main Street 1. New York: Oxford University Press.
White, R., & Williams, E. (1990). Take One. London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd.

Article copyright 1998 by the author.

Document URL: http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/files/97/oct/brown.html
Last modified: April 24, 1998
Site maintained by TLT Online Editor