English Toolkit 2: A Review

NOTE: This was originally written as a college essay. It is not intended to be used a source, stated facts might not be real or relevant anymore.

English Toolkit 2 is the second entry in the ‘English Toolkit’ textbook series by Richmond. It was first published in 2010 by Ediciones Santillana in Argentina and its author is Cristina Banfi. The book is meant for a content-based classroom of students of ages 15/16 and, although not explicitly stated in the book, an English CEFR level of A2/B1. As such, the book is targeted to a teenage audience and delves into topics of interest to that age group, such as Pop culture, friends, relationships in school, teenage literature and more.

Organization

The book is divided into 5 different units, and those units, except for the Starter Unit, are further subdivided into two ‘Modules’ (A and B). Each unit has a central element that is in part shared by the two modules (Think of it as a unit having a theme and the modules being two subthemes). At the start of each unit and module, the topic is presented graphically by the use of images and warm-up activities, usually to be done orally, and the unit objectives, presented as personal goals that the students will do throughout the unit.

After the end of each module there is a ‘Project Work’ section that integrates the content of the module in one task. Furthermore, at the end of each unit there is a review activity for each module that includes a self-assessment for the students to fill and to check their progress and development. At the end of the book there are 4 extra sections: ‘Workbook’, ‘Grammar Reference’ and ‘Pair Work’ provide extra work and guidance based on each of the books’ units. Lastly, there is a section with a list of verbs with their possible conjugations.

Content

The contents are presented through listening and reading activities, these are varied in content and presentation. Throughout the pages there are ‘Listening / Reading Tips’ that contain useful information to help the students. Language is not directly taught through the book, but rather the students are exposed to the language through different activities. Some instances of direct grammar explanation appear on the ‘Language Spot’ boxes through the book, but they are usually short explanations and always related to the topic at hand. The book relies heavily on varied imagery to convey meaning and to set the context. As most English textbooks do, English Toolkit 2 suffers from what I called the “Smiling-People Syndrome” that is even a subject of parody with students. Other than that, almost all pages of the book carry at least one image, and usually more.

10 Years Later

One particular aspect of this book I want to dig into is the book’s age: It was first released in 2010 and it shows some of its age: Most of the technology-related topics are largely outdated or present ‘future’ innovations that have already taken place. Particularly, the concept of email and blogs as new forms of communication that are by today’s standards outdated. On the other hand, the book presents some topics I wasn’t expecting due to its age, such as online harassment and bullying. This is a particular point to consider if a teacher is to use the book in a classroom of the 2020’s. While most of the book is fine and I think has plenty of potential, there are parts that will need revision and modernization by the teacher. For example, instead of email and blogs, the teacher could focus on other writing platforms such as Tumblr or Wattpad that are quite popular nowadays.

Price & Availability

English Toolkit 2, as I mentioned before, was first published in 2010 and its last reprinting was in 2015. The book is no longer sold or updated directly by Richmond, but the course book is easy to find: Online retailers like MercadoLibre have the book in good quantities, starting from the low AR$ 300 for brand-new copies of the book. This is a point in favour in my opinion, since it is very cheap when compared to newer books by Richmond and the content isn’t quite out of date. However, this will worsen in the upcoming years since the book is not printed anymore, whatever unsold stock remains is what is available for anyone to purchase. This is especially true when trying to find copies of the Teacher’s Book edition, I couldn’t find any brand-new for sale. Some of the used copies I found for sale contained the accompanying Audio CD and Content Areas CD-ROM while others did not, a thing to keep in mind for any potential buyer.

Final Thoughts

Overall, English Toolkit 2 is a solid textbook that while outdated, I think still has plenty going for it. Its themes are interesting, and I particularly liked the many useful tips and guidance that the book provides along its pages. It is also quite colorful and has plenty of images, something that stands out when compared to other books that are more text heavy. On a final note, I should mention that I personally used this book during my high school years, and I had some mixed memories about it. Taking a look now, with a fresh set of eyes and ideas, that memory has turned for the better and I could see myself using parts of this book in the classroom. It’s title, then, still holds true: It is quite the Toolkit for any English teacher.

Bibliography

● Banfi, C. (2013). English Toolkit 2. 1st ed. Buenos Aires: Ediciones Santillana S.A.