Blog entry by Monika Antolin Kelebercová
I would like to recommend an excellent textbook I came across in Spain, suitable especially for History as well as Art and Culture teachers giving lessons in English in bilingual classes. The book is entitled Geography and History 4 Secondary, published by Savia, and covering the curriculum for the students of the 4th year of secondary education in Spain. Even though the book dedicates a lot of space to different historical events and their impact in Spain, it is written in English and offers an equal amount of space to the history and geography of the whole world, starting with The Enlightenment and ending with the 21st century.
The textbook has a digital support containing videos and more resources to wider students’ knowledge of the topics. It is designed in a way that both teacher and students are able to navigate through it easily and stay motivated. Divided into sections, it looks at each historical period from different perspectives, analysing it through different contexts and showing the impact of historical events on art, economy, and the development of the society in general. Each unit ends with an outline summarizing the most important events, and activities to revise the topic and prepare for the test.
What can be considered especially beneficial for the teachers is the combination of history lessons with practicing and improving language skills – reading and listening comprehension and speaking. Each section is introduced with a glossary consisting of new words and provides a wide variety of listening and reading activities. Communication activities use thought-provoking questions and an opportunity for reflection about the topics. After each unit there are also two more sections, a section dedicated to a workshop, and a section focused on the skills of understanding, analysing, applying the knowledge and evaluating.
All in all, the book is well organized, interactive, and useful. It can be used in many subjects including History, Geography, Culture and Art, as well as Conversation lessons and English lessons.