Customer Reviews

Brazilian Activities Manual for Ponto de Encontro: Portuguese as a World Language

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After over a decade away from teaching foreign languages, I was asked to teach Portuguese (my native language) to a North American friend. When I used to teach English and Portuguese as a foreign language, there was huge gap between the quality of the EFL books (communication and usage oriented, dynamic, attractive) and the Portuguese ones (translation - grammar based, boring, filled with language no-one actually uses...).

I was dismayed with what looked like no evolution at all during the last 15 yeards until I came accross Ponto de Encontro. It's attractive, easy to adapt to different audiences (with exercises that challenge more or less to choose from), features great authentic and natural materials and invites students to reflect and learn actively. The companion website is great with self-correcting exercises that are a great aid for students wanting to advance on their own. There are Brazilian and Portuguese separate tracks and exercises which make it a viable book to use by both audiences.

I just wish the publishers would be easier to communicate with if you're a private teacher not affiliated with a school, which is the case of many of us. I just can't get a hold of them and am interested in examining the test and activity books and there's no way to log in if you're not affiliated with an institution.

All in all though, it's by far the best Portuguese as a Foreign language book available out there. Not that the competition is stiff, but even if it were, it would still be in the running!

From 16 to 27 pages of activities for each chapter in the textbook, filled with consistently reinforcing material step-by-step and from involved activity to activity, you can not go wrong with this book. The textbook itself is 570 pages of instruction while the activity book has 442 pages. I have studied Russian as well as Irish and I have never seen, for either of these languages, an accompanying activity book in a series that would be as extensive and almost as lengthly as the original textbook. (Well, V Puti, a Russian set does this and is the only exception!) I have thumbed my way through the book (I am an English as a Second Language teacher by profession) and it is pedagogically sound in all elements and the activities are relevant to the language learning itself. It does not (as do some activity books) get too carried away with introducing way too much new vocabulary that is not relevant to the tasks and the textbook and guides the student through everything quite well.

I would suggest that, along with the "Brazilian Student Activities Manual to Accompany 'Ponto de Encontro': Portuguese as spoken and used in Brazil" (Remember that there is also the "European Student Activities Manual for 'Ponto de Encontro': Portuguese as a World Language" for those learning Portuguese as spoken and used in Portugal) you should also get the "Answer Key to Accompany Brazilian and European Student Activity Manuals for Ponto de Encontro." If you are studying on your own without a teacher, this will be quite valuable. In many language sets, answer keys only come with the "Teacher's Edition" and this is a welcome addition to the set and can be purchased as "new" for only $8.00.

I also have purchased the DVD of dialogues in Portuguese that includes the same dialogs with different speakers in a disk that includes all of the dialogues in both Brazilian and European Portuguese. Not only are the speakers native to each country or region, they are also filmed in each respective area, giving you the feel of each region for the Portuguese that you are studying. The activity manuals also include activities to go along with the videos on the DVD!

The completeness of this entire set is impressive as they have left no stone unturned: textbook (that teaches either Brazilian or European Portuguese, or you can learn BOTH, per your preference), separate activity manuals for each of the two Portuguese language types, an answer key in one inexpensive edition that covers both activity manuals as well as the companion oral/visual language DVD for BOTH separate as well as equal Brazilian or European Portuguese, the DVD of Portuguese speakers talking about each of the topics, chapter by chapter, of the textbook for BOTH separate as well as equal Brazilian or European Portuguese, and a 3-CD audio set for the textbook itself with a very nice and clear index listing of every track with each chapter and section. They don't stop here either! They also have an on-line site for learning Brazilian and European Portuguese with audio, interactive activities, flashcard system and tests that, when completed, you can choose to send to your teacher, to the teacher's assistant, to a friend and to yourself in plain text or HTML formats!

I had read the reviews on here about this set and none of them even went so far as to describe the entire set as a unit and how they are there to help you to really learn Brazilian or European Portuguese should you decide to use all of the resources available.

Now, this entire set, new, can be rather expensive. I purchased the CD, DVD, and book used here on Amazon. I only bought the Brazilian Portuguese Activity Manual and the Answer Key as new items. This helped me to cut the overall cost of all new materials by a rather tidy sum such that I could purchase the ENTIRE set! Even at full cost for new here on Amazon, I really feel that this entire set is a bargain as you will definitely learn, through diligence and following the program that this set offers, to speak, to listen to, to read and to write Portuguese like a native (high intermediate to low-advanced) by the end of the series. Of course, beyond this set (things that you should also do as you are working with the set), learning can be achieved through regular reading of original texts, watching movies, watching Brazilian or Portuguese TV on-line, finding a Portuguese "friend" or two, or three or whatever on-line who uses Skype for regular conversational practice and (if you are lucky, as am I) you may also find a friend who is actually a language teacher who can help you with Portuguese grammar, colloquialisms, pronunciation and can provide more "cultural notes" that make learning any language more fun, entertaining, and immersive!

Get the set, be dedicated, use it well, use Skype - don't be shy!, and do the work so that you can really achieve the great success in learning Portuguese (Brazilian, European or both) that this set offers!

This is a college textbook that assumes you will have an instructor and be attending a university. For just learning portuguese from scratch, it is difficult to assimilate all the grammar used in the preliminary chapter. It doesn't start with "See Jane run." I do have a study partner who is helping make this work. I do not recommend this for solo/independent study. Also, internet resources are required.

Portuguese is my fourth language. This is by far the most comprehensive learning system out there if you are up for a full, classroom type college level program. It comes with a full complement of dozens of CDs, a DVD, an exercise (activity) workbook and answer key.

Brown University uses this for both 1st and 2nd year Portuguese classes. I used it for self study and it was extremely helpful. However, be aware this is intense and demanding for a self learner. I finished this all on my own and am now tackling higher level texts used at Brazilian universities for teaching Portuguese. Plus, I am now "well rounded" in the language; able to read, write, speak with a solid gramatical foundation.

You should buy the whole program with textbook, workbook, CDs, DVD and answer key. It is expensive; however it is worth it. As a working professional I just did not want to waste my time on anything second rate.

You can buy it here at Amazon for a decent price. However, go to the publisher's website (Pearson / Prentice Hall) to find out exactly what you need to have the complete package. It is a complete learning system and you should buy all the components. I can now read, write and speak at a professional level; due largely to this program. Boa sorte!

By the time you have bought the course and the activities manual you have spent well over $100.00! The idea of incorporating both Peninsular and Brazilian Portuguese is far from being new. Manuela Cook's TY courses have taken this approach since the 1990s. I bought an earlier edition as a student and now use the current edition of Cook's Teach Yourself Portuguese with my own students. It's excellent and costs less than $30.00 for both Peninsular and Brazilian Portuguese.

I live in Rio de Janeiro and I bought this book before moving here. It's a really great introduction to the language, with clear explanations and distinctions between Portuguese from Portugal and from Brazil when necessary. Compared to the selection of books here in Brazil, it's a no-brainer. I haven't used any other book from the U.S., though.

Since coming to Brazil, it's been a nice little reference and I'm glad I bought it. Of course, you need to speak speak speak to learn and improve, and I would recommend downloading The Brazilian Portuguese Podcast, too. To anyone reading this, boa sorte!

To the authors, thank you for putting together a wonderful book. You should be proud of your work.

Lots of activities, access to audio exercises... overall a good book, I learned lots from it.

First of all, this is a thoughtfully-designed textbook that feels current and modern, having been published only in 2007. The pages are the most colorful and lively of any text I've seen, and each chapter is filled with a huge variety of exercises, readings, and cultural notes. I particularly enjoyed the numerous readings on Portuguese-speaking countries and cities, and I appreciate that the authors have made a big effort to include lusophone Africa and Asia into the cultural mix, in addition to the many regions of Brazil and Portugal. The cultural focus is on the entire Portuguese-speaking world, and it makes for a very worldly introduction to Portuguese, though when it comes to the language itself, only two variants are differentiated: Brazilian and European. Where differences exist, the two dialects are presented side by side. There is no specific discussion of the African portuguese dialects besides what is contained in the cultural notes.

The grammar explanations are in English and are among the most thorough and contemporary explanations I have found in any Portuguese text (with the exception of John Whitlam's Modern Portuguese Grammar, in a class by itself), with plenty of useful examples that highlight the differences between Brazilian and European/African usage.

As an independent learner not using this book as part of a class, there are some difficulties I've found in using Ponto de Encontro. The exercises are varied but weighted heavily toward interaction in groups, which is not much use if you're studying alone. I have been making better use of the accompanying student activities manual, which includes more written exercises. The publisher's website also includes a good number of audio listening exercises. But for self-study exercises, I think a book like Falar, Ler, Escrever is more useful. And as with any text designed for classroom use, the grammar is sprinkled throughout the thematic chapters, so it can be difficult to use the text as a reference or work through it at a more accelerated pace.

One problem - one that plagues most textbooks, it seems - is that there is little discussion of "usage". The differences between formal written and informal spoken Portuguese are vast, and they are multiplied by the vaster regional differences among the lusophone countries. Many times the student will encounter two or three ways of saying the same thing, and the book does a reasonable job of differentiating the European/African variants from the Brazilian variants. But it's still disappointing to see "há" presented as the primary way of saying "there is/are", when the vast majority of Brazilians would say "tem". I think usage can only be absorbed by interacting with a native speakers, so it's probably up to a teacher or tutor to impart these more sophisticated aspects of the vernacular, and I don't fault the book too much for this, especially given its worldly focus.

If you're "shopping" for this book, it's probably because it's the textbook for a class you're taking. So, buy it. Why are you reading this review? You don't have any choice! It's a fine textbook, you'll like it just fine. But you'll care much more about whether you like your teacher or not.

If you're looking for a book to learn Portuguese but you aren't taking a class for which this is the textbook, then there are almost certainly cheaper options for you. Textbooks are a racket, right? Why pay that much when there are other options out there? Maybe because it's better...? I don't know, maybe it is, I haven't compared very closely, but I'd almost certainly try, because I bet there are countless options at half the price. Plus, it's difficult (though not impossible) for me to imagine using this book to learn Portuguese without a class to go with it. Your mileage may vary.

Just one more comment about the content of the book: this is a book for native English speakers to learn Portuguese. If you don't speak English comfortably, you should seek some other book, unless you're taking a class and don't have any choice.

I am an instructor of Spanish and Portuguese and this book is nothing short of amazing for use in a college classroom. I have taught with a lot of other books, from both the U.S. and Brazil, and this one is the most comprehensive and contemporary. For years books for other languages outpaced the texts for learning Portuguese. Finally there is an option for the Portuguese language classroom that includes audio-visual, computer aided instruction, and lessons grounded in a communicative approach. Having both European and Brazilian portuguese in the books is very helpful for my students. I am teaching Brazilian Portuguese, but I have some students of Portuguese and Azorean descent who want to be able to understand their relatives and friends. They have the option of learning the European variant on their own and there are ample examples on the online audio part and also on the DVD/VHS for them to hear it. As far as individual learning or private teaching, I don't think this book is the best option because of its cost and also that it is geared towards a university course.