Summary:
The amazing success of the Michel Thomas method of learning a language is now available for schools. The package offers a comprehensive, accelerated learning course perfect as a grounding for those new to Spanish. No other materials are needed: in fact, the use of other materials would detract from the effectiveness of the course. The author, Paul Howard, has been using the Michel Thomas method in school for some three years, with amazing, and quantifiable, results. Faithfully following the Michel Thomas recordings published by Hodder, Paul has created a teaching and learning programme that additionally uses ICT to support class work. Now teachers and students can experience the success and the confidence that this success generates, to master the structure of the language in a fraction of the time taken by traditional methods.

A free sample is available from our dedicated website:

www.michelthomasforschools.co.uk

The Michel Thomas method, with its bilingual approach to teaching and interest in engaging with language and decoding meaning, is praised in the Dearing Report, whose authors report its 'considerable success and motivated learners' ('The Languages Review', DfES, March 2007).

The course is delivered in two ring binders (one for each Phase), two Teacher's CDRs, and two audio CDs with listening comprehension files, and is supported by two interactive CDRs for students to use at home or in the language laboratory. All the CDs and CDRs are networkable. The teaching is designed for complete beginners and is taught in English. The process appears informal, relaxed and unhurried, but progress is rapid. Learning is based on understanding, not memorisation. The excitement of learning motivates students to make much faster progress than with conventional courses. By the end of the second year of just one hour a week learning Spanish using this method, pupils will have a solid grounding in the grammatical structures equivalent to the requirements of GCSE and beyond.

The course comprises: 2 ring binders (one for each of two phases of 30 and 20 lessons respectively) containing hard copies of: scheme of work, lesson plans, pupils' hand-outs, homework sheets, listening comprehension transcripts; CDR with PowerPoints and editable Word files of the scheme of work and all work and answer sheets; audio CD with listening comprehension exercises; 2 class sets of 20 interactive CDRs (one set for each of the two phases) containing audio-visual presentations of the lessons, work sheets (and help), interactive games, and listening comprehension. All these CDs and CDRs are networkable. The course also includes one copy of each of the published Michel Thomas Foundation and Advanced Spanish courses (RRP £120).

• the Michel Thomas method - proven to work. The extraordinary sales of the consumer products (£20 million; 800,000 units in 6 years) prove the effectiveness of the method

• new approach - widely accepted that conventional methods are not working, despite 'improvements' over the years

• complete course - no other materials necessary

• fully integrated - everything the teacher needs, from homework sheets to detailed, 'scripted' lesson plans

• CD-ROM to aid students' progress at home or in the language laboratory - integrates ICT into MFL teaching

• quantifiable results - test results show that the programme gets results, school, teacher, pupils, parents all happy and enthusiastic

• CILT - the course has been submitted to CILT for an award. Dr Lid King (CILT's director) observed the course being taught in October 2006

• Dearing report - praise for the method (‘considerable success and motivated learners’)

Table of Contents:
Teacher's Resource Files (Phases 1 & 2)
How to use the course
Guidelines on assessment of pupils' written work
How the course relates to the original Michel Thomas recordings
Scheme of work
Course overview (see below)
Modules 1–30 (Phase 1)/Modules 1–20 (Phase 2), comprising:
input scripts
info packs
print-outs of PowerPoint slides
worksheets
worksheet answer sheets
Listening comprehension: worksheet template, transcripts and answers
Audio CDs (Phases 1 & 2)
Listening comprehension
Teacher's Resource CDs (Phases 1 & 2)
Scheme of work
How to use the course
PowerPoint presentation
Worksheets
Worksheet answer sheets
Listening comprehension: worksheet template, transcripts and answers
Class set of 20 Pupils' CD-ROMs (Phases 1 & 2)
Aims and objectives
Video presentation of PowerPoints
Worksheets (including Help)
Interactive games
Listening comprehension
Michel Thomas Foundation (8-hour) course ISBN 9780340780671 (RRP £70)
Michel Thomas Advanced (5-hour course) ISBN 9780340887035 (RRP £50)
OVERVIEW PHASE 1
-ible / -able cognates; (no) es para mí / para usted (negatives & prepositions); lo siento (1st person verb ending & position of pronoun); -ante / -ente cognates; ¿por qué? and porque (asking questions)
(lo) tengo, (lo) quiero, (lo) necesito (reinforce 1st person verb ending & position of pronoun); ¿qué? (asking questions); tiene / quiere (2nd person [formal] verb ending)
puedo / puede; hacer / comer / ver / saber (introduction to verb infinitive); 'to be hungry' idiom ; -ario cognates; position of pronoun with verb infinitives
-encia / -ancia cognates; la / una / ¿qué? (introduction of definite & indefinite articles); esta (introduction to demonstrative adjectives); cenar; -ión cognates; ¿dónde? & ¿qué tipo de ...? (asking questions)
traducción & explicación; puede – will you/can you? + dar; converting '-tion' nouns into verbs; introduction to the 3 types of verb infinitive (-AR / -ER / -IR); salir / venir; stress and pronunciation – NOSE rule & accent
comprender / decir / comprar / tener with lo, le, los, las, me (pronouns); tengo & tengo que; ¿cuándo? (asking questions)
-ico cognates; the position and agreement of adjectives; en España / en México / en Argentina; ¿dónde? / ¿cómo? / ¿cuánto? (asking questions); estar (estoy & está)
voy a / va a + infinitive (introduction to immediate future); más (introduction to comparatives); how to ask 'at what time?'; use of él / ella / usted to clarify or emphasise; llamar
listo/a (reinforce adjective agreement); todo & nada; introduction to different uses of ser & estar; sé
ser & estar; + enfermo / borracho / bien vestido; + mucho
definitions of noun /adjective /verb; Spanish verb infinitives: -AR / -ER / -IR; con él, con ella, con usted, conmigo; the consecutive verb rule; the rule about throwing in 'a' after any verb of coming or going
ir + a; consolidation of the consecutive verb rule; present tense (1st / 3rd person + 'you' formal); encontrar / hablar / vender / comprender
how to express in Spanish 'am -ing', 'is -ing', 'are -ing' and 'do' / 'does' / 'don't' / 'doesn't'; escribir / gustar / saber / hacer / salir
decir / preparar; 'what' (middle) = lo que; 'want' + 'say' = 'mean'; two tracks: -AR track /not -AR track
present tense (3rd person plural and 'you all')
key vowel sounds; present tense: 1st person irregulars; voy / estoy / soy / doy / sé
present tense: 2nd person informal 'you' ('thou'); the imperative: switching tracks (subjunctive); demonstrative adjectives; demonstrative pronouns; position of pronoun with negative command
position of pronoun with positive command; tomar / ir (vamos) / llegar; reinforcement of two 'key sounds'; present tense: 1st person plural (we);
GO-GO verbs; the imperative: GO-GOs become GA-GAs
review of GO-GOs into GA-GAs; review of imperative and switching tracks; radical (stem-changing) verbs: 'e' into 'ie'; empezar / pensar / entender
radical (stem-changing) verbs: 'o' into 'ue'; encontrar / recordar / volver
reflexive verbs: levantarse / quedarse; hay / todavía / un poco
nos vemos; future tense: ; with present; with 'going to'; with 'will'
the future tense; demasiado
the future tense of GO-GO verbs; the conditional tense; positioning of multiple pronouns
multiple pronouns: 'le lo' into 'se lo'; mandar; me gustaría / quisiera
the perfect tense; formation of the past participle; use of haber as an auxiliary verb; two common irregulars: hecho & dicho
the progressive tense; making suggestions; esperar / informarse
the imperfect tense
the perfect tense; estar & the past participle; olvidar / dejar / pasar / preferir / preguntar; tener ganas de; in order to (para); irregular past participles: visto / puesto / hecho / dicho; to have just … (acabar de …); ago (hace)
OVERVIEW PHASE 2
review of the general present tense; review of the progressive tense: estar + -ANDO/-IENDO; review of radical (stem-changing) verbs; review of the imperative; position of a single pronoun
review of GO GO verbs; saber vs. conocer; 1st person singular of –CER/-CIR verbs; the personal ‘a’; nosotros; composite verbs with poner; oír
review of imperative: GO GOs to GA GAs; review of position of a single pronoun; review of position of multiple pronouns; positive imperative of 2nd person singular
when to use and how to form the present subjunctive
review of the future tense; review of the future tense with GO GO verbs
irregular positive imperative (2nd person singular) of hacer: haz; review of the conditional tense; review of the perfect tense; use of haber as auxiliary; formation of the past participle
introduction of the preterite tense; 1st & 3rd person singular; perder; anoche
the preterite tense; 1st & 3rd person plural
the preterite tense with GO GO verbs ; hice / puse / pude / quise / vine / tuve / estuve; irregular: dijeron
review of perfect tense; perfect vs. preterite; review of future & conditional tenses; irregular: podré / podría
¿puede? vs. ¿podría?; the many faces of deber; ¿Cuánto cuesta?; debería; introduction to the conditional perfect tense; review of irregular past participles: hecho / dicho / visto with ido, sido, estado
review of the progressive tense: estar + -ANDO/-IENDO; review of the imperfect tense: formation; irregular: iba; review of preterite tense; 'hube'
the different uses of the imperfect tense; imperfect vs. preterite
imperfect vs. preterite; supe; irregular: fui / fuiste / fuimos with fue & fueron; era vs. fue
introduction to verbs which ‘prefer’ the imperfect in the past: sabía / tenía / quería; quería & querría; introduction to the formation of the imperfect subjunctive
sharpened awareness of English: ‘Will you (please) …?’ is not the future tense; ‘You don’t have to …’ – ‘You mustn't …’ or ‘It’s not necessary …’; supe vs. sabía; quise vs. quería; sharpened awareness of English: 'could' – past or not past?; 'could' (past): imperfect vs. preterite
review formation of the imperfect subjunctive; using the present & imperfect subjunctive after ‘if’; introduction of the pluperfect tense; hubiera
'would' vs. 'would've'; use of imperfect subjunctive to express ‘I might’; use of hubiera + past participle to express ‘I might have’
review of when to use the subjunctive; ojalá que; review of 'could'; buscar
review of hubiera + past participle to express ‘I might have’; review of 'would' vs. 'would've'; 'could' vs. 'could've'; 'should' vs. 'should've'

About the Author(s):
Paul Howard has been teaching modern foreign languages in the state and private sectors for ten years. He is a GCSE Coursework Moderator.

Readership:
Key Stage 3