One of most important reasons for learning the language is to communicate effectively in social situations. Functional language is language and/or set expressions that we use to perform various “functions” in life, such as greetings, saying goodbye, asking for help, and paying someone a compliment.

Functional dialogues are an integral part of every unit of Top Kids.

Expansion activities that are both collaborative and communicative allow students to practice personalization and critical-thinking skills. Self-evaluation activities are also included in each level. Through these types of activities students connect what they learn to their own world, use higher order thinking skills, and personally gage how well they have mastered the material, leading to learner independence/autonomy.

Expansion activities are included after every odd unit in the Top Kids series and target collaborative and communicative language practice.

Fluency, decoding, and vocabulary development are fundamental for the comprehension of written material. Readers use these skills to interpret and understand written words on a page. The extensive reading in Top Kids provides fluency practice as students work toward instantly decoding words while developing their active vocabulary.

Extensive graded readings that are a mix of fiction and non-fiction are included after every even unit of Top Kids.

Language educators have a responsibility to students beyond providing sufficient language knowledge for them to be able to communicate effectively in English. Educators also need to provide students with the skills that enable them to be lifelong learners, and help students to become the best citizens they can be.

Top Kids presents functional dialogues that demonstrate effective, social behavior.