The New Headway Intermediate Book Evaluation English Language Essay

The New Headway Intermediate Book Evaluation English Language Essay The purpose of the second part of this essay is to evaluate New Headway intermediate students book, one of the course books used at many of the foreign language institutes around the world. The evaluation will be based on an external and an internal evaluation of the book. The external evaluation will give us a brief overview of the materials from the outside (also known as factual information) and the internal evaluation will give us a closer and more detailed look at Units 1 and 2. The new headway course book is meant to be suitable for adults undertaking a general English course. It is the third edition, which means that the book is very popular and published many times. Liz and John Soars are the authors of this book. There is a note at the back of the book which states: Liz and John Soares are internationally renowned authors and highly experienced teachers and teacher trainers. This statement indicates that the authors are recognised in an international basis. The publisher is the oxford university press; A widely known publisher which has published thousands of books. There is a website link in the front and in the back of the book which you can access it online. The one link contains exercises you can do online and the other one has different English Books it has published so far. This single course book costs  £22.00, without the supplementary materials. If you want to buy the whole package, you have to buy each material individually. However, the whole package includes: class CDS/cassettes, a workbook (with or without key), the students workbook CD/cassette and a DVD/Video with students activity book. There is also a teachers book in print and locally available. Thus, the student edition will not be difficult to work with. However, if you go online at Amazon, you will see that if you want to buy together the teachers book, the workbook and the class audio cds, costs  £68. It is very expensive for someone who cannot afford it economically and he will be dissuaded from selecting it. In my opinion I would not buy the single book for only  £22 pounds as I would definitely need a workbook for supplementary exercises. However, it is not included in the package and it costs  £12.50. Also the course book does not provide any audio material in the back as man y do. I think that it is essential to provide this extra material in order to use the textbook more successfully in self-time study. The front cover is colourful with nice pictures, but in my opinion it is not very inspiring and attractive for learners. If you would take off the title I will take it as a science or a maths book. When opening the contents page, language is presented and organised into teachable units. The contents page illustrates the general organisation of the material, which is based on topics. Under each unit there is an established topic. Meanwhile, the importance of form is also made obvious by the prominent placement of grammar in the second column. It is now clear that the content is sequenced on the basis of the grammar complexity. It starts from a more simple grammar form and then progress to a more complex grammar form. The contents are divided broadly into language input and skills development. Under language input there is grammar, vocabulary and everyday English. Under skills development there is: reading, speaking, listening and writing. We can now continue to the next stage of the evaluation by performing a more deep investigation into the materials. I am going to examine Unit 1 and 2 in order to perform an effective internal inspection of the materials. Both units start with a presentation of the grammar which will be the focus of the unit and provides an engaging start. Looking the units as a whole all the language skills including grammar, vocabulary, reading, listening and speaking are all covered. Usually after the test your grammar part which engages you into the main focus of the units, there is a text. It is good that the unit starts with this way because it is helping them to remember thing they have done previously but also is going to introduce them of what grammar is going to follow. In unit 1 the grammar is very simple. It starts with auxiliary verbs, naming the tenses, questions and negatives, and short answers. Tenses and auxiliary verbs are integrated into a quiz which they have to complete and then listen to it in order to check their answers. Then there is the grammar spot and then there is a practice section where they have to practice negatives and pronunciation. Then follows some exercises on short answers where they have to notice differences between the two conversations. This is followed again by a grammar spot and then a practice activity based on short answers. It is obvious that it gives more emphasis on grammar. However, then follows an information gap speaking activity. In the next page follows a reading and a speaking activity where the students have to read a passage on the wonders of the modern world and answer some questions based on the text and then discuss some other questions. Further down there is a freer listening and speaking section w hich consists of listening about wonders of the modern world and a discussion based on inventions. Then, follows a vocabulary section with different exercises based on what it is new in a word. This part includes some spelling and pronunciation exercises. Additionally there is a reference to page 159 where you can find all the phonetic symbols. At the end of the vocabulary section there is a writing exercise in page 103 based on correcting mistakes and finally there is the section every day English where students practice social expressions through exercises. Unit 2 starts with a short Test your grammar exercise which is to guide students into the focus of the unit and provide an engaging start. Following this is a picture presentation of different people having fun and here students have to talk about what makes them happy. Then there is a textual representation incorporating pictures and a written text on the theme of what makes people happy, which talks about Sidney fisk and below some comprehension questions focusing on conceptual aspects of the target language. The target language has been embedded in the written text .The object is that learners are given some exercises where they have to opportunity to practice how the present tense is used and why. These rules are reinforced in a grammar spot section under the passage and in the grammar reference in the back of the book where learners can look for help. This is followed by a listening and speaking controlled practice activities, the first two focusing on present tenses. Both of th ese exercises use information and examples from the presentation of grammar. Then students listen and read a conversation which is based on simple or continuous and they have to practice similar conversations with the one they have listened to including different jobs. This is followed by grammar practice activities, where in the first one they have to indicate whether the sentences are correct or not and in the second to complete the sentences with present simple or present continuous. Then, the reading and speaking section is about I am a clown doctor. The unit here includes some pre-reading activities; mainly questions which are said to motivate learners. Then learners have to read the text and answer some questions. Following this is a grammar spot exercise which focuses on present passive. Students have to complete sentences from the text and then if they want they can go and see the rules on how and when to use present passive on the grammar reference part. Some more exercise s follow. The one is related to the text and in the other one you have to format some questions in order to complete the interview. Then there is an activity where students have to discuss some questions in groups. Exercises on vocabulary and listening are in the next page, based on sports. There are pictures of different people doing different sports and a warm-up activity in which learners have to make a list of as many sports and leisure activities they can think of. They can use the pictures for help. When they finish, there is an exercise where they have to match some sports with the verbs do, play or go. Then follows an activity in which they have to complete a chart using activities from the list they have made before. Meanwhile they have the opportunity to use a dictionary to look up any words they need. Then they listen to different people talking about a sport activity they enjoy and take notes. In a freer activity they can ask their partners some questions based on sports . For writing they have to write letters and emails. The unit finishes by everyday English which is based on numbers. They will learn about money, fractions, decimals and percentages, dates and phone numbers. Then they will listen to some conversation and write the numbers they hear. In my opinion it would take me 18-20 hours to teach both units in this course book. New Headway Intermediate is attractively laid out, with glossy pages and plenty use of colour and photographs which inspires the student. The strong visual element is likely to attract students. However, the cover does not really remind you of an English book, but the inside is different. I think that the new headway intermediate book is well organised into units and sub-sections and it is easy to follow. There are headings or labels for each section and exercises and activities are always introduced with clear instructions. The book clearly arranges the contents, and cross references indicate where learners can find further grammatical information, typescripts, pair work activities, irregular verbs, verb patterns and phonetic symbols in the back. Still, it does not include any revision or recycling sections and this is a disadvantage because students will not have the opportunity for self study in order to check the skills they have learnt. I would provide them with some revision ac tivities with every 2 or 3 units so that they will do revisions and refresh their skills. However, I find the way that the materials are sequenced logical, because intermediate learners need to work their grammar. Some people may find this as a limitation but I believe that it is a good for intermediate learners that the content is based on the complexity of grammar. Moreover, there is a varied mix of activities, like grammar, vocabulary, listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, and functional English, but it lacks on pronunciation activities. Even if it provides phonetic symbols in the back of the book it does not include material for pronunciation work, and it is essential for this level of students to practice their pronunciation. The material for vocabulary is adequate in terms of quantity and range It offers a good balance of work on all skills and they are adequately covered .Also, there are some points where there are materials for integrated skills. I think that there are not enough activities associated to the text in each unit. In unit 1 and 2, they have to read the passage and then answer some comprehension questions. There are not exercises or suitable texts that will help students to improve their reading skills (scanning, skimming, intensive reading, and extensive reading). As homework I would give students extra reading exercises to do in order to practice their reading skills. The other skill that lacks in practice in the unit is the listening skill. I believe that again the book does not provide learners the opportunity to expand and practice their listening skills. The exercises provided for listening does not help students to expand their listening skills, and thus I would give them different listening activities to do within a lessons in order to practice their l istening. Grammar, writing and vocabulary are well covered. Speaking activities can equip them for real-life conversations. The topics are motivating for the adult learners and suitable for their language level. It covers a variety of interests and it gives them the opportunity to expand their awareness on some topics and enrich their experiences. Other groups of people are also presented in the topics. On the whole, New Headway Intermediate course book is perceived as a well designed and a well written book which supports English language learning. It is also used in many schools which teach English as a foreign language. It is suitable for learners, and regarding the disadvantages mentioned above they can become overcome through supplementary activities. .

Consider La Belle Dame sans Merci and To Autumn by John Keats Essay

Consider La Belle Dame sans Merci and To Autumn by John Keats John Keats was born in 1795 and died in 1821. He lived a short life as he suffered from tuberculosis, and died in his early twenties. Keats is one of the great Romantic poets of the early 19th century. Most of his poetry was crammed into the last few years of his life, which is why some of his poems relate death. He had a great love for nature, which was always included in his poetry in some way. He saw his mother and his brother die of TB when he was younger so when he realised he too had the illness he knew what was in store. He went to live in Italy because many people believed that the temperature would help the illness. This is when are where he wrote the two poems we will be comparing, le belle dams sand merci and to autumn. His poem ‘La Belle Dams sans Merci,’ meaning ‘A Beautiful Woman without Merci,’ is about knight falling in love with an evil fairy. Throughout the poem it describes the knight’s feelings and what he sees. It ends very openly as we are not sure whether it all really happened or whether it was a dream. The nature of the poem is very deeply described and even the people included in the poem are compared to nature, ‘she found me roots of relish sweet.’ The knight in the poem suffers from symptoms such as, ‘alone and palely loitering,’ the paleness is a symptom that is a sign of TB so maybe Keats is saying that he is the knight. Another symptom of tb that keats would have had to live with is ‘with anguish moist and fever dew,’ meaning he was in pain and coming down with a fever and is clammy. The atmosphere in ‘La Belle Dame sans Merci’ changes throughout the poem. At the beginning it seems very slow and depress... ...does not rush, but the rhythm in ‘La Belle Dame sans Merci’ is slow and heavy and perhaps suggests the weakness of the knight as if he had been robbed of all his strength. The rhyme of ‘To Autumn’ is regular and may reflect the regularity of seasons throughout the year. Whereas, as the rhyme of ‘La Belle Dame sans Merci’ is regular yet predictable. The repetition in the last line of certain stanzas gives the poem a melancholic tone, ‘on a cold hill’s side.’ Finally, in ‘To Autumn’ there is a positive attitude towards death, as if it is known and acceptable to be a part of life and as a part of life’s cycle. But in ‘La Belle Dame sans Merci’ Keats attitude to death is bitterer and not as acceptable. It is possible that the lady in the poem is a metaphor for his illness which is something which he came across and has stolen the rest of his life from him.

Cyp 3.7

CYP 3. 7:Understand how to support positive outcomes for children and young people 1. 1 Describe the social, economic and cultural factors that will impact on the lives of children and young people. There are many factors that can have an impact on young people’s lives but the three main factors that I’ve chosen to consider in this assignment are social, cultural and economic. Social Factors One of the major social factors, which can impact on the outcomes and life chances of young people is neglect.Without proper guidance in life children cannot learn what society regards as acceptable behaviour and if a child is being neglected they won’t understand that what they are experiencing is not normal behaviour. They may react to situations in a way that is acceptable within their home environment but which is certainly not acceptable in wider society. This behaviour can in turn have an adverse effect on the child’s education as they overstep boundaries, are di sruptive and disobedient and may end up getting suspended from school.Neglect in the child’s home environment can mean that they find it hard to make friendships in life as they are not used to other company and are naturally distrustful. If a child suffers from a disability or illness they may have to miss a lot of school, which can have a major impact on their education and they may fall behind. The child may struggle to make friendships, as they are not on the same level as their peers. This can lead the child to feeling very isolated and cause feelings of anger and resentment, which can then lead to behavioural problems.Economic Factors Poverty is a factor, which can have a major impact on children’s lives, as their parents may not be able to afford proper food and this can lead the child to suffer from malnutrition. If a child is not getting the nutrition that they require, they’ll suffer from a lack of concentration and their schoolwork will likely deterio rate. A side effect of poverty is not being able to afford adequate housing. People on low incomes cannot usually afford mortgages and so often live in poorer social housing, this can have several disadvantages for their children.Social housing can often be small and crowded and make it difficult for children to find sufficient space to complete homework, causing them to fall behind in their education. People who rely on social housing don’t often get to chose the area in which they live in so they may end up staying in an area where it is not safe for the children to go out or indeed anywhere for them to play, therefore the children will not be able to form friendships and may feel isolated.In some cases the child’s living conditions may be very poor and dampness and a lack of affordable heating may cause health problems such as asthma, resulting in them having to take time off school and missing out on their education. Cultural Factors One of the main cultural factor s is that of religious beliefs. Children with different religious beliefs follow specific customs and often attend particular schools where they only meet children who are being brought up with the same beliefs.This enforced isolation may mean that children may struggle to understand other people’s lifestyle when they interact with them and they may therefore find it hard to make relationships with other people. Children can often be discriminated against because of their different beliefs leading to feelings of isolation and victimisation. Although each of the previously mentioned individual factors may have the same outcomes, without support and intervention their effects can continue over the years and lead families into a vicious cycle of mistrust and despair.As care workers we must work closely with the families to assist and help as best as we can. 1. 2 Explain the importance and impact of poverty on outcomes and life chances for children and young people In my role as a classroom assistant I feel that the factor, which has the most severe impact is poverty. Poverty is becoming one of the biggest concerns within the UK with a recent survey showing that the government spends at least ? 25billion a year trying to alleviate child poverty.The limitations placed on children who grow up in poverty often results in poorer academic qualifications, lower job prospects and reduced expectations. 1. 3 Explain the role of children and young people’s personal choices and experiences on their outcomes and life chances As individuals we all have the right to make our own choices, unfortunately some of the choices we make can have a negative impact on our life. Children who come from low-income families often live in rural areas where there is a higher crime rate.These children subsequently end up hanging around with people who have a negative influence on them and getting involved in criminal activities, drugs and alcohol. Children are making personal choi ces from an early age, when they go to nursery they decide which toys to play with or who they make their friends. Some children can be louder and more boisterous than others and may display unwanted behaviour; other children will copy this behaviour thinking that it is acceptable and become disruptive in turn.As a care worker it is my responsibility to teach the children which behaviours are acceptable and which are not, if the child is being naughty they will be put in â€Å"time out† to teach them that the behaviour they were displaying is unacceptable. 2. 1Identify the positive outcomes for children and young people that practitioners should be striving to achieve As a care practitioner I place the needs of the children at the top of my work. Children respect care workers who can relate to them, communicate well with them and who enjoy working with them.I and the other classroom assistants in my school are committed to ensuring that all children have the chance to enjoy a nd achieve, to be healthy, to stay safe and to make a positive contribution and experience economic well-being. Within school we encourage children to eat healthily, we provide healthy meals and snacks for break and lunch and children are encouraged to drink water rather than fizzy drinks. Within the school setting we ensure that the child is kept safe and we continuously promote children’s welfare and ensure that we take all ecessary steps to reduce the spread of infection. It is necessary to ensure that the children are kept safe so we need to ensure that the level of staffing is appropriate. The environment in which I work, and the equipment provided for the children, must be appropriate for their age level in order to ensure development at the proper rate. 2. 2 Explain the importance of designing services around the needs of children and young people Children are unique and as a care practitioner it is my responsibility to ensure that every child’s needs are catere d for individually.It is essential to establish what their needs are, so that they can be met correctly and this can be done by liasing with parents, carers, and professionals such as GPs, speech therapists and occupational therapists in observing the child’s progress. 2. 3 Explain the importance of active participation of children and young people in decisions affecting their lives It is important that children have a say in what is happening throughout their lives, no matter what age. We must value the child’s views, thoughts and opinions in order to give the child a sense of belonging and control of their life and well-being.It is important that children learn the process of decision-making and what consequences can come from the decisions they have made and how to deal with them. As a care worker I work with children to try and help them to make the right decisions; if however they choose to make a decision that is not acceptable, for example to hit another child o r throw something, they will be asked to â€Å"take time out† and think about what they have done, only when they are ready to say sorry for their actions are they allowed to come back and join their friends.This process is to help children at an early age learn what is right from wrong. 2. 4 Explain how to support children and young people according to their age, needs and ability to make personal choices and experiences that have a positive impact on their lives Every child is different and as they grow up their needs change. When working with children it is important that we allow them to express their thoughts, views and opinions and most importantly that we listen to them.We may not always agree with their views or opinions but as a classroom assistant I work closely with the children’s parents and the child to try and come to a compromise and explain a different path to the child, always stressing that we are only trying to do what is best for them. 3. 1 Explain the potential impact of disability on the outcomes and life chances of children and young people Children who suffer from a physical impairment or require special requirements are no different than other children, they are just more dependent on their carers.Children may have an impairment which gives rise to disability. A child can have a sensory impairment, which can involve either a loss of hearing or restricted vision. A physical impairment or learning difficulty may occur due to a result of genetic inheritance, an accident or disease or due to complications before or during birth. Some children may have difficulty with emotional or social development, lack of communication and interaction and behaviour problems. Children who experience any of these difficulties often suffer from autism.There are both positive and negative outcomes for children with a disability. Children with physical impairments don’t have a strong immune system therefore their health won’t be as healthy and they may have to miss a lot of school which obviously will have a detrimental effect on their education and future career aspects. Children with a disability can have poor self-esteem as they feel they’re not as capable as other children; they can find it hard to communicate with their peers and may feel isolated and unwanted.As a classroom assistant it is important that my co-workers and I focus on what the children can do rather on what they can’t achieve. By adjusting the environment in which the child learns in and making it suitable for the child’s needs and providing appropriate facilities and resources it allows the child to feel confident and learn new skills. Don’t think of children with a disability or as special needs think of them as children with specific or additional requirements. Within my setting we aim to give all children the same opportunities and ensure that no one feels isolated.For example within my school we have child ren who require 1:1 assistance so instead of removing them from group situations we let them sit at the table with their peers but give them the extra support they need this way they don’t feel left out. 3. 2 Explain the importance of positive attitudes towards disability and specific requirements It is important to display positive attitudes towards children with disabilities and special requirements, so that the child feels valued and respected and doesn’t feel isolated within the class setting.As a care practitioner it is important that I show a positive attitude towards the child and set a good example for the other children. 3. 3 Explain the social and medical models of disability and the impact of each on practice Children with disabilities are often left feeling outcast and discriminated against. The medical model holds the traditional view that a child can be cured through medical intervention, whereas in fact in most cases of physical impairment there is no cu re. They expect disabled people to change to fit into society.Alternatively, the social model of disability looks at ways to address issues which will enable children to achieve their potential by adapting the environment the child is learning and living in so that the child can feel more included. By adapting the child’s environment and removing any barriers you are allowing them the chance to learn and achieve new things, which improves their confidence and self-esteem. 3. 4 Explain the different types of support that are available for disabled children and yond people and those with specific requirements.There are many services available for children with disabilities. Speech and language therapists can work with children to improve the child’s communication skills. Occupational therapists can also be involved in the child’s development by providing walking frames for children with physical impairments. As a classroom assistant we liase with many professional and the children’s parents to ensure they are getting all the appropriate care and assistance available to enhance their development. 4. Explain the meaning of equality, diversity and inclusion in the context of positive outcomes for children and young people It is essential within my school that each child is treated fairly and with respect. Equality is about making sure that each child is given the same chance as each other, it is not about treating everyone the same way, but rather by recognising that each individual has different needs. Children must not be discriminated against because of their race, gender, disability, religious beliefs or age. Diversity is about treating students as individuals.Teachers need to ensure that their methods cover every child’s learning abilities since children come from different religious and cultural backgrounds. It is imperative that we treat students with respect at all times and always give consideration to each individualâ₠¬â„¢s specific needs. Inclusion means ensuring that everyone is included in tasks. As a classroom assistant I make sure that the tasks are divided out equally and that children take turns. We have charts within our class that set out the children’s tasks for that day and we rotate these every day to ensure that no one is left out.Every child has different needs and requirements and it is important as a classroom assistant that I learn and understand each child’s individual needs so that they can be catered for. 4. 2 Compare, giving examples ways in which services for children, young people and their carers take account of and promote equality, diversity and inclusion to promote positive outcomes One of the things that we do within my school is that we teach the children about different cultures. We recently held our annual French Day where both staff and pupils dressed in French clothes and ate French foods such as croissants and crepes.One of the most inspiring moment s that day, was watching a wheelchair bound pupil in my class who loves playing with sand, sitting contentedly in the sand pit (having been helped out of his wheelchair and being supervised so that he didn’t fall) wearing a beret and neckerchief and putting small French flags on top of the sandcastles he made. This was an example of inclusion in practice and just one of the many opportunities my school gives to children to help them gain independence and confidence.

The Life of Geroge Armstrong Custer - 884 Words

Synopsis: George Armstrong Custer was a West Point graduate who attained military promotions to brigadier general and major general in the regular army on March 13, 1865 and major general of volunteers April 15, 1865 during the American Civil War. Later in 1870’s, Custer moved to the west to fight in the Indian Wars. On June 25, 1876, a battle at Little Bighorn against Lakota and Cheyenne warriors was fought where he led 210 men. Custer and all of his men were killed in the battle. The battle, also known as â€Å"Custer’s Last Stand,† was part of the Black Hills War against a confederation of Plains Indians, including the Cheyenne and Dakota Sioux. It is considered one of the most controversial battles in U.S. history. A cavalry commander in the United States Army, Custer fought in both the Indian Wars as well as the Civil War. He was born and brought up in Ohio and Michigan and West Point admitted in 1858. During the Civil War he gained a reputation that was str ong because of whom he associated with. The Battle of Bull Run was his first major involvement. He had a temporary promotion to major general but returned to captain at the end of the war. After the Civil Wars, he left for the west and the Indian Wars. He led the 7th Cavalry in the battle of Washita River. Later, in 1873, he was sent to the Dakota Territory to help protect a railroad survey crew from attacks by the Lakota Indians. By 1876, still in the Black Hills, tensions had risen between the United States and the