Namangan State University English Philology Department

Namangan State University

English Philology Department

Group XTA-CR-19

Dilnoza Jurabayeva

Evaluative Essay

In previous lessons we learned different task types and to use them appropriately to get best results. Thus, in this essay I will try to analyze a unit from a course book on developing language skills. For evaluating, I chose the first unit of Cutting Edge Advanced Student’s Book by Sarah Cunningham and Peter Moor.

The unit addresses all language skills focusing on different language aspects such as Vocabulary (Urbanization, Globalization), Pronunciation (Varieties of English), Grammar(Continuous verb forms). All four language skills are equally addressed so there is no dominance over a certain skill.

The unit can be structurally divided into 3 parts. The first part refers to language practice, which has subdivisions Vocabulary and Speaking, Reading and Vocabulary, Grammar Review, Listening and Speaking. In Vocabulary and Speaking, there are 7 exercises which aim for students to brainstorm (ex 1a, 1b), to use topic-based vocabulary in their speech(ex 2, 3, 4, 5, 7), while in Reading and Vocabulary, the four exercises aim for students to practice new words as well as to be introduced to grammar points. There are 4 exercises to practice continuous verb forms in Grammar Review. In the end, subdivision Listening and Speaking with 9 exercises is designed for students to practice and produce the language which they acquired through previous exercises, and learn to introduce points in an argument

The second part, Task gives more general information on language learning. Its main focus is Speaking. In ex 1 and 2, students listen and read materials on what strategies various learners used when they learnt a new language.

The last part, Language Live teaches students to write a report and to differentiate varieties of English pronunciation.

What I liked most is that each subdivision of these parts is organized in Pre-, While- and Post- stage order. For example, writing a report in Language Live starts with pair work and discussion. It is for students to brainstorm ideas. Ex 2, from which starts While-stage, includes reading a sample of a ready report. In ex 3 students analyze the sample report, while in ex 4 they prepare to write a report of their own. The table in ex 5 helps students to write draft of the report. In the Post-stage with ex 6 students write final version of their report. Also, I like how these subdivisions are connected with each other. The chainlike sequence of activities make it smooth for students to achieve the goals set in the unit. In-depth language focus is realistic to acquire. However, the whole unit can be difficult to cover in a single lesson, as it is very long. Hence, I would teach 3 abovementioned parts in 3 separate lessons.