. Textbook Analysis .

1
. Textbook Analysis .

• UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE MINAS GERAIS
• FACULDADE DE LETRAS
• COURSE The Communicative Approach
• PROFESSOR Deise Prina Dutra
• STUDENTS Augusto Braga, Rafael França Samia
  Costa
• JUNE / 2007

Textbook analyzed American Headway 3by Liz and
John Soars - Oxford University Press American
Headway 3 is considered an upper
intermediate-level textbook, and it is divided in
12 units. Weve decided to analyze sections of
Unit 12 whose title is Life's Great Events! and
whose main grammar focus is on reported speech.
2
The whole unit is related to the same grammar
topic - the structure and the use of reported
speech. As every unit in the book, unit 12 is
divided into different sections. Although each
section is connected with the same linguistic
item, they present different themes and
subjects. The unit starts talking about
marriage, presenting some warm-up questions and a
listening activity in which students listen to a
conversation going on at a wedding. The first
activity focusing on grammar is called "Grammar
Spot, a blue box present in every unit of the
book. It is totally focused on form. By answering
some questions, students are able to systematize
the new structures and come up with grammar rules.
3
1st Grammar-focused Activity
4
In the same section, there is another activity
whose main focus is on grammar. This activity
integrates grammar and listening. Students are
supposed to complete some conversation lines and
then listen to the dialog to check their answers.
Although the listening part is very short,
students are asked to pay special attention to
stress and intonation of sentences in the
reported speech. The main focus of this activity
is on form and the use of different verb tenses
in reported speech structure. It can be
considered a grammar exercise since the command
(Complete the lines...) goes straight to the
point, requiring little use of language in a
communicative way. There is no reference to
socio-cultural aspects or to genre.
5
2nd Grammar-focused Activity
6
The following section of the unit is named Go to
Jail!. It is composed by two activities and
integrates reading and writing skills. Firstly,
there is a newspaper article which students are
supposed to read and perform a simple task
connected with the pictures. Then, in activity 2,
students have to rewrite sentences using the
structure for the reported speech. It can be
considered a grammar task since the command
requires some communicative use of the language.
There is a task involved students must find out
who speaks each of the sentences. This activity
focuses on both function and usage, though it
does not emphasize use very much. Although it
deals clearly with the newspaper genre, there is
no focus on it. There is no reference to
socio-cultural aspects either. It may relate to
students needs once students are able to notice
how they should use the language for the specific
purpose of reporting somebody elses speech.
7
Section of Unit 12