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

Now in a fourth edition, Contemporary Topics expands on its highly respected approach to developing academic listening and study skills. Organized around realistic college lectures, the text guides learners through carefully sequenced activities in skills such as note-taking, focusing attention, intensive listening, and vocabulary building. It also helps students evaluate their interests and explore possible career paths.

New to This Edition

New subject areas, presented as one-on-one academic lectures, emphasize professional applications such as software engineering, multimedia design, information technology, urban planning, and social psychology. Learning Outcomes listed at the outset of each unit let students know the goals of each unit and what their learning experience will be. New audio interviews with topic experts provide context for the upcoming unit lecture. Bottom-up listening and pronunciation exercises emphasize important principles and improve real-time perception. An oral presentation activity, supported by specific preparation and delivery strategies, concludes each unit and includes the opportunity for peer evaluation. Proficiency assessments composed of short academic audio lectures and multiple-choice exams simulate TOEFL-style test format for practice on high-stakes tests. New Essential Online Resources include audio, video, and teacher materials (assessments, teaching notes, answer keys, audioscripts, presentation points, and more).

Other Highlights

Corpus vocabulary drawn from the Academic Word List ensures that students are exposed to core academic vocabulary. Collaborative activities with presentation strategies and peer evaluations allow students to make connections and develop critical thinking skills. Unit comprehension tests assess students' grasp of key concepts presented in the unit lecture. Mapped to the Global Scale of English.

University Success Reading is designed for English language learners preparing for mainstream academic environments. A flexible three-part approach includes intensive and systematic skill development tied to learning outcomes along with authentic essays written by top professors from Stanford University. The Reading strand provides real-life learning experiences that prepare students to become fluent, automatic, and competent readers who can achieve academic autonomy. Highlights • Each part is a self-contained module allowing teachers to focus on the highest-value skills and content. Topics are aligned around science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) content. — Parts 1 and 2 include challenging readings that allow students to engage with the content as they build essential reading and critical thinking skills. — Part 3 provides a truly authentic experience with an extended essay that enables students to apply and expand the skills acquired in Parts 1 and 2. • Additional online readings, skill and vocabulary practices, collaboration activities, and assessments. • Strategies for academic success and soft skills delivered via online videos. • NEW! You can now create unique custom University Success content packs with Pearson Collections

NorthStar is a five-level, two-strand (Reading & Writing and Listening & Speaking) integrated-skills English course that empowers adult and young adult English language learners to achieve their academic and personal goals. Engaging content, integrated skills, and critical thinking continue to be the touchstones of the series.

NorthStar is rigorous in its approach to critical thinking by systematically engaging students in tasks and activities that prepare them to move into high-level academic courses. The cognitive domains of Bloom’s taxonomy provide the foundation for the critical thinking activities. The Reading & Writing strands are designed to challenge students to move beyond basic comprehension to higher-level analysis.

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.

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.