Introduction

The Series

Resources

Grammar Self-Check

Philosophy and Approaches

Top NotchTop Notch

Top Notch is a six-level course specific for young adults and adults.

But what is Top Notch TV?

It’s a component of the regular course book, to be taught together with the regular course or apart.

The authors’ philosophy.The authors’ philosophy.

Student Book ( Text book only)

Teacher’s Guide (Tv Notch Regular Course)

Teacher’s Resource Disk (TRD)

Web Site

Video

Worksheets and Teaching Notes

Top Notch ResourcesTop Notch Resources

• teach the unit patters? – Teacher’s Guide and Pair Words Cards from TRD

• teach the new vocabulary – Students Book and Vocabulary Cards from TRD

In addition check on the teacher’s guide (Culture Notes, Language Notes and Corpus Notes) to comment on any related cultural aspects.

• teach new grammar points - Teacher’s guide and Grammar Self-check from TRD

Which resources are used to…Which resources are used to…

The Grammar Self-Checks encourage students to take a

close look at the grammar structures taught in the

Student’s Book lessons and discover the underlying

grammar rules for themselves. They can be used in two

ways. If you prefer an inductive grammar approach, use

them as alternative to presenting the grammar charts in

the Student’s

Book. If you prefer a more deductive approach, use them

to confirm understanding of the grammar point after

presenting the grammar charts in the Student’s Book.

Grammar Self-ChecksGrammar Self-Checks

A Grammar Self-Check activity consists of two parts:

(1) example sentences containing the grammar structure for students to study and (2) a follow-up completion activity

(“Figure It Out”) focusing on the relevant grammar rules. The grammar rules in Figure It Out are carefully worded so that students can complete them by studying the examples in the grammar box.

Top Notch Fundamentals - ContentsTop Notch Fundamentals - Contents1. Names and Occupations2. Relationships 3. Directions and Transportation4. People5. Events and Times6. Clothes7. Home and Work

Checkpoint     Units 1-7

8. Activities 9. Weather and Ongoing Activities 10.Food11.Past Events12.Appearance and Health13.Abilities and Requests14.Past, Present, and Future Plans

Checkpoint     Units 8-14

Conversation Pair Work, page 5

Practice the conversation and vocabulary with a partner. Use your own words.

A: What do you do?B:A: I’m ______.

Top Notch Fundamentals, Unit 1, page 5

Copyright 2006 by Pearson Education. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.

Look at these contractions.

Contractions

I am I’mHe is He’sShe is She’s

FIGURE IT OUT . . .

Answer these questions.

1. What’s the contraction of You are? __________2. What’s the contraction of It is? ___________

The philosophy applied to the material is to providestudents:

Multiple exposures to new language and numerous opportunities to practice it in an intensive and systematicrecycling.

Philosophy and ApproachesPhilosophy and Approaches

All these purposes are achieved by following blocks:

Observation - students need to observe the language they're learning - they al least need to see and to hear it.Explanation - again students need know how things work.Integration - they need the new language integrated in several contexts to make it memorable.Multiplication - They need to encounter the new language many times. Application - Students need to use the new language in controlled as well in free communication.Confirmation - finally students to confirm progress, to see for themselves all the language they have learned. That keepsthem motivated to learn more.

When teaching Top Notch TV first students see and repeat the new vocabulary and are introducedthe new modules (patterns) and this is observation.

To give the students a chance to have these new elements together in a contest we present the video for the first time. It's important to prepare listening activities for students recognize some of this new language.

The next step is to provide students the chance to practicethe new language integrated with new grammar point and multiple activities.

Following is the students' opportunity to confirm all these elements: vocabulary, grammar and modules integrated in a natural conversation.

Students can check their progress by doing the listening activities as well as practicing questions and answers and pair work activities based on the video presentation.

Videos clips are presented in two different segments:

Sitcom (situation comedy) and On-the-Street Interviews(unrehearsed interviews).Basically these two videos segments work as part A and B of a unit. Differently from the regular course the video program does not have a systematic layout of activities.