Let's Chant, Let's Sing Book 1 w/ Audio CD PAP/COM Edition

I have used this book and CD in Uzbekistan and Bolivia to help teach small children beginning English. I didn't use all the songs/chants, but enough to make the book useful. In my recent experience in Bolivia, the songs literally saved the day. The kids (even the 13-year olds) loved the songs and asked for more. The ones I used have natural speech rhythms in them. ("Hi, how are you? I'm fine, how are you?") The melodies, though simple, are catchy and you find yourself humming them. If they help the students remember their first words of English, so much the better. My favorite is "The Black Cat Song" which is handy when teaching color words. The "Listen Carefully" chant is a good classroom control tool. The jazzy "ABC" song doesn't teach much English (except for how to pronounce the names of the letters which is of limited usefulness) but 8-year-olds grin from ear to ear when singing it. I used the CD as accompaniment when teaching the songs. For most of them, there is a second track with just the music so the students can sing the songs themselves with background music.

The book I bought is copyright 2004, but it looks and sounds like something from the 80s. I understand that Carolyn Graham is pretty much the person who invented jazz chants, and that she has taught ESL for many years at many prestigious schools. But that doesn't make up for the fact that the chants sound like they came from some forgotten era.As a kid, I had a Casio keyboard in the 80s. You know, one of those things that can't play two notes at once? And it had a couple tinny-sounding drum loops. That's the quality you're getting here. For the chants there are no instruments except that bass-snare 1-2 beat. That's 'jazzy?'And here's a sample of one of the chants:"What's this? It's a book. What's this? (clap, clap) What's this? It's a bag. What's this? (clap, clap).I could come up with something like that on my own and just stomp out a beat.But on the positive side, most of the sentences are natural.I'm surprised that this hasn't been updated, because the material itself isn't flawed. The presentation is close to awful though and I have a hard time playing it in class without feeling embarrassed. (The students do OK with it, although they usually laugh when they hear it.)As an alternative, the English Land series published by Longman (which uses Disney characters) also uses chants and songs, and have the Disney quality. (Proper music, great full-colored book). My students have responded to these chants much better.I really can't recommend Carolyn Graham's series of books because they are seriously dated. If it got updated with maybe some instruments, or if they bothered to use a professional recording studio then it could be worth the money. As it is, you are better off just making up your own sentences and saying it to a rhythm over some Kenny G.

It is very useful to learn English pronunciations. I am listening at home and on a bus almost everyday. Also I bought #2 too. I will buy other Level books with CDs.

著者のCarolyn Grahamは英語教育では国内外で評価が高く、知ってはいましたが著書の購入は今回が初めてです。こちらはシリーズで６巻までCD付きで出ていて、気に入ったら全巻購入しようと思っていました。なるほど、評価に違わず内容は良いと思います。Unit1からUnit8まであり、What's this?　This is○○.のような、まさに最初の１冊といった感じです。これが順を追ってレベルアップしていくのでしょうね。　ただ、コストパフォーマンスが良くありません。４４ページの薄いテキストで青の濃淡のみの色づけとなっています。価格がもう少し良心的なら星５つ。

ポータブルDVDやノートPCだと途中から音飛びや再生できませんでした。内容は３歳くらいにちょうどいい語彙、ピアノが弾ける人には良いように思います。交換するか悩んだのですが、CDがフリーサンプルCDかと思うくらい薄っぺらなので交換品もダメかもしれないと思い返品しました。

会社の英語研修で、講師の方から教えてもらいました最初は私の英語勉強用でしたが普段からかけていると３歳と６歳の子供たちも一緒に歌っていました歌詞の意味を教えるとどんどん覚えて私よりも覚えがよく、ポンポン出てきます私の小さいときに、なんでなかったの！とおもう今日この頃です小学校でも英語の授業が始まりますがこんな教材の授業なら私も受けたいです

日本人の英語が自然でないのは、リズムや抑揚がネイティブのそれとちがうからだと思う。この本がすごいのは、私たち日本人の苦手なリズムをくやしいほどみごとに押さえていることです。たとえば、プリリンput it in　ピカップペンソーpick up pencil ピキラッ pck it up ワルユ　what do you ワナwant to バライ But I カリッcut it など。そのうえ、音楽やチャンツが楽しい。何度聴いても飽きない。おもわず口ずさんでしまうものばかりです。英語のリズムが自然に身につく実感があります。このCDを聴くと、学校のテキストやほかの学習書が死んだ英語に見えてしまいます。私自身も、もっとはやく出会いたかったな。