[eaturcheese]

I've used the Interchange Intro and 1 books successfully with middle school students, and I treat it like a really fun adult lesson. I love playing games with adults, so my lessons tend to be a bit more humorous and silly.

As Interchange lessons go, I think they are well laid out and lend themselves to a smooth transition. You open with an introductory activity, introduce vocabulary, and it leads into a related dialogue. You go over the dialogue, then focus in on a sentence or grammar point. This helps transition into the grammar section. Next lesson, you review what you studied or assigned as homework (writing), point out certain sentences or situations, and move the group into a roleplay.

As for myself, I like that there are sections. It gives me a chance to wrap up each activity, clarify things with the students, and then change gears to the next section. Teaching at an elementary school, I find it gives students a sense of progress when I put the parts of the lesson up on the board and erase each one as we go. This helps when your class has a short attention span and loses interest quickly. It also allows me to keep them in line with the promise of a game.

Do whatever works best for your students.