ESL - Try Before You Buy

In tough economic times—or just because people want to be thoroughly familiar with educational products before paying out their own money for them, it helps to see if they’re a good “fit” or value for their particular situations.

A product Title, Cover, and Short Description are a good start. Then comes a Long Description. Next in importance is the Rationale behind the materials, perhaps including their Scope & Sequence and/or suggested Instructions for Use. A Table of Contents may be condensed or complete.

But how can you really “try before you buy?” For many products, a one- to eight-page PDF’ed “sample lesson” can be viewed on screen. Any number of pages or the whole file may be downloaded, printed, and/or reproduced for immediate classroom use, tutoring, or self-study. Each sample offers a "hands-on feel” for how that particular material functions.

No matter what the actual size of the PDF’ed pages in print form (usually 11 by 8.5 inches or 8.5 by 5.5 inches) is, they will appear one after another vertically on the screen. So that they will come out back-to-back, press “Flip on long edge” on your printer setup. Pages intended to be two-sided, such as Language-Learning Cards or pages from Tear-Off Pads, work best when printed out in this way.

Of course, you can print out samples in color or black & white (your choice), in a size and on paper of the most appropriate weight, including card stock, to suit your own purposes. Then you can simulate how the materials will work in “real life.”

Examples from “ancillaries” like Game Boards or Game Pieces, Audio CDs, Instructor's Guides, Tapescripts, or self-teaching Answer Keys, will complete the picture. They will give you all you need for a purchasing decision—or at least to request more samples to "Try Before You Buy."

For the titles of Authors & Editors books, games, resources, and other elements for which samples can be provided, click here for an Alphabetized Authors & Editors Product List. Choose the item that interests you. Get the information and samples you want from the links that come up.

For other no-cost materials, not necessarily as they appear in published texts or resource books but based on the same pedagogy, concepts, principles, or ideas, click on Teaching Tools, Tips, & Techniques. These will be immediately useable pages to download, print, make use of, and enjoy “whenever”—perhaps for a motivating change of pace, a quick review lesson, a surprising bit of reinforcement, or whatever else comes to mind when you need it. There are also complete or partial Teacher-Training Workshop Handouts.

More information about products is available in the print or Online Authors & Editors Creative Language Teaching & Learning Catalog and Authors & Editors Online Store.

And finally, would you like access to any or all of the pages in Authors & Editors products on CDs, DVDs, or online in a form that lends itself to customization? If so, work with us on how to best serve your needs in that regard.

America's Literacy Directory