“English For Today: For Classes 11-12 and Alim” Taken from the preface of the book:
This new English For Today Textbook has been developed for classes 11 and 12 according to the National Curriculum 2012. A team of experienced writers and editors have worked hard to complete the writing and editing of the Textbook. The process of rational evaluation of the manuscript was carried out by a group of educationists, teacher educators, experts of pedagogy, class-room teachers and NGO representatives under the guidance of NCTB.
The book is based on the principle that has guided the writing of the English For Today books from class 6 onwards- the principle of learning a language by actually practising it. This practice, which is carried out through the four language skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing, usually in an interactive mode, underlies the communicative approach to language learning. As he focus is on the communicative functions of language, the main aim of the textbook is to provide ample opportunities for students to use English for a variety of purposes in interesting situations. The book is divided into units. Each unit, based on a theme, has several lessons that contain reading texts and a range of tasks and activities designed to enable students to practise the different skills, sometimes individually and sometimes in pairs or groups. Some literary texts have also been included. However, the emphasis in such cases is not just on content but on the exploitation of the texts to trigger a variety of language activities.
The emphasis on the communicative approach, however, does not disregard the role of grammar. Instead of treating grammar as a set of rules to be memorised in isolation, the book has integrated grammar items into the activities allowing grammar to assume a. more meaningful role in the learning of English. Thus students develop their language skills by practising language activities and not merely by knowing the rules of the language. It is expected that the new Textbook will be an effective resource for the learning of English at this level. I appreciate the writers and editors of the book for their sincere effort and hard labour. I also thank all others involved in the production of the Textbook.
