TABLE OF CONTENTS
If an entry is underlined, click on it to see sample pages from that chapter.
Introduction to the Book
1 Looking Inside Yourself
2 Thinking Clearly
3 Reading for Pleasure and Power
4 Managing Your Time
5 Taking Notes in Class
6 Improving Your Memory and Study Power
7 Reading Textbooks and Taking Notes
8 Taking Tests
9 Achieving Basic Goals in Writing
10 Understanding the Writing Process
Final Matters
Essay Writing in a Nutshell
Research in a Nutshell
A Brief Note on Fitness
A Skill for Living Well: Kindness
Biographical Notes and Acknowledgments
An Interview with the Author about the Book's Features:
Q: What prompted this book?
John Langan: As mentor to an inner-city student for five years, I became aware of the enormous challenges that teachers and students face in overcrowded, underfunded public schools. And as a former college teacher, I could see that one thing students needed was a lot of reading and writing enrichment. Too many students are graduating from high school with limited reading and writing skills—and it is these skills, as well as motivational skills, that are the keys to success in today's world. Ten Skills is designed to help high school students develop the reading, writing, and motivational skills they need to do well in school and in their careers.
Q: What is unique about Ten Skills?
JL: It’s one of the few books on the market that uses photos and testimonials of actual college students and graduates to reinforce reading, writing, and motivational skills. Feedback we've received on Ten Skills shows that public school students respond very positively to the visual dimension of the book.
Q: Where can the book be used?
JL: Before teaching developmental college courses, I was a middle- and high-school English and reading teacher. I see Ten Skills being used in both English and reading classrooms in any grade from 7 through 12.
Q: Why is the book so inexpensive?
JL: Ten Skills is a 200-page book that sells for $2. Doing a non-profit book is Townsend Press' chance to support teachers in their uphill battle to educate students despite difficult conditions.
Q: Are there any additional teaching supplements for Ten Skills?
JL: A combined Instructor's Guide and Answer Key is available to teachers who use the book. In addition to providing answers to the book's activities, this guide provides suggested methods for using the book in the classroom.