Laurie Frazier – författare

Who are some of the key figures in the history of abstract art? Can video games be good for children? What are some ethical approaches to decision-making?

You’ll find the answers to these and other questions in Contemporary Topics 1, which features college lectures from several academic disciplines, including art history, media studies, and psychology. Contemporary Topics 1 prepares students for the challenge of college lectures with practice in a wide range of listening, speaking and note-taking skills and strategies. The lectures (available on CD and DVD) were filmed in realistic academic setting before live student audiences.

DVD Features

Realistic college lectures from a range of academic disciplines (also on audio CDs) Student discussions of the lectures (also on audio CDs) Instructors’ Presentation Points Coaching Tips that guide students as they take notes Subtitles for lectures and student discussions

Course Features

Corpus-based vocabulary drawn from the Academic Word List Practical listening and note-taking strategies Note-review practice that allows students to analyze their note-taking skills and consolidate their understanding of the lecture Academic research and speaking tasks: presentation, discussions, and role plays A Teacher’s Pack for busy instructors with: Suggested bonus activities Teaching notes Answer keys Audioscripts Simulated TOEFL® Listening Test for each unit

See also:

Contemporary Topics Introductory (High Beginner)

Contemporary Topics 2 (High Intermediate)

Contemporary Topics 3 (Advanced)

Northstar, now in its third edition, motivates students to succeed in their academic as well as personal language goals. For each of the five levels, the two strands — Reading and Writing and Listening and Speaking — provide a fully integrated approach for students and teachers.

What is Special about the Third Edition?

New Themes and Updated Content — presented in a variety of genres and in authentic materials — challenge and engage students intellectually. Enhanced Focus on Academic Skills, more purposeful integration of critical thinking, and an enhanced focus on academic skills such as inferencing, synthesizing, notetaking, and test taking help students develop strategies for success in the classroom and on standardized tests. A structured approach gives students opportunities for more extended and creative oral practice, for example, presentations, simulations, debates, speeches, public service announcements and more. A New Design with full color pages, more photos, illustrations, and graphic organizers fosters student engagement and makes the content come alive.

MyNorthStarLab

NorthStar is now available with MyNorthStarLab — an easy-to-use, powerful online program for students and teachers that saves time and improves test scores.

Students receive personalized instruction and practice in all four skills. Audio, video, and test preparation are all in one place — available anywhere, anytime. Teachers can take advantage of many resources including online assessments, a flexible gradebook, and tools for monitoring student progress. Unlimited access to reading and audio selections, DVD segments, as well as original activities that support and extend the Northstar program.

Teacher’s Manual

A unit-by-unit guide including overviews, suggested times, step-by-step teaching suggestions, expansion and homework activities, and links to the companion strand and to MyNorthStarLab Detailed multi-level strategies and activities so instructors can reach students at different proficiency levels The Student Book Answer Key and unit word lists for easy reference Reproducible Unit Achievement Tests to save time and allow teachers to evaluate students’ progress

Note: This is the standalone book

Northstar, now in a new edition, motivates students to succeed in their academic as well as personal language goals. For each of the five levels, the two strands – Reading and Writing and Listening and Speaking – provide a fully integrated approach for students and teachers.

What is Special about the New Edition?

New Themes and Updated Content – presented in a variety of genres and in authentic materials – challenge and engage students intellectually. Enhanced Focus on Academic Skills, more purposeful integration of critical thinking, and an enhanced focus on academic skills such as inferencing, synthesizing, notetaking, and test taking help students develop strategies for success in the classroom and on standardized tests. A structured approach gives students opportunities for more extended and creative oral practice, for example, presentations, simulations, debates, speeches, public service announcements and more. A New Design with full color pages, more photos, illustrations, and graphic organizers fosters student engagement and makes the content come alive.

MyNorthStarLab, the easy-to-use online companion of the NorthStar series, saves time and improves student results.

Saves Time

With automatically graded exercises for every unit of each book, instructors no longer have to create or grade homework. This gives them more time to prepare classroom lessons. Instructors can choose exercises and set due dates with just a few clicks. Homework for an entire semester can be set up in less than an hour.

Improves Results

Students have more opportunities to practice English in more ways – from video exercises and audio discussion boards to vocabulary games and academic practice. These new exercises help students learn more English, more quickly. Immediate feedback on their performance allows students to come to class better prepared. If students do not pass a section of a unit test, they automatically receive new exercises targeting areas that need improvement.

The MyNorthStarLab Access Code card is also available on its own, without the Student Book.

Through the use of realistic and engaging lectures, Lecture Ready Second Edition prepares students for the demands and atmosphere of the higher-education classroom. Note-taking strategies focus on accurate and concise recording of class material. Academic discussion strategies help students participate fully and smoothly in classroom discussions. Students are more competent and confident when they learn how to present using proven strategies for academic success. These strategies help students meet their presentation challenges in and beyond the language classroom.

Unlock Combined Skills Level 5 provides 60-90 hours of classroom material. Critical Thinking sections give students frameworks to formulate their own opinions and express themselves effectively in the end-of-unit academic tasks. Unique research into common learner errors (using the Cambridge English Corpus) focuses the language used in Unlock on those areas learners find most challenging.