Welcome to Open Forum
Open Forum is a three-level
listening and speaking skills series for English
language learners who need practice in extended listening
and discussion in preparation for academic work,
or to attain a personal goal.
The series is structured around high-interest listening
texts with an academic focus that engage and motivate
students. Units feature academic content areas such
as Business, History, or Psychology. The content
areas are revisited as the series progresses, ensuring
that students recycle and extend the ideas and vocabulary
of each topic. Focused practice in listening and
speaking skills is integrated into each unit.
Open Forum 1 is for students at the high-beginning
to low-intermediate level.
Open Forum 2 is for students at the intermediate level.
Open Forum 3 is for students at the high-intermediate
to advanced level.
Features of Open Forum
Listening Skills
- Each unit introduces and practices a
specific listening skill (e.g., listening for main
points, identifying opinions).
- Listening selections are adapted from
authentic sources. They are carefully chosen to
engage students and teachers and to stimulate discussion.
- A wide variety of texts—including
lectures, radio interviews, news reports, and informal
conversations—ensures students practice listening
to a range of audio formats.
- Listening comprehension tasks provide
opportunities for extensive and intensive listening,
which becomes more challenging as students move
through the series.
Speaking Skills
- Each unit introduces and practices one
specific speaking skill (e.g., elaborating, managing
a conversation).
- Speaking practice sections in each unit
provide opportunities for extended discussion
on the unit theme.
- Abundant opportunities for interaction
in pairs, groups, and as a class ensure student
participation.
Vocabulary
- Vocabulary sections introduce key lexical
items associated with the unit theme. The sections
also highlight word-building, collocations, and
phrasal verbs.
Pronunciation
- Pronunciation sections raise students’ awareness
of features of natural spoken English, such as
stress, rhythm, intonation, and linking.
MP3 Component
- Downloadable audio files (in MP3 format)
for all units are available on the Open Forum Web
site www.oup.com/elt/openforum.
Each selection complements the topic in the corresponding
unit, and provides students with opportunities for
extended listening practice in the content areas.
The listening selections can be used independently,
or in a language lab setting.
Assessment
- Progress Tests (available in the Answer
Key and Test Booklet) enable teachers
to check students’ progress and allow
students to demonstrate mastery of the strategies
they have studied.
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