Assignment C - Part 1
An Evaluation of Cutting Edge Advanced
ü Use the checklist from unit 10 ('Evaluating course book material') to write a general evaluation
of the book.
ü You won't be able to comment on all items as you only have one unit and the contents, but say
as much as you can.
ü This must be presented as a coherent essay, not just a list.
ü Then say whether you personally would like to use the book with an advanced class and why or
why not - this is just your opinion, so there is not a right or a wrong response to this part.
ü You do not need to refer to the class described for Part 2 of this assignment.
ü Write 300 - 500 words.
Evaluation of Cutting Edge Advanced
A general evaluation will be provided on the overall effective usability of the textbook for advanced
students. Offering a ‘discovery’ approach to grammar learning, I will discuss the elements of the
material which I believe are effective and how I would implement in classroom scenarios.
Effective tools
The coursebook includes a plethora of functional materials. We can see this immediately from the
book’s contents, where the sections are separated into topics applicable to real-life situations.
Notably, the coursebook also actively directs the learning style by the Common European
Framework. Stemmed from these features, I appreciate how there is not an explicit referral
towards the objective of learning grammatical structures and rules. Rather, the contents of the
coursebook are more practical and contextual based where the grammar tools are smoothly
incorporated into an everyday topical scenario. An example of this methodology is through the first
unit of ‘Global Living’. Instead of premising the unit on the skeleton of grammatical techniques to
be focused on by students, it encompasses the grammar notions into real life situations. By
directing the lesson in this multidimensional fashion, it removes the linear learning structures
usually applied and instead provides a more logical approach, where learners gain insight into the
real-life usage of grammar in English language as a whole.
Furthermore, one must not omit the ‘Warm up’ at the beginning of the unit, which incorporates a
vocabulary and speaking dimension into the lesson as opposed to monotonously robotically
reading from the textbook. Similarly, all objectives of the lesson are summarised at the beginning
where practice sections at the end also reinforce the vocabulary learned during the lesson. I was
also particularly attracted to the usage of role-plays, matching exercises, and questions suitable for
discussion. Not only are there a multitude of engaging activities for students but they are also
presented in a clear and coherent manner. An especially pertinent aspect is the usage of mind-
maps. This is an effective strategy to demonstrate the interconnectivity in lexical forms and is also
more visual and memorable.
© 2020 The TEFL Academy. All rights reserved. 1
, Overall, the topics are broad and interesting for advanced students and integrate many different
learning styles. I would use this book in my class and would opt to look for a digital version of the
book also. It must be noted however that as my teaching technique will be based on a needs
analysis of the students, further materials my need to be introduced or removed as my knowledge
of my student’s language levels and learning styles increases.
Assignment C - Part 2.i
Authentic Text
ü Check the Class Description and Notes on Part 2 on the assignment platform before you begin.
ü The text should be 500 - 700 words long. (4-5 minutes for listening texts).
ü In this document, provide a copy of the reading text or a transcript of the listening text you
have chosen.
ü Ensure the text is referenced, and if you have selected a listening text or video, provide a link.
ü If you choose a reading text, you can shorten and/or adapt it slightly.
ü Please supply a copy of the original and your adapted version.
ü If you have adapted the text, briefly explain the decisions you've made about changing the text
in section b) of the essay.
ü Highlight 12 vocabulary items (words or phrases) which would be useful to pre-teach.
Part A: Shortened Text
The electric car revolution: is it realistic or optimistic? (C2 Proficiency)
…………..
Does this mean, therefore, that the world is on track to phase out the use of petrol-driven vehicles
in less than thirty years? And does it mean that electric vehicles are the sustainable solution to our
transport needs for the second half of the century? Unfortunately, to the disappointment of some
people, the answer to both of these questions has to be "no".
The massive development of electric vehicles can only be possible if two conditions are met.
Firstly, the expansion of electric vehicle manufacturing is dependent on the fragile ability of
manufacturers to source vastly increased quantities of vital components and elements without
which electric vehicles cannot operate; these include lithium, cobalt and "rare earths" such as
neodymium and tantalum, as well as silicon chips which have already been in short supply since
2020. Secondly, few countries currently have electricity grids that are anywhere near being able to
cope with the huge increase in demand for electricity that will accompany any rapid growth in
electric vehicle ownership. Without adequate supplies of all the vital ingredients of electric
motors and batteries, or without power supplies that are able to provide the electricity required to
recharge millions of electric batteries every day (as well as supplying the current we need for
everything else, such as lighting, heating, trains and electric devices), the electric car revolution
© 2020 The TEFL Academy. All rights reserved. 2
An Evaluation of Cutting Edge Advanced
ü Use the checklist from unit 10 ('Evaluating course book material') to write a general evaluation
of the book.
ü You won't be able to comment on all items as you only have one unit and the contents, but say
as much as you can.
ü This must be presented as a coherent essay, not just a list.
ü Then say whether you personally would like to use the book with an advanced class and why or
why not - this is just your opinion, so there is not a right or a wrong response to this part.
ü You do not need to refer to the class described for Part 2 of this assignment.
ü Write 300 - 500 words.
Evaluation of Cutting Edge Advanced
A general evaluation will be provided on the overall effective usability of the textbook for advanced
students. Offering a ‘discovery’ approach to grammar learning, I will discuss the elements of the
material which I believe are effective and how I would implement in classroom scenarios.
Effective tools
The coursebook includes a plethora of functional materials. We can see this immediately from the
book’s contents, where the sections are separated into topics applicable to real-life situations.
Notably, the coursebook also actively directs the learning style by the Common European
Framework. Stemmed from these features, I appreciate how there is not an explicit referral
towards the objective of learning grammatical structures and rules. Rather, the contents of the
coursebook are more practical and contextual based where the grammar tools are smoothly
incorporated into an everyday topical scenario. An example of this methodology is through the first
unit of ‘Global Living’. Instead of premising the unit on the skeleton of grammatical techniques to
be focused on by students, it encompasses the grammar notions into real life situations. By
directing the lesson in this multidimensional fashion, it removes the linear learning structures
usually applied and instead provides a more logical approach, where learners gain insight into the
real-life usage of grammar in English language as a whole.
Furthermore, one must not omit the ‘Warm up’ at the beginning of the unit, which incorporates a
vocabulary and speaking dimension into the lesson as opposed to monotonously robotically
reading from the textbook. Similarly, all objectives of the lesson are summarised at the beginning
where practice sections at the end also reinforce the vocabulary learned during the lesson. I was
also particularly attracted to the usage of role-plays, matching exercises, and questions suitable for
discussion. Not only are there a multitude of engaging activities for students but they are also
presented in a clear and coherent manner. An especially pertinent aspect is the usage of mind-
maps. This is an effective strategy to demonstrate the interconnectivity in lexical forms and is also
more visual and memorable.
© 2020 The TEFL Academy. All rights reserved. 1
, Overall, the topics are broad and interesting for advanced students and integrate many different
learning styles. I would use this book in my class and would opt to look for a digital version of the
book also. It must be noted however that as my teaching technique will be based on a needs
analysis of the students, further materials my need to be introduced or removed as my knowledge
of my student’s language levels and learning styles increases.
Assignment C - Part 2.i
Authentic Text
ü Check the Class Description and Notes on Part 2 on the assignment platform before you begin.
ü The text should be 500 - 700 words long. (4-5 minutes for listening texts).
ü In this document, provide a copy of the reading text or a transcript of the listening text you
have chosen.
ü Ensure the text is referenced, and if you have selected a listening text or video, provide a link.
ü If you choose a reading text, you can shorten and/or adapt it slightly.
ü Please supply a copy of the original and your adapted version.
ü If you have adapted the text, briefly explain the decisions you've made about changing the text
in section b) of the essay.
ü Highlight 12 vocabulary items (words or phrases) which would be useful to pre-teach.
Part A: Shortened Text
The electric car revolution: is it realistic or optimistic? (C2 Proficiency)
…………..
Does this mean, therefore, that the world is on track to phase out the use of petrol-driven vehicles
in less than thirty years? And does it mean that electric vehicles are the sustainable solution to our
transport needs for the second half of the century? Unfortunately, to the disappointment of some
people, the answer to both of these questions has to be "no".
The massive development of electric vehicles can only be possible if two conditions are met.
Firstly, the expansion of electric vehicle manufacturing is dependent on the fragile ability of
manufacturers to source vastly increased quantities of vital components and elements without
which electric vehicles cannot operate; these include lithium, cobalt and "rare earths" such as
neodymium and tantalum, as well as silicon chips which have already been in short supply since
2020. Secondly, few countries currently have electricity grids that are anywhere near being able to
cope with the huge increase in demand for electricity that will accompany any rapid growth in
electric vehicle ownership. Without adequate supplies of all the vital ingredients of electric
motors and batteries, or without power supplies that are able to provide the electricity required to
recharge millions of electric batteries every day (as well as supplying the current we need for
everything else, such as lighting, heating, trains and electric devices), the electric car revolution
© 2020 The TEFL Academy. All rights reserved. 2
