A round-up of Indie ELT books

This is the third in our series of round-ups of self-published or small press ELT books … and this time we’ve been able to add fiction to the list as well as books for materials writing and teacher resources.

ELT Teacher 2 Writer

How to Write Audio and Video Scripts by John Hughes

This is another title in the ‘How to…’ series by ELT Teacher 2 Writer. In this eBook, John Hughes takes a look at the theoretical and practical issues involved in writing audio and video scripts for ELT materials. He provides helpful suggestions for writing them, applying techniques used by writers for theatre and film, and encourages the writer to think critically about their script writing. Punctuated with examples from published materials, tasks and accompanying commentaries, John shares his experience and tips for best practice for creating scripts your learners will want to listen to.

Available from Amazon and Smashwords.

Wayzgoose Press

50 Ways To Teach with Technology by Paul Raine

From laptops to smartphones, IC recorders to video cameras, desktop software to cloud-based services, the technological devices available to educators influence the way we teach. Whether you wish to use students’ own mobile devices, conduct an effective and engaging lesson in a CALL lab, or simply expand your list of language learning websites, this book has a wide selection of ideas for you. Each activity notes the specific type of software and hardware you will need, and every website referenced is free or has an unpaid option.

Available from Amazon, Apple, Smashwords.

Self-published

Teaching English with Art: Vincent van Gogh by Jorge Sette

This seventh volume of the successful series of ebooks combining English teaching and Art contains 30 speaking and writing activities (now including specific vocabulary exercises) for classroom use, based on some of the most striking works by Vincent Van Gogh. The objective of the ebook is to expose the students to art while teaching English, fulfilling one of the tenets of effective language acquisition: providing a realistic context for the language to be learned and practised as a means to an end. This is a proven way to make language acquisition fun and effective by creating in the classroom an atmosphere of interest, motivation and emotion. Each activity is clearly correlated to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).

Available from Amazon.

Digital Video — A manual for language teachers by Nik Peachey, edited by crowdsourcing
This book focuses on practical ways teachers can explore and exploit the potential of the vast mobile and web-based video resources that now exist on the internet. In addition to this the book offers guidance on how to encourage students to use video as a creative tool that can support their language learning. The book’s 10 chapters focus on a range of practical, theoretical and technical issues which should help the reader to fully utilise digital video in a range of contexts from the classroom, blended learning and all the way through to fully online delivery. It also explores how we can use video creation activities to get our students engaged with language learning and developing their speaking. The book includes 26 embedded video tutorials, 42 detailed lesson plan activities with materials and links, 17 cool tools with step-by-step illustrated guides, video tutorials, suggested activities and ‘getting started’ suggestions.

Available from iBooks and Scribd.

Parsnips in ELT: Stepping out of the Comfort Zone (Vol. 1) by Various

Parsnips in ELT is a collaboration between 7 ELT professionals who decided it was time to start talking ‘PARSNIPs’. Step out of your ELT comfort zone by trying some PARSNIP lessons. This ebook has 7 lesson plans for ELT teachers that cover Politics, Alcohol, Religion, Sex, Narcotics, Isms and Pork in an engaging and enjoyable style. Written by Mike JC Smith, Cecilia Lemos, David Petrie, Adam Simpson, Katherine Bilsborough, Noreen Lam, Phil Wade and cover designed by Kati Alice Bilsborough. The book has an accompanying blog where you can find some of the ideas from the book as well as a range of shorter ideas to stimulate classroom discussion on the PARSNIPs topics with your students.

Available from Smashwords.

Phil Wade also has a resource of self-published and small press ELT books on his site.

Fiction

Love Lessons by Nicola Prentis

Sophie Day, a broken-hearted, newly-qualified English teacher, is on her way to Rome to get over her ex. A disastrous encounter with The Italian Sex Pest on the plane over becomes a classroom nightmare when Marco Mezzanotte turns out to be her first, highly important, executive one-to-one student. Flirting as a reflex, Marco derails her lessons into unsettling is-he-or-isn’t-he-asking-me-out episodes of downright humiliation. Despite hating him, Sophie fights her growing attraction with school ma’am primness especially when she thinks he wants her to help him pick out a ‘You’re Dumped’ present for his current, stunning girlfriend. She has other reasons for hiding her interest in Marco as her frighteningly taloned and mini-skirted boss, Veronique (aka Venomique) has her sights set on him too. Marco isn’t the only difficult student. From vacant teenagers to a plastic surgeon who can’t help dispensing his professional, personal, criticisms during lessons, can Sophie learn to deal with any of them?

Available from Amazon.

Foreign Affairs & Home Affairs by Dart Travis

Peter & Karen Viney’s publishing company, Three Vee Limited, have ventured from ELT textbooks after licensing A Weekend Away / A Week By The Sea back from OUP. The new venture into novels, initially as ebooks, and three novels by ‘Dart Travis’ have an ELT setting. Foreign Affairs takes place in 1972, then Home Affairs ten years later in 1982, with Greek Affairs taking place in 1985. They’re interesting and funny if you’ve taught any ELT at all and the classroom sequences alone are a hilarious lesson in ‘how not to teach English’.

Available from Amazon.

If you want to be featured in our next round up at the end of the year, email blogeditor at eltjam dot com with a cover image, blurb, and buy links.