7/31/2019 Libro de Ingls 8 bsico-DOCENTE

1/5

Travelers has been specially written for teenagers in the eighth

year of primary school. The English program for the level and the

concepts and guidelines of the Chilean educational reform have

been considered throughout its preparation.

The course aims to:

develop reading and listening comprehension skills, providing

students with techniques that will allow them to understand

oral and written texts not only in English, but also in other

subjects and in their everyday life.

allow students to communicate orally and in writing at very

elementary levels.

improve learning skills.

help students realize English is an important tool for getting

and exchanging information, knowledge and culture. educate in a broader sense by providing information about

Chile, South America, the English-speaking countries and the

world at large, encouraging students to think, analyze and

question.

Travelers consists of a Students Book, a Teachers Book and a CD.

Students Book

The course is topic-based and contains a conducting line:

Conducting Line

The text has a conducting line represented by children of the

same age and level of the intendend readers. They are present in

different situations according to the topics of the unit. These

children include English native speakers related with Chile, and

also Chilean children. They interact throughout the book among

them and also with other people. Special emphasis has been put

on presenting girls and boys participating in similar ways andoccassions.

At the end of each unit there is an illustrated cartoon whose

main characters are the same of the book, but presented in

totally different situations. However, each episode is connected

to the general content of the unit.

This kind of resource has been included mainly because children

of all ages enjoy this material and also because the visual aspects

effectively help the comprehension process.

It also has other advantages, such as:

To present language in a significative context.

To allow students to internalize language patterns that they

may use later on.

To help develop critical thinking. To provide visual elements to improve students reading

comprehension skills.

The Students Book contains 4 units based on the the English

program for the level and the concepts and guidelines of the

Chilean educational reform.

Unit 1: Cultural Elements

Unit 2: Self - Care

Unit 3: People and placesUnit 4: All over the world

Unit Structure

Each unit begins with a two-page spread showing a diagram of

the objectives of the unit, attractive illustrations to set the

theme and motivate students, and a few short activities meant

to introduce the topic, activate previous knowledge and raise

studentsinterest.

The tasks in each unit are indicated with the followingheadings: Reading, Listening, Language Focus,

Reflections, Test your knowledge and Self-Evaluation.

The tasks to develop reading and listening skills help students

learn strategies to improve their understanding of written and

spoken messages. The methodology adopts a three-fase

approach with before, while and after reading / listening tasks.

The Before reading / listening activities provide a setting,

motivation and linguistic preparation and activate previous

knowledge; the While reading / listening activities focus

students attention on specific tasks that guide their reading /listening, providing different points of view for the same text,

and the After reading / listening activities connect the text

with their own reality, give practice on a specific grammar

structure, clarify points that may be useful later on and / or

enlarge vocabulary areas.

The Language Focus section includes some grammar and

vocabulary points that the students need to carry out the tasks.

It is designed to help students revise or discover a particular

DESCRIPTION OF THE COURSE

INTRODUCTION

6

7/31/2019 Libro de Ingls 8 bsico-DOCENTE

2/5

grammar structure or any interesting item of vocabulary

related to the text.

The activities are meant to promote independent learning, and

to make students find out grammar, word formation and

vocabulary rules by themselves. Speaking and writing skills. All the lessons include

speaking and writing activities which give students the

opportunity to apply and consolidate the contents of the

lesson, and also connect them with their own reality. These

activities help students to see language as a necessary tool to

carry out the tasks and give grammar and vocabulary a clear

purpose.

Vocabulary. The active vocabulary in each unit is what the

students may need to understand the texts and carry out the

different tasks . There is also development of students passivevocabulary by including a rich variety of lexis in the texts. Also

in the pre- reading and pre-listening activities there are explicit

suggestions to work with cognate words; the teacher should

constantly remind students to make use of these words to help

comprehension.

Language focus. Travelers deals with grammar only after a

certain structure has appeared in a reading or listening text and

it is likely to be encountered again in other texts.

Students are asked to find or revise the example(s) of the

structure in the text and analyze how it works, going through a

guided process of discovery.

Synthesis is a section that plays an important role. It can be a

useful tool for clarifying particular problems, and for creating a

more comprehensive, overall perspective on a specific subject.

It gives students a chance to revise what they have learnt and

done in the unit, connecting the activities with the skills

developed.

Evaluation is an ongoing process in Travelers, and an integral

part of learning. It takes the form of both student evaluation

and teacher evaluation. This is done informally after lessons 2

and 4 in each unit, through the Minitest section. It helpsstudents revise their performance in the reading, listening and

language activities and also allows teachers to make further

use of the reading and listening texts.

Reflections is a special section that helps students think

about their learning process and to raise their awareness of

how they develop their own learning strategies to become

more effective learners. It also enables students to become

independent learners as well as independent thinkers. Teachers

are strongly reccomended to train and help students to reflect

on their learning process and should encourage their students

to keep tidy notes of the activities in class, of any extra work

done, of tests, quizes, homework, handouts, vocabulary

records, etc., so that they can have easy access to all thisinformation any time they need to use it again, when they

study at home or when they revise for tests.

More formal evaluation is done at the end of each unit through

the Test your Knowledge and Self-evaluation sections.

In the Test your Knowledge section students revise contents

and evaluate their performance in the whole unit.

The Self-evaluationsection allows students to reflect on their

strengths and weaknesses. It provides feed-back on how much

they have learnt, putting them in a position to make an

assessment of their work. Learners, by getting involved in theirevaluation, come face to face with their learning problems and

consciously try to tackle them. Students are asked to evaluate

their performance, their participation, their products, and the

working arrangement.

Learning styles. Travelers considers that there are different

learning styles in a classroom, so different kinds of activities

have been included.

- Visual learners need visuals in the classroom, for example:

posters, realia, flash cards, visual organizers, etc.

- Auditory learners learn better by listening, and like working

in pairs and small groups.

- Kinesthetic learners learn through physical activities like

competitions, board games, role plays, etc.

- Tactile learners like board and card games, projects, etc.

Values. Value-enhancing topics such as equality, health,

respect, the environment, etc., appear explicitly throughout

the course. Through guided questions and simple discussions,

students are encouraged to reflect about and form opinions on

broader social issues concerning their lives and the world

around them. Cultural differences are also highlighted at

relevant points in the course as well as particular aspects ofEnglish-speaking countries such as information related to

historical and geographical facts, cultural heritage, teenage

lifestyles, etc. in order to raise students awareness of the target

culture, and develop a richer perspective of their own culture.

Other small but interesting sections in the units are:

Did you know that ? The aim of this section is to provide

more information on the main topic of the lesson and interest

7/31/2019 Libro de Ingls 8 bsico-DOCENTE

3/5

INTRODUCTION

8

students in finding more information on their own.

Throughout the book students and teachers will also find

website-based resources to expand their knowledge of specific

subjects.

American v/s British English. Special notes show studentsthe differences between

American and British English both in writing and in pronunciation.

Students are frequently confused with the different spelling or the

distinct pronunciation and the idea of this explanation is to show

them that both ways are perfectly acceptable.

Teachers Book

This component includes:

The whole minimized version of the Studentsbook, together with

instructions and orientations that will help teachers work withcontents , resources and activities proposed throughout the book.

An introduction with a description of the course, the

methodology used, suggestions for classroom

management, general methodological suggestions for the

activities and to deal with big classes, description of the

course components, etc.

Detailed teaching notes for every unit.

The cognitive abilities implied in every activity of the lessons

Background notes for the teacher related to the information

content of the different texts.

Careful! A section that helps the teacher with information

about the most common errors students can make. However,

teachers must be very careful as to when and how to correct

errors, always having in mind to avoid interrupting students

while they are doing communicative activities.

Idiomatic expressions. When idiomatic expressions appear in the

texts or in the activities, they are explained, defined and an example

is given. Idioms or idiomatic expressions are those that cannot be

immediately understood by analyzing the literal meaning of their

components; literal translation will sound odd. This section will help

teachers to include them naturally in different exercises. Complementary activities. (photocopiable) that provide extra

practice on the contents of the unit.

Observation and evaluation sheets for the teacher and the

students (photocopiable, in Appendix at the end of the book):

- Beginnerswriting

- Behaviour rubric

- Extended response reading rubric

- Project evaluation

Answers for all the tasks in the Students Book and in the tests.

The transcription of the recording

A complete bibliography for the teacher.

A list of useful websites for the teacher and the students.

Four extra tests.The activities included in the book are classified according to

their level of difficulty. This is shown in The Teachers book with

the following icons:

Low=+ Medium=++ High=+++

CD

The CD includes all the material for the listening tasks, including

Pronunciation, Listening and Listening test material. The

transcriptions of the recordings are included in the Appendix

Transcriptions, pages XXXXX of the Teachers Book.

Methodology

Task-based learning

Travelers helps students develop language and learning skills to

carry out sequences of tasks.

Some advantages of task-based learning:

Increased motivation - learners become personally involved.

All four skills, reading, writing, listening and speaking, areintegrated.

Autonomous learning is promoted as learners become more

responsible for their own learning.

There are learning outcomes: learners have an end product.

Authentic tasks and therefore, more authentic language input.

Interpersonal relations are developed through working as a group.

A break from routine and the chance to do something different.

Collaborative Work

In project-based learning, students work in teams to explore real-world problems and create presentations to share what they have

learned. This approach has many benefits for students, including:

Deeper knowledge of subject matter;

Increased self-direction and motivation;

Improved research and problem-solving skills.

Additionally, it gives the teacher the grounds for evaluating what

students have learnt and how they apply that knowledge to real-

life situations.

7/31/2019 Libro de Ingls 8 bsico-DOCENTE

4/5

The book has 4 projects for students to complete. Each relates to

the Unit and asks students to try and answer a question or solve

a problem - one that has relevance for them and that they might

have to do one day in real life.

Let students choose their own group there is nothing worsethan being stuck with someone you do not get along with. Give

them enough time to prepare the project. Praise and reward

good presentation and extra effort taken.

Learner training

This concept has to do with developing students awareness of

how they learn and how they develop their learning strategies so

that they become more effective and independent learners.

Teachers should encourage students to analyze their learning

process, making them think about their learning, what problemsthey have and how they could improve their performance, so

that they can take the appropriate steps to optimize their

learning. Special attention should be paid to the training of

students in pair and group work, emphasizing the importance of

everyones contribution and the respect for the ideas of

classmates.

Mixed ability

Travelers caters for mixed-ability classes in a variety of ways. The

teacher needs to develop techniques which allow students of all

levels to benefit from the lesson. Individual feedback is advisable

in any class, but in a mixed-ability class, this attention to detail

can increase student satisfaction. The teacher should always try

to make some mental, if not written, notes about each student in

such classes. As the course progresses and opportunities arise,

the teacher should congratulate individual students on their

improvements and make tactful suggestions on areas to work

on. A few sentences during general monitoring are better than

nothing. These details show that the teacher is aware of

individual needs of students.

Additionally, each lesson in Global English offers at least oneactivity that can be done by fast learners, while the rest of the

class is finishing a task.

Games

Games are important when learning a foreign language because

they are motivating and help students to sustain the effort of

learning. However, games are the means and not the end they

are a way of making learning more entertaining and should not

be treated as time fillers. Each game in this book is there for a

purpose and needs teacher supervision and sometimes prior

preparation.

CognatesCognates are words in different languages related to the same

root, eg, education (English), educacin (Spanish).

The different lessons in Global English provide students with a

question to help them notice and recognize cognates. The

teacher should encourage students to find the cognates

whenever they face a new text.

False Cognates

Students might get confused because there are several words in

Spanish that are similar in English, but have a different meaning.Global English includes a list of false cognates that appear in the

Students book.

Here are a few examples of false cognates:

Actually = really, not actualmente (at present, currently).

Embarrassed = avergonzado/a, not embarazada (pregnant).

Realize = darse cuenta, not realizar(carry out, fulfill).

Approve = aprobar = agree with something, not aprobar un

examen (pass an exam).

Lecture = conferencia = a talk about a topic), not lectura

(reading).

Try = tratar de hacer algo, not tratarse de (be about) or tratar

con (deal with).

Politics = la poltica, not los politicos (politicians)

Library = biblioteca, not librera (bookstore)

Familiar = estar familiarizado con, not familiar(relative)

Parents =padres, father and mother, notparientes (relatives).

Evaluation and Assessment

In Travelers, evaluation is ongoing and an integral part of the

learning process. It takes the form of both student evaluationand teacher evaluation.

Student evaluation

As well as making students feel more responsible for their own

learning, the process of evaluating themselves and evaluating

classmates actually helps them to learn and remember. Students

are asked to evaluate the following aspects: their performance,

their participation, their products, the working arrangement.

7/31/2019 Libro de Ingls 8 bsico-DOCENTE

5/5

INTRODUCTION

10

This is done informally through the Reflections and the Mini-

tests, and more formally at the end of each unit through the Test

your knowledge and Self-evaluation section. The teacher must

help by organizing correction of the activities, but students

themselves must check their own performance and assignmarks. At the end of this activity, students are asked to add up

their marks and use a Progress chart to find out their level of

achievement. Many students may be new to the process of self-

evaluation and at the start teachers will need to give guidance.

Informal evaluation should also take place on a regular basis at

the end of lessons through short discussions about the lesson,

carefully guided by the teacher.

Teacher evaluation

Teacher evaluation combines formative and summativeinstruments. The following suggestions could be considered to

reach a final mark for each student.

A mark should be given to each of the four components below.

The final mark should be the average of these four marks:

1. Classwork: Taking into account: General attitude,

participation, cooperation with classmates and work done.

Two instruments are provided in the Teachers Book for this

purpose: A class evaluation sheet (photocopiable) for

evaluation of all the students unit by unit, and an observation

sheet (photocopiable) for evaluation of different students at

different moments.

2. Projects: A project evaluation sheet (photocopiable) is

provided in the Appendix Evaluation Instrument, pages XXX

3. Tests. There are three tests per unit. These tests assess

listening and reading comprehension, as well as specific

language items studied and practised in the units.

Further suggestions for evaluation

As evaluation is an ongoing process, apart from the formal tests

provided in the Students book, remember to evaluate studentsperformance in every activity they carry out, making notes of their

problems and achievements, keeping a record of their participation,

giving them informal marks that you can put together and average

at the end of a term, using the evaluation instruments provided in

the Appendix Evaluation Instruments, at the end of book. You may

also agree with them to consider their self-evaluation at the end of

each unit, monitoring their performance and using the marks they

give themselves as part of their official marks.

Additionally, here are a few suggestions that you can adapt for

different contents and use at different moments of your lessons,

and that you can mark according to the level of difficulty, time

students spend preparing and presenting, etc.

- Mini-presentations by small groups of students. Give themtime to gather information, suggest they use patterns you

provide or have appeared in the lesson, help them rehearse the

presentation, correcting pronunciation, and invite two or three

groups to present. This activity can be used in all the units in

connection with projects and activities, or with contents the

students find interesting in the lessons.

- Roleplays. Choose any of the dialogues, give groups time to

practise and invite two or three groups to present.

- Questionnaires. Prepare a short questionnaire at the end of a

unit on the content of the different texts. Assign it forhomework or use it as an informal test, which they can answer

looking at the texts they do not need to know the

information by heart, but know how to find it!

- Bulletin board displays. Ask students to collect photos, pictures,

cut-outs on a chosen topic, add a short text about them

following a model you can provide, and assign a place in the

classroom or the school for them to display their work.

- Written quizzes based on the written or oral texts used in class,

that may include: fill in the blanks with or without words given,

put words in order to form sentences, correct the mistake

(grammar or information), etc.

- Contests and games. Bingo with vocabulary words or verb

tenses, find as many words as you can in x minutes under

different categories, find information in the dictionary, how

much do you know about ...?