Review: Hot Spot 4

Hot Spot 4

Hot Spot 4 is a book for “betweenagers”. Also known as young teenagers, this is a group you might not imagine being overly enthralled at the idea of a day spent learning English. Enter the Hot Spot series. Described as a “communicative course with an accessible grammar syllabus”, Hot Spot aims to appeal to these particular youth via lessons heavy on visual images and concise, punchy units.

Looking at the structure of the book, the Student’s book consists of 7 modules, each one divided into 4 two-page units. While most textbooks spread skills and grammar points out over the length of the entire module, short unit books such as Hot Spot use mini-skills sections in every unit. The upside? Speaking, listening, reading and grammar are included in just about every unit, with writing, vocabulary and pronunciation not far behind. Each theme is succinct and can be taught in a day rather than a week. This further benefits substitute teachers who are able to source an entire well-themed lesson from 2 pages instead of the handful of books teachers might often find themselves carrying into class. Brevity is the flipside to this. The Hot Spot series might provide well-contained units over a couple of pages, but for teachers looking to get a bit of mileage out of exercises in class, activities are prone to finish a little too quickly. Speaking exercises are often short and uninspiring, while vocabulary is sparse and not overly functional. A stronger emphasis on group work or longer-term projects for kids would benefit the book immensely.

This said, it should be noted that Hot Spot 4 does have additional resources which can be used to develop and bulk out units. Supplementary readings can be found in the back of the book, as can further grammar practise. Hot Spot 4 capitalises on its excellent illustrations and appeals to its target audience through narrative and characters that can be found in each module. Also included with the book is a CD-ROM, which includes exercises and computer games for consolidation and further practise. The computer games, though fairly rudimentary, should pique the interest of young learners in a way that textbooks might not and would be a welcome addition to the lesson plan of any teacher of betweeenagers.

Young learners are not always the easiest group to inspire and while Hot Spot 4 only goes some of the way in addressing this gap, it is an excellent example of a book that understands this.