EXPERIENCING ENGLISH has been prepared basically as a reading and speaking practice book for beginning level students of EFL. Although the exercises have been prepared to be presented orally in the classroom, teachers may opt to have students prepare some of the exercise material as writing practice assignments.
The reading selections are to be considered as the principal information source. The visual support provided by the illustrations helps to confirm or reinforce the information contained in the reading. The exercises are designed to give oral practice at a level on which beginning students can maintain and develop a significant degree of self-confidence.
The variety of exercises provides for comprehension checks, short form responses, and practice on verb forms in statement and question contexts. The Communicative Activities section, which is optional, gives opportunity for individual work in pairs in a "free" type of communication situation.
Two chapters each are devoted to the PRESENT, PRESENT PROGRESSIVE, PRESENT PERFECT, and PAST TENSES as well as to GOING TO + the infinitive and the modals CAN, COULD, MAY and MIGHT. The use of WILLas an indication of the future tense is also included.
The vocabulary of EXPERIENCING ENGLISH is at the 1,000-word level as determined by the LADDER BOOK WORD LIST. A few lexical items above the 1,000-word level are defined in footnotes to some of the reading selections.
The word games, crossword puzzle, and American folk song following chapters four, five, six, eight, nine, and eleven are optional activities. Each activity is intended to provide a change of pace or add a little "spice" to the classroom. The crossword puzzle and folk song are probably the most challenging and should be useful in expanding vocabulary. This edition was published 1992.
