The Big Ideas readers give you the information and language to sound smart in English while improving your reading speed, comprehension, and fluency. The ten stories and articles in this variety pack are written in simple, accessible English, but they explore a range of topics from science & technology to fashion & music to travel & adventure. Whether you are a college student, a business traveler, a language lover, or just curious about what English speakers are talking about, Big Ideas can help.

The Big Ideas readers give you information and language to sound smart in English while improving your reading speed, comprehension, and fluency. The twelve stories and articles in this low intermediate variety pack are written in simple English and explore a range of topics from surprising success stories to extreme weather to other worlds...and more. Whether you are a college student, business traveler, language lover, or just curious about what English speakers are talking about, Big Ideas can feed your knowledge and imagination, improve your English, and help you enter a conversation and have something to say.

Now in its third edition, Teaching and Researching Reading charts the field of reading (first and second language) systematically and coherently for the benefit of language teaching practitioners, students, and researchers. This volume provides background on how reading works and how reading differs for second language learners. The volume includes reading-curriculum principles, evidence-based teaching ideas, and a multi-step iterative process for conducting meaningful action research on reading-related topics. The volume outlines 14 projects for teacher adaptation and use, as well as numerous new and substantially expanded resource materials that can be used for both action research and classroom instruction.

Strengthen student literacy achievement in middle and high schools! In response to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), raising literacy levels in secondary schools has taken on a new urgency. Recognized literacy author, Elaine K. McEwan, focuses her revised second edition on enhancing the "five big ideas" for raising reading achievement with seven cognitive strategies of highly effective readers and more than twenty research-based "teaching for learning" tips to infuse into daily content instruction. Featuring reflection and discussion questions for reinforcement, this indispensable guide demonstrates how to improve students' literacy with these five teacher-friendly strategies:Focus on changing what you can changeTeach the students who can't read how to readTeach every student how to read to learnMotivate all students to read more, to read increasingly more challenging books, and to be accountable for what they readCreate a reading culture in your schoolWith new programs designed for adolescent learners, this update provides suggestions and developmental tools to effectively strengthen reading curriculum and instruction. Reading specialists, special education teachers, literacy coaches, intervention specialists, and central office administrators can also use this essential tool for evaluating middle and high school reading programs and formulating school and district improvement goals.

Tests require a special kind of savvy, a kind of critical thinking and knowledge application that is not always a part of classroom reading experiences. Who better to teach you how to prepare your students for reading tests than someone who has written them? Charles Fuhrken has spent years working with several major testing companies and contributing to the reading assessments of various testing programs. What he' s learned about testing can help teachers who are interested in teaching effective reading strategies as well as preparing students for reading tests. What Every Middle School Teacher Needs to Know About Reading Tests (From Someone Who Has Written Them)' offers extensive, practical strategies to help students perform well on test day. This ready-to-use, easy-to-understand resource provides a wealth of information about reading tests, including high-quality preparation materials, samples of the most frequently assessed reading standards, and engaging core-reading activities. Charles takes the mystery out of reading tests; he explains how students can learn the language of tests and apply their knowledge of reading to standardized tests. In addition to providing information about reading tests that will help students feel prepared and confident on test day,' What Every Middle School Teacher Needs to Know About Reading Tests' provides a wealth of resources that can be incorporated into a teacher' s everyday reading work, including vocabulary development, literary techniques, interpretation, comprehension, and more.