The series features a carefully sequenced, systematic presentation of grammar and a comprehensive coverage of all four skills.
-- Functions, themes, language, and structures are recycled in fully illustrated dialogues, vocabulary, readings, and exercises.
-- Listening activities provide practice in hearing, understanding, and responding to spoken English.
Additional features of the course:
-- Workbooks correspond to Student Book lessons and reinforce functions, structures, vocabulary, and pronunciation activities.
-- Teacher's Editions contain teaching instructions interleaved with full-color student pages, along with answer keys (for Student Books and Workbooks) and listening scripts.
-- Audiocassette Programs contain realistic recordings of conversations that provide students with listening, pronunciation, and intonation practice.
-- A Test Program includes a placement test and two achievement tests for each level.
-- Viewer's Guides offer a 4-page unit for each video segment with previewing, viewing, and extension activities.
-- Video segments are 2 to 2-1/2 minutes long (50 min. in total).
-- Video Teacher's Guides are available for each video level.
Spectrum: A Communicative Course in English, by Diane Warshawksy and Sandra Costinett (Donald R.H. Byrd, Project Director), is a complete six-level, four skills course for adult and young adult learners of English. Spectrum features a unique "natural" approach to language learning: Rich language input is provided in authentic conversations accompanied by receptive activities that help students absorb new functions, structures, and vocabulary. Real-life language tasks offer both focused practice and opportunities for natural interaction, promoting both fluency and accuracy. Students progress from the beginning to the advanced level as they follow a comprehensive and carefully graded syllabus.
Spectrum also features:
- Thematically based lessons
- Comprehensive coverage of all four skills
- Listening activities in both the Student Book and Workbook
- An audio program with authentic-sounding conversations, telephone messages, public announcements, and broadcasts
- A complete testing package