Trying to find the perfect advanced course book can be a challenging task. When a student has reached the advanced level, what else is left to work on? New Headway Advanced takes care of this issue and provides teachers and students with plenty of material to challenge advanced students even further.
Overview
New Headway Advanced is aptly named, as it is definitely for the advanced learner, with vocabulary and certain language structure that even native speakers will not know. Every lesson follows a specific structure: students will start off with an introductory reading exercise, one which is quite lengthy, and then move on to a number of engaging yet challenging exercises. Students can expect to review the vocabulary of each reading exercise, work on writing activities, grammar exercises, listening comprehension activities, and then wrap up the unit with a group speaking activity. Since every lesson is 8 pages long, students will be provided with an abundance of activities in each unit which will help them go over engaging yet challenging language structures.
"New Headway Advanced is aptly named, as it is definitely for the advanced learner, with vocabulary and certain language structure that even native speakers will not know."
Throughout the 12 units a number of topics are covered such as: world history, art, cultural awareness, news reports and more. Each unit will focus on a specific topic and then relate the topic to the different activities presented in the lesson. Aside from working on grammar and writing activities, the book also provides students with common English metaphors, idioms and euphemisms to help them gain a greater understanding of the language. There is a strong focus placed on reading comprehension and the book also takes the opportunity to teach students new vocabulary by highlighting certain words in each reading exercise. Another great thing about this course book is the “Writing File” at the end of the book –a section that comes with extra exercises that help students write letters, essays, and informal articles.
Pros
· Each unit helps students learn an abundance of new vocabulary.
· The book highlights and explains certain differences among American and British English terms.
· There are many group conversation activities to help students practice their speaking skills.
Cons
· Many of the reading and listening activities are very lengthy and may overwhelm students.
· There is a lot of focus placed on grammar practice and reviewing grammar rules.
Recommended For
· Upper Intermediate and Advanced students who want to challenge themselves and become more fluent in English.
· Students who want to increase their vocabulary.
· Classrooms of at least 6 students.
Since there are plenty of group activities in each unit I would not recommend this book to independent learners. I would, however, highly recommend this book to teachers, as the book comes with everything needed to plan the perfect lesson while challenge their advanced students in an engaging way.
