Keep it REAL!
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Hours per week 4-6
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Levels 6
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British English
Works perfectly with
“People say keeping it real is a hard thing to do.
Keeping it real is easy.
Being fake is hard to do.”
Keep it REAL! really is your best option for a modern secondary course for today’s teenagers. Students focus on developing communicative competence and 21st century skills, with this flexible blend of dynamic video and digital content, and easy-to-use classroom materials. As students develop their grammar, vocabulary and speaking, we help you manage skills development in mixed ability classes, too. The course also focuses on culture, with optional project-based work, literature lessons and common exam task practice.
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Sample unit
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Scope & sequence
With Keep it REAL!, students will:
- immerse themselves in Relevant, Engaging, Achievable Learning!
- watch real-life vloggers, experiencing new vocabulary in authentic contexts.
- get to grips with grammar, with accessible animated grammar presentations.
- develop reading skills side-by-side with cultural awareness, through specific reading lessons linked to cultural videos.
- practice functional speaking, based on real-world contexts and a dynamic, online board game, to enhance collaborative teamwork and problem-solving skills.
- build skills for the 21st century, with Think critically, Get creative, Find out and Compare cultures.
Components and resources
Student’s Book
Workbook
RLP
Learn more about Keep it REAL!: Student’s Book
A Starter Unit reviews previous language, before nine units develop language skills alongside vocabulary and grammar: Vocabulary opens with a real-life vlog; then grammar is presented through a reading text, with explanatory grammar animations; and a listening activity combines further vocabulary and grammar. Keep Talking!, the functional speaking lesson, uses authentic contexts in an innovative, highly-interactive online game. Students read about Real Culture!, watching a related video, then explore specific text types in a final writing lesson. They can extend their learning through project work, literature, and exam practice at the back of their books, where they can also refer to unit Language Summaries.
Vocabulary Opener with Vlog
Each unit starts with vocabulary, introducing lexical sets of 10-15 items with engaging visuals, a text or quiz. Real vloggers use some of the new vocabulary in an authentic context, in an optional vlog – perfect for flipped learning!
Fast Finisher activities
More able students can rise to a challenge with the Fast Finisher extension activities at the end of each lesson.
Reading and Grammar
A graded reading text contextualizes grammar, which entertaining grammar animations then illustrate and explain; before tables and rules highlight the form and use in a clear grammar model, to guide students in controlled, then freer, practice exercises.
21st-Century Skills
There are four 21st-century skills exercises per unit: Think critically, Get creative, Find out, and Compare cultures.
Vocabulary, Listening and Grammar
Students practice a listening subskill with an activity which presents the second vocabulary set. Another grammar point follows, with its corresponding animation and inductive tables and rules.
Fun Fact
Fun Facts arouse students’ curiosity with interesting, light-hearted trivia, usually with a cultural connection.
Keep Talking!
These functional speaking lessons start with reading and listening tasks in real-world contexts. Then the target language is modeled in an audio dialog, before a three-stage Speaking Plan (“Prepare, Speak, Reflect”) guides students in the speaking task. The innovative online game Keep Moving! encourages peer-to-peer collaboration and interaction.
Real Culture!
Each unit has a high-interest reading lesson on a different cultural “icon” in English-speaking countries (a person, place, fictional character, food, sport, etc.), with a short optional video documentary and extension activities. Or have your students watch it prior to class, and use this as a flipped learning opportunity!
Writing
A writing page closes each unit, where students explore different model text types and the relevant language. A structured Writing Plan (“Prepare, Write, Reflect”) supports their output task, as well as a Writing Summary at the back of the Workbook.
Projects, Literature and Exams
Students can extend their learning every three units with Reviews, and extra sections on collaborative project-based work, literature lessons based on extracts from the Richmond Readers, and exam practice for common international question types, at the back of their books.
Language Summary
A Language Summary page per unit makes a handy grammar, vocabulary and functional language reference at the end of the book. It shows complete grammar tables, highlighted grammatical forms, rules and explanations, for each grammar point; and a unit vocabulary list, and key expressions from the speaking and writing lessons.
Learn more about Keep it REAL!: Workbook
The Workbook is available in print or digital format, making a flexible blended learning package for learners in and out of the classroom! Both versions give students thorough independent practice of the Student’s Book language and skills material, to work on anywhere you or they like, with three-star graded activities for mixed ability. There is a Progress Check every three units, and a Writing Summary section at the back of the book. Students can download the Workbook audio in MP3 format from the RLP, and access the entire e-Workbook with fully-interactive practice activities and skills work.
Vocabulary
Students have extensive practice the vocabulary and grammar from the Student’s Book. Exercises are graded with stars to show three levels of difficulty
Word Power
They strengthen their vocabulary through word-building exercises.
Listen and Check
They can download the MP3 audio files and scripts from the RLP, for regular listening activities.
Language Skills
Students get further practice all four language skills from the Student’s Book: reading, writing, listening and speaking.
Progress Check
A Progress Check every term tests students’ knowledge of vocabulary and grammar from the previous three units across a range of exercises. Students can use it for end-of-term revision.
Writing Summary
The complete Writing Summary section at the back of the Workbook includes additional model texts for each Student’s Book writing lesson. Text features and key language are clearly highlighted, as are useful Tips for Writing.
Vocabulary Summary
A convenient Vocabulary Summary at the back of the book refers unit by unit to the words taught in the Student’s Book vocabulary lessons.
Learn more about Keep it REAL!: RLP
With the Keep it REAL! learning platform, students can learn 100% online in digital classrooms or at home with a laptop, using the innovative vlogs, culture videos, and animated grammar presentations – plenty of opportunities for you to integrate flipped learning dynamics! They can also play the interactive board game as a whole class activity or in smaller groups, access the entire Workbook in digital format (the e-Workbook), and do extra online skills and pronunciation practice in all the language points. A complete 21st-century learning experience!
Vlogs
Authentic, contemporary vloggers use some of the lesson vocabulary in informal real-life contexts, with a variety of accents. Students can watch with or without subtitles, with you in class, as part of a flipped classroom dynamic at home, or to revise and consolidate whenever they like.
Culture Videos
These engaging mini-documentaries cover cultural themes in English-speaking countries around the world, recycling unit vocabulary and grammar. Like the vlogs, they use informal, graded English in different accents, for students to watch in class or at home. Mixed ability students will appreciate the subtitles option.
Grammar animations
A range of characters present the lesson grammar in fun, bite-sized scenarios and short stories, focusing visually on form and meaning with audio model support. Another flexible blended learning option, available with or without subtitles.
Audio
Students can download the all the course and Workbook audio as an MP3 file.
Keep Moving! Game
This unique digital board game in Keep Talking! lessons tests students’ language, skills and general knowledge. They use animated characters to progress along the board, collecting treasure and winning badges by answering questions and performing mini-tasks. They can play in “compete” or “collaborate” mode, practicing teamwork, peer-to-peer mediation, problem solving, and strategic thinking.
e-Workbook
The completely digitized Workbook, with online practice activities, skills practice and downloadable audio files.
Teacher's Guide
Teacher's i-book
RLP
Learn more about Keep it REAL!: Teacher's Guide
You have everything you need with the easy-to-use teaching notes, which are interleaved with full-color Student’s Book pages and include warmers, extra practice, and guidance to help you support and challenge your mixed ability students. There are also answer keys and complete audio and grammar animation scripts, and additional teaching notes and scripts for the vlogs and culture videos, so you can feel confident using them. You’ll also see when and how to use the Workbook and online materials. Access the digital platform for plenty more flexible, blended, or completely digital resources!
Spread Layout
Spreads show the Student’s Book page on the left hand and teaching notes with answer keys on the right, for your easy reference.
Unit Overview
The Unit Overview summarizes the topics covered in each unit, and clearly shows the language aims.
Warmer
Encourage your students to warm up to the lesson topic with these ideas for fun lesson introductions.
Signposting
Clear signposting shows you when to use supplementary support material like the references and summaries at the back of the books, or the wealth of online material.
Video Teaching Notes
There are detailed vlog and culture video teaching notes at the back of the Teacher’s Guide.
Scripts
There are scripts for the vlogs, culture videos and grammar animations at the back of the book.
Workbook Answer Key
Complete answers to all the Workbook activities.
Learn more about Keep it REAL!: Teacher's i-book
The Keep it REAL! iBook is a 100% interactive version of the course for presentation in class! It combines all the teaching and learning elements of the course in a convenient one-stop resource, to use with a projector or on your classroom smartboard. One-click access to all your course materials includes step-by-step Learning Paths, helping you navigate the different resources; audio, video, vlogs and animations; scripts and pop-up text; the Keep Moving! board game; and interactive activities and answer keys.
Digitized Print Components
Access the electronic versions of the Student’s Book, Workbook and Teacher’s Guide from the same place, to project in class!
Learning Paths
Learning Paths work as quick lesson guides – fully interactive versions of all the teaching and learning materials, plus extra interactive resources, organized into step-by-step lesson plans, giving you effective, visual, easy-to-use teaching tools. Tips are available at the click of a button.
Pop-ups
Answer keys, audio- and videoscripts pop up on the Student’s Book pages.
Audio and Video
The audio, culture videos and vlogs are embedded just a click away…
Interactive Material
…as are the grammar animations and the digital Keep Moving! board game!
Learn more about Keep it REAL!: RLP
Our incredible learning platform lets you access a huge range of teaching, consolidation, revision and evaluation materials and activities, in print and online: loads of classroom resources, including audio, video, animated content and games; mixed-ability worksheets for every unit; a complete assessment package of diagnostic, unit, semester and end-of-year tests (all trackable online!); and online extra practice activities for language and skills. With the homework assignment feature, you can track and assess tasks through the Markbook, getting detailed reports on your students’ progress and performance.
Extra Practice Activities
You can assign, track and mark online all the self-study interactive activities for extra skills and pronunciation practice, and the interactive tasks for the vlogs and culture videos. There is a listen, repeat and record function for speaking and pronunciation practice.
Keep Moving! Game
Access the interactive board game from the speaking skills lesson, for students to play in class.
Worksheets and Tests
Download and print 90 mixed-ability worksheets with extra grammar, vocabulary, language skills and 21st-century skills practice to use in class; as well as diagnostic, unit and semester tests in PDFs. Alternatively, assign the digital tests online with your Test Manager!
Test Manager
Interactive diagnostic, unit, end-of-term and -year tests come at two difficulty levels, covering grammar, vocabulary and the four skills, with consolidation/extension versions (except speaking). You can combine items to cater to your class needs and assign them online. You grade speaking and writing – the rest are marked automatically and sent to your Markbook, so you can track students’ progress easily!
Markbook
The Markbook automatically tracks students’ scores – test scores, self-study tasks, and regular assignments you’ve set. You can assess by average scores, specific language areas, or specific test types, as well as generating class reports.
Workbook Material
Access and download the Workbook audio MP3 files and the complete Workbook answer key.
Downloadable Media
You can download all the different media files to use offline: audio MP3, vlogs and culture videos, grammar animations, and their corresponding scripts.
Downloadable Extras
There are also downloadable wordlists and CEFR mapping documents in easy-reference, printable PDFs.
