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Conversations in Class, 3rd Edition

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Conversations in Class, 3rd Edition is an oral communication textbook especially designed for low-intermediate Japanese university students who have studied English for six or more years but have had little or no experience with actual conversation. The book provides clear, step-by-step training in how to speak English more smoothly and naturally. Higher level students can also make use of the book as a springboard for conversation.

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Conversations in Class, 3rd Edition
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  • ISBN：978-4-905343-12-7

  • Authors：Jerry Talandis Jr. et al.

  • 128 pages (A4), color

  • Price:  ¥2,500 + tax

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Structure of Lessons

Model Sentences display target language in an easy-to-understand visual manner. Japanese translations make new language even easier for students to learn and help teachers present new content more smoothly. Color-coded variation vocabulary provides additional options for self-expression. The accompanying audio tracks contain grammar and usage commentary in Japanese (English translations are available in the Teacher’s Book and at cic-multimedia.com.)

The Guided Speaking Practice section provides students with a reassuring step between the presentation of new language and free conversation. These visual manga-style dialogs provide vital repetitive practice in an engaging manner. In addition, they present additional language chunks in the context of conversations students are currently learning.

This book deals with cultural differences by focusing on three Golden Rules, which  are cultural tips on how to conduct more natural, interactive, and friendlier conversations by avoiding long silences, giving longer answers, and varying conversation patterns. They are introduced at the beginning of the book and are repeated within the context of each unit’s topic, enabling students to review and incorporate these basic principles into their speaking practice.

Each unit contains various activities for practicing conversation:

 

  • Memorize & Perform: students pair-write, memorize, then perform a short dialog. This task enables them to learn new language in a collaborative manner and holds them accountable for their effort.

  • Interview & Report: Students interview each other, switch partners, then do mini-presentations on what their previous partner said. This task helps students practice giving longer turns and listening actively.

  • Free Conversation: Students do several rounds of timed conversations with different partners.

  • Guided Role-play: This task helps students review previously learned language and practice thinking quickly and creatively in the moment. It also provides a break from always talking about oneself.

Supplementary materials 

For users

You can access the Teacher website that contains:

  • A list of all links to the teacher's digital textbook (lesson-per-lesson flipbooks and Google Slides). 

  • The Teacher's book in PDF format 

  • Audio tracks

 

The list of the digital textbooks and the Teacher's Book are password-protected.
You can request the password here.

For teachers considering the use of this textbook

You can look at samples of the supplementary materials below.

Please note that the answers in the sample of the Teacher's book have been blacked out.

 

If you have any questions or comments, please contact us.

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Website

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Digital textbooks and the Teacher's book

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Testimonials​
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​"In lower or mixed  level classes, it takes a lot of guesswork and self doubt away for the students, allowing them to practice the target structures sooner. In a word you might say it's idiot-proof."

Alex Bodnar

University of Kitakyushu

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"Of the many books I have used over the years, the cultural "Golden Rules" really nail it in terms of letting students know what to work on to sound more natural."

Chris Schoenwald

Onomichi Gakuen

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"The explanations are in Japanese, so students can read both languages to understand the main aims. This enabled them to complete most of the textbook independently or with a partner. Unlike other English-only textbooks, I did not need to explain everything in English, which is sometimes too overwhelming for my students. The multimedia activities were good, and the students could also complete these by themselves. Finally, having three different accents for the Listening model conversations was excellent."

Martin Baildon

Nagoya Junior College

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"Has a tight focus and a variety of supporting features that can be used, or not, depending on the situation. Clearly superior to previous editions. Good job!"

Paul Spijkerbosch

Matsuyama University

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"It is pretty flexible and works with mixed level classes and with large classes. I also like the clarity, flexibility, and focus on repeated practice and useful patterns."

Thomas E. Bieri

Nanzan / Chukyo Universities

Frequently Asked Questions

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1. What makes this textbook unique?

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1. Each unit revolves around a topic of daily life. Students can quickly get to the stage of talking about their lives, which is something they can really enjoy.

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2. Each lesson is centered on a few basic questionanswer structures, called Model Sentences.These are presented in a simple and visual way so that students can infer grammar patterns at a glance. Variation vocabulary allows students to then create many meaningful sentences. This combination of simplicity and flexibility is what brings about something rare in Japanese EFL classrooms:students actually having and enjoying interactive conversations in real time.

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3. Simple yet powerful pragmatic strategies are introduced and practiced. These help students avoid making the kinds of mistakes which typically hinder conversation, such as long silences, overly short answers, and an over reliance on questions.

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2. What sorts of teaching contexts is this book appropriate for?

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Genuine low-intermediate students, such as those commonly found in Freshman English courses at university, are the main target audience, but the book can also be used with high school students or adult learners. The content is targeted towards the A1~A2 levels on the CEFR scale1 but can be used with a wider range, from pre-A1 up to B2, making this book ideal for mixed-level classes. For lower level students, the content represents an achievable aspirational goal, while higher level students will use it as a starting point and focus more on mastering the pragmatic elements. This book seeks to build upon six or more years of EFL instruction and transform English from a subject to be learned into a skill to be used for making life better and more interesting.

3. How long does it take to cover one unit?

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Each unit consists of three parts, and each part takes about 60 minutes to complete depending on your teaching style, class size, and level of the students. If you teach one part per class, you should have some time left over for review and/or expansion activities.

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​…その他のよくあるご質問に関しましては、こちらのFAQのページをご覧下さい。

Contact us / Request a sample copy

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Thank you for your interest in our textbooks.
We send evaluation copies free of charge to teachers based in Japan.

We send evaluation copies through “mail-bin”. They will be delivered to you within a week, up to ten days.

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If you have any questions or comments about our textbooks, please do not hesitate to contact us!

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