Using Course Components

in the Classroom
With so many different components, it can be difficult to introduce new words, to practice and review vocabulary
know when and how to use what. This guide will give through different games, and to assess students’
you practical tips for using different components in your knowledge. They can be used together with the CPT or
classroom to help make your teaching more effective. the Student Cards too.

Classroom Presentation Tool Student Cards

The Classroom Presentation Tool (CPT) enables you Student Cards are smaller versions of the Teacher
to use your textbook on a tablet or project it onto an Cards—perfect for practicing vocabulary and playing
interactive whiteboard. The CPT can be used online games. Once students have practiced the new words as a
or offline, and you can stream audio and video directly class, they are more ready to use these words in guided
from the CPT. You can also complete and check or free practice activities. Before class, download and
activities as a class. Combine the use of the CPT with print sets of Student Cards from the Teacher's Resource
the other course components to focus students’ attention, Center. Then have each student cut up his or her own
add variety, and make the classroom an engaging set of cards to use for card games. Ask students to keep
learning environment. their cards with them for each lesson. Use Student Cards
If students are engaged mostly in heads-down activities to review words from previous lessons at the end of a
with a textbook, they tend to get bored easily and lesson. Early finishers can also play a short game with
misbehave. To avoid this, apart from a number of their cards while other students finish the task.
movement games, add variety by also using the CPT
from time to time. For example, review activities can Online Play
be done individually using the textbook or CPT. If Students have access to a number of fun language games
you use the CPT for the review activities, first put the on Online Play. If you have an interactive whiteboard
students into smaller mixed-ability groups and ask them in the classroom, you can play these games in class to
to agree on a name for their group. Set the first review reward students after they have completed their work.
task by enlarging it on the CPT. You can set the task as Encourage students to play these games at home in their
a competition, telling students that their group gets a free time. To prepare students for at-home play, play
point for each correct answer. The group with the most two or three times in class to show how the different
points wins. The members of the group should discuss games work. You may want to write a letter to students’
and agree on the answers to each question. After each parents with a link to the games so that parents can
question, ask the groups to write their answers on a support their children. Explain in your letter that the
large piece of paper or a mini whiteboard and show it to games give students an enjoyable way to practice the
you at the same time. Students should take turns writing things they have studied at school. This will also give
the answers—this way, everyone participates. parents an idea of what their
Focus students’ attention by enlarging key images children have studied and the nature of how their
from the CPT at the beginning of the lesson or when children learn.
introducing a new topic, dialogue, song, or story. Talk
about the image with students and relate it to their lives. Online Practice
Then use video, audio, or text to watch, listen, or read Although you can use Online Practice at any time, it can
together as a class. Finally, put students in pairs or small be especially useful after you assess students’ knowledge
groups and have them use their books to practice the and identify the areas in which they need improvement.
language. Encourage them to role-play, using the CPT as Once you know where the gaps are in your students’
a guide. knowledge, you can use the practice activities in
class or you can assign them for homework. You can
Teacher Cards assign different practice activities to different students,
Teacher Cards are large cards with pictures, words, and depending on their strengths and weaknesses. This
phrases. These cards can be used in a variety of ways to allows you to easily differentiate your instruction.

1 Let’s Go Using Course Components in the Classroom © Oxford University Press. Permission granted to reproduce for instructional use.
Tips for using the course components • Have students been working in their printed
books and now need reinforcement or feedback as
a class?
1. Make a portable Teacher Toolkit. This can be a
box or a bag with the following items: the Student • Does the CPT save any lesson preparation time?
Book, Workbook, Teacher’s Guide, Class Audio
• Does the CPT save any lesson time?
CDs, Teacher Cards, a pair of scissors, A4 paper,
construction paper, dice, and poster putty. It is useful Online Practice and Online Play
to be able to take these items out and use them • Do students need extra practice with the material?
flexibly during your lesson.
• Does the Online Practice make a language point
2. Do not try to use each component in the lesson clearer to students?
just for the sake of using it. Too many teaching
tools in a single lesson can be distracting both for • Is the link to Online Practice or Online Play
you and your students. An effective teacher pays readily available so that I don’t have to use
attention not only to the teaching tools that they use, valuable classroom time looking for it?
but also to the content of the lesson—and above all, • Do students need extra practice at home, apart
to the students. If you try to use all of the course from the Workbook?
components within one lesson, it can take away your
attention and energy from the most important thing: • Do students need differentiated practice in the
the students. lesson or at home because they have difficulty
with different language areas?
3. Use the digital components only if they
add value to your lesson. Avoid using digital • Can I set up any of the Online Practice or
components only to show parents or school managers Online Play activities for early finishers without
that digital components are part of your teaching distracting the rest of the class?
tools. However, digital components can make your
teaching more effective if they serve a particular
teaching aim. For example, the CPT can be used to
Activities for combining components
do the following: Introduce and practice new words
• focus students’ attention to one place Components: Student Book and Workbook CPTs,
• focus students’ attention more easily Teacher Cards, Online Practice

• raise interest in the content 1. Present new words with the CPT and its audio.
Then minimize the CPT page so that students
• demonstrate a Student Book task more easily cannot see it.
• involve the whole class at the same time 2. Use Teacher Cards to check students’ understanding
• make activities more engaging through the use of of the new words (e.g., through a board race). Put
pens and other interactive materials students in two lines, and stick the Teacher Cards on
the board. Call out a word. The first students from
Before using digital components in your lesson,
each line run to the board to touch the corresponding
ask yourself these questions to decide whether
card, and then go back to the end of the line.
the digital component is the right component. If
Continue with the rest of the words until all students
one or more of the answers are “Yes,” then the
have run to the board at least twice.
component will most likely improve your classroom.
Classroom Presentation Tool 3. Practice the new words with activities in the printed
Workbook. Then use the Workbook CPT to check
• Does using the CPT engage students more than students’ answers as a class. Clarify any uncertainties
not using it? with the help of the Workbook CPT.
• Can I use the CPT to demonstrate a task more 4. Complete the corresponding Online Practice
easily? activities as a class.
• Does the CPT help students better understand or
produce the target language?

2 Let’s Go Using Course Components in the Classroom © Oxford University Press. Permission granted to reproduce for instructional use.
Give students practice with a particular set 3. Check to see if students have the correct words in
of words the correct order. Make note of the words students
had problems with.
Components: Teacher Cards, Student Cards, Online
Practice 4. Provide whole class feedback by placing the correct
Preparation: Each student should have a set of Student Teacher Cards on the board.
Cards. 5. Ask students to shuffle up their cards. Then repeat
1. Call out five words, one after the other, twice. Make stages 1 to 4 three more times.
sure you repeat the words in the same order. Students 6. Based on the words students had problems with,
listen carefully to remember the words and the order complete a corresponding Online Practice activity as
in which you called them out. a class.
2. Give students a short amount of time (30 seconds
or 1 minute, depending on your class) to find the Visit the Teacher’s Resource Center for more teaching
corresponding Student Cards. Then have students techniques and resources:
place the cards in the same order in which you called [Link]
them out.

3 Let’s Go Using Course Components in the Classroom © Oxford University Press. Permission granted to reproduce for instructional use.