TEXTBOOKS AND PUPPETS

TEXTBOOKS
The most obvious and most common form of
material support for language instruction
comes through textbooks. Sometimes new
teachers, in their zeal for creating wonderful,
marvelous written material for their students,
neglect the standard textbook prescribed y
the school curriculum and fail to see that this
resource may actually be quite useful.
If there is no teachers edition, then your task
becomes one of finding ways to present the
content and exercises of the book to your
class.
TEXTBOOK EVALUATION CHECKLIST
Goals of the course (Will this text help to
accomplish your course goals?)
Background of the students (Does the
textbook fit your students background)
Age
Native language
Educational background
Motivation or purpose for learning English.
Approach (Does the theoretical approach
reflected in the book reflect a philosophy that
you and your institution and your students
can easily identify with?
Theory of learning
Theory of language
Language skills (Does the book integrate the four
skills Does the textbook emphasizes skills which
the curriculum also emphasizes?
Listening
Speaking
reading
writing
General content. (Does the textbook reflect what is
now known about language and language
learning?
Validitydoes the textbook accomplish what it is
purposed to?
Authenticity of language
Approppriateness and currency of topics, situations, and
contexts
Proficiency levelis it pitched for the right level?
Quality of practice material
Exercisesis there a variety from controlled to free?
Clarity of directionsare they clear to both students and teacher?
Active participation of studentsis this encouraged effectively?
Grammatical and other linguistic explanationinductive or deductive
Review materialis there sufficient spiraling and review exercises?

Sequencing (how is the book sequenced?)
By grammatical structures
By skills
By situations
By some combination of the above
Vocabulary (Does the book pay sufficient
attention to words and word study?)
Relevance
Frequency
Strategies for word analysis
General sociolinguistic factors
A variety of EnglishAmerican, British, etc.
Cultural contentis there a cultural bias?

Format (Is the book attractive, usable, and durable?)
Clarity of typesetting
Use of special notation (phonetic symbols, stress/intonation marking,
etc.) quality and clarity of illustrations
General layoutis it comfortable and not too busy?
Size of the book and binding
Quality of editing
Index, table of contents, chapter headings.
Accompanying materials (Are there useful
supplementary materials?)
Workbook
Tapesaudio and/or video
Posters, flash cards, etc
A set of tests
Teachers guide (Is it useful?)
Helpful methodological guidance
Alternative and supplementary exercises
Suitable for non-native speaking teacher
Answer keys
PUPPETS
Why are puppets
useful in the primary
EFL classroom?

Can be used for:
Songs
Stories
Chants
Roleplay
Pairwork
PEDAGOGICAL AND LINGUISTICAL
AIMS BEHIND USING PUPPETS
For motivation: it is fun
For meaning: listen with a purpose
For fluency: to communicate, learn
new words
For cross-curricular activities: they can
be used in most topic areas of the
curriculum.
To teach vocabulary: parts of the face,
etc.
O teach grammar: verbs, nouns, etc.
KINDS OF PUPPETS
o Hand puppet
o Paper bag puppets
o Worm or caterpillar puppets
o Toilette roll puppets
o Yoghur pot or plastic cup puppet
o Fingere puppets
o Masks