Boon, A., & Douglas, N. (2015). Inspire book 3. Boston, MA: National Geographic Learning.

With an array of language textbooks appearing regularly on the higher education English scene, several series now also include materials that encompass present-day language as it is used in various media, such as DVD and Internet sources. Inspire Book 3, by National Geographic Learning and Cengage Learning, blends various components to create a comprehensive speaking and listening textbook that poses relevant topics and real language, organized in a student-friendly manner. Teachers will find that the activities in the textbook and in the manual are of great use. The authors of Inspire Book 3 write that through the textbook, “students will build their communicative competence, while the National Geographic content in the series will encourage [them] to think globally and take their learning beyond the classroom” (p. 10). Indeed, the textbook’s various elements, paired with an easy-to-use format, create a learning environment conducive to current communicative language teaching assumptions, as described by Richards (2006, pp. 22–26).

Inspire Book 3 has 10 chapters with five reviews between. Each chapter consists of two lessons: A is listening with a conversation focus, and B is reading with a discussion focus. Additionally, there is an accompanying video and expansion activity for every chapter. Unit themes are friendship, fear, health, change, success, consumerism, art, collaboration, survival, and innovation. The book is intended for students who may achieve a CEF level B1+, which is equivalent to a TOEIC score of 550+ or an IELTS score of 4–4.5+.

Unit 1 opens with the theme of friendship, asks students in a warm-up activity if it is easy or difficult to make friends, and elicits where they make friends. The unit then offers a listening and speaking activity centered on social networks and friendship globally rather than illustrating only one region or network in the world. The unit progresses to a reading about unlikely friends, which highlights different kinds of friends. This reading moves next to the unit’s grammar target: talking about similarities and differences. The grammar targets are organized at the back of the book, which makes it easy for students to access later for review. Following the grammar discussion, the unit leads into a National Geographic video about unlikely friends, similar to the previous reading. The video has key vocabulary points and prediction exercises as well as a discussion about having friends from various groups or subcultures. The textbook follows the task-based language teaching approach, as each activity has a pre-, during, and posttask to promote effective language learning (Ellis, 2003). Finally, the unit ends by asking students to give a presentation about friends. After all of the scaffolding and variation for talking about similarities, differences, and the topic of friendship, students then have a chance to expand on the activity. An online prompt to further research ideas is also offered. Each unit is organized in roughly the same manner, giving students a variety of opportunities to use the themes in different ways.

Throughout the textbook, current language is used in every aspect of the activities, including the instructions. For example, while most textbooks might say, “Listen for main ideas,” this textbook’s directions say, “Listen for gist.” Additionally, the audio contains speakers from several English-speaking countries. This allows for exposure to English variety, which may help students prepare for various language exams that include several types of English. The vocabulary throughout the book is relevant and modern. For example, Unit 2 uses the phrases risk-taker and freaks me out and the word thrilling. Unit 4 teaches the concept millennial, which will likely appeal to a number of students using the textbook. The unit then discusses a disappearing culture as well as various practices that span culture, time, and age. In this regard, not only does Inspire Book 3 incorporate real-world language; it also includes real-world topics, promoting global users of English and thus preparing them to become global citizens, as described by Oxfam GB’s (2006) guiding global citizenship principles.

The set that comes with the textbook includes a teacher’s manual, an exam suite, a DVD, and audio CDs. The teacher’s manual is organized in an intuitive manner and offers a number of additional activities as well as extension activities to complement the lessons. Particularly useful are specific “challenge” tasks, which allow for more creative or multilevel focused activities. There are also language notes, which allow the lessons to flow into deeper or more extensive conversations about vocabulary, linguistics, grammar, and so on. The exam suite houses tests with a manual, activities, and assessments. The speaking and listening assessments are clearly written rubrics and additional speaking prompts. The DVD contains videos by National Geographic that connect to the lesson material and give visual support through engaging topics. The audio CDs have accompanying text scripts that are available on the Cengage website, making it easy to extend listening activities even further.

With Inspire Book 3’s many authentic components, the textbook encourages students to engage with the material in dynamic ways such as using relevant language, thinking about global contexts, and accessing corresponding media. For the instructor who wants to encompass a variety of activities in an easy-to-use format, and for the student who is interested in speaking and listening using authentic, current, and relevant language, this textbook is a wonderful choice that may spark English language learning.

References:

Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based language learning and teaching. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.

Oxfam GB. (2006). Education for global citizenship: A guide for schools. Oxford, England: Author. Retrieved from http://www.oxfam.org.uk/~/media/Files/Education/Global%20Citizenship/education_for_global_citizenship_a_guide_for_schools.ashx

Richards, J. C. (2006). Communicative language teaching today. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Sara Van Dan Acker has been working with English language learners for 8 years in three countries. She currently teaches English skills and academic composition courses at Tokyo International University.