Longman International English Course Teacher's Book (4) Latest Edition

Author: (English) Morlinsky
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: Although Longman International English Course is not a textbook suitable for absolute beginners, the required starting level is not very high. Given the current level of English teaching in middle and primary schools in major cities in China, students with a basic foundation in English from primary to junior high school can use this textbook. Therefore, it is a widely applicable course. The layout design of this textbook is vivid and colorful, with exquisite printing. Opening a book is like opening a children's animated book, which I believe will be attractive to our primary and secondary school students and also conducive to creating a relaxed learning atmosphere.
There are two main approaches to writing textbooks for the foundational stage of English learning: one is grammar-based, and the other is communicative function-based. Both approaches have their own strengths and weaknesses. Grammar-based textbooks emphasize systematic mastery of grammar systems, focusing on students' proficiency and accuracy in constructing sentences. However, they often neglect the development of students' communicative skills, with an extreme manifestation being someone who understands grammar but struggles to speak. Communicative function-based textbooks prioritize the cultivation of students' ability to use language for communication, but they often overlook the accuracy of language (including grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, etc.), with an extreme manifestation being someone who speaks boldly but makes numerous language errors.
Communication is the fundamental purpose of learning a foreign language. If after learning for a long time, one only knows grammar rules but cannot communicate with others, it is almost as if they have learned for nothing. Conversely, the grammar rules of a language (broadly speaking, including grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation) are the foundation of the language. No sentence can exist without grammar. Those who only seek to meet immediate communicative needs without seeking a solid language foundation will eventually find themselves unable to express themselves clearly and will be ridiculed. Ideal textbooks and corresponding teaching methods should strike a reasonable balance between grammar skills and communicative skills, as well as their organic integration. In recent years, many textbooks written domestically and internationally have made efforts in this direction and achieved varying degrees of success. The Longman International English Course (Side by Side), adapted and published by Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press after being introduced from Longman Publishing Group, is considered a relatively successful example. In the four books of this textbook, each lesson has a grammar focus point, along with communicative scenarios where the grammar point is frequently used. As a result, students can immediately apply the grammar they learn to language communication.