Jones, Leo (2008). Let's Talk 2 (2nd ed.)
New York: Cambridge University Press
Level 2 - Intermediate
![Picture](/uploads/5/9/2/6/59262495/8709783.jpg?1446611615)
Approaches:
Communicative competence is the main approach of this text book. It offers various opportunities for learners to practice speaking and listening through many great creative and engaging activities. Top down approach is emphasized throughout the book, which heavily involved pair work and group work activities with few work alone activities. Each lesson encourages learners to express their feelings, ideas, and opinions through thematic topics, through which, students are able to learn not just the language and also the social life style and culture of the target language.
Contents:
Let’s Talk is a practical, three-level, short speaking and listening course for young adults and adults whose levels are from a high-beginning to high-intermediate level. Each level of Let's Talk, second edition, consists of a Student's Book with Self-study Audio CD, Class Audio CDs.
These are the 16 topics in Let's Talk 2:
Getting to know you; Making a good impression; Food and cooking; Weather;
Working for a living; Leisure time; Sports and games; Transportation and travel;
Vacation time; Inventions and gadgets; The environment; News and current events;
City life; Entertainment and art; The past; Comedy and humor.
Highlight two useful activity:
There is no doubt that reflecting and debriefing what we have observed and experienced are helpful to enhance learned knowledge and skills. One useful activity in this text book is that in every four lessons, there is a great review section, called Expansion, through which learners are able to review what they have learned through a small group activity in a fun way. The review session is like a board game, each player takes turn to roll a die, and move that number of spaces and answer the question which has been taught in class.
Another helpful activity is communication task at the end of each unit, through which, students are able to continue practicing English and build relationship with other students outside the classroom. For example, the communication task for unite 3A, “That sounds delicious!” ask students to work in groups of four to make dishes by following directions offered in the textbook.
Significant characteristic of the book:
Even though the design of this textbook is topic oriented, it does cover the aspect of sociolinguistic competence approach in micro level. For example, the topic in unit 2A is ‘Meeting new people’, in which an exercise, B Pair work, asks students to check the things that they usually do and the things that they never do (B Pair work.)
This is a great place where the teacher may ask students to talk about their sociolinguistic competence in their first language, through which, the teacher is able to introduce the importance of some cultural practices of the target language. If this textbook is used in an EFL class setting, it would be helpful to talk about the World Englishes with students and address the implication of using English globally.
Usefulness:
* Well simple structures and vocabulary
* Thoughtful review sections after every four units
* Listening activities with audio CD in the Self-study section
* Practicing grammar exercises in the Self-study section
* Visual presentations throughout the textbook
Communicative competence is the main approach of this text book. It offers various opportunities for learners to practice speaking and listening through many great creative and engaging activities. Top down approach is emphasized throughout the book, which heavily involved pair work and group work activities with few work alone activities. Each lesson encourages learners to express their feelings, ideas, and opinions through thematic topics, through which, students are able to learn not just the language and also the social life style and culture of the target language.
Contents:
Let’s Talk is a practical, three-level, short speaking and listening course for young adults and adults whose levels are from a high-beginning to high-intermediate level. Each level of Let's Talk, second edition, consists of a Student's Book with Self-study Audio CD, Class Audio CDs.
These are the 16 topics in Let's Talk 2:
Getting to know you; Making a good impression; Food and cooking; Weather;
Working for a living; Leisure time; Sports and games; Transportation and travel;
Vacation time; Inventions and gadgets; The environment; News and current events;
City life; Entertainment and art; The past; Comedy and humor.
Highlight two useful activity:
There is no doubt that reflecting and debriefing what we have observed and experienced are helpful to enhance learned knowledge and skills. One useful activity in this text book is that in every four lessons, there is a great review section, called Expansion, through which learners are able to review what they have learned through a small group activity in a fun way. The review session is like a board game, each player takes turn to roll a die, and move that number of spaces and answer the question which has been taught in class.
Another helpful activity is communication task at the end of each unit, through which, students are able to continue practicing English and build relationship with other students outside the classroom. For example, the communication task for unite 3A, “That sounds delicious!” ask students to work in groups of four to make dishes by following directions offered in the textbook.
Significant characteristic of the book:
Even though the design of this textbook is topic oriented, it does cover the aspect of sociolinguistic competence approach in micro level. For example, the topic in unit 2A is ‘Meeting new people’, in which an exercise, B Pair work, asks students to check the things that they usually do and the things that they never do (B Pair work.)
This is a great place where the teacher may ask students to talk about their sociolinguistic competence in their first language, through which, the teacher is able to introduce the importance of some cultural practices of the target language. If this textbook is used in an EFL class setting, it would be helpful to talk about the World Englishes with students and address the implication of using English globally.
Usefulness:
* Well simple structures and vocabulary
* Thoughtful review sections after every four units
* Listening activities with audio CD in the Self-study section
* Practicing grammar exercises in the Self-study section
* Visual presentations throughout the textbook
These three-level course in North American English is designed to develop oral communication skills and build learner confidence.
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