First of all, when choosing a school, parents of a future first-grader need to understand modern educational programs for primary grades. Unlike Soviet times, when everyone studied from the same textbooks, now teachers and parents have a choice in exactly how the child will receive all the necessary knowledge. And this will depend on the educational system that the student will use in primary school. Having a choice is always nice, but it is this variety of educational systems that often leaves us perplexed. What to choose when there are sure to be several schools near your home that teach children according to different systems? Even within the same school, primary school teachers themselves choose which program to work on, and children from parallel classes can study using different educational and methodological complexes. Currently, there are simultaneously several educational systems that meet the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standards (Federal State Educational Standards). Each of them has its own characteristics, but in general the systems are divided into traditional and developmental. Most schools choose traditional education programs, such as "School of Russia", "Primary School of the XXI Century", "School 2010", "Harmony", "Prospective Primary School", "Classical Primary School", "Planet of Knowledge", "Perspective" . But be prepared for the fact that your child may be offered to study under the developmental programs of L.V. Zankov or D.B. Elkonin - V.V. Davydov. Of course, one should not think that traditional programs do not deal with the development of students; this name is rather conditional. In general terms, we can say that these types of systems differ in approach: traditional programs offer an explanatory and illustrative approach to teaching a child, while developmental programs offer an active one. All of the programs mentioned above are focused on a single educational standard, however, each system has its own way of presenting information and priorities. In addition to the general concept, they differ in the curriculum itself, the degree of workload of the child, the involvement of the parent in the learning process, and also the overall complexity. Each system offers its own educational and methodological complex, in other words, sets of textbooks, workbooks and teaching materials in all subjects. The most popular among schools are such educational and methodological complexes as “School of Russia”, “Perspective”, “School 2100”, “Planet of Knowledge” and “Harmony”. "School of Russia" is considered a classic program. In fact, this is the same system that, with minor changes, was taught in Soviet times. It is designed for an intermediate level, so every child can easily master such a program. Mathematics develops computational skills, logic and thinking in equal proportions, the Russian language is taught in a standard way: the development of oral and written speech and literate writing skills is balanced. In this case, we can especially highlight the study of “The World Around us” using the textbooks of A. A. Pleshakov. The advantage of the course is that mastering the surrounding world is positioned as a project that the child implements together with his parents. Another educational and methodological complex that is especially popular is “Perspective”. This program is most suitable for children with a mathematical mind. This teaching aid is quite complex and will require parents to actively participate in the child’s education. The main advantage of "Perspective" can be called mathematics lessons, which are based on educational materials by L. G. Peterson. Mathematics is given with elements of geometry and algebra, which allows the child to smoothly transition to secondary school. The educational complex "School 2100" is built on the minimax principle, that is, within the framework of one curriculum, children will be able to learn at different levels of difficulty. All educational materials contain the maximum amount of additional information that a child can learn if necessary. This program allows the teacher to adjust the level of difficulty of presenting material and apply an individual approach to teaching without switching to another teaching aid. The Planet of Knowledge program is considered quite complex, since it was originally developed and used in pre-gymnasium classes, but it is also very popular among teachers and parents. The main advantage of this teaching aid is its focus on the child’s self-development. His ability to reason is actively stimulated, be it an emphasis on logic when studying mathematics or literary reading, which involves the emergence of a dialogue between a child and an adult. As in “School 2100,” the “Planet of Knowledge” study guides contain multi-level tasks: from basic to creative and exploratory. The main principle of the educational complex "Harmony" is comfortable learning at the intersection of traditional and developmental teaching methods. Children initially develop skills of analysis, classification, comparison and generalization. During the lessons, many problematic developmental tasks are given that form in schoolchildren the ability to think and the ability to independently draw conclusions. One of the main advantages of the program is targeted preparation for a smooth transition from primary to secondary school. You can understand the clear difference between one educational system and another by studying the teaching materials offered by the program in the “School Guru” section. Here you can make a selection of products by educational program, by subject, type of educational material (textbooks, workbooks, visual aids) or by grade; collect the necessary set of literature when the issue of choosing an educational system has already been resolved. It is necessary to keep in mind that all teaching and learning programs are regularly revised taking into account current trends, so even if you are not sending your first child to school, keep in mind that in a couple of years the author of the textbooks or the overall teaching concept may have changed. The educational materials themselves can change significantly, so, as a rule, there is a need to buy all the materials of the educational complex for the class from scratch. A teacher who is currently working on the program will be able to tell you with confidence exactly what the educational curriculum looks like at the moment and what textbooks and workbooks you need to purchase for your child.
How difficult it is to choose the right textbook for learning English! Every year a variety of new manuals are published, but Russian educational institutions are in no hurry to abandon the good old publications. Therefore, parents and tutors are looking for alternative programs for additional and in-depth language learning outside of the school curriculum.
So, below you will find a selection of good English textbooks for children. The rating is based not only on personal preferences (and I have tried all the textbooks listed below in practice), but also on the recommendations of experts and state educational standards.
I apologize in advance to anyone who does not share my preferences; you can always suggest your own rating of English textbooks for children in the comments.
10. "New Millennium English"
Textbooks for the course "" or "English for the New Millennium" are modern textbooks for secondary schools. The authors position this course as the first Russian educational complex written according to a communicative approach.
Indeed, in the educational complex, much attention is paid to the development of skills such as working in a group, participating in discussions and projects. The topics of the texts and assignments presented in the textbook correspond to the age characteristics and needs of students. The textbook is equipped with a grammar reference book and an alphabetical list of the vocabulary studied.
9. “Forward English” (edited by M.V. Verbitskaya)
8. "Big Enlish" (Longman Pearson)
This comprehensive multimedia course provides everything you need for classes and embodies advanced technologies for teaching English. Ready-to-learn lessons focus on language skills, creativity, critical thinking, and interaction with other students.
Big English books have integrations with MyEnglishLab, which includes fun games, videos and puzzles. Here you can find additional materials for studying outside of class, and the online classroom is available on all gadgets.
You can find out more about the course.
7. “Starlight” (ed. Express Publishing / Education)
The publication aims to introduce students to the most commonly used vocabulary of the language. All vocabulary is organically distributed by topic: vegetables, hobbies, musical instruments, colors, etc. The textbook and notebook contain many game activities, pictures, dialogues, crosswords and games. This is very interesting for younger students, but for older students it may seem boring.
Many teachers also note that the textbook does not provide a full opportunity to read a lot. However, many exercises are aimed at pronunciation from the very beginning level
The textbook “Starlight” accustoms children to the logic of a non-native language, funny pictures help them become friends with the subject, interesting tasks help them fall in love with this subject.
You can purchase/download Starlight textbooks.
6. Educational and training complex “English” (edited by Afanasyeva, Vereshchagina, Mikheeva)
With textbooks by Vereshchagina I.N., Afanasyeva O.V. I have known each other for a long time and can only speak positively about them. Teaching materials for grades II-XI meet the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard and are intended for in-depth study of the English language, but nevertheless, the textbooks are not at all complicated.
The program is structured in such a way that children consistently study material that gradually becomes more complex. At the end of each section there is a list of words that need to be memorized. The books give a lot of educational facts about countries and cities of the world and Great Britain. The material is easily presented and contains many illustrations. The words for study are very common, which will definitely be useful for using them in English speech.
The only negative I would say is the unclear sound of the disc and the speaker's slurred pronunciation. But you can easily do without a disk.
You can purchase “English” textbooks by Vereshchagina/Afanasyeva using this link.
5. “Spotlight” (ed. Express Publishing / Education)
The educational and methodological complex by the authors V.Evans, J.Dooley together with Russian teachers is very popular in Russian schools. The educational complex implements student-oriented, communicative-cognitive and activity-based approaches to learning English. In simple words, these textbooks immerse children in ordinary life situations and teach them to think as they construct English speech. Colorful illustrations and a variety of exercises will not leave children indifferent.
Perhaps for the zero level the textbook for grade 2 will seem a little complicated, because... There is no reliance on the native language at all.
You can find out more about UMK.
4. “Rainbow English” (edited by Afanasyeva, Mikheeva)
3. “Solutions” (ed. Oxford University Press)
2. “Choices” (Pearson)
This is a five-level English language course for general education institutions. “Choices” textbooks combine modern topics relevant to the interests of today’s high school students, a variety of world and Russian cultural and literary material, as well as special sections and headings for preparing for the Unified State Exam. But the biggest advantage of the educational complex is the integration of BBC video materials to develop language competencies and increase motivation.
You can buy/download “Choices” textbooks.
1. "Headway" and "New Headway" (Oxford University Press)
In first place is deservedly one of the best series of English textbooks called. According to this, teaching materials are taught all over the world, including in the UK itself in numerous language schools.
Today the name “Headway” has become synonymous with an effective integrated approach to teaching English. The authors advocate a communicative approach that would ensure both literacy and fluency. 
Headway textbooks teach students to think, speak, write in English and freely navigate the English-speaking environment, developing fluency in spoken language.
So, I hope this article will help you make the right choice of English language tutor for your child. If you have questions about the publications, write them in the comments below.
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Educational and methodological complex and its components
Educational and methodological complex (UMK) is a set of systematized materials necessary for the implementation of the educational process, ensuring the success of students in cognitive, creative, communicative and other types of activities.
The educational and methodological complex should be considered as a system, the parts of which are interconnected.
Thus, teaching materials are a system, all components of which form a single whole and interact to achieve the goal of the educational program.
The entire set of components of the educational system can be divided into four components:
1. Educational program as a key document on the basis of which the teaching and learning system is developed.
2. Educational and methodological aids for teachers and students. The implementation of an additional educational program is impossible without the use of handouts, didactic, information and reference materials, thematic teaching aids, lesson notes, scientific, special and methodological literature, problems and tasks solved according to the model, tasks and tasks of a creative nature, etc.
All of the following materials can be recorded:
on modern storage media (magnetic and laser disks, videotapes, etc.;
on traditional (printed materials).
3. System of teaching aids. This component consists of manuals aimed at supporting the development of the content of an additional educational program. Tools designed to support the study of theoretical material can be roughly divided into traditional and modern.
Traditional materials include printed aids - tables, posters, paintings, photographs, as well as handouts - flashcards, filmstrips, films, sound recordings.
Modern ones include videos, multimedia materials, and computer software.
4. A system of means for the scientific organization of work for teachers and students, can be presented in the form of materials in the following areas:
materials on individual support for the development of students (methods of psychological and pedagogical personality diagnostics, reminders for children and parents);
materials on working with children's groups (methods of pedagogical diagnostics of the team, game techniques, scenarios of collective events and affairs).
Designing a teaching aid is a labor-intensive and creative task that takes quite a lot of time.
At the first stage development of teaching materials, the teacher analyzes the specific tasks of training, education and development of students, the nature and volume of information to be assimilated, the initial level of training of students. It is also important to analyze the content of the educational material, divide it into logical portions (information components) and justify the development logic for each component of the corresponding methodology.
At the second stage The teacher begins to develop and create methodological recommendations, a selection of materials on individual support for the development of students, the development of questionnaires, questionnaires, memos for students and parents, the development of scenarios for public events and activities, and game techniques.
At the third stage To improve and develop teaching materials, the teacher creates educational and methodological aids, a package of materials that provide individual support to the student in mastering the educational program, his social and professional determination.
Each teacher has the right to approach the compilation of teaching materials creatively, to develop its content at his own discretion, in accordance with the level of training of students and their educational needs.
The educational complex can be developed by an individual teacher or a team of teachers, depending on the specifics of the structural unit (studio, club) and the type of additional educational program. The educational complex is designed to solve a full range of problems that arise within the educational process.
« The content of education in a particular educational institution is determined by the educational program approved and implemented by this educational institution independently. The main educational program in an educational institution with state accreditation is developed on the basis of the corresponding exemplary basic educational programs and must ensure that students (pupils) achieve the results of mastering the main educational programs” (Law “On Education”, Article 14, paragraph 5)
"St. 32 The competence of an educational institution includes:
23) determination of a list of textbooks in accordance with the approved federal lists of textbooks recommended or approved for use in the educational process in educational institutions that have state accreditation and implement educational programs of general education, as well as teaching aids approved for use in the educational process in such educational institutions" .
The mentioned articles of the Law “On Education” give educational institutions sufficient freedom in determining the educational and methodological complex for use in their educational institution. From June to October 2010, the federal expert council of the Russian Academy of Education will conduct an examination of primary school textbooks for compliance with the new standard of primary general education. The federal list for the 2010–2011 academic year was published in the journal "Bulletin of Education", 2009, No. 4. It lists all textbooks currently used in primary classes in St. Petersburg, except for textbooks by V.A. Zakozhurnikova and others (Russian language), E.N. Derim-Oglu (the world around us), M.V. Golovanova and O.Yu. Sharapova (literary reading), which, according to the St. Petersburg Academy of Postgraduate Education Center for Primary Education, were used in the 2009/2010 academic year.
An educational institution should compile a list and characteristics of educational and methodological kits and textbooks planned for use in the next academic year. The Ministry of Education and Science stamp “Recommended” indicates that this program and the textbook corresponding to it have been fully tested with positive results and is valid for 5 years, the stamp “Approved” - about permission to test - is given for 4 years. Information about the publishing house producing the textbook is important, since currently there are situations when the same author (for example, A.A. Pleshakov, A.A. Vakhrushev, E.I. Aleksandrova, L.F. Klimanova, N. .A. Churakov) textbooks have been written that are included in various educational and methodological sets. By positioning itself as an institution that fully implements teaching and learning (the teaching and learning complex is created on the basis of a general concept), the school thereby, to a certain extent, makes it easier for itself to pass the licensing and accreditation procedures. A set of textbooks independently compiled by a teacher will require him (the teacher) to write an educational program for his class, where he will need to explain the compatibility of textbooks and show the lines of their connection (to justify their conceptual compatibility). Such an educational program must be discussed at a meeting of the methodological association and approved by a decision of the pedagogical council of the educational institution.
Let us highlight the criteria that a teacher should be guided by when choosing a teaching aid.
· The level of compliance of the basic educational material with the requirements of the “Exemplary basic educational programs for primary general education.” This means that the material included in the program by the author must be studied completely in accordance with the author's program (otherwise the program will not be completed). Material that exceeds the requirements of the standard should not be subject to mandatory control by district and city management or methodological services, but requires administrative control over the quality of teaching and learning outcomes. At the same time, it is permissible to include material to expand children’s ideas about the cultural aspect of human knowledge, about the connection of this science with other areas of human culture (entertaining material).
· The presence in the textbook of questions and tasks that stimulate children to master new educational material, providing cognitive motivation.
For the technological component (the assistance of this textbook in the implementation of interdisciplinary programs).
· The ability of textbooks from this set to optimize the implementation of the “Reading” program. Working with information." An illustrative series of textbooks should help to understand the essence of the phenomena and processes being studied, contain various types of visualization, and provide various options for working with it.
· The structure of the educational book (the extent to which the methodological apparatus of the textbook allows children to navigate its contents: a system of conventional signs and notations for organizing work in a task, the presence or absence of reference material and the form of its presentation). This aspect will contribute to the formation of UUD.
· Multifunctionality of tasks in the textbook. Ideally, it is necessary that each task in a book or notebook on a printed basis allows both the teacher and the student to see and realize the potential for the formation of universal educational actions (meta-subject ones in the first place).
· Organization of material in a textbook and a workbook for it to improve skills, self-control and self-assessment of the training result. (regulatory and personal outcomes).
· The presence or absence of a system for monitoring and evaluating the achievements achieved by students and the level of compliance of the compiled test materials for the textbook with the requirements reflected in the “Assessment of Achievements” (notebooks for independent and test work, control pages in printed notebooks).
All of the above criteria, if met, are a guarantee of achieving the planned results (of course, with the correct effective organization of the educational process).
For the personnel component:
· The teacher’s readiness to work using this teaching material (training or the need for advanced training if the teacher has been working using this set for many years using established methods).
· Optimization of human potential. If there is no colleague nearby working from the same textbooks, the teacher may be left alone with his professional problems. With a wide variety of textbooks in parallel, it is more difficult to carry out the management functions of the school administration. It is optimal to provide for the possibility of using no more than two different CMDs in each parallel. In this case, if a student child finds himself in a situation of academic failure in mastering subject knowledge and skills in an advanced level program, it is more appropriate to offer continued education in a parallel class than in another school. In conditions of per capita financing, “parting” with each student automatically means a loss of funds for his education.
By economic component:
· The fact that textbooks are available in the library collection (if the examination at the Russian Academy of Education has been successfully completed). For the 2010/2011 school year, the examination will not yet be completed, and therefore it is possible to fully use textbooks from the school library.
· Cost of a complete set of textbooks per student (compare prices in different stores, go to the publisher’s price list). To purchase new sets, you will have to ask the school’s Board of Trustees for money, and perhaps other expenses will seem more significant to him.
Concluding the consideration of this issue, it should be noted that there is no ideal educational complex and, probably, in principle, there cannot be. Textbooks reflect not only the personality of the authors, but also project the personality of the teacher and students onto them. Therefore, having made his choice of teaching materials, the teacher must understand that he undertakes an obligation, using the chosen tool, to achieve the maximum possible results with the help of his professional skills. Changing textbooks during the 4-year education of students in the same class is an indicator of unprofessionalism.
The educational and methodological complex is literature, visual aids, and other means in a particular discipline. What might it include? The educational and methodological complex of the program includes: reading books, anthologies, manuals, collections of problems, articles, monographs. In addition, this also includes lesson aids that allow the teacher to develop the individual characteristics of schoolchildren.
Varieties
The educational and methodological complex in history involves both thematic and lesson-based developments. For example, depending on the level of knowledge and skills of students, certain tasks and exercises are selected for each student. For highly motivated schoolchildren, the teacher prepares assignments in the form of essays, during which the children have the opportunity to demonstrate to the teacher their personal position in relation to the historical period or era in question.
The teacher uses course manuals to reduce the time spent preparing for classes, which is important when the weekly workload is high. Such collections are in demand among beginning teachers.
School textbook
It is difficult to imagine the educational and methodological complex of a school course discipline without a book. Currently, a school textbook is compiled taking into account the age characteristics of children and the level of depth in a certain scientific field.
Let us highlight the main functions that this manual performs:
- reveals the main content of education, contains the volume of material for a separate lesson, taking into account age characteristics;
- guarantees consistency in the presentation of the material and involves its systematization;
- simplifies the process of assimilation and consolidation of knowledge;
- allows you to realize the educational goals of teaching a specific academic discipline.
The electronic educational and methodological complex has become an excellent alternative to traditional paper materials. It can be used not only by the teacher, but also by the student.
Textbook structure
The textbook presents a text determined by a system for selecting specific facts. For example, in the 8th grade school chemistry course, the author includes in the book material related to inorganic substances, their properties, and transformations. The content is divided into chapters, sections, and individual paragraphs. Logic and consistency must be observed between them, a smooth transition from simple facts to complex material.
The textbook is divided into theoretical (basic) material, background information, comments and notes.
The text is based on information about the most important concepts and ideas, theories, and types of activities.
The complexity of the text of a book can be linguistic, logical, and also subject-specific. For example, historical content is associated with numerous terms, concepts, and theoretical conclusions.
The extra-textual components of the textbook include illustrations, assignments and questions, various documents, as well as certain indexes. For example, in a history course, images of the past are presented using diagrams: battles, battles, fortresses.
The main part of the methodological apparatus of the school textbook are assignments and questions for the proposed paragraphs.
With their help, students consciously and deeply assimilate the content of the academic discipline, and the teacher gets the opportunity to reveal the content of the book by means of symbolic and figurative clarity.
When assessing the quality of textbooks, experts use certain criteria:
- its compliance with modern requirements of the education system;
- reflection in it of the values of society;
- scientific approaches to indicating facts;
- presenting certain facts from different points of view;
- compliance of the content with the requirements of the program for this academic discipline;
- quality of the scientific base;
- correlation of content and style of presentation with the age characteristics of students;
- the methodological value of the book, its compatibility with other manuals.
Since the educational and methodological complex is the basis for the modernization of Russian education, close attention is paid to its integrity and consistency.
For example, in pedagogical practice, a list of Federal textbooks has appeared, which includes only those materials that fully meet the requirements of the second generation Federal State Educational Standard.
Distinctive parameters of new generation textbooks
For example, for a history book, as part of the new requirements, you can note:
- use of cultural and civilizational approach;
- use of a figurative system;
- information richness;
- expressiveness and brightness of presentation of the main material;
- giving additional texts the status of a full-fledged information source;
- value accents of the text;
- formation of new types of tasks and questions.
Specifics of new generation textbooks
The foundations of the educational and methodological complex are laid in the form of a logical connection of concepts, internal continuity between textbooks of the same subject and methodological line. This contributes to a better understanding and awareness of the content of the book. For example, in chemistry from grades 8 to 11, the O. S. Gabrielyan set is used. In addition to textbooks, his educational and methodological complex is a set of collections of tasks and exercises, manuals for practical and laboratory work, as well as a reference book for teachers. How are the updated school textbooks different? Since the educational and methodological complex is a collection of different collections, the tasks offered in the collection for laboratory work echo the main material presented on this problem in the textbook.
The material being studied is presented using examples that are understandable and accessible to modern schoolchildren, which has a positive effect on the formation of search skills, improving self-development and self-education.
Practical value
The problem book in physics, chemistry, biology, which is included in the educational and methodological complex, is aimed at understanding the features of the surrounding world, using theoretical knowledge in practical activities.
The educational and methodological complex of the specialty involves not only basic, but also additional material, and the use of a variety of Internet resources.
Specifics of the methodological apparatus
It can be considered the key to applying the information included in the main manuals. Such a device should contain elements that motivate schoolchildren to master new educational material. They help children identify the purpose of their work, set specific goals for themselves, summarize the results, and draw conclusions. The reference material contained in the educational and methodological kit for any discipline contributes to the formation of scientific research skills.
Creative assignments allow you to practice theoretical foundations in real life.
For a chemistry teacher
The educational and methodological complex of the school includes materials on various academic disciplines. In order to understand what a modern teacher should use in order to fully comply with the requirements of the Ministry of Education and the requests of the state, let’s consider the educational and methodological set in chemistry. The basic course currently uses several methodological lines. The most common is the O. S. Gabrielyan set.
In addition to the textbook, compiled taking into account age characteristics for 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th grades, the author has created a reference book for a chemistry teacher. This manual examines in detail the most complex sections and provides recommendations on methods for teaching them to schoolchildren.
As additional literature, the teacher uses a book for extracurricular reading, which outlines the biographies of great chemists, the facts of the discovery of new elements, and the creation of important scientific theories.
To develop practical skills, O. S. Gabrielyan developed a manual for conducting practical work and laboratory experiments. Students and their teacher can prepare for the final exam in chemistry, armed with a collection of problems, which includes all the main tasks offered to high school students at the Unified State Exam.
O. S. Gabrielyan developed a methodological set for specialized teaching of chemistry, initially including tasks of the second level of complexity from the Unified State Exam tests in the textbook.
Innovations in teaching materials
After the modernization of Russian education, complete subject lines appeared in almost all academic subjects.
Among the innovations, we note the inclusion in textbooks of creative tasks that allow students to develop universal learning skills.
For example, in history and social science, text categories appeared and key concepts and main ideas began to be highlighted. Such innovations contribute to the development of skills in identifying the most important information and summarizing it.
The importance of the school books vertical
A completed subject line allows you to build a training course as its complexity increases. Methodological unity and integrity of the content line are the basis for the work of a teacher in accordance with the requirements of new educational standards.
A significant number of illustrations, diagrams, and graphs contribute to the development of observation skills and comprehension of the theoretical material discussed in the lesson.
Conclusion
The educational and methodological complex is a powerful tool in the activities of a modern teacher, aimed at developing search and research skills in the younger generation. Due to the fact that educational institutions currently use information technology, many textbooks, reference materials, and collections of problems are offered not only in paper, but also in electronic form. Educational CDs containing creative tasks help teachers develop cognitive interest in the subject being taught.