Potluck

Potluck is a photocopyable reader and vocabulary development text that focuses on the words associated with preparing, serving, and eating food in the United States and Canada. As such it also examines the role of food in North American English culture. The text is written for the intermediate-level English language learner. Most of it is appropriate for learners from middle school to adult. There are 24 lessons, answers to the exercises, three appendices, and two indices. The whole book is photocopyable. Each of the lessons follows a set format of four pages. There are also two CDs for optional listening and pronunciation practice. The CDs have two tracks for each lesson. The first is simply the food names on the first page of the lesson; the second is the reading. The opening page includes the title of the lesson and a photo to stimulate interest and discussion. The page also includes the names of foods that will be mentioned in the reading. There is an index of these food names after the appendix. The second page is a one-page reading with key words in bold type. In most lessons the reading explores the cultural aspects of the reading’s topic. The key words are also indexed. Pages 3 and 4 are exercises that will help the learners explore the usage of the key words, sometimes in very different contexts. The final lesson is a longer summary review with no exercises. Many of the key words are found in this summary. The three appendices include a spice and herb chart, 6 pages of recipes, 10 menus, and a list of websites for further exploration of restaurants in the United States and Canada.