Type:
Test Bank and Instructor Manual
Resource:
Bridging The Gap College Reading
Edition:
10th Edition
Author(s):
Brenda D. Smith LeeAnn Moris
develop that skill. Reading selections follow in most chapters, including eight new longer reading selections covering relevant and high-interest topics such as Internet romances and managing college stress. One new feature to the tenth edition is The Reading Workshop. This feature has been added for you to use to help students build their background knowledge while encourag-ing them to read for pleasure. When used along with The Reading Workshop Journal, this feature should also help foster students’ writing skills. As you will no doubt continually stress to your students, the best way to improve read ing skills is to read at every opportunity. At the end of each chapter, the new MyReadingLab feature provides students with more interesting readings and skill development exercises. Another new feature that should prove beneficial to you as you plan your assignments is the addition of grade level equivalents (GLEs) for each of the longer reading selections. The GLEs can be found at the beginning of each selection and also in the table of contents. With the use of this feature, you can select readings that best fit your own students’ needs.
Organization of Chapters Since each chapter is actually a self-contained teaching unit, instructors do not have to cover them in the order presented. However, the first several chapters of the book focus on more generic reading and study skills, as well as the importance of being able to pin-point significant details that lead to the main idea. Chapters 7–9 cover inference, point of view, and critical thinking, respectively. Chapters 10–12 could be covered at any point in the semester: respectively, they cover graphic illustrations, rate flexibility, and test taking.
Organization within Chapters The typical chapter begins with Focus Questions for that chapter. It is suggested that instructors use these questions to provide an overview of each chapter. You could refer students to the first page of the chapter to be covered, where the questions appear. Explain to students that when they have finished studying the chapter, these are the main questions they should be able to answer. Following the Focus Questions, the chapters have an introduction and discussion of a specific skill. This is followed by practice exercises. The longer selections are introduced by a Contemporary Focus feature. Each longer selection is designed to offer students: Practice and reinforcement of specific skills introduced in that chapter Practice on skills introduced in previous chapters An evaluation of literal and inferential comprehension An evaluation of word knowledge from vocabulary in context An opportunity to use new information by responding to an essay question An opportunity to use critical thinking skills to make real-world connections A challenge to research a related topic on the Internet An introduction to concepts in the related academic area
Contemporary Focus These short excerpts are from current magazine or newspaper articles that connect to topics within the longer reading selections. These excerpts are short enough to be read in two or three minutes in class, and then students can discuss responses to the discussion questions in collaborative groups. This can be done before reading the longer selection in order to heighten interest, activate schema, and add current relevance to the textbook material. After reading the longer selection, students reply to a Contemporary Link ques-tion that connects the current issue with the textbook topic. This activity
requires critical thinking and particularly emphasizes the text-to-text and text-to-world connections.
Preview Items Use previewing to stimulate interest, activate schema, help students set a purpose for reading, and for predicting. To encourage involvement, preview questions appear before the readings. Instructors may wish to predict answers to these items with the class as a group when the selection is assigned. The subsequent reading of the selection either confirms or invalidates the predictions.
Word Knowledge The ten vocabulary items at the end of each selection highlight words within the selection that might be new to students. This Instructor’s Manual contains a true-false item for each vocabulary word. Since vocabulary should be studied in context, vocabulary-in-context exercises are also included in this Instructor’s Manual.
Inserted “Think Alouds” Beginning with Chapter 1, you will be stressing to students the necessity of thinking while reading. The major difference between a passive reader and an active reader is that an active reader is purposely focusing on the material as he or she is searching for meaning; a passive reader is just “going through the motions” to be able to say that he or she completed the reading assignment. Strategically placed inferential questions and comments which model thinking are placed in the margins alongside the longer reading selections. Point out to students that these are not inclusive of all thought processes one might have while reading; these are just representative of the many thoughts that might occur while reading. A person’s indi-vidual schema on a particular subject will guide the kinds of thoughts and questions he or she will have while reading. Reading is an individual process.
Comprehension and Vocabulary Questions Each selection is followed by comprehension and vocabulary questions. Answers to these questions appear only in the Annotated Instructor’s Edition so that you can assign the selec-tions for homework. Each comprehension question is labeled as main idea, detail, or infer-ence for the students so that they can analyze and monitor their progress in each area.
Written Response Items Research has shown that reading and writing are complimentary processes: as a person becomes more accomplished in one area, the other area also sees improvement. In order to give students extended practice at answering essay questions, a written response item appears at the end of each selection.
Reader’s Journal Each Reader’s Journal is now on the Web site so students can either print it out or email it back to you. For each chapter, the Reader’s Journal feature offers an opportunity for students to use writing as a mode of learning to communicate with themselves and the outside world: in this instance that is you, their instructor. The goal is for students to take ownership of their own learning and to monitor their own progress. To motivate students toward serious responses and to make this assignment more manageable for you, you might consider a system of ten points for each journal that is thoughtfully completed and submitted so that ten journals at ten points each equal a 100-point grade.