Teammates 2 Coursebook

TEAMMATES 2 is the second book of the TEAMMATES series. The aim of this level is to consolidate the beginner’s knowledge pupils acquired the previous year and prepare them for the elementary level that they will complete the following year.

The characters Anna, Diego, Lucy, Masako and Omar who are featured throughout the book will already be familiar to students from the first book in the series. They discuss problems and concerns relevant to students of this age and introduce students to useful everyday English.

The Coursebook starts with the “What can you remember?” section, which helps pupils, revise their previous knowledge. The Coursebook contains 14 units, each of which is divided into the following sections: online chat or dialogue, reading text, “Out and About”, vocabulary, grammar, speaking, listening, writing and “Around the World”. This clear, consistent structure means that pupils know what to expect and what is expected of them at each stage of every lesson.

Before each set of 3 units, there is a fun page with a song, a riddle, a joke and a fun activity that presents some of the new vocabulary. This page also presents the objectives of the three units that follow.

After each 3-unit set, there is a comic strip story which unfolds in episodes. This is a fun break that motivates students and creates the conditions for further discussion. A revision section and a self-assessment questionnaire follow. These encourage pupils to monitor their progress, take responsibility for their learning and become more aware of any problem areas they may have to work on.

Unit organisation

Online chat or dialogue: every unit begins with an online chat featuring three of the five characters that appear throughout the book. The online chats are based on these characters’ experiences and perspectives. They present pupils with authentic informal functional language. They also act as an introduction to the unit theme and present pupils with examples of the grammar phenomena that they will study in the unit. The online chat is followed by some questions. After pupils listen to or read the online chat, you can use these questions to generate a short class discussion on the theme of the unit. The first page of each unit also features a full-page illustration related to the online chat. These illustrations can be used with pupils to prompt discussion.

Main reading text: the texts may be an online profile, an email, a blog post, a diary entry, a review, an extract from a travel guide, a story, etc. The reading text further develops the theme of the unit and presents pupils with useful vocabulary while exposing them to a variety of writing styles. After the reading text, there are reading comprehension activities that consolidate pupils’ understanding of the text.

“Out and About”: This section features material such as adverts, posters, signs and labels that pupils would be likely to encounter if they visited an English-speaking country. Showing pupils that they can understand material such as this boosts their confidence and reminds them of some of the practical benefits of studying English.

Vocabulary: this section contains tasks that focus on the new vocabulary presented in the online chat, reading text and ‘Out and About’ section. Further useful vocabulary connected with the unit theme is presented in the Extra! vocabulary boxes. The introduction of new vocabulary is carefully controlled and recycled throughout the course to reinforce pupils’ understanding of these lexical items.

Grammar: the unit grammar is presented in clear concise tables at the top of the grammar page in each unit. These grammar phenomena are explained in more detail in the Grammar Appendix at the back of the book. The grammar tasks have been designed to reinforce pupils’ understanding and increase their confidence in using all the grammar structures they need at this level. There are further grammar tasks in the Workbook and on the e-book.

Speaking: Pupils are given the opportunity to talk to the teacher, in pairs and in larger groups at various points throughout the units. The activities in the speaking sections are designed to encourage pupils to speak spontaneously, using the vocabulary and/or grammar that they have just learnt. These activities often take the form of a game so that pupils feel under less pressure, have fun and come to enjoy communicating in English. Each unit also has a pronunciation task, which gives pupils the opportunity to listen to and practise pronouncing words that contain sounds non-native speakers of English often have problems with.

Listening: The listening section in each unit contains a variety of types of listening activity which will improve pupils’ comprehension skills. The listening activities utilise the vocabulary and/or grammar presented in the unit and thus further consolidate pupils’ understanding.

Writing: The writing activity in each unit provides pupils with the regular practice that they need. Plans, sample compositions and tasks are used to guide pupils through the writing activities, making sure that they have all the help they need and understand exactly what is expected of them. During the course, pupils produce a variety of types of writing, which further recycles and reinforces the language they have learnt.

“Around the world”: This section of each unit utilises a more cross-curricular approach to learning English, which touches on many aspects of life and culture.

At the end of the book, there is also a glossary that presents the words for every unit thematically (in alphabetical order), and a list of irregular verbs.