Title: Polski jest cool A1 part I. Student's Book and Workbook

Authors: Ewa Piotrowska-Rola, Marzena Porębska

Format: A4, printed

Recordings: MP3, details for uploading are inside the cover

ISBN: 9788394777906

Publisher: Studio tEMAt

Edition: first

Date of publication: 2023

The first part of the series for learning Polish as a foreign language at the A1 level for teenagers and adults

 

In the new edition of Polski jest cool, the material at the A1 level has been divided into two parts, and the textbook is combined in one volume with a workbook. This undoubtedly facilitates the work for both the teacher and for the students using the book.

Inside Polski jest cool A1 Part I Student's Book and Workbook there are 12 chapters, there is a workbook with the key and, additionally, lessons for special occasions: "Christmas", an introductory lesson and grammar tables. Recordings for the textbook are available online in the popular MP3 format.

 

Each lesson contains a variety of exercises to develop listening, reading, speaking and writing skills. The selection and sequence of introducing grammatical material have been tailored for language practice, and grammar is never practiced in isolation from the vocabulary presented in a given lesson. Memorising grammar rules is facilitated by clear and logical tables placed at the end of the book.

 

Polski jest cool A1 Part I, together with exercises and separately available materials for the teachers ("Teacher's Guide" and "Games and Activities. Photocopiable materials"), constitutes a coherent, contemporary course for learning Polish at the beginner level for foreigners coming from different countries and cultures.

 

Learning Polish is in a discernible way easier for Slavs, but Polski jest cool has been used by the Japanese, Indians, Israelis, Americans and Germans for years and with excellent results. With joy and amazement do they discover that the Polish language is not as difficult as they initially anticipated.

 

The student's book is engaging, contemporaneous, it touches on topics which are interesting for both teenagers and adult students, and while learning the language, students will also discover to understand the Polish culture, customs and the realities of everyday life in Poland. Thanks to practical, real-life examples, students will learn not only how to communicate in Polish, but also how to settle a matter at the office, buy a train ticket or simply ask for directions.

 

The textbook implements all the language skills indispensable for effective communication- interesting texts to teach how to understand the written texts; professional, high-quality listening recordings; interesting and diverse ideas for speaking - both in pairs and in groups, as well as consistently introduced writing tasks of increasing difficulty.

 

It must not be overlooked that Polski jest cool at the A1 level is the only book on the market encompassing the phonetic course for learning Polish, consistently implemented in each lesson.

The phonetics course, inspired by Barbara Karczmarczuk's excellent book Wymowa polska z ćwiczeniami, allows to become familiar with the sound of the Polish language, particularly more difficult sounds, practice their pronunciation, and finally use the acquired skills in natural communication situations.

Problems with pronunciation often thwart foreigners from making contact in Polish.  The practical phonetic course implemented in Polski jest cool will aid in overcoming this barrier. With frequent, consistent pronunciation exercises and engaging speaking tasks, students quickly gain confidence and put their skills into practice.

The new vocabulary is introduced in its appropriate context and is immediately used in a variety of exercises to improve all language skills. The entire lessons are concentrated on both new and previously learnt vocabulary and structures, so students are not surprised by the tasks which exceed their lexical resources or current skills. Should there be a problem with completing a task, students can easily find the presented vocabulary, tables with grammatical rules or new structures.

 

Working with Polski jest cool A1 part I, students learn the Polish language directly in Polish, which, of course, might make them fall into a flat spin initially, but they quickly find out that this way, immersing themselves in the language, it is easier to assimilate the vocabulary, Polish phrases, students start speaking Polish faster and understand their teacher.

Thanks to the clear, consistently conducted lessons, students feel confident, their tangible progress enhances a sense of success and they are happy to practice new skills.

 

The authentic, though often abbreviated and simplified reading materials in the first part of the course include: restaurant menus, Wikipedia entries, company business cards, simple advertisements, diagrams, fragments of maps and dialogues imitating communication situations from everyday life, depicting their lively, colloquial, everyday language used by the Polish people.

The situational dialogues appear in all types of language activities - both in recordings, texts, exercises to consolidate grammar rules or vocabulary, and also - above all - speaking tasks.

Encouraging students to speak and consistently equipping them with the necessary skills is the main task set by the authors of Polski jest cool, and situational dialogues remain an excellent tool - consistently used in the textbook and in the games and activities suggested in the methodological materials.

 

An example exercise which consolidates formal and informal phrases from everyday dialogues looks like this: