iB Patricia Mugglestone peer (Ey et ron 17a Fae : s Pee ernie)Contents Introduction Course map Students’ Book contents map Description of Friends components Unit notes Mini Play notes Photocopiable Checks Check tests answer key Photocopiable resources 10 4 0 m 19 120introduction ‘Welcome to Friends. This introduction: + describes how the course functions for students and teachers; « outlines the principles on which the material was developed; + describes the course and its components. ‘We bope you will find it useful and enjoy working with Friends! Friends for Students Friends is a four-level English course for upper primary and lower secondary school childzen, taking young learners from zero beginner to a pre~ intermediate level of English competency. Students {in this age range are in the transitional period between childhood and their teenage years. They are still developing intellectually and emotionally and at their own individual pace. Fach level of Friends addresses the leaming needs and interests of such students and has been specifically written for their cognitive level. Friends Starter takes into consideration that children between the ages of nine and ten are very receptive to visual, auditory and kinaesthetic cues, ‘They need to be offered a wide variety of exercises and activities in order to maintain their interest and. ‘motivation. It is also easier for them to learn sentences and phrases rather than complicated ‘grammar rules. All these aspects have been Teflected in the way Friends Starter has been designed, Language is introduced in small chunks which are easy to remember. There are many songs and games, which help students acquire grammar rules unconsciously. Friends 1 recognises that the students are one yeat older and have some command of English already. Language is not presented in chunks any ‘mote but introduced step by step, which makes it easier for students (o understand and remember. Songs and games help students to practise grammar in a fun way and ensure that they will not get bored during their English lessons. Students are also made aware of their learning processes in Skills boxes, which in Friends 1 focus mainly on retaining new vocabulary. Friends 2 and 3 acknowledge the fact that students’ cognitive skills are developing and thus grammar is presented more explicitly throughout, although the fn element of songs and games is still present in the books. Students ace also encouraged to take more responsibility for ‘monitoring their learning process Skills boxes offer useful tips on how to tackle various listening, writing, reading and speaking tasks. ‘The levels ‘grow’ with students also in terms of the topics exploited, The amount of cuitural information and extra reading material is increased from four units in Friends Starter and Friends 1 to eight units in Friends 2 and Friends 3. Students have a chance to increase their knowledge about English speaking countries and they'te provided with extra reading material to complement the lessons. Friends for Teachers Friends has been designed with busy teachers in mind. Lesson preparation The format of units in the Students’ Book guarantees successful lessons, Clear headings and, bredictable exercise sequences make Friends very easy t0 teach with little preparation by the teacher. Extension ideas and photocopiable activities in the ‘Teacher's Resource Book and the Activity Book offer a flexibility to the basic pattern of the lesson, Culture and Reading Comers provide extra material, which can be used as a break during ‘grammar based lessons. ‘The Activity Book offers further exercises for homework, As the exercises strongly reflect themes and language from the Students’ Book input, teachers don’t need t6 spend to0 much time on explaining the homework tasks (o their students Evaluation and assessment ‘Teachers are now expected to monitor students? progress and make regular assessments, which has ‘greatly increased an already heavy workload. Friends provides support for assessment in each ‘Teacher's Resource Book, which contains photocopiable tests. Yet more tests are available in the Test Books. The Test Books offer extra help ‘with assessment by supplying ready-to-use charts for keeping records of students’ grades. Dealing with mixed-ability classes One of the most difficult issues teachers are faced with are mixed-level classes. Friends offers support with this problem, For very able students, more challenging exercises are included in the Activity Books in the Use Your English section, For the best students there are extra activities in the Tests Books. Weaker students will benefit from the substantial amount of revision throughout Friends, the Check Yourself tests and the initially stow pace ‘af the course, Projects and the play will allow all students to contribute to the class, irespective of their abilities, Even the weakest students can participate and enjoy a sense of real success Friends has been designed for varied teaching situations, Students will range from zero beginners to pupils who have had up to five years of English {in primary school. For this reason Friends offers {seo possible entry points. Students can either follow a slower and less demanding path by starting with Friends Starter, or a steeper path starting with Friends 1 ends Starter entry is suitable for complete beginners or students who have had a smalt amount of exposure to English, perhaps through ‘oral work or songs. Friends 1 is a suitable entry