In 5 Characteristics of a Good Textbook we discussed five quick and easy ways to evaluate a textbook. If you can afford the time and energy to dig a bit deeper, I strongly suggest to look for those five things in our ELT Coursebook Evaluation Checklist:
There are quite a few different strategies out there, but this one never gets old. Presentation, Practice and Production (PPP) is one of the most popular lesson plan formats. And it’s a must-have of every good text book.
Think about PPP as a pyramid. Presentation will be the tip of the pyramid, Practice is in the middle and Production is the base.
For example, for a 60 minute lesson, allow 15 minutes for Presentation of new material, 20 minutes for Practice, and 25 minutes for Production. These stages are very clear cut in well-written text books.
To learn something, students need to own it. Personalization happens when activities allow students to express their own preferences and opinions.
Personalization is true communication, as learners communicate real information about themselves. It makes communication activities meaningful and gives students motivation.