4 Teacher’s Book RAPID ROUTE Katherine and Steve Bilsborough Syllabus
2
Unit 5
82
Introduction
6
Unit 6
95
Components
10
Unit 7
108
Tour of a unit
12
Unit 8
121
Optional lessons using the DVD 22
Unit 9
134
Other features of the course
23
Revision stories
147
Ace! Digital
24
Festivals
153
Starter unit
26
Classroom language
159
Unit 1
30
Flashcards and wordcards
160
Unit 2
43
Ideas bank
161
Unit 3
56
Wordlist
163
Unit 4
69
1
S ylla b u s
Starter:
It's autumn!
Vocabulary
Structures
Core Autumn vocabulary: acorn, cobweb, squirrel, pumpkin, mushroom, berry, walnut, chestnut
What’s this? What are these?
Autumn vs summer clothes: woolly hat, raincoat, scarf, baseball cap, mittens, swimsuit, swimming trunks, wellies
Is Miss Snow a teacher?
Other all around, ginger, go for a walk, place, put on (your show), a game to play, a scarf to wear, a bike to ride, a sandwich to eat, a book to read, brother, sister, classroom, teacher
Unit 1:
The sports dome
Core Sports / hobbies: play golf, go skiing, do karate, do ballet, do archery, play table tennis, go ice skating, play badminton, play squash, play hockey, go sailing, play volle yball
I’m nine years old. How old are you? I usually wear (a raincoat) in (autumn). I’ve / He’s got a (bike) to (ride).
Let’s (go swimming)! I often play badminton.
Adverbs of frequency: once a week, twice a week, every day, once a month, three times a month, every weekend
Do you (do karate)? No, I never do karate. / Yes, I (sometimes) do karate at school.
Other Sports in history: bow, arrow, hunt, messenger, archer, target, race, runner, marathon
How often do you (play hockey)? I play hockey (once a week).
Highland Games: shot, toss-the- caber, tug-o-war, wooden pole, throw, pull, line, across, distance, hour hand
Unit 2:
Super sea animals
Core Sea animals: albatross, walrus, swordfish, whale, starfish, octopus, jellyfish, sea lion, pelican, lobster, shark, seahorse Superlatives: fat, thin, body, tail, light, dark, skin; The lightest / darkest / biggest / smalles t / fattest / thinnest …
The (shark) is (faster) than the (walrus). (Walruses) are (slower) than (sharks). Which animal has got the (biggest body)? The (whale) has got the biggest body.
Other Classifying animals: vertebrates, invertebrates, reptiles, mammal, amphibian, tadpole, scales, mussel, snake The Great Barrier Reef: clown fish, Large Green Sea Turtle, White-Bellied Sea Eagle, flipper, hooked beak, white stripes
Unit 3:
The cool school
Core School subjects: Art, Spanish, Citizenship, English, Science, Music, Geography, PE (Physical Education), ICT (Information and Communication Technology), Drama, Maths, History
Were you good at (Maths) when you were at school? Yes, I was. / No, I wasn’t.
Skills for school: learning languages, using computers, reading, playing music, playing sports, acting, listening to music, painting, talking
Did you like (painting) when you were younger?
Other Parts of a computer: router, printer, laptop, hard drive, memory stick, screen, keyboard, save / print a document, webcam, speaker, move the mouse, PC, connect, use, turn on
Yes, I did. / No, I didn’t.
She was good at Science.
Languages of the UK: Wales, Welsh, Scotland, Scots, Ireland, Irish, Celtic
Unit 4:
The little city
Core Places in town: sweet sho p, castle, post office, office block, restaurant, factory, market, bank, bus station, train station, fire station, grocer’s, buy / bought / didn’t buy, come / came, go / went, have / had, see / saw, meet / didn’t meet, drink / drank Directions: at the end of, at the corner of, crossroads, bus stop, traffic lights, road, go, stop, go straight on
I (went) to the (train station). / I (didn’t go) to the (castle). How do you get to the (post office)? Turn left at the end of the road, go straight on.
Other Street maps: street map, grid, horizontal, ver tical, coordinate, symbol, key, scale, motorway, railway line, path, cycle path Cities in the USA: desert, state, casino, coast city, coloured lights, ski resorts, make films, film studios, hotels with coloured lights, hot and dry, cold and snowy, hot and sunny, desert town
Unit 5:
Mystery island
Core The world around us: mountain, ocean, iceberg, rainbow, volcano, canyon, plain, forest, village, city, island, pyramid Irregular past tenses: swim / swam, fly / flew, run / ran, hear / heard, wear / wore, find / found, write / wrote Other Landscapes: landscape, foreground, background, swirling clouds, steeple, hay, cart, I t shows Yellowstone National Park: bubble, mud, shoot out, growling, spring, steam, geyser, giant, underground, boils, pool, paint pot, wildlife, come out, amazing, really fun, very exciting, sounds / looks like, underground
2
Syllabus
Did you / he see a bird? Yes, I did. / No, I didn’t. Yes, he did. / No, he didn’t. Where did you (run to)? I ran to the (forest). What did you (find)? I (found) a bone.
Phonics
Skills
Crosscurricular themes
Cultural themes / Values
History:
The Highland Games / The importance of participating
Reading: reading and understanding a story about autumn Listening: listening for specific information (identify words related to autumn) Speaking: asking and answering questions about autumn objects and personal information (What’s this? It’s a cobweb. How old are you? I’m nine years old.) Writing: writing core language at word and sentence level
Phonemes: /sw/ and /sk/
sw an, sw eater, sw ing, sw eet, ice sk ating, sk ipping, sk iing, sk ateboard
Reading: reading and understanding a story about sports objects; identifying people from a description of activities; reading short texts about ancient sports and the Highland Games Listening: identifying sports and adverbs o f frequency (listening for specific information); identifying words with the phonemes /sk/ and /sw/ Speaking: asking and answering questions about sports using adverbs of frequency (How often do you play badminton? )
Revision: st ockings
Writing: identifying and writing sports words and adverbs of frequency; writing about the Highland Games; writing an article about a sporting event
Phonemes:
Reading: reading and understanding a story about fast and slow animals; identifying animals from a description of their characteristics; reading short texts about the classification of animals and sea animals on the Great Barrier Reef
/ʃ/ and /tʃ/
jellyfi sh , squash , bush , toothbrush , wit ch , sandwi ch , beach , tor ch
Phonemes:
Reading: reading and understanding a story about a mystery visitor; reading short texts about ICT and the languages of the UK
Revision: feather
Phonemes: /nd/ and /nt/
The Great Barrier Reef / Looking after the environment
Languages of the UK / Respecting other people’s language and culture
Writing: identifying and writing words related to school subjects; writing about likes and dislikes in the past; writing a page of a guide book Reading: reading and understanding a story about an adventure in the past; reading short texts about street maps and cities in the USA
Revision: often
Writing: identifying and writing words related to places in a town; completing and writing directions, writing a postcard
Phonemes:
Reading: reading and understanding a story about a trip to a mystery island; reading short texts about landscapes, and Yellowstone National Park Listening: identifying words for places in the country, actions in the past (listening for specific information); identifying words with the phonemes /pl/ and /bl/ Speaking: asking and answering questions about actions in the past (Did you play tennis at the weekend? No, I didn’t .); asking and answering questions in the past with where and what (Where did you run to? I ran to the island ) Writing: identifying and writing words related to the world around us and irregular past tense; writing an e-mail about a National Park
Revision: pl ease
Computers
Speaking: asking and answering questions about what people were good at (Was she good at Art? ); asking and answering questions about likes and dislikes in the past (Did you like acting when you were younger? )
weekend , England , pond , sand , hand, pai nt , restaurant , tent , instrument
pl ayed, pl ain, pl ates, pl ants, bl ackbird, bl anket, bl ack, bl ue
ICT:
Listening: identifying words related to school subjects, procedures in ICT (listening for specific information); identifying words with the phonemes /gr/ and /br/
Listening: identifying words for places in a city, directions and things on a street map (listening for specific information); identifying words ending with the phonemes /nd/ and /nt/
/pl/ and /bl/
Classification
Speaking: asking and answering questions to identify sea animals (Is it a shark? No, it ’s bigger than a shark.) Writing: identifying and writing words related to sea animals; writing descriptions of sea animals, writing about classification, writing a holiday brochure
gr andad, gr een, gr apes, gr ass, br ush, br other, br own, br idge
Science:
Listening: identifying words related to sea animals and adjectives to describe animals (listening for specific information); identifying words with the phonemes /ʃ/ and /tʃ/
Revision: shark
/gr/ and /br/
Ancient sports
Geography: Street maps
Cities in the USA / Keeping cities clean
Speaking: talking about actions in the past (He went to the sweet shop.); giving directions (Go straight on. Turn right at the crossroads.)
Art: Landscapes
Yellowstone National Park / Protecting animals and plants in danger of extinction
Syllabus
3
Unit 6:
Fancy dress
Vocabulary
Structures
Core Jobs: secretary, firefighter, singer, journalist, photographer, flight attendant, businessman, businesswoman, TV presenter, architect, pilot, mechanic Household verbs: turn down, turn up, sweep, stand on, pick up, drop, clean, touch
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Other History of firefighting: Roman times, ancient Egypt, modern times, leather hoses, buckets of water, wooden pumps, modern hose s, fire brigades, fire alarms, bucket brigades, fire engine, spray, foam, well Unusual architecture: lotus flower, temple, boat, unusual, steel, designs, India, peaceful, pray
Unit 7:
The super doctor
Unit 8:
The w tches' kitchen
I want to (be a pilot). You must (clean the carpet). You mustn’t (drop the lamp).
Core Health: sick, stomach ache, toothache, cut, cold, sore throat, cough, headache, dizz y, bruise, broken leg, earache, I feel, I’ve got Household tasks: wipe the sink, make the lunch, lay the table, fold the washing, fix the bike, put away the dishes, pick up the toys, hang up the clothes; I / me, he / him, she / her, we / us, they / them Other The senses: smell, taste, sight, hearing, touch, look, feel, sound, perfume, bins, rubbish, tongue, salty, sweet, nasty, whisper, traffic, skin Doctors and nurses: jeep, ambulance, stretcher, breathing equipment, remote, canal, vehicle, nurse, phone, computer, stretcher, plane, boat, air ambulance
You should (sit down).
Core Cooking verbs and nouns: salt, sugar, milk, butter, flour, boil, add, fry, chop, peel, mix, weigh Quantities: litre, millilitre, kilogram, jug, jar, gram, teaspoon, tablespoon
Is there any (sugar)? / Are there any (lemons)?
Other Weights and measurements: measuring tape, height, length, width, metre, centimetre, capacity, container, scales, weight, weighs, holds; It i s (30cm) wide / lo ng. He / She is (1m 40cm) tall Jamaican food: kidney beans, baking powder, make small balls, garlic, coconut milk, vegetable oil, discs
There are some (eggs), but there aren’t any (lemons).
You shouldn’t (walk). Can you help (me / him / her / us / them) (lay the table), please?
There’s some (flour), but there i sn’t any (sugar).
How much (sugar) is there? There are (200 grams) of sugar. How many (tomatoes) are there? There are (ten) tomatoes.
Unit 9:
The super centre
I’m going to (see a play). I’m not going to (make a cake). What are you going to do this weekend? Who are you going with? What are you going to wear?
Rev s on Story 1
Review: sports words, adverbials, school subjects, free-time activities, sea animals, adjectives. Do you go skating? I always / often / sometimes / never (go skating). How often does he / she (go sailing)? Were you good at (Maths)? He / She was good at (Maths). Did you like (reading) when you were at school? Yes, I did. No, I didn’t.; A shark is (faster) than a walrus.; the fattest
Rev s on Story 2
Review: places in a city, directions, places in the country, irregular verbs, jobs, actions. I went / didn’t go (to the bank). Did you see (a bat)? Yes, I did. No, I didn’t. Where did you (swim)? What do you / does she want to be when you grow / s he grows up? He / She wants to be (a journalist). You must (clean the house). You mustn’t (touch the vase).
Rev s on Story 3
Review: ailments and illnesses, housework, food and cook ing, weights and measurements, free-time activities, clothes and accessories. You should / shouldn’t (sit down). Can you help me (wipe the table)? How much flour is there? How many eggs are there? There is / There are … Is there / Are there any … ? Are you going to (see a film)? I’m (not) going to (see a film). Who are you going with?
Fest val 1: D wal
Core: lantern, lights, new clothes, fireworks, candle, gold
Fest val 2: New Year's Eve
Core: midnight, sk yscraper, Times Square, Scotland, Big Ben , London, kiss
Fest val 3: World Book Day 4
Core Weekend plans: see a film, buy clothes, have a party, see a play, see an exhibition, make a cake, read a book, go shopping, play computer games, meet a friend, visit family, go for a walk Special clothes: apron, wetsuit, elbow pads, gloves, casual clothes, knee pads, walking boots, smart clothes Other Making a pair of shoes: decorations, sequins, buttons, coloured shapes, cut out parts, punch holes, shoe laces, sew together, put (the laces) in, insole, heel, sole, upper, pattern, shoemaker, leather Scouts in the UK: scout, cliff, abseiling, orienteering, cross-country cycling, harness, rope, helmet, gloves, boots with strong grips, compass, get from one place to another, instead, mountain bike, member, fresh air
Syllabus
Extra: Hindu New Year, colourful, Festival of Lights, India
Extra: ‘Auld Lang Syne’, acquaintance, New York, New Year’s Resolution Core: story-teller, author, book token, fancy dress Extra: organize, book signings, invite, St Ge orge’s Day
Phonics
Skills
Crosscurricular themes
Cultural themes / Values
Phonemes:
Reading: reading and understanding a story about a fancy dress party; reading short texts about firefighters in history and unusual buildings
History:
Unusual architecture / Respecting art and architecture
/fr/ and /dr/
fr og, fr inge, fr eckles, fr uit, fr ying, dr ummer, bus dr iver, dr inking, dr awing, dr ess
Revision: home
Phonemes: /ɵ/ and /tr/
Speaking: asking and answering questions about future jobs (What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be a journalist.); describing obligations at home (You must clean the house.) Writing: identifying and writing words related to jobs and household tasks; writing a page of a guide book about a building Reading: reading and understanding a story about illnesses; reading short texts about the senses and doctors and nurses in different countries
thin, throws, thermometers, three, throat, tr iangle, tr ain, tr ee, tr affic lights
Listening: identifying words for illnesses and phrases related to housework (listening for specific information); identifying words with the phonemes /ɵ/ and /tr/
Revision: w ai ters
Writing: identifying and writing words related to health and household tasks; writing a news article about the flying doctor
Phonemes:
Reading: reading and understanding a story about cooking; reading short texts about weights and measurements and Jamaican food
/ɔː/ and /ɑː/
t or ch, unif or m, hor se, st or m, f ar mer, par k, mar ket, shar k Revision: ar e
Firefighting
Listening: identifying words for jobs and verbs related to housework (listening for specific information); identifying words beginning with the /fr/ and /dr/ phonemes
Science: The five senses
Speaking: asking and answering about illnesses and giving advice (What’s the matter? I’ve got a cold. You should use tissues.); asking for help (Can you help her pick up the toys, please? )
Listening: identifying cooking verbs and nouns and words related to qu antities (listening for specific information); identifying words with the phonemes /ɔː/ and /ɑː/
Maths: Weights and measurements
Speaking: asking and answering questions about food ( Are there any carrots? No, there aren’t.); asking and answering questions about quantities of food (How much milk is there? There’s 1 litre of milk.)
Doctors and nurses / Understanding the importance of a first aid box
Jamaican food / Understanding the importance of hygiene in the kitchen
Writing: identifying and writing words related to cooking; writing a recipe
Phonemes: /ʊ/ and /uː/
hook, c ook, w ood, book, l ook, ball oons, teaspoon, f ood, moon Revision: hopped
Reading: reading and understanding a story about a birthday party; reading short texts about how shoes are made and scouts in the UK Listening: identifying words for weekend plans, and special clothes and accessories (listening for specific information); identifying words with the phonemes /ʊ/ and /uː/ Speaking: asking and answering questions about future plans ( Are you going to see a film this weekend? Yes, I am.); asking and answering questions about future plans with what and who (What are you going to do? I’m going to ride a bike. Who are you going with? I’m going with my brother.)
Science: How to make a pair of shoes
Scouts in the UK / Understanding the importance of fresh air
Writing: identifying and writing words about weekend plans and special clothes; writing a blog about an outdoor activity
Syllabus
5
In trod uc t o n About Ace! Ace! is a six-level course for children learning English from Primary 1 to Primary 6. The course combines a high level grammar and vocabulary syllabus with fresh, modern visual appeal and all the rich, imaginative context of a true story-based course. The context for the Ace! course is The Ace School and the Ace! characters are all school pupils. In each cycle we experience the daily life and learning of a different age group of pupil characters. And just as the Ace! characters are given a chance to shine, pupils learning English with Ace! are also inspired to flourish. The language and skills practice in Ace! , shaped in line with the requirements of the Cambridge English: Young Learners, Cambridge English: Key and Trinity examinations, have been carefully chosen and crafted to benefit all children in higher level learning contexts, whether they intend to sit external examinations or not. While the syllabus is fast-paced and comprehensive, lessons are carefully staged, the approach to practice and recycling of language is thorough, and the methodology is clear and supportive for teachers and children alike. The course empowers the children to achieve, and at the same time places importance on the fun and enjoyment of learning at primary school.
The preparations for The Ace School summer show are told in the Revision Stories where the four characters explore the castle where they will put on the show and meet a new friend, resolving problems along the way.
Stories As a story-based course, Ace! 4 has storytelling at the very core of its methodology. The value of stories is widely recognized in Primary English Language Teaching. Children come to the primary classroom already equipped with an understanding of stories and the way they work. This familiarity with narrative conventions, as well as an expectation of the pleasure and enjoyment that stories bring, empowers them with confidence and motivation from the outset – an ideal starting point for pupils learning English at this level. In addition, in a fast-paced course like Ace! , stories are the perfect vehicle for the presentation of new language structures, due to the meaningful, visually supportive and very immediate context they naturally provide.
Ace! has an inviting, highly motivating concept and a wealth of story genres, which set the theme for each unit. The stories act as a springboard into meaningful presentation and practice of grammar and vocabulary, and extensive development of all four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. The course places strong emphasis on literacy, with the inclusion of a wide variety of text types and a regular phonics focus. In addition, importance is given to the development of the whole child, through the incorporation of Key Competence aims in the Ace! syllabus, as well as rich cultural input, the highlighting of values, and a cross-curricular lesson in every unit throughout the course.
The emphasis on stories is also invaluable in the development of children’s literacy sk ills, as it furthers familiarity and understanding of the functions of text, as well as promoting a positive attitude to books and reading, which is key to academic success.
To bring the Ace! world to life, the course offers a complete, up-to-date suite of learning and teaching materials, including a comprehensive Teacher’s Resource Pack, an External Exams Practice CD-ROM, and course-specific digital components.
In Ace! 4, the preparations for the summer show constitutes a story thread which runs throughout the level.
Ace! 4 In Ace! 4, we follow the adventures of the characters Jeb, June, Rory and Rose, who are all pupils at The Ace School. In the Starter Unit story, our characters’ teacher, Miss Snow, tells the class that they must prepare a special summer show and they need to find a place to do it. She gives out the four magic tools which the children received in Ace! 3. June has a magic microphone to sing songs, Rory has a magic pen to write stories, Jeb has a magic laptop to find out things on the internet, and Rose has a magic book. At the beginning of each unit, Rose opens her magic book to reveal a fictional location which sets the scene for the unit. The first vocabulary set is presented in the context of this location with a song. The unit theme continues in the illustrated story of the unit and the subsequent lessons. We join either Jeb, June, Rory or Rose as they present a lesson which is appropriate to their magic tool. Rory presents 6
the unit story in Rory’s story , June presents a song in June’s tune, Jeb brings to life cultural information from his laptop in Jeb’s web and Rose presents cross-curricular information in Rose knows about … in the cross-curricular lesson.
Introduction
Stories are a way of immersing children in the target culture, which is a significant part of learning a foreign language and of considerable benefit to children preparing to sit external exams. They are also a useful framework for developing Key Competences, particularly raising awareness with regard to the target culture, as well as inter-curricular themes and citizenship.
The unit stories pick up on the theme of the fictional location that Rose has discovered on opening her magic book. The stories have a rich and varied range of contexts, characters and genres to appeal to the imagination and diverse interests of every child in the class. The carefully staged methodology and impressive package of story materials in Ace! 4 make it possible to exploit each story’s full potential. The unit stories are told initially using the storycards. The teacher can choose to tell the story using the guide script on the storycards or using the Audio CD. The children then listen again, following the story in their Class Books. The children are then encouraged to reproduce the story dialogue by acting it out in groups or as a whole class, with the aim of developing oral fluency and confidence, as well as competence, in speaking English. As a follow up, animated versions of all the unit stories on the DVD bring an entertaining extra dimension to the storytelling experience and the children’s learning. Three stories at the end of the Class Book invite the children to share in the adventures of Jeb, June, Rory and Rose within
the context of the summer show preparations. These stories provide a motivating vehicle for reviewing the language presented and practised in each school term.
Vocabulary and grammar Ace! is a high level English course and therefore incorporates a greater amount of vocabulary and a wider range of grammatical structures than would be expected in a mainstream English language course. The language syllabus for Ace! 1 to Ace! 6, has been specifically designed in line with the syllabi of the Trinity examinations, as well as the Cambridge English: Young Learners and the Cambridge English: Key (KET for schools) examinations. The path towards the goal of entering these external examinations has therefore been taken into consideration in the design and coverage of the Ace! 4 syllabus. At the same time, equal emphasis has been placed on the importance of teaching a practical, well-balanced, high frequency language syllabus, which is appropriate for all children learning English at this level. In Ace! 4 twelve new core items of vocabulary are presented in Lesson 1 of each unit, with a further six to eight core words taught in Lesson 4. All the new core vocabulary is grouped in semantic sets which relate to the unit topic. The vocabulary is presented through listening activities, including memorable songs and chants, and then practised through the retelling of the unit story, motivating communicative games and activities. Flashcards and wordcards are provided in the Teacher’s Resource Pack for ease of vocabulary presentation, practice and reinforcement. In addition to the new core vocabulary, four to five words are also presented in order to facilitate understanding and practice in the cross-curricular lesson and the culture lesson of each unit. Each unit of Ace! 4 also presents and practises two new core structures. The first of these grammatical structures is presented through the story in Lesson 2, with Lesson 3 providing a clear focus on how the grammar works. There is thorough listening, speaking, reading and writing practice of the structure in the Class Book and Activity Book. A second grammatical structure is presented through a song in Lesson 4. This is then practised through an engaging, communicative pair work activity in Lesson 5, and followed up with reading and writing practice in the Activity Book.
Skills Ace! 4 has an integrated approach to language and skills development. The Class Book and Activity Book work closely together to develop the four skills. Through a variety of enjoyable tasks with a very systematic approach, the children progress from listening practice to s peaking practice, from speaking practice to reading practice and from reading practice to writing practice. Over the Ace! series as a whole, care has also been taken to ensure that children preparing for Trinity and Cambridge English examinations develop the required level of sk ills competency, as well as familiarity with examination task types. Listening: Ace! 4 recognizes the particular importance of listening in the early years of language learning. All new language is presented with clear models on the Audio CD for aural recognition. Listening to songs, chants, stories, and cross-curricular and cultural texts also helps the children
internalize the language and expose them to native speaker pronunciation. In addition, listening activities in the Activity Book help to prepare pupils for practical, everyday tasks in English. Speaking: In Ace! 4 speaking practice builds carefully and effectively from simple word-level production to sentence-level production and above. Attention is also paid to the development of both accuracy and fluency. Spoken accuracy is developed through activities which encourage repetition following a model provided on the Audio CDs, as well as through songs and chants, the retelling of stories and controlled practice games. The controlled practice games afford children plenty of opportunity for repetition of core language within a clearly defined framework. Contexts which children can easily relate to, as well as suggestions for teacher-led discussions provided in the Teacher’s Notes, allow frequent opportunities for the children to draw on the whole of their productive repertoire, thereby promoting fluency and confidence in speaking. The development of communicative competence is of paramount importance in Ace! 4. With this aim, Lesson 5 of each unit includes a pair work activity from the back of the Activity Book. This enables the children to practise new vocabulary and grammar in a meaningful way. Further optional communication games are detailed in the Ideas bank section. Reading and writing: Pupils learning English at a higher level need to be able to make good progress quickly with regard to reading and writing. This is particularly true for those studying in bilingual projects or with the intention of sitting external examinations. Ace! 4 takes a very systematic approach to reading and writing to allow this to happen. New language is always practised aurally and orally before the children are asked to read and write. Pupils begin by reading at word level. Only once they have practised reading new words, do they progress to writing them. They then read these new words within sentences, and gradually progress from reading at sentence and paragraph level to writing at sentence and paragraph level. This process occurs twice in each unit, firstly with the new vocabulary presented in Lesson 1 and the grammar presented and practised in Lesson 3, and then again with the vocabulary and grammar presented and practised in Lessons 4 and 5. As the unit progresses, the amount of guidance and scaffolding for writing steadily decreases, for example from gap fill completion exercises to whole sentence writing. In this way the children grow in confidence and independence with regard to their writing. In Lessons 8 and 9 of each unit of Ace! 4, the reading practice builds to more extended texts. The shor t paragraphs about culture in English-speaking countries all use k nown, recycled language and are supported with photographs and audio. Using these texts, as well as the Activity Book follow-up activities, as clear models, the children are then enabled to produce a short, simple piece of personalized writing about their own lives and culture.
Introduction
7
External examinations for young learners
Phonics
At this higher level of English language learning, many young learners in Primary 1 to Primary 6 are entered for external examinations such as the Trinity examinations, the Cambridge English: Young Learners examinations (Starters, Movers and Flyers) and the Cambridge English: Key for schools examination (KET). The syllabus of Ace! 1–6 reflects the language and skills requirements of these examinations.
Ace! has developed a system which employs aspects of Phonics teaching which are of benefit to primary children learning English, making sure that they are fully adapted to the children’s needs. Like the UK and USA Phonics system for native speakers, the Phonics lessons in Ace! teach children skills to help them to read better in English. The Phonics lessons in Ace! also include an element of pronunciation practice, as children need to be able to recognize and say a letter sound before they can attempt to recognize and read it in text. In addition, the words used to exemplify each Phonics focus in Ace! are known words from the same unit, grouped semantically to aid memory and recall.
Trinity Examinations: The Ace! series aims to prepare pupils to enter the Trinity Grade 2 examination by the end of Ace! 2, the Trinity Grade 4 examination by the end of Ace! 4 and the Trinity Grade 6 examination by the end of Ace! 6. Cambridge English: Young Learners Examinations: The Ace! series aims to prepare pupils to sit Starters by the end of Ace! 3, Movers by the end of Ace! 5 and Flyers by the end of Ace! 6. Cambridge English: Key for schools examination (KET): The Ace! series aims to prepare pupils to sit the Cambridge English: Key for schools examination (KET) by the end of Ace! 6. Practice tests for the Trinity, Cambridge English: Young Learners, Cambridge English: Key for schools (KET), as well as Cambridge English: Preliminary for schools (PET) can also be found on the Ace! External Exams Practice CD-ROM.
Culture Ace! values intercultural education as an essential part of language learning. It is important for children to understand and reflect on the differences and similarities between their own and other cultures in order to develop Key Competences, in particular Competence in Social S kills and Citizenship and Competence in Interaction with the Physical Environment. The Culture lessons throughout the Ace! series raise the children’s awareness of being part of a global community by helping them to develop an awareness of the people around them, as well as a stronger understanding of the culture behind the language they are learning. There are regular culture lessons in every unit throughout the Ace! course. Ace! 4 focuses on international Englishspeaking countries. The cultural information is presented through engaging photos and extended reading texts on the Class Book page in Lesson 8, as well as an interesting cultural fact in Lesson 9. At the end of Lesson 9, the children are encouraged to apply their newly acquired cultural knowledge to perform a dialogue between Jeb and a character from the cultural context of the unit. The follow-up activities in the Ace! 4 Activity Book give the children the opportunity to consolidate what they have learned. They are also encouraged to reflect on the target culture and draw conclusions about similarities and differences by producing their own text and illustration, personalized with ideas and experiences from their own culture. In addition to the cultural input in Lessons 8 and 9 of Ace! 4, further intercultural learning is provided through the three Festival Units located at the end of the Ace! 4 Class Book. These are intended to be used at the appropriate times of the year: Diwali, New Year’s Eve and World Book Day. The lessons include new themed vocabulary, a fun festival song, activity worksheets and craft projects, all of which can be used to create an intercultural festival atmosphere in the classroom. Details can be found in the Festivals section. 8
Introduction
In Ace! 4 the Phonics lesson of each unit raises awareness of the relationship between the sound and the spelling of individual letters and letter combinations in English. Pupils are also taught to distinguish between two letter sounds or two groups of letter sounds.
Songs Songs are an invaluable way of practising new language, as they naturally include plenty of repetition and greatly aid memory through their use of rhythm. Each unit of Ace! 4 contains two songs; one in Lesson 1 and one in Lesson 4. These present and practise the new language of the lessons and cover a wide variety of musical genre, specifically designed to encompass the diverse range of musical styles children enjoy in the real world.
Cross-curricular focus The Ace! course embraces the opportunity to transfer useful, practical English language to a range of different areas of the curriculum including Art, Music, Science, Geography, History and Maths. The areas chosen reflect and build on the kind of subject matter that the pupils are working with in other classes. In Lesson 6 of every unit of Ace! 4, we join Rose at The Ace School, who presents the key content. Full colour, photographic, cross-curricular cards are provided in the Teacher’s Resource Pack for presentation purposes for each cross-curricular lesson of the course. The cards provide step-by-step teacher’s notes for easy presentation of the cross-curricular concept. For teachers who have access to an Interactive Whiteboard, an interactive version of the cards can be found on the Ace! 4 iPack. The cross-curricular content of the lesson is then consolidated and practised through listening activities and a personalized communication game in the Class Book, as well as follow up activities in the Activity Book.
Values Learning about values is a key feature of the Ace! series as a whole. In Ace! 4, the values focus is presented in every Lesson 9 by Jeb. The Jeb says … feature integrates socio-cultural aspects of learning and helps to promote self-esteem, as well as positive attitudes, tolerance and respect towards others. The Teacher’s Notes for Lesson 9 outline the Ace! 4 Values routine, which involves the teacher monitoring and rewarding good behaviour and practice with regard to the values.
Revision
Key Competences
In Ace! 4, the core vocabulary and grammar of the unit is revised in each Lesson 10. The children are asked to Show Miss Snow what you know … and have to demonstrate what they have learned to The Ace School teacher through a series or quiz questions and vocabulary and grammar challenges. These questions are designed to elicit all the unit language from the children.
The inclusion of the Key Competences in the curriculum is designed to integrate the formal learning specific to each subject area with less formal learning. This helps pupils to see the relationship between different subjects and use skills learned in one area in different contexts. The Key Competences encourage the activation of resources that the learner already has. Foreign language learning contributes directly to the development of competence in linguistic communication as it increases, enriches and complements a pupil’s communicative capacity. When language learning is based on the development of the four communicative skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing), it helps to develop this Key Competence in the same way as the study of a native language. A more detailed explanation of how learning a foreign language can develop the other Key Competences can be found on the Teacher’s Resource CD-ROM, along with ideas and worksheets for further exploitation of each Key Competence.
The language review in the Activity Book is accompanied by a self-evaluation My work section. Following each sequence of three units, there is also a more extensive revision section. The revision sections are each based around a story in the Class Book featuring the Ace School course characters. Two pages of follow-up exercises per story appear in the Activity Book. These revision story lessons review the core and secondary vocabulary and grammar from each term. Details can be found in the Revision stories section of the Teacher’s Book.
Optional lessons Each unit includes two optional lessons, details of which can be found in the Optional lessons using the DVD section and in the lesson notes which follow. The first optional lesson comes after Lesson 3 and reviews the main vocabulary from the unit and provides reinforcement of the main grammar point presented in the previous lesson. This is also the suggested point for showing the animated version of the story on the DVD. The second optional lesson follows Lesson 6. It gives ideas for extending cross-curricular content and language taught in the cross-curricular lesson, and for a project based on the cross-curricular topic. This is also the suggested point for showing the real world film clips from the DVD.
Testing and evaluation Children’s progress can be evaluated through formal testing, ongoing assessment and self-assessment. For formal testing, there are nine unit tests, three term tests and one end-of-year test on the Teacher’s Resource CD-ROM, which together cover the target language from the course. All these tests are available as printable or editable documents so you can choose to adapt the material to suit your class. For ongoing and self-assessment, there are evaluation grids and portfolio material on the Teacher’s Resource CD-ROM, which allow you to continuously assess your pupils’ progress and provide them and their parents with feedback. You will also find practice papers for the Trinity and Cambridge English: Young Learners, Cambridge English: Key for schools (KET), and Cambridge English: Preliminary for schools (PET) examinations on the External Exams Practice CD-ROM.
The materials in Ace! 4 offer many opportunities for the development of the Key Competences. These are clearly highlighted and explained throughout the teacher’s notes.
Parental involvement. Learning involves a cooperative relationship between home and school, and it is important to establish clear communication with parents to encourage home support. The following are suggestions about possible ways of doing this: Keep parents informed about what their children are learning and their progress. School blogs can be an effective way to keep parents up-to-date, as well as highly motivating for children. Please make sure, however, that the children in your classes are protected at all times when they are online. Ensure that the school blog has a password, so that it is only available for the people for whom it is intended. In addition, teach children about internet security. Screen what they plan to post before they post it and, make sure that they don’t reveal too much personal information, especially not telephone numbers, addresses or personal e-mails. Set children homework to tell their parents the unit story, sing them a song in English or tell them about life in the English-speaking countries, for example. Encourage parents to play the Songs CD, at home or in the car, to motivate their children. Inform parents of the values their children are learning, and ask them to encourage their children to employ them at home too. •
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Multimedia Ace! has a fresh, innovative and fully integrated approach to multimedia in the classroom, allowing teachers to create a tailored digital solution to best suit them and their school facilities. The Ace! digital tools include the iPack, Teacher’s Resource CD-ROM, DVD and Oxford Online Learning Zone website. Details of these features are provided in the Ace! Digital and Optional lessons using the DVD sections of the Teacher’s Book.
Introduction
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In trod uc t o n Class Book •
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a starter unit introducing Jeb, June, Rory, Rose and M iss Snow their class teacher nine teaching units of ten lessons per unit providing the core material three pages of festival materials three revision stories featuring the course characters a clear syllabus summary showing the main language learned in each unit a songs CD with all the songs and chants from the course
Activity Book •
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Class Book
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ten pages of activities per core unit, including a pair work activity; a Book Club feature; follow-up to the cross-curricular, phonics and cultural lessons; unit review and self- evaluation activity ideas for fast finishers at the bottom of each page follow-up to the revision stories follow-up to the festivals one pair work activity per unit bilingual dictionary and grammar section
Teacher’s Book •
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Activity Book
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Audio CDs
an introductory section, including descriptions of the methodology and concept behind the course a full description of the syllabus an annotated Tour of a unit clear, succinct teaching notes for each lesson teaching notes for two optional lessons per unit (one DVD lesson and one cross-curricular lesson) optional extra activity ideas cultural notes references to Key Competences full answer keys for Class Book and Activity Book activities transcript for each lesson references to worksheets on the Teacher’s Resource CD-ROM an Ideas bank with games, activities and ideas for how to exploit the extra resources further (flashcards, storycards, etc.) a list of the unit flashcards and wordcards useful classroom language and a wordlist
Audio CDs •
recording of all the songs, stories and listening activities including test listenings
Teacher’s Resource CD-ROM •
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Teacher’s Book
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Components
evaluation material nine unit tests, three term tests and one end-of-year test two worksheets to supplement the starter unit one story worksheet per unit two vocabulary and grammar worksheets per unit one cross-curricular worksheet per unit six festival worksheets (two per festival) full transcripts and answers for tests, and full teaching notes and answers for worksheets
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notes for Key Competences and worksheets three DVD worksheets per unit (two mini book worksheets and one cross-curricular worksheet) PDF version of the printed Teacher’s Book (English) as well as PDFs of Guía Didáctica and Llibre del professor
External Exams Practice CD-ROM •
practice tests for the following external exams: Cambridge English: Young Learners, Trinity and Cambridge English: Key
Teacher’s Resource CD-ROM
Teacher’s Resource Pack Flashcards •
198 flashcards for presenting the key unit vocabulary (Flashcards Set 1: Lesson 1 vocabulary; Flashcards Set 2: Lesson 4 vocabulary)
Wordcards •
198 wordcards to accompany the flashcards – see the end of this Teacher’s Book for the list of wordcards Flashcards
Storycards •
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72 large, full-colour storycards depicting the nine stories from the course in Units 1 to 9 all the cards have the story text and comprehension questions on the back
Wordcards
Cross-curricular cards •
9 large, full colour cross-curricular cards for presenting the cross-curricular theme for each unit. Each card includes teacher‘s notes on the back.
Poster •
'Essential English' poster containing useful language and grammar tips
Clock •
this is a large, full colour clock with moveable hands for teaching the time
Storycards
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animation of each unit story one cross-curricular video clip per unit
iPack Presentation and practice material for Interactive Whiteboards and data projectors that includes the following: stories songs and chants audio poster, flashcards, and cross-curricular presentation material Activity Book activities •
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Cross-curricular cards
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Oxford Online Learning Zone •
interactive website content for students to use at home or in the classroom
Poster
Components
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t T our o f a U n Lesson 1
Key vocabulary
Lesson 1 teaches and practises the first key vocabulary set of twelve words. It shows Rory, Jeb, Rose and June, the course characters, in a story world setting. They enter this world through a magic book related to the unit topic. The children learn about the magic book in the Starter Unit story of Ace! 3. Class Book presentation of the key vocabulary.
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Lesson 1 1
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Read and number.
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Numbering activity practising the key vocabulary.
Key vocabulary contexualized in the children’s fictional world entered through the magic book.
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playbadminton playvolleyball
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play table tennis
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play hockey
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playsquash play golf
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go ice skating
go sailing
do archery
do karate
go skiing
do ballet
¼et’∫ play squash.
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Write. 1
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Active production of the key vocabulary through a pair work speaking activity.
s p o r t s
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Finished?
Drawand writeabout threesportsyoudo.
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Activity Book 4
Active production of the key vocabulary through a song.
Activity suggestions for fast finishers
Class Book 4
Flashcards and wordcards for presentation and practice.
Clock Flashcards Set 1
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Use the flashcards to present and practise k ey vocabulary. Alternatively, use the digital flashcards on the iPack for presentation via an interactive whiteboard.
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Class Book •
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The children listen to the recording, point to the corresponding item in the picture and then repeat the vocabulary in chorus. The children listen to the recording and say which word is missing. The children listen to the song and gradually join in singing themselves. Play the song several times.
Tour of a unit
Then they do a pair work activity relating to the picture that prompts them to actively produce the vocabulary.
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In the first activity, the children practise recognizing the vocabulary by reading and writing the correct number next to each item. In the second activity, the children write each of the key words next to the pictures. An activity suggestion for fast finishers keeps all children engaged. This feature is present in all lessons.
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