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Preparation books for the TOEFL Test
| TOEFL EXAM BOOKS |
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| Product DescriptionBasic Skills for the TOEFL iBT is a 3-level, 12-book test preparation series designed for beginning-level students of the TOEFL iBT. Each level consists of four books: Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing. Over the course of the series, students build on their current vocabulary to include common TOEFL and academic vocabulary. Students new to the test are also introduced to level-appropriate passages, lectures, conversations, and questions found on the TOEFL iBT. Basic Skills for the TOEFL iBT enables students to build on both their language skills and their knowledge. The topics are interesting and easily accessible to students. In addition, the themes cover the most frequent topics featured in the TOEFL iBT. Students accumulate vocabulary through repeated exposure over the course of the series. The series targets 1,300 TOEFL-related words, including all 570 words found on the Academic Word List used by TESOL. Key Features (1) Focused practice of each TOEFL iBT question type (2) Controlled note-taking activities (3) Graded vocabulary acquisition (4) Transcripts for all listening exercises and integrated tasks (5) Full answer key including sample responses for spoken and written sections (6) Complete audio recordings of the listening and integrated sections (7) Sample lesson plans
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Similar Products:Basic Skills for the TOEFL iBT 2, Speaking Book (with Audio CD, Transcripts, & Answer Key)
Basic Skills for the TOEFL iBT 2, Reading Book (with Answer Key)
Basic Skills for the TOEFL iBT 1, Writing Book (with Audio CD, Transcript & Answer Key)
Basic Skills for the TOEFL iBT 2, Listening Book (with 3 Audio CDs, Transcripts, & Answer Key)
Basic Skills for the TOEFL iBT 3, Writing Book (w/Audio CD, Transcript & Answer Key)
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| Product DescriptionDeveloping Skills for the TOEFL iBT is part of a three-level test-preparation series designed to prepare learners of English for the TOEFL iBT. In this second level of the series, intermediate learners will be able to familiarize themselves with question types found on the TOEFL iBT while covering a variety of disciplines. In addition, learners can practice their skills in all four test areas: reading, listening, speaking, and writing. Each book provides comprehensive coverage of the designated skill and offers learners extensive practice. Key Features (1) Examples of and tips for various question types found on the TOEFL iBT (2) Focused practice of each question type (3) Guided note-taking activities (4) Annotated listening passages to support vocabulary development (5) Graded practice to support systematic development of test skills (6) Authentic practice test modeled after the TOEFL iBT format (7) Full answer key and transcripts for all listening exercises and integrated tasks (8) Audio recordings including over 70 reading passages, more than 130 sample convesations and lectures, as well as over 30 sample responses for speaking tasks available separately (9) Separate editions (Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing) available (10) Free online sample test at compasspub.com/toeflibt
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Similar Products:Mastering Skills for the TOEFL iBT, 2nd Edition Advanced Combined Book
Building Skills for the TOEFL iBT, 2nd Edition Beginning Combined Book
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| Student and teacher of this courseThis is my first Amazon review. I'm writing it because I think I'm uniquely qualified to offer helpful advice regarding the book. I have studied the program with the author, Greg Britt, and taught TOEFL prep classes to Spanish-speaking students using this book as a text. It was around 2002 when I went to the International Institute of Education (housed in the U.S. Embassy's Benjamin Franklin Library in Mexico City). I asked an educational advisor to recommend a TOEFL prep program for the bi-lingual school where I work as Director of English Language Programs. This book was recommended to me and I was given contact info. for the author's test prep institute, Britt Servicios Lingüísticos, which happened to be around the corner. So I met Mr. Britt and we talked at length about the program. He said the best way to learn to teach using his book is to take his course--actually study with the author as the teacher. And that's what I and eventually all of the English teachers on my staff did. Years later, and we still use the program. So I was very happy to see the updated edition come out.
Now, I'll probably continue using my old spiral-bound edition of TOEFL Prep for Spanish Speakers, just because I've written so many notes that are helpful in my classes. But I think the new edition looks better--much more professionally printed. And a lot of minor errors and inconsistencies have been edited. Plus, the TOEFL exam has evolved a lot since that first spiral-bound edition was published in 1999. In fact, at that time, the program was appropriate for the official TOEFL exam. And it still is for the PBT (paper-based official TOEFL). You'll need additional prep materials for the iBT (Internet-based official), which includes a speaking section and updated "integrated skills" tasks. This book has been updated to reflect those changes. (This course is for pre-iBT, ITP, and PBT--see below for more on that). My students will appreciate that this edition has an answer key (hope they'll still do their homework, though!)
I most definitely recommend this program for adoption as a text book by language institutes and university English language programs. I think it's also fine for students who want to study on their own. But, let's be clear about who this course is intended for to avoid any disappointment. Notice on the front cover it says "an advanced grammar course for pre-iBT, ITP, & PBT TOEFL, and English teacher training." The program is especially useful for students preparing for the ITP (Institutional TOEFL) or PBT (paper-based official). It is also an excellent resource to help improve your grammar skills before preparing for the iBT (Internet-based official). It makes a good advanced grammar course for very advanced English students. It's great for English teachers (or aspiring English teachers) like myself too (especially for Spanish-speaking students and teachers).
If you happen to live in the Mexico City area, I suggest you try to study this program with Britt at his institute. Or, if you can't take "live" classes, you can also take the Internet course with video recordings of the classes. For info. on both, see the web site address on p. 1 of the book.
You can also work through this course on your own. But which ever route you take I have some tips: this book is REALLY focused on grammar. While there are short supplements for the Listening and Reading sections (also for the Written Essay which is included on the PBT and iBT), it will NOT give you sufficient practice in listening and reading. To improve these areas, try to find ways to get more practice. Try to hear more spoken English on a daily basis. Try to read more and work on vocabulary skills. If you are planning to take ITP/PBT this book will get you ready for section 2 (Structure and Written Expression), but you need to practice skills for sections 1 and 3 (Listening and Reading). Also, this program doesn't include any practice tests (although practice tests are included in Britt's course). If working alone, be sure to supplement this course with practice tests, which are widely available.
I'd just like to comment a bit on the "pre-iBT" concept. I've noticed many students who are planning to take the iBT don't think grammar is important any more. It's true that there is no grammar section on the iBT. There are reading, listening, writing, and speaking tasks, some of which integrate 2 or more skills. But guess what? Grammar is still evaluated throughout the test. It's an important part of the grading criteria. Every time you write--your grammar is being evaluated. Every time you speak--the same. Most students do NOT have the grammatical foundation they need to start specific prep for the iBT. This course will give you that foundation. Are there exceptions? Sure. In my school, you can skip this basic course and go straight to iBT prep if you have a score of at least 550 on an ITP/PBT (or 80 on the iBT)--preferably with at least a score of 55 in section 2. I think those are pretty accurate numbers in determining if a student would benefit from this course or might skip it.
Of course, what makes this program different from the many test prep books out there is its specific focus on the problems that Spanish speakers often have. Frankly, I think a Japanese or Russian (or whatever language) speaker could still benefit from the course. But it's so nice to find frequent references to language usage that is typically problematic for Spanish-speakers. (And, yes, we typically have the same problems in English, no doubt caused mainly by the similarities and differences we find in English and Spanish usage and structure). You'll find frequent "lupitas" (little magnifying glasses) that indicate a special note on the bottom of the page--something that a Spanish speaker better pay special attention to. There's a "lupita", for example, is on p. 19. Notice in no. 3 it is incorrect in English to say "enough tall" (must be "tall enough"), but in Spanish it would be fine to say "suficientemente alto" (literally "enough tall"). Or look at the example on p. 61. It's about subject-verb agreement, and we see that a word referring to a language is singular, but a word referring to a nationality is plural ("Chinese" is singular while "The Chinese" is plural). Then we have a "lupita" that notes in Spanish we put the article "el" (used like "the") before languages, not nationalities. But in English we only put "the" before nationalities, never languages. Any Spanish speaker would easily make mistakes with these types of usage differences. You'll also find frequent Spanish translations of grammar rules and explanations throughout the book.
This would be a good course even without those special notes for Spanish-speakers. I like the way the grammar section is neatly arranged into 5 steps, 14 points. I like the explanations and rules, followed by exercises to reinforce. (Teachers, you can make this an extremely interactive course, because it's essentially a workbook, with lots of exercises that your students can take turns working through). I really like the "mini TOEFL" exercises that demonstrate how the structures you're studying will be tested on the TOEFL. The reference appendices in the back ore helpful (especially the "false cognates", "common usage errors", and verb tense tables, all with Spanish translations).
I think if you learn everything in this yellow book (and I have, having taught with it for some 7 years), you will have every question in section 2 covered. At least 95%. You might find a couple of questions that test knowledge of some vocabulary word or idiomatic structure that is not specifically mentioned in the book, but we're talking 1 or 2 (out of 40) questions. I really like the fact that the book over-emphasizes (just as the TOEFL exam does) questions related to subordination problems and word form errors.
I hope I have offered you a fair assessment of this book. What it is and what it's not. It must be obvious that I am very familiar with both the TOEFL exam and this book. As I said, I've studied this program as a student and taught it as a teacher. I speak Spanish as my first language and have Spanish-speaking students preparing to take the TOEFL. I have greatly improved my teaching skills by learning the material in this book. And my students have improved their scores with this course. Sometimes 40-50 points I do feel qualified to say that this is a perfect program, IF it is appropriate for you.
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Similar Products:400 Must-Have Words for the TOEFL
Kaplan TOEFL Vocabulary Quiz Book
The Official Guide to the TOEFL iBT with CD-ROM, Third Edition
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