Preface The American Language Course (ALC) is a comprehensive, multilevel language program for teaching English for vocational and professional purposes. It is designed primarily for intensive English language training in a classroom setting, but can easily be adapted for slower-paced instruction. The ALC's curriculum has been developed by the Defense Language Institute English Language Center (DLIELC), which is a US Department of Defense school under the operational control of the US Air Force. The primary focus of the ALC is to provide a language curriculum for a diverse international military population. To that end, the course includes not only general English topics, but also military topies of a general nature highlighting the typical language military personnel will encounter in their professional and vocational career fields. The ALC has, however, also been very successfully used in non-military learning environments and in US high schools with immigrant student populations. Course components The coordinated instructional packages for Books 1-30 consist of the following: » Instructor text (IT) > Student text (ST) > Homework and evaluation exercises booklet (HW and EE) > Language laboratory activities text with audio scripts and answer keys (LLAT) » Audio recordings (tape or CD) > Computer-delivered interactive multimedia instruction (IMI) » Quiz kit > Optional training aids Inquiries and orders Please address inquiries and requests for more information about DLIELC publications to DLIELC/LESL 2285 Andrews Avenue Lackland Air Foree Base, Texas 78236-5259 E-mail: dlielcleslwork@us.af:mil ©2008 by Defense Language Institute English Language Center and its licensors. Notice of Rights: All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Various photos courtesy of US Air Force, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), US Army, US Department of Agriculture (USDA), US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), US Marine Corps, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), US Navy, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the US Parks Service. ‘This book supersedes ALC Book 19 Instructor Text, January 1991, Second Edition, October 2008 Fourth printing, October 2011 BOOK 19 PREFACE : ™ALC Book 19: Scope & Sequence, Lessons 1-5 1 | The family tree | Taking about | Adding~'s and ~'to show | > Listen to a text and select > "Our Family ownership possession the topic History" and Possessive adjectives and | » Repeat a dialog with >The generation | *#ationship | pronouns stress on main content gap Inseparable phrasal verbs } words » Bob ran into an old > Use dictionary guide friend. words » Make a graphic organizer from an oral text » Complete a chart froma written text 2 | First responders |» Express Perfect modals may, might, | » Participate in a guided > Everyday heroes | possibilty and | and could have (past group discussion A deadly ire impossibility | possiblity); must have |, lead a warning and about past. | (deduction); couldn't anewer questions > Anica actions and | have (past impossibl s frvenon aeons and | have (past impossbity) |, he an oral warning ater Active causative with have, |" Iistening to, reading about, make, and get or observing @ situation Indefinite adjectives and | , write a paragraph after pronouns fewand title |” pre-witing steps 3 | A call to duty >Talk about | If-clauses + perfect modals | » Listen toa text and select >NCO academies | hypothetical | for past hypothetical the main idea > Training briefing | Situations in| situations > Listen to a role-play and hea the past > If had known, | would | answer questions have helped you. > Participate in a guided Passive causative with group discussion have and get » Read a paragraph and Nouns and verbs to Cross out the extraneous adjectives with -ableand | sentence ~ible 4. | Coming to America| Talk about | Wish + past perfect > Repeat a dialog with » Culture shock regrets >I wish | had gone with | Stress on main content > An immigrants you. words personal journal Review: too and very » Make a graphic organizer >» Volunteering to Review: reported present | froma written text hp teenage tenses > Write a paragraph ater students pre-writing sieps 5 | review Lesson 5 reviews all vocabulary and structures introduced In Lessons 1~4. fi | 7 ‘AMERICAN LANGUAGE COURSEIntroduction to Level Ill ‘The American Language Course (ALC) is an English-language program designed for students Who need to understand and communicate in English in vocational and professional contexts. Its books are intended for intensive language instruction. In the ALC, grammar and vocabulary are taught and explained thoroughly, and all four language skills are developed systematically. About the ALC program Each of the six ALC levels is designed to progressively develop students” basic skills in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. ‘The course employs traditional methods of language teaching as well as more recently developed communicative approaches. Dialogs, student- centered activities, audio and video recordings, computer-delivered interactive multimedia instruction (IMD, and other supplemental materials enhance instruction. The books are designed to be used in sequence, with each book building on the preceding one to promote cumulative language acquisition. The ALC incorporates four components of language learning in its curriculum: vocabulary, grammatical structures, language functions, and skills, ‘© The lessons present vocabulary (individual ‘words as well as phrases) that the learner needs to understand and use in order to communicate effectively in English, Vocabulary is presented in contexts appropriate for learners studying in professional and vocational environments. ‘The ALC’s program also includes military topics and specific military vocabulary. This significant feature sets the ALC apart from other language curricula. * Grammar is carefully and systematically sequenced so that the learner continually builds on previously acquired knowledge. ‘The structures presented are forms a language learner needs to master in order to speak and write standard English. Grammar charts and tables help to direct the learner's attention to significant information. Illustrations elucidate difficult grammar points. * Speakers of a language community use language functions when they interact with one another. Activities in this course emphasize interactional strategies for communication that a foreigner or second-language learner ‘must master in order to perform in the target language with competence and self-assurance. ‘These strategies include initiating, maintaining, and closing conversations; communicating and responding to intentions, wishes, and beliefs; and behaving appropriately in face~ to-face interaction. In each lesson, exercises targeting the process of communication, rather than the linguistic product, teach learners how to successfully communicate in English By focusing on the acquisition of language functions, students develop the ability to use the same interactional skills that native speakers use, and they lear to manage their own conversations in the target language. + Exercises dealing with language and academic skills ae also interspersed throughout the lessons, These exercises aim to develop and increase proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The material allows students to develop practical academic skills universal to any language situation and appropriate for future vocational or academic writing The convenient Instructor Text ‘An instructor text is available for each ALC book. It guides the instructor and gives suggestions on how to, ‘most efficiently teach the course. These texts contain complete answer keys for exercises and copy masters for transparencies. The instructor texts have been ‘written for the inexperienced, non-native English instructor as well as the more experienced teacher. Explanations of grammar points are intended to give novice instructors sufficient language to talk about teaching English with colleagues and supervisors. In addition to the activities provided in the student texts, the instructor texts contain suggestions for «a variety of supplemental individual, partner, and ‘group activities that enhance leaming, provide realistic language situations, and enliven the classroom. BOOK 19 PREFACEObjectives are clearly insimple, everyday lang ‘appear on the page on introduced. Exercise headings are ‘matched for easy ori Texts for dictations, O/A and narrative passages next o the exercise or Seeec EE raion wntors 1 Sete eat ten at ge eg NOTE Nisa dete NOTE: Amen fal of Suaktaiaenae Saucer gene dimers on oun Siemens ying home? ‘temper tae Meh nae toh no apa dad pment wat Wht oe eign Examining an instructor text ‘The instructor text (IT) is fully coordinated with the student text (ST), with each page of the ST ‘conveniently incorporated into the IT by means of a reduced image. The reduced facsimile includes answers to exercises whenever appropriate. Additionally, the IT also provides step-by-step insiructions for carrying out exercises and activities. The text in the margins Ensy-to-follow teaching notes make the IT simple to use, The two example IT pages reproduced above ae labeled to show the layout ofthe instructor text and the locations of important information, The text in the margin provides helpful instructional information, + Language objectives: The objectives are statements of what students should be able to accomplish atthe end of the lesson. They are provided as a guide for the teacher. Furthermore, the students’ mastery of them are measured on the quizzes. + New vocabulary: Bach new term is listed in the margin on the page on which it first occurs. + Exercise instructions: Visually matched headings draw the eye from exercises in the reduced ST to further instructional information in the TT. ‘AMERICAN LANGUAGE COURSE+ Tell students exactly how long they have to complete an activity, and adhere to that time Timi If most students are unable to finish, be willing to extend the limit for a specified amount of time. Classroom seating arrangements ‘The way you set up your class for an activity directly affects how much and how often individual students have opportunities to actively participate. WHOLE GROUP ARRANGEMENTS Oo 2 ° In these two seating configurations, students can easily see and talk to each other. These arrangements can be used for a variety of activities. + Presenting new information + Round-robin or chain drills, + Mechanical and communicative drills + Whole group discussions * Dialog practice a Tm * Some listening activities ‘TRADITIONAL ARRANGEMENT ol ‘The traditional classroom configuration promotes frontal, or top-down, instruction. This type of instruction goes directly from the teacher to the student, limiting the role of the student to that of recipient, or someone who generally miay only speak ‘when called upon. This classroom arrangement is appropriate for situations in which you do not want ‘your students to communicate with each other. + Testing + Lectures + Viewing films ‘+ Mechanical drills requiring choral response ‘SMALL GROUP ARRANGEMENTS Working in small groups of three or four will provide your students with many more opportunities to speak. Below are a few types of sinall group activities. + Discussion Problem solving * Information gap + Games * Brainstorming + Role-plays, PAIR WORK ARRANGEMENT SS Pair work maximizes student participation. It is an effective means of handling shor, simple tasks. Use pair work for the following activities. * Checking homework and written assignments + Preparing for a group activity + Conducting question and answer activities + Practicing dialogs + Creating role-plays + Interviewing + Simulating telephone calls with back-to-back seating In your role asa teacher, limit your involvement in group and pair work, but keep on monitoring ‘your class’s language production, Walk around and listen to what they are saying, and watch what they are doing in order to assess progress and analyze language problems. Be available to answer questions and provide guidance when needed or requested. Otherwise, avoid interrupting or interfering. Asa rule, follow up with a whole-class discussion. BOOK 19 PREFACEew vocapaany » Weve wocabidary is listed bres xem ‘nthe individual page on eters ot which it first appears. Heese ant tsat _ Anaahat Mousses Bice acs he Recommended resources, such as transparency masters or vrealia, are listed in the margin. x= Fe aos langage = een eT aching ices, Retegtitemin, IME erate leaning techntgues, ‘cultural notes, and supplementary te gel tering Then have Amica inde 2m fae activities that go beyond the =a. cee Peseetanaife obecives in Sew hmactewot, — asasmagiamacps, ea atm net eT ae c=" es | + Teacher-dictared texs: Oral drills, listening, and QUA exercises, as well 2s dictation texts, are listed adjacent to their respective exercises * Additional resources: Suggested transparency ‘masters, reali, props, related appendices, etc., are listed in the margin. The text at the bottom of the page In the text below each reduced ST page, teachers will find a four-line abbreviated key under each exercise heading that provides guidance for the presentation of drills and exercises in the lesson. The information in the key always appears in the same order. It indicates the conditions under which the activity is to be performed, the type of cue (visual, oral, ‘or written), the type of response (oral or writen), and the student participation expected (individual, choral, paired, or group). Below each key, teachers will find more detailed guidelines on how to execute the exercise, pertinent ESL/EFL teaching strategies, useful cooperative learning techniques, interesting cultural notes, further grammatical explanations, and challenging supplementary activities for use in mixed-level classes. Such tips are representative of the teaching techniques developed by the well- trained, native-speaker ESL/EFL professionals who teach at DLIELC. More tips about tried-and-true teaching techniques can be found in the subsequent pages of this preface. BOOK 19 PREFACEOrganization of the Student Text Each ST consists of five lessons (Four lessons introducing new material and one review lesson) followed by useful appendices, homework assignments, and an evaluation section, In a 30- hour week of classroom instruction, students would ideally cover one lesson per day and complete an entire book in a single week; however, the material can easily be adapted for slower: paced instruction. ‘The first two pages of each lesson are the table of contents and preview page. The preview page presents a synopsis of the lesson’s vocabulary, ‘grammar, and language-function objectives. The first section on the preview page lists vocabulary. Most new vocabulary is provided in alphabetical order; however, when useful, new words are grouped to enable students to retain them more easily. Examples of grammar structures and language function phrases presented in the lesson are included at the botwom of the page. ALC students frequently use the preview page as a study aid; instructors can use it for developing supplemental and review activities Homework assignments for the initial four lessons provide additional practice in accomplishing the objectives. They also serve as a means of identifying student language deficiencies. These exercises provide approximately two hours of homework for each Iesson, The homework exercises ar¢ located between the appendices and evaluation exercises. Evaluation exercises also correspond to the first four lessons. These exercises are formatted like short performance quizzes and are intended to be used to measure student mastery of objectives. They are located atthe back of the student text in the last section, Instructors can administer the evaluations on a daily basis in a controlled classroom situation. Language objectives The ALC course writers follow the instructional systems development (ISD) model, which is a well- documented pedagogical approach frequently used in the development of military courses for vocational purposes. As prescribed by the ISD model, the ALC is based on objectives. These are language and skills objectives that are explicit statements of what the student should be able to accomplish upon completing a lesson. In the instructor text, all the objectives for a lesson are listed on the bottom of the contents and preview pages. The list is intended to serve as a guide, indicating what content instructors must cover in a particular lesson, The objectives determine evaluative aspects of the lesson that are specifically measured by the quizzes. Inthe (T, objectives appear again in the upper left ‘or right margins of the page on which they are first introduced in order to emphasize their importance. Instructors who have analyzed the objectives for a particular lesson can streamline their instruction Objective and other vocabulary ‘The individual lessons of the ALC present vocabulary in context. The ALC categorizes new ‘vocabulary as objective or non-objective. Non- objective vocabulary can be recognition, facilitative, or instructional + Objective vocabulary includes the words introduced in a lesson which are tested at a book’s completion. The vocabulary list can be found on each lesson’s preview page in both student and instructor texts. Words are in alphabetical order and are categorized by part of speech + Recognition vocabulary refers to words which relate to lesson content but which are not specifically tested. However, they may appear in quizzes, + The first appearance in a lesson of objective and recognition vocabulary is bolded so that ind students can quickly identify in context. Inthe IT, recognition vocabulary is italicized on the preview page and in the margin for the instructor's benefit + The icon €2> identities a word which has ‘more than one meaning or part of speech, The number inside the icon indicates the number of meanings or parts of speech which are treated in the lesson. Each meaning or part of speech is clarified in the IT margin as itis presented. + Facilitative vocabulary refers to words and phrases which help students understand the lesson and, in many cases, provide more realistic and authentic sounding material. They are listed alphabetically in the IT margin on the preview page. These words are not tested and do not appear on book quizzes. AMERICAN LANGUAGE COURSE