Grapevine
by Peter Viney and Karen Viney
Oxford University Press
Grapevine attempts to provide a course suitable for the wide range of abilities and previous knowledge that are found with most adult group beginners.
The course comprises a text book, two workbooks, two cassettes, and an optional video and video workbook. In this respect, Grapevine is not very different from its competitors. However, Grapevine does have several advantages over its competitors.
In my opinion, the great advantage of Grapevine is the thoughtful way vocabulary development has been integrated into the course. Vocabulary is divided into three arbitrary categories of active, passive, and classroom. The active vocabulary in a unit is the language that students will be expected to produce or is important in the understanding of the unit. The passive vocabulary is words which appear in a particular unit and can generally be understood in context. The passive vocabulary is recycled in later units, as active vocabulary and so the student is already familiar with the sight and sound of the new vocabulary items when they come up in the unit.
I have found it a very successful way of developing students vocabulary.
The student’s book, like most beginner’s books concentrates much more on speaking and listening than reading and writing, but the workbooks, which are very well planned, are geared to compensate for this.
Grapevine has a variety of different styles of illustration which means that the students do not lose interest because of the layout of the book.
The syllabus is a balance between functional and structural elements and in common with other courses, such as The Cambridge English Course One, grammar summaries are provided at the end of the students’ book.
The syllabus has a spiral structure with built in revision. This means that the students are constantly receiving recycling and reinforcement of previous language input.
Peter Viney is of course famous for his ‘Streamline” series, and Streamline Departures has been one of the most widely used books for beginners. Departure has been criticised for an over emphasis on communication. However, this cannot be said of Grapevine which is orientated towards communication, although this does not mean that drills are not given due importance since most units include some form of drill. Personally I think beginners need to practice getting their mouths round strange sounds and drills are as good a way as any of achieving this. The form the drills take are varied and I have found that the students actively enjoy them.
Grapevine is a well thought out and well produced course, which is enjoyable both to teach and to study.
Jerry Dalton
English Language Teacher
International House, Torrelavega
***
An easily digested feast
Grapevine by Peter Viney and Karen Viney
Grapevine has been tested, or piloted, in language schools in different parts of the world- Japan, Brazil, Saudi Arabia as well as Europe – and experts in many skills have been employed by editors and the publisher. It is a light and fruity mixture and the well-concealed structured material it carries is easily digested. It is nest taken in the order set down- although units are independent.
The skills are integrated throughout the components of the course but each has its particular focus. Reading and writing are the main functions of the workbooks. The voices on the cassettes are varied and lively with music and sound effects providing light hearted and humorous material.
The Student’s Book follows through 40 units, and four storied. It concludes with a list of irregular verbs, listening scripts, a vocabulary index and grammar summaries. The Teacher’s Book is a chunky spiral bound manual of lesson plans providing and inviting flexibility both in its exploitation and handling. A reference section in each unit focuses on a summary of teaching points and other useful items including an interesting treatment of vocabulary used.
Students and teachers are recommended to partake liberally of all that Grapevine has to offer.
Vanessa Young
The Times Educational Supplement
Vanessa Young is ESOL Training Supervisor for the Apex Trust, Peckham, south east London
***
Healthy shoots from the vine
Grapevine 2
By Peter Viney and Karen Viney
The Vineys winning team has produced another certain runaway success with their new main course, Grapevine, to follow the popular Streamline series of the 70’s. Grapevine 2 is the second book in the three level course which takes students from beginner to pre-intermediate level.
It consists of teacher’s book, student’s book, workbooks A & B with separate key booklet, two stereo cassettes, two videos and an accompanying video activity book. The student’s book has an optional introductory unit, 40 double page main units, a grammar reference section, an interaction section (role cards, etc.), a listening appendix (tapescripts), a comprehensive vocabulary index and an irregular verbs index. The whole approach is very lively and entertaining, but also manages to present and practise the language thoroughly in a way usable, easy to learn and teach.
The structures are recycled throughout the book and flow naturally from unit to unit. Students are taught a wide range of vocabulary but are not overloaded. The skills activities are spread evenly and there are four “Stories for Pleasure” providing additional listening and reading.
The interleaved teacher’s book gives step-by-step guidance on how best to exploit the material. Most lessons also have suggestions of optional activities and materials needed and the first 14 pages are almost a mini training course. New teachers will find the section on techniques particularly helpful.
Two workbooks support the course. These are written to the same high standard. The cassettes have natural, realistic listening dialogues and tasks presented in a variety of spoken English.
Finally the videos, which are integrated throughout the book, make a complete course in themselves. It is very professionally made with an activity book that tells the teacher in great detail how to get the best from the eight short comic stories.
Oxford have obviously invested heavily in this course which is extremely well written and beautifully presented with superb art work. It manages to satisfy both learners’ and teachers’ needs and demands. There is all a teacher could ask for in the teacher’s book and it is a stimulating and appealing course for students. Grapevine, I predict, will still be going strong in ten or more years time, quite deservedly so.
Phyllis Vannuffel
The Times Educational Supplement
Phyllis Vannuffel is a freelance consultant and teacher trainer.
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