The amount of text grows by 30 or 35 words from lesson to lesson. The amount of new vocabulary and expressions also increases little by little. Therefore, the students can take small steps towards improving their reading skills.
The amount of text goes from 250 in lesson 1 to 600 in lesson 10. The number of new vocabulary words and expressions doubles. These clear goals can act as motivators for students.
By understanding the grammar points first, students will be able to handle the text more easily. Moreover, the grammar points are introduced through very simple and natural sentences. These sentences are often followed by more challenging sentences from the text that have the same grammar pattern. For example, in lesson 1, the first sentence structure (SV) is introduced like this:
I work. S V Technology improves very fast. [~pg.2, l.1]
Another unique point is the order in which the grammar sentences appear in the text. G-1 is introduced first, in part 1 of the text. Then, G-2 is introduced in part 2 (while more G-1 sentences are reviewed), and G-3 is introduced in part 3 (while more G-1 and G-2 sentences are reviewed). G-2 doesn’t appear in part 1, and G-3 doesn’t appear in part 2. Because the grammar points appear in the same order on the grammar pages and in the text, both teachers and students will have an easier time with the reading. Moreover, the target grammar appears many times throughout the text, giving students lots of chances to become more familiar with each grammar point.
The vocabulary from context conversations, the pre-reading activities, the comprehension questions after each reading part, the grammar drills, the listening questions, and the writing/class discussion activities can be done/checked in pairs, groups, and as a class.
The topics give the students many opportunities to think about current issues regarding Japan and the world. Moreover, through the many pair work, group work, and class activities, the students can communicate with each other and express their opinions on these issues.
The students will enjoy reading the stories and will be able to handle them well, without much translation from the teacher.
The students can feel like they are in “an English world.”
The Reading Techniques section uses a wide variety of question styles which appear in major English tests, such as the Center Test and EIKEN. The Reading Techniques section helps the students by giving hints for how to answer each kind of question. | |
Question style | Used in these Reading Techniques (pages 103 - 112) |
Comprehension | 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10 |
Vocabulary from context | 1, 5, 6, 10 |
Referents (e.g. What does 'it' refer to on line 4?) | 3, 5, 9 |
Fill a gap in the text (transitions) (e.g. 'however', 'next') | 3, 5, 6, 8, 10 |
Which is true? | 2, 5, 8 |
Which is not true (or not in the text)? | 3, 4, 5 |
Insert a phrase/sentence from choices. | 1, 5, 6, 8, 9 |
Which sentence does not fit the paragraph? | 2, 7, 9 |
What is the passage about? / What is the main point? | 2 |
What might come next? | 6, 7 |
Putting together different pieces of information (from text, table, etc.) | 3 |
Identify the correct image based on the text. | 4 |
Complete a table based on the text. | 3, 10 |
Put images into the correct order. | 8 |
ATLANTIS Hybrid English Communication II Intermediate ATLANTIS Hybrid English Communication III Intermediate was submitted to the Ministry of Education in April, 2017.
Although the Ministry of Education does not allow us to talk about English Communication II or III (as these textbooks have not yet been approved), we can tell you that we are committed to a three year plan. We realize that teachers expect a three year series, and it is our full intention to deliver that. All three books (I, II, III) follow similar principles.