Book Review_Siti Nurohmah

Book Review: Communicative and Interactive English for the First Grade of Junior High School by Otong Setiawan Djuharie

Book Identity

Title              : Communicative and Interactive English for the First Grade of Junior High School

Author          : Otong Setiawan Djuharie

Publisher      : Yrama Widya

ISBN            : 979-543-412-8 (vol.1)

Year             : 2006

Pages            : 336

            Nowadays, English is considered as one of subjects which is important to be learnt. It is because English as international language is used as a language tool to communicate us with the other people in another country which is use the different language from us. For filling this necessary, we are compulsory to learn about English since we were in elementary school until in university. It is including in Junior High School. One of the ways to fill this necessary, we must have the proper material about English according to our necessary. The book “Communicative and Interactive English for the First Grade of Junior High School by Otong Setiawan Djuharie and published by Yrama Widya will answer your necessary about English which is not based on theory, theory and theory (theory oriented) but it is served more communicative and interactive for the first grade student of Junior High School which is in transition period children to teenagers.

            My impression after reading this book is quite amazed by how the way the author expresses his purpose with different way. He makes the material in the examples and it is felt real with daily life conversations. It makes the target of this book, the first grade students of Junior High school, feel be mixed up in the material. He makes English become very fun by making it is like game. For example, by adding role play in speaking method.

The Contents

            With 25 units of contents which is quite thick consist of 336 pages, the author convey the material consistently with the main theme, description of competence scope, ways to say it, pair up and practice, role play and group activity, grammar review, reading, and writing.

He begins the material with greeting and introduction; expressing of gratitude and appreciation; expressing of apology; possessive pronoun; expressing habits and routines; expressing past activities; asking to do something and for direction; asking and telling the job; expressing capability; denial; making question; expressing like and dislike; describing the needs; current activities and talking about future; future tense; saying the time; obligation, needs, and requirement; asking and offering to do something; permission; inquiring and indicating an opinion; agreement and disagreement; expressing sympathy; identifying by dress and appearance; and then the last asking about preference. All of the material keep served like the list which I have said in above neatly.

Because of the purpose of this book also that want to make the students can make an exploration, creation, and innovation in learning English, this book more emphasize in language skill (speaking, listening, reading and writing) but do not forget about the importance of grammar, so that he uses method which more explore speaking and listening with pair up practicing and role play but grammar also inserted on it to kick perfectness of structural in speaking and writing. Then about the reading also become the other language skill which is important to be improved. So he adds them to the list which have to be in each unit.

Then talking about the feature of this book, he makes this book quite interesting by adding the pictures. It is a strategy how gets the attention of the students and avoid making the students bored with the book which full of text and there is not a picture at all.

Pros

            This book serves the material which is proper with the target necessary and makes it become fun by using pair up and role play to stimulate the student’s willing and capability in speaking and listening and give the opportunity to improve reading and writing with the exercises which can stimulate the students. Then it does not forget about grammar. In this book grammar is packed up with neat and nice.

Cons

            Thickness of this book makes the book seems too full of material. It makes the students give up before learning this book by looking at thickness of this book and the table of contents. Maybe it can be made more simple and brief. The next, I think the choosing of book cover is lees attractive for the first students of Junior High School. I think it will be nice if choose the bright color which can attract them.