This is a general English course for students at a very low A1 level who want to start their language skills and gain confidence in understanding and using everyday language. The course will help you build a basic knowledge of English and get a better idea of how the language works. There is an equal focus on grammar and vocabulary.
This course will help you:
- Become more confident at using new language to listen and talk in basic terms about the real world.
- Develop basic grammar awareness and accuracy about the past, present and future.
- Learn vocabulary to talk in everyday and familiar contexts and look at some common vocabulary-building techniques.
Which book will I use? What special features does the book have?
The course uses a book called Navigate (Oxford). It is divided into 10 units. Each unit has two main input sections that cover grammar, vocabulary and four skills. Section three and four cover vocabulary and skills development for everyday situations matched to their CEFR level. An important feature of the book is the inclusion of documentary videos and Vox pops with authentic interviews of people discussing topics in the coursebook. This is aimed at helping students enhance their four skills by using authentic materials. Each unit ends with a review page to revise key language and skills. At the back of the book there is a useful grammar reference and practice exercises to help review. Navigate has been based on the Oxford 3000 to ensure that learners are only covering the most relevant vocabulary.
| Beginner A (Units 1-3) | Beginner B (Units 4-6) | |
| Topics – First meetings, Questions, People and possessions
Vocabulary– introductions, numbers, countries, objects, regular plural nouns, jobs, prepositions of place (in, on, near/next to), adjectives + noun phrases, irregular plurals, opposite adjectives, family. Language – verb be (I/you/we/you), questions words, this/that/these/those, verb be (it/they), subject pronouns, have got, has got, have got negatives and questions, possessive determiners (my/his/our…), possessive ‘s. Skills development- listening to recognise questions, recognising proper nouns in reading texts, saying hello and goodbye, filling in a form, listen and understand singular and plural forms, understanding pronouns in reading, speak about time, writing a blog, identifying key words while reading, listen and understand final ‘s, using everyday expressions in speaking, writing a social media message. |
Topics – My life, Style and Design, Places and facilities
Vocabulary – common verbs, transport, daily activities, verb + noun phrases, colours and clothes, adjectives, parts of the body, very/really + adjectives, places in a town, recording vocabulary, hotel facilities, rooms and furniture. Language – present simple positive, negative and yes/no questions, adverbs of frequency, Wh-questions, present simple-all forms, there is /there are, Is there..? / Are there…?, each and all the. Skills development- understanding verb phrases while reading, understanding positive and negative contractions while listening, speaking in a shop, writing an informal email, reading but/an/because, understanding chunks in listening, asking for and giving travel information, making arrangements by text, understanding where/when in listening, words that look similar in reading, explaining problems to others, writing a hotel review. |
| Beginner C (Units7-10) |
| Topics – Skills and interests, Our past, Unusual stories, New places and new projects
Vocabulary – Dates, was born/died, past expressions, adjectives + noun phrases, verb phrases, words from context, future time expressions, verb phrases, prepositions, of time, café food. Language – verb be past simple, past simple regular verbs, object pronouns, past simple irregular verbs, past simple negative and questions, going to positive, negative and questions forms, would like. Skills development- Listening to past or present, understanding pronouns in reading, expressions for special occasions in speaking, writing a biography, words that sounds the same in listening, guessing meaning form the context in reading, speak about the weather, write a review of an event, identifying the subject in a reading text, identifying words in connected speech in listening, ordering food and drink, writing invitations and thank-you notes. |