KEY FEATURES
1. Clarity. Exceptional clarity has always been a hallmark of John Langan's books—in the step-by-step explanations for each skill, in the logically sequenced materials, and even in the care given to the questions and answer choices in the activities.
2. Friendliness. Countless numbers of teachers have praised the friendly and helpful tone of John Langan's books—a tone that never condescends to students. This book is no exception.
3. Human Appeal. Every reading book on the market claims it has “high-interest” materials. Would that it were so. Too many instructors have had the unhappy experience of taking their students on a death march through practice materials totally lacking in human interest.
The materials in this book will definitely appeal to you and your students. The human content of the paragraphs and longer selections will make the skills come to life. To see an example, click here.
4. Expanded Coverage of Skills. Included among the ten skills in this advanced book are a chapter on “Critical Reading”(which covers fact-opinion, propaganda devices, and logical fallacies) and a chapter on “Active Reading And Study” (which emphasizes the importance of notetaking in the learning process).
5. Visuals. A picture is worth a thousand words—if it's the right picture. Take a close look at the visuals in Ten Steps to Advanced Reading . Rather than acting as window dressing, which is often the case in other books, the cartoons, photos, and other illustrations have been carefully chosen to reinforce ideas in the text.
6. Online Exercises. Our Online Exercise Center hosts activities to accompany each skill chapter in Ten Steps to Advanced Reading. Available at no charge, these exercises feature the same rigor and appeal of the textbook. To see for yourself, click here.
7. Price and Service. This book sells for a net price of $24; college bookstores then typically add 33% for their profit. No competing publisher matches the prices of TP books. Our goal has always been to provide the highest possible quality at the lowest possible price.
If you have ever e-mailed or called us, you know we respond to you right away. And orders, including desk copy requests, are typically shipped out on the same day that we receive them. We pride ourselves on prompt, personal service that no competitor can match.
OTHER IMPORTANT FEATURES
• Focus on the basics. The book is designed to explain, in a clear, step-by-step way, the essential elements of each skill. Many examples are provided to ensure that students understand each point. In general, the focus is on teaching the skills—not just on explaining or testing them.
• Frequent practice and feedback. Because abundant practice and careful feedback are essential to learning, this book includes numerous activities. Students can get immediate feedback on the practice exercises in Part I by turning to the limited answer key at the back of the book. The limited answer key increases the active role that students take in their own learning. They are likely to use the answer key in an honest and positive way if they know they will be tested on the many activities and selections for which answers are not provided. (Answers not in the book can be copied from the Instructor's Edition and passed out at the teacher's discretion.)
• High interest level. Dull and unvaried readings and exercises work against learning. Students need to experience genuine interest and enjoyment in what they read. Teachers as well should be able to take pleasure in the selections, for their own good feeling can carry over favorably into class work. The readings in the book, then, have been chosen not only for the appropriateness of their reading level but also for their compelling content. They should engage teachers and students alike.
• Ease of use. The logical sequence in each chapter—from explanation to example to practice to review test to mastery test—helps make the skills easy to teach. The book's organization into distinct parts also makes for ease of use. Within a single class, for instance, teachers can work on a new skill in Part I, review other skills with one or more mastery tests, and provide variety by having students read one of the selections in Part II. The limited answer key at the back of the text also makes for versatility: the teacher can assign some chapters for self-teaching. Finally, the mastery tests—each on its own tear-out page—and the combined-skills tests make it a simple matter for teachers to test and evaluate student progress.
• Integration of skills. Students do more than learn the skills individually in Part I. They also learn to apply the skills together through the reading selections in Parts I and II as well as the combined-skills tests in Part III. They become effective readers and thinkers through repeated practice in applying a combination of skills.
• Online exercises. As they complete each of the ten chapters, students are invited to go online to work on three additional practice exercises for each skill—exercises that reinforce the skill taught in the chapter.
• Thinking activities. Thinking activities—in the form of outlining, mapping, summarizing, and taking study notes—are a distinctive feature of the book. While educators agree that such organizational abilities are important, these skills are all too seldom taught. From a practical standpoint, it is almost impossible for a teacher to respond in detail to entire collections of class outlines or summaries. This book then, presents activities that truly involve students in outlining, mapping, summarizing, and taking study notes—in other words, that truly make students think —and yet enable a teacher to give immediate feedback. Again, it is through continued practice and feedback on challenging material that a student becomes a more effective reader and thinker.
• Supplementary materials. The helpful supplements listed below are available at no charge to instructors who have adopted the text. Printed suppements can be obtained quickly by calling Townsend Press (1-800-772-6410), by sending a fax to 1-800-225-8894, or by e-mailing Customer Service at cs@townsendpress.com.
1 An Instructor's Edition —chances are that you are holding it in your hand—is identical to the student book except that it also provides hints for teachers (see the inside front cover of the book), answers to all the practices and tests, and comments on most items. No other book on the market has such detailed and helpful annotations.
2 Online exercises provide three additional mastery tests for each of the ten skill chapters in the book. The exercises contain a number of user- and instructor-friendly features: brief explanations of answers, a sound option, frequent mention of the user's first name, a running score, and a record-keeping score file.
• One of a sequence of books. This is the most advanced text in a series that includes four other books. The first book in the series, Groundwork for College Reading, is suited for ESL students and basic adult learners. The second book, Ten Steps to Building College Reading Skills, is often the choice for a first college reading course. The third book, Ten Steps to Improving College Reading Skills, is an intermediate text appropriate for the core developmental reading course offered at most colleges. The fourth book, Ten Steps to Advancing College Reading Skills, is a higher developmental text than the Ten Steps to Improving book. It can be used as the core book for a more advanced class, as a sequel to the intermediate book, or as a second-semester alternative to it. Ten Steps to Advanced Reading can be used as a sequel or alternative to Ten Steps to Advancing College Reading Skills.
A companion set of vocabulary books, listed on the copyright page, has been designed to go with the TP reading series. Recommended to accompany this book is Advancing Vocabulary Skills (300 words and word parts) or Advanced Word Power (300 words). Together, the books and all their supplements form a sequence that should be ideal for any college reading program.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
If an entry is underlined, click on it to see sample pages from that chapter.
Preface: To the Instructor
Introduction
- How to Become a Better Reader and Thinker
- Some Quick Study Tips
- Notes on Vocabulary in Context
- A Reading Challenge
PART I:
Ten Steps to Advanced Reading
Chapter 1: Main Ideas
Reading: Getting a Good Night's Sleep Sora Song
Mastery Tests
Chapter 2: Supporting Details
Reading: Drug-Altered Consciousness Charles G. Morris and Albert A. Maisto
Mastery Tests
Chapter 3: Implied Main Ideas
Reading: “Extra Large,” Please Alice M. Davies
Mastery Tests
Chapter 4: Relationships I
Reading: Skills of Effective Face-to-Face Conversationalists Rudolph F. Verderber and Kathleen S. Verderber
Mastery Tests
Chapter 5: Relationships II
Reading: Hoover and Hard Times Mary Beth Norton and others
Mastery Tests
Chapter 6: Inferences
Reading: The Ugly Truth About Beauty Dave Barry
Mastery Tests
Chapter 7: Purpose and Tone
Reading: White-Collar Crime James M. Henslin
Mastery Tests
Chapter 8: Argument
Reading: A Vote Against Legalizing Drugs Gail Rollins
Mastery Tests
Chapter 9 Critical Reading
Reading: A Scary Time to Raise a Daughter Steve Lopez
Mastery Tests
Chapter 10 Active Reading and Study
Reading: Impression Management Wayne Weiten and Margaret A. Lloyd
Mastery Tests
PART II:
Ten Reading Selections
Introduction to the Readings
1 Personal Conflict Styles Ronald B. Adler, Russell F. Proctor II, and Neil Towne
2 Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Wayne A. Payne, Dale B. Hahn, and Ellen B. Mauer
3 Collective Behavior Michael Hughes and Carolyn J. Kroehler
4 Types of Nonverbal Symbols Michael Drafke
5 Sports: Illustrating the Three Perspectives Alex Thio
6 A Civil War Soldier's Letter to His Wife Sullivan Ballou
7 Single-Sex Schools: An Old Idea Whose Time Has Come Diane Urbina
8 A King's Folly Beth Johnson and John Langan
9 In My Day Russell Baker
10 The Spider and the Wasp Alexander Petrunkevitch
PART III
Combined-Skills Tests
Appendixes
Pronunciation Guide
Limited Answer Key
Writing Assignments
Acknowledgments
Index
Reading Performance Chart