Green Tea Intermediate English Communication OER

Reviewed by Monika Mulder, Instructor, Portland Community College on 8/15/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This is an ESL text developed for low/mid-intermediate level, adult learners of English; it covers all the selected topics appropriately. There is a list of vocabulary words, phrases and idioms covered available for each unit.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Yes, the content of the text (the Google doc version) is clear.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The unit topics are interesting, relevant to ESL students’ lives. All materials can be modified/updated/expanded if needed. Additional materials within each unit as well as more units/topics can also be easily added. However, some of the pandemic-related materials might not be relevant in the future.

Clarity rating: 5

The written and audio materials are clear and level-appropriate.

Consistency rating: 5

All units consist of several consistent components. Each unit starts with some pre-listening activities followed by a vocabulary task, listening practice, lecture videos, speaking practice, assessment, and extension activities. Each unit offers a variety of materials, including audio and video materials.

Modularity rating: 5

This text consists of 5 units - the order of the units could be rearranged easily. However, the subsections of each unit can not be easily reorganized (and should not be). It is an ESL text - the material is scaffolded and presented appropriately to address the needs of ESL learners.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

This text is very well organized. The presentation of all materials is clear and follows a logical order.

Interface rating: 5

The text has a clean look; it is easy to navigate and does not incorporate any features that could distract/confuse the readers/learners.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No errors have been found.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The topics are culturally relevant. Each unit incorporated many opportunities for the students to share their lived experiences and information related to their ethical/cultural/linguistic backgrounds, which makes the text inclusive for all ESL learners.

Comments

The text is accompanied by a comprehensive handbook that has been updated recently. The handbook itself is a wonderful resource for both teachers and students - I think it needs to be highlighted more. The link to the handbook is buried on the page with the resources - it is easy to miss it if you do not know that the handbook exists. I am planning to use the Green Tea OER text next term. After reviewing it more closely, I am very excited to use it in my class. I am also aware that the Press Books version of the text might be available soon. From what I can understand, it is still under development. My hope is that the developers improve it, so it resembles the Google doc more. At this moment, the Press Books version is very limited - it seems that several units miss different parts incorporated in the Google doc version of the text (esp. the vocabulary tasks). Also the order of the units/topic is different from the Google doc. In addition, some links to the external videos/materials are broken. For example:
https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/greentea/chapter/extra-presentation-superstitions-helping-people/

Reviewed by Julia Tillinghast, Instructor, Portland State University on 8/15/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

This book has the potential to be a comprehensive, communicative, intermediate introductory text for such compelling topics as: Introverts and Extroverts, Food and Nutrition, Empathy, Sports and Achievement, Superstition, and Language and Memory and contains as a comprehensive pronunciation guide presented separately in depth and also linked to each chapter; however, this PressBooks version is missing many of the chapter elements in all but the first chapter, and is lacking an index, glossary, or vocabulary list, not only for the book overall, but for many of the chapters.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Content is well-edited and proofread and presents issues from multiple angles.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The topics (Introverts and Extroverts, Food and Nutrition, Empathy, Sports and Achievement, Superstition, and Language and Memory) feel both up-to-date and timeless and the news articles for listening practice are also evergreen; however, many of the multimedia links are not working and would need to be updated.

Clarity rating: 5

The language of the introductions to material and instructions is clear and accessible, clearly created by experts with the cultural competency to communicate effectively with the target audience of ESL learners.

Consistency rating: 1

Unfortunately, this version of the book seems to have some oversights in the way it's been uploaded as a PressBook, so while the first chapter on Introverts and Extroverts contains a main video presentation, two vocabulary activities, a secondary video presentation, two pronunciation activities, and a chapter wrap-up/review, the third chapter, Empathy, contains only the main video presentation, a second video presentation, and what appear to be three "extras" (whose links are not accessible), and no vocabulary, pronunciation, or wrap-up activities.

Modularity rating: 5

It's easy to imagine individual instructors picking and choosing chapters and parts of chapters to use, and the sequenced and scaffolded activities dependent on specific materials are only those before and after main materials. This is a highly-modular text!

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 3

The activities within the "complete"-seeming chapter are well scaffolded and sequenced; however, the organization of the chapters in the PressBooks version does not appear to reflect the organizational structure intended for the book.

Interface rating: 2

Again, the interface in Chapter 1 is smooth and clearly, with links through the table of contents or through the "next" and "previous" links at the bottom of the page. However, the links to the following videos and other multimedia materials, some of which are main content in the chapter, are broken or inaccessible: History of Parasports, I AM-An Olympic Athlete, Stress, listening, and emotions: 3 short videos, Superstitions at work, Nutrients in an Apple.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

This text is well-edited and proofread. I found no errors. In addition, it is neither overly simplified nor overly complex: an accessible but challenging intermediate text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

Not only does it represent diverse abilities, ages, races, cultures, and nationalities in the stories it tells and videos it presents, but clearly has in mind a diverse international audience in its presentation of pronunciation challenges, including guidance for pronunciation stumbles for speakers from a variety of different language groups. This shows a depth to the diversity audience imagined for the book. However, like many ESL texts, it does lack representation of LGBTQIA folks.

Comments

This looks like an incredible, very user-friendly, fun, engaging intermediate communicative text. However, the multiple issues with missing crucial pieces and non-functioning links in the PressBooks version make it hard for me to imagine using it in my classroom. I'm really hoping the authors will update and revise this public OER so it reflects the wonderful text I'm seeing reflected in the linked Google Docs teachers' guide.