Reading Explorer 5 Third Edition

[Roshan Fried]

Nowin the third edition, Reading Explorer is a six-level series that prepares learners for academic success with highly visual, motivating National Geographic content that features real people, places, and stories.

At National Geographic Learning, we recently published a third edition of our global series Reading Explorer. As we began the revision process, we asked users of the series: What reading texts are most effective in your class? The results were very interesting.

But even if areading passage is interesting and accessible, there are still a number ofthings we, as instructors, can do to facilitate the process. One of the mostimportant is to teach students some pre-reading strategies.

Most texts will have certain words thatare important for understanding, but which may not be familiar to the student.In this reading, for example, words like creatures,extinct, and skeleton may need tobe previewed before students read.

Reading Skills and Comprehension: The series provides essential tools for effective and critical reading. It emphasizes the development of reading skills and comprehension through various techniques and practices.

Target Vocabulary Practices: It focuses on teaching the most useful words and phrases necessary for academic reading, recognizing the importance of a strong vocabulary in developing reading proficiency.

Engaging National Geographic Videos: These videos are designed to enhance the learning experience, allowing learners to apply their language skills in a more interactive and engaging context.

Authorship: The series is authored by experienced professionals in English language teaching and materials writing, including David Bohlke, Becky Tarver Chase, Nancy Douglas, Helen Huntley, Paul MacIntyre, and Bruce Rogers. Their diverse backgrounds and experiences bring a rich perspective to the content.

New Edition Updates: The third edition includes new and updated topics, improved sections on reading comprehension and skills, expanded vocabulary practice, and new high-definition National Geographic videos. These updates are based on feedback from teachers and users worldwide.

Academic Readiness: The series prepares learners for the academic environment, especially for high-stakes international tests like TOEFL and IELTS, through updated academic readings and critical thinking sections.

English Language Learners at Various Levels: The series caters to learners from elementary/high beginner to advanced levels, making it suitable for a wide range of proficiency levels.

Students Preparing for Academic Success: The content is designed to prepare learners for academic environments, making it ideal for students who aim to pursue studies in English-speaking contexts or need to develop academic English skills.

Learners Preparing for English Proficiency Tests: With sections that mirror the types of questions found in high-stakes tests like TOEFL and IELTS, the series is excellent for students preparing for these exams.

Individuals Interested in World Cultures and Real-World Issues: The use of National Geographic content means that learners who have an interest in global issues, cultures, and real-world stories will find the material engaging and informative.

Adult Learners and Continuing Education Students: The series is well-suited for adult learners who are looking to improve their English reading skills, whether for professional development, personal interest, or further studies.

Language Teachers and Educators: Teachers who require a comprehensive resource for teaching reading skills in an ESL/EFL context will find this series valuable. It offers a range of materials and tools that can be adapted for different classroom settings.

Incorporate Multimedia Resources: Utilize the National Geographic videos and other multimedia elements to create a more dynamic and engaging classroom environment. These resources can serve as conversation starters, comprehension exercises, or cultural exploration tools.

Promote Active Reading: Encourage students to actively engage with the text by making predictions, asking questions, and summarizing information. Teach them to annotate texts and identify main ideas and supporting details.

Vocabulary Building Activities: Use the target vocabulary sections to create vocabulary quizzes, flashcards, and word games. Encourage students to use new words in different contexts.

Critical Thinking Development: Foster critical thinking by asking open-ended questions, promoting debate, and encouraging analysis and evaluation of texts. Use the critical thinking sections in the series as a guide.

Differentiated Instruction: Recognize the diverse levels and learning styles in your classroom. Provide additional support for struggling readers and challenge advanced students with supplementary materials or research projects.

Regular Assessments and Feedback: Conduct regular assessments to monitor progress and provide constructive feedback. Use the online assessment tools provided in the series for consistent and comprehensive evaluation.

Engage with Multimedia Content: Watch the National Geographic videos not just for comprehension but also to gain a broader understanding of the topics. Reflect on how these videos complement the reading material.

N2 - Once again this publication is produced to celebrate and promote good teaching and learning support and to offer encouragement to those imaginative and innovative staff who continue to wish to challenge students to learn to maximum effect. It is hoped that others will pick up some good ideas from the articles contained in this volume. We had changed our editorial approach in drawing together the articles for this 2005/6 edition (our third) of the ABS Good Practice Guide. Firstly we have expanded our contributors beyond ABS academics. This year?s articles have also been written by staff from other areas of the University, a PhD student, a post-doctoral researcher and staff working in learning support. We see this as an acknowledgement that the learning environment involves a range of people in the process of student support. We have also expanded the maximum length of the articles from two to five pages, in order to allow greater reflection on the issues. The themes of the papers cluster around issues relating to diversity (widening participation and internationalisation of the student body), imaginative use of new technology (electronic reading on BlackboardTM ) and reflective practitioners, (reflection on rigour and relevance; on how best to train students in research ethics, relevance in the curriculum and the creativity of the teaching process) Discussion of efforts to train the HE teachers of the future looks forward to the next academic year when the Higher Education Academy?s professional standards will be introduced across the sector. In the last volume we mentioned the launch of the School?s Research Centre in Higher Education Learning and Management (HELM). Since then HELM has stimulated a lot of activity across the School (and University) particularly linking research and teaching. A list of the HELM seminars is listed as an appendix to this publication. Further details can be obtained from Catherine Foster ([email protected]) who coordinates the HELM seminars. HELM has also won its first independent grant from the EU Leonardo programme to look at the effect of business education on employment. In its annual report to the ABS Research Committee HELM listed for 2004 and 2005, 11 refereed journal articles, 4 book chapters, 3 published conference papers, 18 conference papers, one official reports and 72,500 of grant money produced in this research area across the School. I hope that this shows that reflection on learning is live and well in ABS. May I thank the contributors for taking time out of their busy schedules to write the articles and to Julie Green, the Quality Manager, for putting our diverse approaches into a coherent and publishable form.

AB - Once again this publication is produced to celebrate and promote good teaching and learning support and to offer encouragement to those imaginative and innovative staff who continue to wish to challenge students to learn to maximum effect. It is hoped that others will pick up some good ideas from the articles contained in this volume. We had changed our editorial approach in drawing together the articles for this 2005/6 edition (our third) of the ABS Good Practice Guide. Firstly we have expanded our contributors beyond ABS academics. This year?s articles have also been written by staff from other areas of the University, a PhD student, a post-doctoral researcher and staff working in learning support. We see this as an acknowledgement that the learning environment involves a range of people in the process of student support. We have also expanded the maximum length of the articles from two to five pages, in order to allow greater reflection on the issues. The themes of the papers cluster around issues relating to diversity (widening participation and internationalisation of the student body), imaginative use of new technology (electronic reading on BlackboardTM ) and reflective practitioners, (reflection on rigour and relevance; on how best to train students in research ethics, relevance in the curriculum and the creativity of the teaching process) Discussion of efforts to train the HE teachers of the future looks forward to the next academic year when the Higher Education Academy?s professional standards will be introduced across the sector. In the last volume we mentioned the launch of the School?s Research Centre in Higher Education Learning and Management (HELM). Since then HELM has stimulated a lot of activity across the School (and University) particularly linking research and teaching. A list of the HELM seminars is listed as an appendix to this publication. Further details can be obtained from Catherine Foster ([email protected]) who coordinates the HELM seminars. HELM has also won its first independent grant from the EU Leonardo programme to look at the effect of business education on employment. In its annual report to the ABS Research Committee HELM listed for 2004 and 2005, 11 refereed journal articles, 4 book chapters, 3 published conference papers, 18 conference papers, one official reports and 72,500 of grant money produced in this research area across the School. I hope that this shows that reflection on learning is live and well in ABS. May I thank the contributors for taking time out of their busy schedules to write the articles and to Julie Green, the Quality Manager, for putting our diverse approaches into a coherent and publishable form.

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