Creating a killer lesson plan might be a daunting and time-consuming experience, but with the right resources you’ll definitely succeed. One of the best written course-books that you can find on the market at the moment is the New English File series, that includes a Student’s Book, Teacher’s Book, Work Book with key booklet, Student’s MultiROM (PC and Mac compatible), class audio CDs and video plus some additioanal and free online practise on www.elt.opu.com
The New English File (NEF) student’s book
Pros
- suitable for group classes, easily adapted for one-to-one teaching;
- every part of a unit deals with a different grammar point, wahich is discussed in great detail in the grammar bank at the end of the book;
- topics covered are interesting and engaging, each part of the unit tackles different context and the relevant vocab is presented in the vocabulary bank at the back of the book;
- each section of the unit ( 9 units in total, 8 units are divided into 4 sections, last unit contains 2 section) is designed to be used as a lesson;
- great focus on the listening and reading exercises which are well designed with an excellent comprehension, production and pre-listening/reading analysis;
- colloquial language usage and extra recordings included within the Practical English section;
- includes separate section covering writing exercises (e.g. an informal letter, description, a review) together with the linking words and adequate vocab for a particular type of writing;
- a well-designed revise and check section are also provided at the end of each unit;
- strong emphasis on pronunciation and word and sentence stress in every unit.
Cons:
- compared with other course-books at intermediate level the NEF seems to lack in the vocabulary range;
- many exercises are designed for groups of students rather than private tuitions;
- can’t be used as a self-study;
- the listening and reading comprehension could have been slightly more difficult
NEF – Teacher’s Book
Pros:
- includes answers and suggested lessons plan for each teaching section (e.g.optional lead-ins, methods for the presentation of the grammar and exercises)
- well designed and structured photocopiable pair work and speaking activities, including lyrics, reviewing the grammar and vocabulary previously covered.
Cons:
- price
NEF Workbook
Pros:
- gives your learners plenty of practice in all the grammar structures and vocabulary from the main text, especially when done as homework task.
Cons:
- None