Author: Elaine Kirn
Suitable for: Secondary Students, Young Adults, Adults
What It Is: The WLE Level 6 Competency Based Reading/Writing Book is a 134-page student text designed to explore "Issues & Answers." As in the corresponding Grammar and Listening/Speaking books, its ten (10) Chapter titles are:
- Families • Health & Fitness • Government & Law • Business & Work • Science & Technology • Consumerism • Education • The Environment • Immigration • Travel & Recreation
Why You Need It: Like many others, advanced learners and native speakers of English are often driven to understand the issues propagated by the media. By forming their own opinions and clarifying their values, they want to find their own place in the world and help improve it for future generations. This text focuses attention on the never-ending controversies of the past, present, and future. It's hoped that it will help people to sort out the often conflicting attitudes of their co-humans--and to address the problems facing people around the globe.
What It Does: The book reminds learners of some major "debatable issues" that have existed for a long time. It attempts to help them sort through the bombardment of facts, propaganda, and attempts to influence that surrounds us all.
An Introduction reviews salient points of "Reading for Meaning" and "Writing to Communicate."
Part One of each chapter first "introduces the issues" through pictures, listed vocabulary, and previewing questions. Its core is a Background Reading of five paragraphs with headings that indicate their sub-topics. These are followed by comprehension exercises, discussion questions, and statements to express opinions, agree, or disagree on.
Part Two is for "Building Vocabulary & Reading Skills." To systematize vocabulary acquisition, exercises make good use of synonyms, opposites, parts of speech, punctuation, compounds, connectors, related words, referencing, adjective clauses, connotation, ellipsis, affixes, approximate vs. exact meaning, and other features of words and phrases in the lexicon. Learners use these tools to better understand the subject matter and to express themselves on these issues.