Making and Using "Chips or Chips?":
A Discussion of Practical Uses of Our Textbook

Angus Hall, Mariko Hirano, and L’Shawn Howard
Introduction

There is a fairly general agreement that

Writing an original text for the EFL

the English proficiency level of Japaneseclassroom provides an opportunity touniversity / college students is getting lower

examine and observe the effectiveness of yourand lower these days. Although they haveoriginal materials and offers insight into an

studied English since they were junior highaspect of textbook production that instructors

school students and have done their best torarely see. In this paper, we will discuss theprepare for entrance examinations, many ofprocess we underwent to produce our firstthem are not willing to study and don’t like

EFL textbook, “Chips or Chips? Let’s

English. Koichi Ano (2005) addresses theCompare Britain and America”. What started

possible cause of this phenomenon in hisout as a grammar practice book evolved intoarticle.

a topic-based reading text with activities

The grammar translation method ischaracteristic of Task Based Language

still the main stream in senior highTeaching (TBLT) and Communicativeschool English education in Japan even

Language Teaching (CLT).

though Ministry of Education, Culture,

In Part 1: Presenting an Idea, we will

Sports, Science and Technology shows

discuss the origin of the idea for the textbook,in the Course of Study that aim ofin Part 2: Writing, Planning, and Managing

English education of secondary school is“Chips or Chips?”, the roles of each author

to foster communication ability

will be delineated. In Part 3: Making the(Ano, 2005, p.13)

Finishing Touches, the editing process andThe best way to teach English especially toour experience working with the publishers

Japanese students who don’t like English

will be discussed. Part 4: Using “Chips orand whose English level is low is a problem

Chips?” in the Classroom elucidates ways inthat teachers have to promptly address. So,

which “Chips or Chips?” can be implemented

we thought it would be most effective if wein the classroom. Part 5: Conclusion,

made an English textbook in accord withdiscusses how the experience has influenced

Kobe Kaisei students’ English level. We were

our current teaching practices and ourfairly certain that the students would beunderstanding of creating original textbooks

accustomed to using the grammar

for the EFL classroom.

translation method, so to break away fromthat conventional style, we decided to make aPart 1: Presenting an Idea

content-based textbook that would engage
the students.

1.1 Hirano’s Proposal− 17 −

manga persona of Hirano would serve as a

1.2 A Grammar Companion Book: Howard

study guide, who would appear in a side bar

Upon hearing Hirano’s idea, I thought
about ways that we could create a uniquein each unit to explain any pertinent or

handbook that would supplement thesalient points about the grammar and the

freshmen grammar lessons at Kobe Kaisei.

passages. This would give students

Having worked with graded readers andsomething to think about while progressing

having used extensive reading in my classes

through the units.

for over ten years, I immediately thought ofcreating authentic reading passages in which

Part 2: Writing, Planning, and Managing

the students could see the grammar“Chips or Chips?”: Howard, Hall, Hiranostructures they were learning in context.
Adopting the idea launched by consciousness-

2.1 The Units and Activities: Howardraising, I contemplated a book that would

Although it started out as a grammar

draw the students’ attention to a particularcompanion book, as Hall and I began drafting

grammar point they had learned.

passages demonstrating the different

Consciousness-raising is a techniquegrammatical structures, the endeavor proved

used in grammar classes that encourages

to be unwieldy and resulted in choppy,

students to discover language rather thanunnatural writing. After conferring on what

have the rules presented to them (Thanhto do, we decided to shift the focus and write

Binh and Thi Huong Lan). This is done by

a topic-based reading and communicative

typographically changing the text of thetextbook. The units remained in the samegrammar structure the students are learning

order, but the focus shifted from grammar toby putting the phrases in bold, italics, orvocabulary acquisition, reading

increasing the font size so that students

comprehension, and task-based activities

become aware of the structures (Zang and Li).

The activities used in the textbook areThe consciousness-raising activities thatsimilar to those found in the TBLT approach.

would appear in the grammar companion

The tasks require students to use thebook would serve as a tool to help the student

vocabulary and the information they learned

recall what she had seen in class, and givefrom the reading in certain tasks likeher the opportunity to check her

interviewing a classmate, or describing theirunderstanding.

favorite movie. These tasks were designed to

The grammar companion book was to beorganized into fifteen units that followed theget students to communicate using their
vocabulary and grammar knowledge.

syllabus of the freshmen grammar classes
taught at Kobe Kaisei. Each unit would

2.2. Writing Chips or Chips: Hallfeature a written piece by Hall and myself.

The approach to writing the texts for

The reading would compare some aspect ofeach unit was based on many years ofBritish and American culture, and it would

teaching in Japanese universities. The tone,

include many instances of the grammar

vocabulary, and level were pitched in order tostructure corresponding with the unit. A

appeal to the students I have come to know− 18 −

over nine years in Japan. I tried to make theused my own knowledge of my country andtexts as personal and conversational asculture.
When I designed the activities for eachpossible and to put myself in their minds.

unit, I worked with Hall to make sure our

When deciding on the unit activities, I
focused on activities that would engenderactivities did not overlap, and we alternatedoral communication. I was also aware thatbetween creating speaking activities andJapanese students of English are often

writing activities for each unit. I used

reticent to speak in larger group situations.

activities that one would find in TBLT and(Braddock, R., Roberts, P., Zheng, C.,

CLT classrooms. It was also important that

Guzman, T., 1995; Cortazzi M., Jin L., 1996;

the activities were flexible enough for

J. Jones J, 1999). For this reason, theclassroom settings outside of Kobe Kaisei andactivities created were ones where students

Japan. I wanted the units and the activities

speak either in pairs or in small groups.

to be applicable to any teaching context, so I
developed tasks that required little to no

Additionally, many of the speaking
activities are preceded by structured, lead-intechnology or additional materials other thanactivities designed to allow students toa writing tool.

prepare to speak. Most of the activities in the
2.4. Managing Chips or Chips: Hirano

book can be modified to some degree oranother by the teacher, depending on theWhile Hall and Howard worked on thelevel of a particular class.

content of the textbook, I acted as a manager

In summary, the key points in creatingand liaison to the publisher’s. As manager, I

the book were; to engage the students, hence

applied for a grant from Kobe Kaisei thatthe personal nature of the material in eachwould cover some of the cost of publishing theunit, to create as many opportunities for

textbook. I worked with the grant committee

students to speak but to allow them enoughand other administrators to effectively use

opportunity to prepare what they are going to

the resources available for publishing thesay, and to create activities which were easily

textbook. This entailed writing andmodified so that teachers could adjust

submitting the grant, filling in the necessary

according to the level of their students.

paperwork, and following the procedures
necessary to obtain the funds. I also met

2.3. Writing Chips or Chips: Howard

periodically with Hall and Howard to discuss
the progress of the textbook and to address

Based on over ten years’ experienceany questions or concerns they had.

teaching EFL/ESL in Japan and in Colorado,
I endeavored to write reading passages andIn addition to my managerial duties, I

activities that engaged the students in theworked with the publisher’s throughout thelearning process. Each passage introduced

creative process. I set up the first meetingsome aspect of my culture, and I wanted to bewith the publisher’s in which we discussed

certain that the students learned something

our plan for the textbook. They roughly

new from each reading. I did research on theagreed with our concept and suggested weInternet, mostly using Wikipedia, but I alsochange some of the topics of the reading.

− 19 −

After the initial meeting with the publisher’s,

the text onto the page. The pagination of

we agreed to send our first draft on August

some of the units was inconsistent and31, 2013. After we received the first edited

confusing, so we had to correct that as well.

draft, we checked the editor’s comments, andRevising the passages and going

if any comments or corrections were unclear,through the manuscript carefully took about

I called the publisher’s to ask for clarification.

a week. All three of us examined theSometimes we agreed with the changes, butmanuscript, and Hall and I worked together

other times we disagreed and kept theto search for any errors or inconsistencies weoriginal.

may have overlooked. Hirano provided a
non-native English speaker’s perspective on

Working with the publisher’s waschallenging at times, especially when

the text and provided feedback as to whether

explaining the cover art. I explained our idea

or not a passage or review questions wereand tried to describe the image we had

clear and understandable.

imagined for the cover art, but each time, theThe second edited draft of ourfinished product was not exactly what we hadmanuscript required that we proofread thein mind. The cover art was very important tomanuscript for small grammatical, spelling,

us because it is the first impression of ourand punctuation errors. We also took thetextbook. We wanted it to be perfect, buttime to scour each page for any other errors

there wasn’t enough time to fine tune theas this would be the last time we could makedetails.

any big changes. We also addressed thecopyright concerns regarding theMy role in making Chips or Chips gaveme an objective perspective on the publishingillustrations we used, and confirmed that itprocess. It allowed me to see everything as awas okay.
The third and final revision required awhole. I was able to participate in all aspectsof the project from submitting a grantglance through the manuscript. We checked

proposal, to working with foreign teachers,

again for grammar, spelling, or paginationand corresponding with the publisher’s.

errors. We also revised the teacher’s manual
to make sure that it coincided with therevised manuscript. In addition, we agreed

Part 3: Making the Finishing Touches

on the final version of the cover art, and sent
the manuscript on its way.

3.1. Revising and Editing
We were given three opportunities torevise the original manuscript. When we

3.2 The Illustrations, the Cover, and thereceived the first edited copy of ourAudio

manuscript, there were many sections that

As we mentioned above, the copyright ofneeded to be revised. The reading passages in

the photographs we used was a concern.

most of the units were either too short or too

Believing this to be the publisher’slong. We had to cite all of the pictures weresponsibility, we felt that expressing ourused to illustrate each reading. We also hadconcerns was sufficient to insure theto revise the writing exercises in order to fit

authorized use of all images in the textbook.

− 20 −

Unfortunately, after the book had been

their vocabulary knowledge and increase

published, we discovered that one of thetheir reading comprehension. Assisted

photos had been used without authorization.

reading, or reading while listening to an

The publisher’s office apologized for theaudio of a native speaker has proven effective

oversight and assured us they would insert a

for better vocabulary acquisition (Tabrizi anddifferent picture in the now already printed

Farokmanesh). It has also yielded significantbooks. Although we had done what we could

results in improving reading comprehension

to prevent this, the mistake had still occurred.

(Kasmani and Davoudy).

Using photographs in a published textbook is
a risk, and apparently it is not enough to justPart 4: “Chips or Chips?” in the Classroom:

voice one’s concern. It is advisable for theHall

author/s to make sure that the use of each

To illustrate how the units in the bookphoto is authorized as well. Another option

can be used in the Japanese university

would be to avoid using copyrighted material.

classroom setting, it would be useful toIn addition to the photos, as Hirano

describe how I utilize a particular unit for amentioned above, we also had the cover art toclass of around 15 mixed-ability students at aconsider. We conferred on the image wesmall Japanese university.

wanted to have on the cover, and thought it

The unit in question is Unit 1, ‘Mymight be fun to have manga versions ofHometown’. As an introduction, I use aourselves. The publisher’s office requested

prediction exercise, giving pairs of students

photographs of all of us, and their in-house

photos of the hometowns, together with aartist drew our pictures for the cover. The

map of the UK and U.S.A. They have a few

first version was unsatisfactory, and so weminutes to guess the locations. Next,

modified it somewhat sending it back to thestudents work independently to answer

artist for a revision.

questions on vocabulary on pages 2 and 3 andThe second version was better, but wethen share answers with a partner. Then, theadded some changes and received a third andreading and listening sections on page 4 are

final version which was satisfactory.

completed. If the students are more able,

However, we had only seen black and whitebooks can be closed for the first listening andline drawings of the cover art. It was not

two questions have to be answered, e.g.,

until the book had been published that we“What did Earl Grey invent?”, or, “What issaw the finished product. Although we did

the last activity on the city tour?” Otherwise,

not agree with the color scheme, we all felt astudents listen with books open and thensense of accomplishment when we beheld theanswer the comprehension questions on pagefinished textbook and its cover art.

4. This is followed with the reading/listening

The last step of the publishing process

on page 5. After this, the ‘My Favourite City’

was recording the audio CD. Recording theactivity can be done (page 6). If the class is

CD was an interesting and rewarding

low-level, the teacher can make the activity

experience. We think it will be a great way

more structured by giving students the initial

for teachers to help their students’ improve

few words of each sentence, e.g., ‘My− 21 −

favourite city is…..’, ‘I like it because…..’,published. We watched it evolve from a‘You can visit/see/try/eat/go…….’

grammar companion book to a topic-based

To extend this activity further, students

communicative textbook, and we wrote

can be asked to make mini-presentations

interesting reading passages about ourabout their favourite cities. Students could

respective British and American cultures.
Hall explained ways to use the textbook

spend the remainder of the lesson preparing
what they are going to say as well as a visualin class. He suggested ways to organize theand they then have to make theirlesson and ways to augment the text, such aspresentations at the beginning of theusing realia and developing communicative

following lesson. A time limit, say 1 minute,activities like mini-presentations.
Working together to create an original

should be given and a listener sheet should
be prepared by the teacher so that thetextbook proved mutually beneficial. We

students making up the audience have tolearned from each other and we were able tolisten more closely to their classmates’

create lasting memories of our time at Kobe

presentations.

Kaisei.
In the future, if we had the opportunity

As a further extension, I have used
tourist maps of Newcastle upon Tyne,

to write another textbook together, there are

England (my hometown). I give these maps toa few things we would change. Hirano did apairs, they listen again to the reading on

lot of work behind the scenes, but her

page 4 and try to follow the route describedpresence is scarce in the actual textbook. Weon the map using either a finger or a pencil.

would include Hirano in the textbook if there

After this, I give out pocket guides to the city

ever is a second edition. In addition, theand they have to prepare their own short tour

comparison between British and Americanof the city centre, visiting a minimum of fiveculture might be clearer if they weredifferent places. Students have around 30

discussed in the actual passages. Some of theminutes to prepare these tours and then theyunits had passages that were hard topresent them to other pairs, who have tocompare. In a second edition, it might befollow on their own maps. This has proven to

more beneficial to students if Hall and I

be successful with students generally

actually discussed the differences in thestimulated by the use of ‘real’ materials.

reading passages themselves.

Research has shown the efficacy of realia in
the ESL classroom (Berwald, 1987; Rivers,References:1983; Heaton, 1979).
Ano, K. (2005), “The Influence of Learning
Part 5: Conclusion
Writing Chips or Chips gave us access

Strategies in Senior high School Days onEnglish Level of Japanese University

to a part of language teaching that weStudents,” from Proceedings of the 10thteachers rarely encounter if ever. We were

Conference of Pan-Pacific Association ofable to experience first-hand what it was like

Applied Linguistics

to create an original textbook and have it− 22 −

Braddock, R., Roberts, P., Zheng, C., Guzman,Learners,” Asian Journal of Social Sciences

T. (1995), “Survey on skill development inand Humanities, 4 (6).

intercultural teaching of international
students,” Macquarie University, Asia PacificZang, X. and Baiwen, L. (2014), “GrammarResearch Institute, Sydney.

Teaching in the Communicative Classroom

Berwald, J. (1987), Teaching Foreign

International Conference on Education,”

Languages with Realia and Other Authentic

Language, and Intercultural Communication,

Materials Q & As, Washington, D.C.: ERIC

Atlantis Press.

Based on Focus on Form Theory,

Clearinghouse on Languages.
Cortazzi, M. and Jin, L. (1996), Cultures oflearning: language classrooms in China, H.
Coleman (Ed.), Society and the Language
Classroom, Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge
Heaton, J. (1979), “An Audiovisual Methodfor ESL” in M. Celce-Murcia & L. McIntosh(Eds.), Teaching English as a Second orForeign Language, Rowley, MA: Newbury
House.
Jones, J. (1999), “From silence to talk:cross-cultural ideas on students'
participation in academic group discussion,”
English for Specific Purposes, 18 (3)Kasmani, M.B. and Davoudy, S. M. (2013),“The Impact of Using Audio CD on Reading
Comprehension of Pre-intermediate Iranian
EFL Learners,” Asian Journal of Social
Sciences and Humanities, 2 (1).
Rivers, W. (1983), Speaking in Many Tongues,
New York: Cambridge University Press,
Third Edition.
Tabrizi, A.R.N. and Farokmanesh, S. (2013),“The Effect of Assisted Reading on Improving
Vocabulary Knowledge of the Iranian EFL− 23 −