Thinking Beyond the Content Critical Reading for Academic Success

Thinking Beyond the Content: Critical Reading for Academic Success is aimed at more advanced college or college-bound ESL readers. It is a theme-based text with an academic focus designed not only to challenge its readers to read closely for understanding, but also to go beyond the literal content of a text and to engage in critical thinking and investigation. This text can serve as a suitable bridge between many of the ESL reading texts currently available and the texts used in the academic disciplines.

Each unit contains:

·        three related or topically linked readings

·        pre-reading questions or activities designed to activate prior knowledge

·        at least one academic reading/critical-thinking strategy

·        strategy application tasks, which provide the reader an opportunity to learn how to use the strategy within the context of the reading selections

·        a Getting at the Matter section, which consistsof questions, tasks, or activities for enhancing comprehension of the main points of the reading

·        vocabulary from the Academic Word List

·        suggestions for discussion, many of which can be carried out either through writing or conversation

·        suggestions for follow-up tasks and research projects through which students can explore connections between readings or learn more about writers, sources, organizations, or aspects of a topic mentioned in the readings.