Introduction
About Super Minds
What is Super Minds?
Super Minds is a seven-level course for primary age
students, beginning with this Starter level for those
taking their first steps in English alongside early literacy
in their own language. By building solid foundations,
expanding young minds, kindling the imagination
and fostering positive values, Super Minds encourages
students to become smarter as they develop in the
widest educational sense.
A flexible approach
Super Minds offers maximum flexibility:
• Super Minds Starter gives the option of an
oral–aural introduction to English, whereas some
schools may prefer to begin with Super Minds 1. All
the language from the Starter level is re-introduced in
Level 1 in different contexts, developing all four skills.
• All seven levels of Super Minds have been specifically
researched to cater for a variety of teaching situations
including those with a higher than usual number of
hours of English per week. The units include lessons
with a core syllabus focus and additional lessons
which can be used flexibly according to the time
available for English. This is explained in the Tour of
the unit (see pages ix–xi).
Building solid foundations
Super Minds Starter is appropriate for students who are
not quite ready to read and write in English, offering
optional literacy elements in the second half of the book.
The students are not required to read or write, but from
Unit 5 onwards, core vocabulary and structures are
shown on the page for passive recognition and there is
the option to trace the core vocabulary in the Workbook.
Four engaging
animal characters
introduce the
students to their
world through songs, gs,
chants and stories,
supported by
ample practice
material to develop
listening, speaking, fine motor
and thinking skills.
vi Introduction
Expanding young minds
Super Minds begins from the premise that the students
are not just language learners but explorers in every
aspect of their educational development. The course
enables students to become smart in three ways:
• Think! The development of thinking skills underpins
the course methodology and is clearly signposted
in purposeful activities. These thinking skills are the
building blocks of learning and the activities keep in
step with the students’ increasing maturity through
the course.
• Wider thinking through the application of knowledge
is encouraged by content and language integrated
learning (CLIL), with topic-based material clearly
linked with subjects across the curriculum.
• Games and other activities in pairs, groups or as a
whole class are designed to improve students’ memory
and concentration skills.
In Super Minds Starter, specific activities develop a
range of skills appropriate for this early stage, from
observation, hand–eye coordination and fine motor skills
to thinking skills such as memory, counting, sequencing
and categorising.
Kindling the imagination
From the very beginning, Super Minds fuels the
imagination not just through the adventures of the
animal characters in school and home contexts parallel
to the students’ own experiences, but also through
specific activities.
Rounding up the language and contexts of the unit,
guided visualisation activities invite the students to relax
and listen before creating the picture that they saw in
their mind, and TPR (total physical response) action
ssequences enable them to act out a simple story.
Fostering positive values
F
S
Stories are a highly valuable teaching tool and in
a
addition to the rich linguistic input that they offer,
S
Super Minds also uses stories as a vehicle for the
iillustration and discussion of values. The students are
e
encouraged through discussion and specific Workbook
a
activities to think about the deeper meaning of
tthe stories, such as the importance of sharing, lending,
ssaying thank you and sorry.
 Super Minds Starter components
Student’s Book
PuChTa GErnGroSS

The Student’s Book contains: • Think! Activities to develop a range of thinking skills
LEwIS-JonES

Super Minds is

• Cross-curricular English for school lessons, broadening

ursting with bright ideas

• An introductory Hello unit

nspire you and your pupils!
l course gives children a confident start
lish, and makes lessons a joy for teachers.

the unit topic in the context of other school subjects

eral use, Super Minds also fully covers the
ambridge Young Learners English (YLE) tests.
SuPEr MIndS

(6 pages) which introduces the

Book:
ngs and cartoon stories practise new language
Stella’ sections make pronunciation practice fun
STudEnT’S Book STarTEr

and offering accessible craft projects

ns in every unit give pupils an introduction
other subjects through English
tive activities bring the language to life

animal characters Mike the

ww.cambridge.org/SuperMinds

ge ESOL exams

tarter Starter monkey, Leo the lion, Gina the • A Creativity lesson featuring either a guided
St
visualisation activity or an action sequence telling
Pupil’s Book audio Cds
Movers

giraffe and Polly the parrot,

workbook Interactive dVd
Flyers Teacher’s Book Flashcards
u d ent r
KET Teacher’s resource Pack Language Portfolio

He
rbe ’s Book Starte es
rt P
uch
ta
Günter Gerngross Peter
Lew
is-J
on

alongside greetings and colours a simple story

• A different topic-based Revision game in each unit
521 XXXXX X

• 9 core units (10 pages) with an

easy-to-use single-page lesson
format rounding off with revision Interactive DVD-ROM
• 3 pages with the lyrics for the chants and songs at the This complementary component is included with the
back of the book, for teacher and parent reference Student’s Book, for students to use at home or in the
• Cut-outs (starting at the back of the book and working school computer room, and with the Classware CD-ROM,
forwards) for selected activities, including masks of the for teachers to use with a computer and a projector.
animal characters for use in the stories Offering language reinforcement and consolidation
while the students also have fun, it contains:
• Stickers for a different activity in each unit
• Interactive games and activities
Each unit offers:
• The Student’s Book stories brought to life with
• An opening scene in contemporary and attractive 3D high-quality animation
artwork which establishes the setting of the unit story
• The Student’s Book songs with karaoke versions for
and also provides a vehicle for the presentation of the students to record and play back their own voice
core vocabulary
• A memorable chant to practise the core vocabulary
• 2 grammar lessons with varied presentation and 1 My cl
practice activities CD1
a s s ro o m
1 Listen and
• An engaging song for further language practice
10
point. Then
listen and
say the words
• A story featuring the appealing animal characters, 1
.

whose interaction illustrates a different value in each

unit for class discussion 2
3
1 4
8 5
7

CD1 6
1 18

2
1

2 CD1
11 Listen and
chant.

Think! Find, count and stick

.
2
Sticker
3
2
1
4
3

10 1 pencil 2
chair 3 bag
4 rubber
5 book 6
desk

6
6 5
4
5

Value: lending 15

14 Story and values

Introduction vii
He llo
CD1
1 02 Listen and sing.

4 Singing for pleasure

 CD1
1 04 Listen and point. Then listen and say the names.

CD1
2 05 Listen and point.

Hello! What’s your name? I’m ... 5