Методическая разработка "Учебник для младшего брата"

Секция (направление): Английский язык

УЧЕБНИК ДЛЯ МЛАДШЕГО БРАТА
(English Student`s Book For My Younger Brother)

Сергеева Екатерина Владимировна
обучающаяся 11«а» класса МОУ средней общеобразовательной школы № 6

г. Кондопоги

E-mail: [e-mail]: тел. [phone]
Руководитель Волкова Екатерина Сергеевна
учитель английского языка

МОУ средней общеобразовательной школы № 6 г. Кондопоги
E-mail: [e-mail]: тел. [phone]

Contents

1. Introduction. The aims of the research……………………………………………………2

2. The review of English textbooks ………………………………………………………...3

3. The requirements to the textbook…………………………………………………………4

4. English Student`s Book For My Younger Brother………………………………………..5

5. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………...…6

6. Resources used…………………………………………………………………………….7

7. Supplements……………………………………………………………………….…….8-9

I. Introduction. The aims of the research

The English language in the 21st century is the official language of more countries than any other language. It`s popular all over the world. Every educated person should know it. English gives people an opportunity to travel and communicate with foreigners without difficulties, to choose future career, to use advanced computer technologies and to feel self-confidence in the century of globalization. English exam will be obligatory in Russia soon. That’s why schools must prepare pupils for it. Nowadays it is necessary to teach both practical skills and knowledge But it is evident that only school can’t completely achieve these goals. One of the main factors of successful studies is a student’s book. A major problem is that some pupils are not interested in English and sometimes their training is ineffective because the children are all individuals. Each of them has own motivations.

I`ve got a younger brother in the 5<sup>th</sup> form. He is 11 years old. My brother has been learning English during 4years but he has problems with it. He thinks that English is difficult and boring subject. One of the reason of such opinion is his English textbook. I want to help my brother and try to write an additional student`s book on English according to his interests and modern school requirements. The choice of the research theme was determined by the age of my younger brother , his difficulties in learning. The objectives of the work are

• to analyze English student books using in different schools in our town

• to introduce pupils’ opinion on English student’s book

• to generalize the requirements to the English student’s book

• to create an additional student book for grade 5.

For achieving these objectives I will study English Student`s book in different schools of our town and compare advantages and disadvantages of them. I’ll analyze the requirements of the pupils to the modern English textbook. I’ll try to propose my variant of an English student’s book considering the results of the questionnaires for students. First of all, I pay attention on my younger brother’s interests and his personal features but I’m sure it will be helpful for the other teens too

The object of research is the pupils of the fifth form.

The subject of study is their opinion about English students’ book.

The research methods are questioning, testing, collection of materials, the analysis of literature.

The hypothesis is I guess the fifth grade students need clear, colorful, fun textbook with elements of computer game.

II. The review of English textbooks

The teaching and learning process is a complex interaction of teacher, student and materials. The choice of textbook is very important not only for teachers, but also for pupils and their parents. It determines the quality of education, success of learning English, and pupils’ attitude to the subject. Teachers can give a final assessment of school textbooks only after determine its influence on the result of the learning process, but it is also exists the general scheme of the textbook `s analysis:
- The external design of the textbook
- The quality of illustrations.
- Information and Motivational function.
- Learning function (teaching pupil how to work with the book).
- Developing function of the textbook.¹
Teachers in our town use three English student’s book for class 5: “Enjoy English”, “Happy English.ru”, “Spotlight”. I’ve asked online my friends from different schools their opinion about English textbook. Here is the result of the survey and my own comparison.

Enjoy English”
M. Biboletova…

“Happy English.ru”
K. Kaufman, M. Kaufman

“Spotlight”
V. Evans, O. Podolyako…

Authors

From Russia

From Russia

From Russia and GB

Design

Too bright

Primitive pictures

Good

Plot

No

Complicated plot

No

Intersubject connection

Yes

Poor

Yes

Grammar rules

In English in tables

In Russian

In English, but in the end in Russian

Homework

In the end of the unit

In the end of the lesson

not separated

Songs, games

No

Yes

Yes

Preparing for RNE

Many exercises

Few exercises

Many exercises

Every textbook has cons and pros. The most difficult textbook is “Spotlight” and the easiest is “Happy English.ru”. I’ve been learning English with “Happy English.ru”. It’s not enough satisfied my needs in English language skills. In any case our modern society requires higher level of English.

I want to clear up the opinion of the fifth grade pupils from our school about their English textbook “Happy English.ru” and organize the survey (Supplement I). All of the pupils (24) like English. Only three of twenty four pupils don’t like English textbook at all. The half of them considers writing is the most difficult task. (Supplement II). Listening is the hardest for seven. Speaking – for three pupils. Everything is easy for four children. The next question is about favourite activities during the lesson. Nobody likes doing grammar exercises. Most of the pupils (14) likes games, projects (12), group work (13) and only few like homework (2), learning vocabulary (3), individual work (1). Then I asked them “What would you like to add to the textbook?” Seven school children want to add more information about different countries. Games are demanded by eight kids. The others would like to add pictures (4), songs (5), crafts (3), fun (3). The next question: “What would you like to change in this textbook?” The answers are different: textbook characters and plot (5), pictures (1), texts (9), design (4). Six persons are satisfied and one wants to change everything. In primary school they learned English with “Enjoy English” by Biboletova and one person like it more then Kaufmans’ textbooks, but 21 pupils like “Happy English.ru” for 5 grade more. Three person like all textbooks. The main question is “What should be a modern textbook?” The half of interviewed would like to have E-textbook. Some of them dream about colourful (4), interesting (4) and clear textbook (1).

III. The requirements to the textbook

So I decided to analyze the most important requirements to the textbook. It’s hard to impress the imagination of modern child, to motivate him because of the great quantity of IT influences on his mind. School should give him a real alternative to the virtual world which should be unusual and exciting. I’d like to address to the history of role-play games and use its technologies in the textbook. A role-playing game includes developed story-telling and narrative elements, player character development, complexity, as well as immersion². English textbook should contain intersubject connection which allows to the student to learn favourite subject in English.

Student’s book should influence on all channels of perception, save students’ health and contain self-control, promote the development of pupils’ personality .Colouring certainly influences on students under consciousness make them remember new words without any special effort. It also arouses interest and memories about just known facts and ideas. Thanks that new strong associations can appear in pupil’s mind. Colouring textbook also attracts attention to new material. To sum up, modern student textbook should be: colourful, scientific, interesting (contain variative tasks), authentic.

IV. English Student`s Book For My Younger Brother

I want to follow the principle of personal student’s activity. So that I create my additional English course as teens’ magazine where every booklet devoted to the different topics. The booklet will be a workbook and a textbook at the same time. I’ll show it on the example of the magazine on topic “Food”. I think it is one of the most important and demanded theme.

The action of the magazine takes place on the fictional island near the British Isles. But its contents based on reliable information and only some unreal stories. Pupils can use necessary knowledge of different subjects, doing some tasks of the textbook. On the contrary they can know something new and useful in other disciplines on the page of the textbook.

The heroes can travel and explore it, meet friends, learn new fascinating things, making variative tasks at the same time study English in exiting form. All pictures are made in the style of real manga by myself. I choose it because anime is very popular all over the world.

Every magazine spread contains a lot of pictures, a short text or dialogues and tasks. The answers for all tasks are situated at the end of the magazine on reference pages. I’ll describe the content of different spread of the magazine “Food”( X-variant). The picture of invented island named “Nan Locus” (from Latin “a secret place”) is on the cover. The first spread is devoted to Robinson Crusoe. The information is brief and it serves to intrigue pupils, promote the development of students ' interest in English classical literature. The example of Robinson form strong, independent and hard-working person. Children should ponder over the question: “How can we survive in the wild nature?” I also use the map of up side-down world.³ It shows us a view of the world in more ways than one. It can bring up tolerance and respect to other people’s opinion. As well, pupil can discuss their tastes and hobbies after reading the text about Robinson’s collection. They get interested in the origin of fruit and vegetables. Pupils become acquainted with Robinson Crusoe’s dairy on the second spread. The third spread attracts attention to detective stories. The dialogue of author and hero contains polite etiquette phrases. The fourth spread - Mr. Holmes reveals the mystery of Watson’s illness. It practices children in speaking about food, meals and their habits. They can compare different dishes and cleared up which of them is good or bad for their health. Then I propose to read English folk poem “Robin the Bobbin” and its translation into Russian by Marshak. I ask pupils to compare two pictures, describe them, find difference and make their own translation. On the sixth spread kids study garden vocabulary which isn’t included in other textbooks. If they answer correctly they can make the world “garden”. On the last pictures of the magazine pupils do different tasks, checking their knowledge on the topic, describe the picture and listen to a funny song about food.

V. Conclusion

The textbook is complex and relatively independent system, and each element of it performs a specific function. Any textbook should have scientific content making in logical order with different ways of presenting information (word, figure, photographs), strict and clear structure, quality design and printing.

It should give the freedom of choice of difficulty level for learning any topic. In general, all the textbooks using in our town are satisfied most of the pupils but if English exam become compulsory they will not be enough to prepare for it.

In the result of research I’ve learned that the fifth graders of school №6 like English and English textbook. Modern pupils want to study with electronic textbooks. They enjoy games, songs and fun. They are very curious, keen on foreign countries and cultures. Thus the hypothesis that “fifth grade students need clear, colorful, fun textbook with elements of computer game” has been proved. High school students make deeper analysis of their English textbooks. Sometimes they see more disadvantages of them. Certainly school program can’t give all knowledge pupils need in their life. Therefore they will address to additional tutorials.

I propose to join pupils in writing students book for them. I consider my version of textbook will be not only for fun but it can be useful for some pupils and some ideas from it can be demanded by the teachers too. Maybe during their future lessons they’ll ask pupils to write the pages or even units for a new textbook as a group project. This work is more creative than research. As a result of testing it with fifth grades I had to change some pages, make them easier. Nothing is perfect. There is no ideal textbook because every person is unique.

VI. Resources used

1. English for kids. Сост. Н.В. Чанчикова, Спб.: Стайл, 1993

2. Методика определения качества учебников и учебно-методических комплексов / Автор: К.С. Кудайбергенова. / РИПКСО, 2000

3. Crossing cultural borders – Russia. J.E. Zdanovski, Petrozavodsk, 2003.

4. http://www.necsi.edu/research/management/education/teachandlearn.html

5. http://en.wikipedia.org/

Supplement I. Questionnaire

1. Do you like English? ( yes/no)
2 . Do you like your English textbook? (yes/no)
3 .What is the most difficult task for you?
A) Writing
B) Speaking
C) Listening
D) your answer
4. What activities are the most interesting to you?
 A) grammatical
 B) lexical (work with words )
 C) project
 D) group
 E ) individual
 F) homework
 G) game
5 . What would you like to add?
 A) pictures
 B) games
 C) songs
 D) information about other countries and their traditions
 E) crafts
 F) your ideas
6. What would you like to change in the textbook of English?
A) textbook characters and plot
B) pictures
C) texts
D) design
E ) your ideas
7. Which textbooks you seem the best?
A) to the Class 4
B) Grade 5
B) your variant

8. What should be a modern textbook?

Supplement II. The result of questionnaire

Writing

for 12 pupils

Speaking

for 3

Listening

for 7

Nothing

for 4

Everything

1

Grammar

0

Lexical

3

Projects

12

Group work

13

Individual work

1

Homework

2

Games

14

information about other

countries and their traditions

7

Crafts

3

Fun, computer games

3

1 Methodology of determination of the quality of textbooks and educational-methodical complexes./Author: K.S. Kudaibergenova./ RIPKSO, 2000,- page 23.

2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-playing_game

3 Crossing cultural borders – Russia. J.E. Zdanovski, Petrozavodsk, 2003.

12

1. Do you like English? ( yes/no)
2 . Do you like your English textbook? (yes/no)
3 .What is the most difficult task for you?
A) Writing
B) Speaking
C) Listening
D) your answer
4. What activities are the most interesting to you?
 A) grammatical
 B) lexical (work with words )
 C) project
 D) group
 E ) individual
 F) homework
 G) game
5 . What would you like to add?
 A) pictures
 B) games
 C) songs
 D) information about other countries and their traditions
 E) crafts
 F) your ideas
6. What would you like to change in the textbook of English?
A) textbook characters and plot
B) pictures
C) texts
D) design
E ) your ideas
7. Which textbooks you seem the best?
A) to the Class 4
B) Grade 5
B) your variant

8. What should be a modern textbook?1. Do you like English? ( yes/no)
2 . Do you like your English textbook? (yes/no)
3 .What is the most difficult task for you?
A) Writing
B) Speaking
C) Listening
D) your answer
4 . What activities are the most interesting to you?
 A) grammatical
 B) lexical (work with words )
 C) project
 D) group
 E ) individual
 F) homework
 G) game
5 . What would you like to add?
 A) pictures
 B) games
 C) songs
 D) information about other countries and their traditions
 E) crafts
 F) your ideas
6. What would you like to change in the textbook of English?
A) textbook characters and plot
B) pictures
C) texts
D) design
E ) your ideas
7. Which textbooks you seem the best?
A) to the Class 4
B) Grade 5
B) your variant

8. What should be a modern textbook?

Why do I take part in this conference? In fact, English is not my cup of tea. Moreover I am not planning to devote my life to teaching.
My first reason, you can find in the title of my work “Students’ book for my younger brother ”. The second reason is an attempt to see the world in more ways than one.. The last but not least is to improve my English.

I believe that teachers and parents could understand children better if they don’t forget their childhood. Remember also S. Exupery’s story “The Little Prince” where a young boy, drew a boa with an elephant inside and all adults who look at his picture see a hat, instead of it. There are many such examples. Sometimes kids can’t understand the grown ups. Let’s look at this picture from the children’s book. What can you see? Certainly everybody answers that it’s a famous doctor. Moreover an artist who made illustration for that poem drew the doctor. I know one little boy who was sure that it’s a picture of a horse. Look here attentively and you will see it too.

The problem is when authors write textbooks for children they sometimes “draw a doctor” and young readers see only “the horse”. So that I propose to join pupils in writing students book for them. I hope I’m partly in my childhood so I consider my version of textbook will be not only for fun but it can be useful for some pupils and some ideas from it can be demanded by the teachers too. Maybe during their future lessons they’ll ask pupils to write the pages or even units for a new textbook as a group project.

This work gave me a lot. Now I realized how difficult to be a teacher and to be responsible for all information you give. It’s very hard but enjoyable to be an artist and impress my ideas using paints and colours. I’m worried to presented you my magazine but I’ll do it at my own risk. I’m sure you can see “my horse and a boa with an elephant” because teachers are closer to children then other people.

My work is more creative than research.

Краткое описание документа:

Разработка одного из модулей учебника для 5 класса по теме "Продукты".
Цели работы:
1) Проанализировать различные учебники английского языка, использующиеся в нашем районе.
2) Представить мнение учащихся об учебнике английского языка.
3) Создать собственный дополнительный учебник английского для 5 класса.

Может быть использован в качестве дополнительного пособия в 5 классах и, как пример, проектной работы старшеклассников.