Synopses & Reviews
Themes for Today is the first in a five-level academic skills program that systematically develops students' reading and vocabulary skills through engaging themes and comprehensive practice. The Reading for Today series teaches essential reading strategies like skimming, scanning, fact-finding, and paraphrasing, and gives students opportunities to talk and write about what they've read. The new edition of this best-selling series helps learners build solid skills for academic success!
About the Author
Lorraine C. Smith has taught ESL for over 30 years. She has also taught TESOL Methods and Research courses at the graduate level. She has presented for 20 years at local, national, and international TESOL conferences. She holds Masters degrees in Linguistics and in TESOL, and earned her doctorate in Curriculum and Teaching at Teachers College Columbia University. In addition to coauthoring the Reading for Today series, she has written other ESL textbooks, journal articles and book chapters. She is currently the Associate Director of the English Language Institute at Queens College of the City University of New York. Nancy Nici Mare received an MA in Applied Linguistics from CUNY Queens College, where she is an instructor at the English Language Institute. In addition to teaching all ESL skills, including reading, writing, speaking and listening, to students ranging from beginners to advanced, she has also served as a master teacher to many students in the practicum class in the MA Applied Linguistics program at QC. Recently, she developed an online advanced ESL writing course, which she subsequently taught to students in Vietnam. She is one of the two authors of the Reading for Today series that includes Themes, Insights, Issues, Concepts and Topics.
Table of Contents
Unit 1 Language and Culture Chapter 1 Learning a Second language Chapter 2 The Best Place to Live Unit 2 Home and Family Chapter 3 The McCaugheys: An Unusual Family Chapter 4 A Musical Family Unit 3 Exercise and Fitness Chapter 5 the Importance of Exercise for Children Chapter 6 The New York City Marathon: a World Race Unit 4 Remarkable Researchers Chapter 7 Maragret Mead: The World Was her Home Chapter 8 Louis Pasteur: A Modern Day Scientist Unit 5 Science and History Chapter 9 The Origin of the Moon Chapter 10 A New Route across the Top of the World Unit 6 Future Technology Today Chapter 11 Saving Lives with Weather Forecasting Chapter 12 Clues and Criminal Investigation Index of Key Words and Phrases Skills Index