Escolas

Systematic introduction of a double strand of vocabulary and grammar throughout all six levels.
Functional dialogues presented as integral parts of every unit.
Social values and rules for good citizenship are linked to the functional dialogues.
Recycling of language and structures reinforces learning goals across the series.
Graded readings support early learners in progressing from short, easy texts to longer texts in higher levels.
Extensive, graded readings of both fiction and non-fiction are included after every even numbered unit.
Additional expansion activities after odd numbered units in lower levels of the series practice classroom specific language through kinesthetic activities and class projects.
IntelliSpeech^SM Speech Assessment: EnglishCentral’s proprietary speech assessment system identifies students’ pronunciation and fluency weaknesses.
Vocabulary Learning: We track each word the student learns and provide a time interval learning system so students can master words.
Teacher Tools: Set goals and track student progress. “Listen in” to hear your students’ speaking practice.
Mobile Access: All content and features are synced across mobile, tablet and web
Progress Updates: Students get daily content recommendations and progress updates to keep them engaged
GoLive! Tutoring: Our full-time, trained tutors provide an affordable way for students to supplement their video learning with live conversations. Each video lesson comes with a lesson plan with comprehension & discussion questions

Communication
One of most important reasons for learning the language is to communicate effectively in social situations. Functional language is language and/or set expressions that we use to perform various “functions” in life, such as greetings, saying goodbye, asking for help, and paying someone a compliment. Functional dialogues are an integral part of every unit of Top Kids.

Critical Thinking
Expansion activities that are both collaborative and communicative allow students to practice personalization and critical-thinking skills. Self-evaluation activities are also included in each level. Through these types of activities students connect what they learn to their own world, use higher order thinking skills, and personally gage how well they have mastered the material, leading to learner independence/autonomy. Expansion activities are included after every odd unit in the Top Kids series and target collaborative and communicative language practice.

Fluency Practice
Fluency, decoding, and vocabulary development are fundamental for the comprehension of written material. Readers use these skills to interpret and understand written words on a page. The extensive reading in Top Kids provides fluency practice as students work toward instantly decoding words while developing their active vocabulary. Extensive graded readings that are a mix of fiction and non-fiction are included after every even unit of Top Kids.

Citizenship
Language educators have a responsibility to students beyond providing sufficient language knowledge for them to be able to communicate effectively in English. Educators also need to provide students with the skills that enable them to be lifelong learners, and help students to become the best citizens they can be. Top Kids presents functional dialogues that demonstrate effective, social behavior.

Each unit of the Top Kids series starts with an introduction to half of the target vocabulary for the unit. The words are presented with illustrations to "define" the words visually for students. This presentation of words is followed by a large illustration showing the characters of the series playing, using objects, or interacting with each other in ways to show the target vocabulary in context. Students should be encouraged to use these large illustrations like seek-and-find puzzles, locating each of the given target vocabulary in the picture.

At the bottom of the first page of each unit, students will find a simple speaking activity that gives them the chance to practice the words orally in pairs, in small groups, or as a class.

The second page of the unit presents one of the target language patterns of the unit. Students are first presented with illustrations that demonstrate the spoken patterns in use by characters in the series. A productive activity then follows in which students practice the given pattern.

At the bottom of the page, students will find a second speaking activity that builds on the vocabulary and patterns previously presented, reinforcing the target language studied up to this point in the unit.

The next two pages of the unit present the second half of the target vocabulary for the unit along with additional target language patterns. Again, the words are presented with illustrations that visually define the words for students. This presentation of words is followed by a reading activity in which students demonstrate comprehension of the new words.

At the bottom of the page, students will find another simple speaking activity that gives them the chance to practice the words orally in pairs, in small groups, or as a class.

The fourth page of the unit presents the second target language patterns of the unit. Again, students are first presented with illustrations that demonstrate the spoken patterns in use, and this is followed by a productive activity in which students practice the given pattern.

At the bottom of the page, students will find two oral activities: the first is a speaking activity that practices the vocabulary and patterns just studied and the second is a song for students to sing based on the unit's target vocabulary and patterns.

The next two pages of the unit present a dialogue for students to study and role play, a value or citizenship topic for students to talk about, and a phonics review page.

The dialogue at the top of the page demonstrates the value or citizenship topic through a situation in which various Top Kids characters interact. The language presented in the dialog focuses on phrases and sentences that are both simple and useful for children who are learning English.

The value or citizenship topic is then presented for students. In lower levels, the topics are presented along with scenes in which the topics may or may not appear. Students should decide which scenes relate to the unit's value or citizenship topic. In higher levels, the topics are presented with language patterns that students must match to the given topic.

Each unit in the Top Kids series ends with either expansion activity pages or reading pages. Activity pages in the lower levels of the series focus on useful classroom language for students and simple projects for students to create and talk about. All readings in the series are accompanied by reading comprehension questions below the texts.