Welcome to MyOutcomes Online, the online course for students using Outcomes Elementary, in the classroom. Before you begin, please take a few moments to read through this guide for some important information on the structure and functionality of MyOutcomes Online. This course has been mapped to your Student s Book, giving you additional practice, unit by unit, with the strategies and skills presented in the book. 1
Your course book is divided into sixteen units made up, respectively, of three double pages, which we have called sets in this online course. In both the printed book and the online course, these sets are linked by a common theme, with the first set normally featuring conversation, while the second and third sets typically focus on reading or listening. In the online course, you will also revisit the grammar and vocabulary points introduced and developed throughout all units in the book. Every activity in the online course is preceded by a letter indicating which language area it tests. Please see the key below. C: Conversation G: Grammar L: Listening P: Pronunciation R: Reading S: Speaking V: Vocabulary 2
Each set in MyOutcomes Online is made up of four interactive activities designed to support the teaching points and exercises found on the corresponding book pages. Unit 1, Set 1, of the online course, for example, is made up of the following four activities: L: Listening G: Grammar V:Vocabulary C: Responding naturally Note that there is often a slight variation between the book and the online activity titles. As you know, your course book includes eight Review Units, which occur after every two units. The online course also has a Review after every two units. These 8-activity reviews are made up of three grammar activities, three vocabulary activities and three speaking/developing conversation activities. Although these activities are always drawn from the previous two units, reinforcing what you have already learnt, the online reviews are not necessarily correlated to the Review Units in the book. 3
Let s look now at the specific activity-types you will encounter in MyOutcomes Online. C: Conversation Based on the Developing Conversations activities in the book, the online course provides extension activities which give you the opportunity to improve and enrich your conversation skills. 4
G: Grammar Interactive grammar activities provide context and help you to practise and assess your knowledge of the key grammar points explained in the book. 5
The grammar activities in each unit are followed by useful Grammar References, created to reinforce your understanding of important grammar concepts. These references include more examples and further explanation of the grammar lessons introduced in the units. They have been reproduced from the back of the book and made available online for your convenience. 6
L: Listening These activities include audio clips of conversations which use real-world themes and natural speech in a variety of accents. They allow you to test your listening strategies and cultivate better listening comprehension skills. All listening activities invite you to first test your headphones. 7
You can choose when to begin playing the audio. You can pause or stop the audio, and you can adjust the volume. You may not rewind or fast-forward any audio clips. We recommend note-taking during your first listening. You may also wish to review the activity questions before playing the audio. 8
P: Pronunciation Integrated with the communicative goals established in the course book, the online pronunciation activities (some with audio) provide relevant practice for day-to-day conversations. 9
R: Reading MyOutcomes Online draws from the topical, non-fiction texts in the course book, as well as a range of brand-new, original readings. With a focus on international contexts, these readings feature a variety of interesting themes and perspectives. Among other things, the online reading activities allow you to enhance your reading fluency, improve your vocabulary and further develop both your critical thinking and your comprehension skills. 10
S: Speaking Linked to each unit theme, the speaking activities give you the opportunity to practise, refine and improve your English language speaking skills. MyOutcomes Online allows you to record your answers and review them against the Model Responses provided. The Evaluate Your Responses function includes guide questions which prompt you to assess your own work in a methodical way. All Speaking activities invite you to first test your headphones and your microphone. 11
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V: Vocabulary Through varied activity-types, you can practise remembering the words, expressions and collocations relevant to each unit, and enhance your vocabulary development skills. 14
We hope you will enjoy the interactive and engaging activities in MyOutcomes Online. As you have already seen, the Speaking activities are self-assessed with the support of Model Answers plus guide questions in the Evaluate Your Responses field. For your convenience, automated scoring has been provided in all other sections of the course. MyOutcomes Online is run through Heinle s MyELT Learning Management System. Outcomes is a general English course by Hugh Dellar and Andrew Walkley in which... natural, real-world grammar and vocabulary help students to succeed in social, professional, and academic settings CEF goals are the focus of communication activities where students learn and practise the language they need to have conversations in English clear outcomes in every lesson of every unit provide students with a sense of achievement as they progress through the course. For more information about the course, the authors, and to see sample material from all levels visit http://elt.heinle.com/outcomes 15