Building Understanding: A Thematic Approach to Reading Comprehension

by Baker-Gonzalez, Joan; Blau, Eileen K.

• ISBN13: 9780201825282
• ISBN10: 0201825287
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1995-01-01
• Publisher: Pearson College Div

Summary

Especially written for intermediate to high-intermediate students, Building on Basics and Building Understanding feature authentic, thematically organized readings from nonfiction, academic, and literary sources. The high-interest topics and thematically linked readings effectively build students' background knowledge and vocabulary for later readings. With their increased knowledge of a topic, students will have more to talk, think, and write about as they acquire English.

Pre-reading activities, varied comprehension exercises, and text analyses develop students' academic skills and encourage oral and written skills.

Building Understanding features:
-- A wide variety of reading genres including nonfiction, personal essay, literature, and poetry to broaden students' reading experiences
-- Interactive pre-reading and post-reading activities to utilize students' background knowledge and develop critical thinking skills
-- Writing and discussion activities that move students from the text to broader, related issues

Table of Contents

Preface	viii
Teacher's Introduction	viii
Student's Introduction	xi
Comprehension Check	xv
Sharing Your Thoughts	xv
Vocabulary	xvi
Recognizing Definitions
Text Analysis	xvi
Text Organization: Numbering Clues
Writing Task	xvii
Writing a Paragraph
UNIT 1: FRIENDSHIP	1	(28)
The Fabric of Friendship	2	(5)
Keith Davis
Comprehension Check	3	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	4	(1)
Vocabulary	4	(2)
Content Vocabulary Idioms and Phrasal Verbs
Text Analysis	6	(1)
Writing Conventions: Quotation Marks
Writing Task	6	(1)
Writing a Definition and Illustrating it
All Kinds of Friends	7	(7)
Judith Viorst
Comprehension Check	10	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	10	(1)
Vocabulary	11	(1)
Content Vocabulary
Word Analysis: Prefixes and Suffixes
Text Analysis	12	(1)
Topic, Purpose, and Main Idea
Text Organization: Lists and Order in Lists
Writing Task	13	(1)
Illustrating a Definition
Giving Proper Credit
The Barber	14	(5)
Robert Fulghum
Comprehension Check	16	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	16	(1)
Vocabulary	16	(2)
Content Vocabulary
Idioms and Phrasal Verbs
Text Analysis	18	(1)
Text Organization: Paragraphs
Writing Task	18	(1)
Writing an Anecdote and Interpreting it
The First Day of School	19	(7)
William Saroyan
Comprehension Check	23	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	23	(1)
Vocabulary	24	(1)
Content Vocabulary
Text Analysis	25	(1)
The Grammar-Meaning
Connection: Pronoun Reference
Point of View
Writing Task	25	(1)
Freewriting
Encounter	26	(3)
Marie-Therese Colimon
Comprehension Check	26	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	27	(1)
Text Analysis	27	(1)
Text Organization: Stanzas
Writing Conventions: Quotation Marks
Writing Task	27	(1)
Writing a Conversation
A Final Look	28	(1)
Discussion
Writing
UNIT 2: PARENTS AND CHILDREN	29	(30)
Mother Was Really Something	30	(9)
Joseph N. Michelotti
Comprehension Check	33	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	33	(1)
Vocabulary	33	(4)
Content Vocabulary
Grammatical Function
Inferring Meaning from Context
Word Analysis: Compound Words
Text Analysis	37	(1)
Text Organization: Introduction, Body, Conclusion
Supporting General Statements
Writing Task	38	(1)
Supporting a General Statement
The Problems of Fathers and Sons	39	(5)
Enrique Hank Lopez
Comprehension Check	41	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	41	(1)
Vocabulary	42	(1)
Content Vocabulary
Inferring Meaning from Context
Text Analysis	43	(1)
Text Organization: Contribution of Paragraphs
Writing Task	43	(1)
Writing from a Character's Point of View
Untitled	44	(6)
Robert Fulghum
Comprehension Check	46	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	47	(1)
Vocabulary	47	(1)
Content Vocabulary
Idioms and Phrasal Verbs
Text Analysis	48	(1)
The Grammar-Meaning Connection: Modifiers
Point of View
Tone
Writing Task	49	(1)
Writing from a Character's Point of View
Love, Your Only Mother	50	(5)
David Michael Kaplan
Comprehension Check	52	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	52	(1)
Vocabulary	53	(1)
Content Vocabulary
Text Analysis	54	(1)
Details in Stories
Writing Task	54	(1)
Writing from a Character's Point of View
Those Winter Sundays	55	(4)
Robert Hayden
Comprehension Check	56	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	56	(1)
Text Analysis	56	(1)
Images
Text Organization: Punctuation in Lines of Poetry
Writing Task	57	(1)
Writing a Letter
Writing a Personal Essay
A Final Look	58	(1)
Discussion
Writing
UNIT 3: COPING WITH STRESS	59	(26)
Plain Talk About Handling Stress	60	(8)
Louis E. Kopolow
Comprehension Check	63	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	63	(1)
Vocabulary	64	(2)
Content Vocabulary
Word Analysis
Grammatical Function
Synonyms and Paraphrases
Text Analysis	66	(1)
Informative Writing
Making Inferences
Writing Task	67	(1)
Giving Advice
Freewriting
Energy Walks	68	(5)
Robert E. Thayer
Comprehension Check	70	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	70	(1)
Vocabulary	70	(1)
Content Vocabulary
Idioms and Phrasal Verbs
Text Analysis	71	(1)
Text Organization: Introduction, Body, Conclusion Pattern
Supporting General Statements
Writing Task	72	(1)
Writing a Summary
Describing an Activity and Evaluating it
The Stress-Resistant Person	73	(5)
Dr. Raymond B. Flannery, Jr.
Comprehension Check	75	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	75	(1)
Vocabulary	76	(1)
Content Vocabulary
Word Analysis
Text Analysis	77	(1)
Supporting General Statements
Writing Task	77	(1)
Describing Personal Experiences
Writing a Summary
The Dinner Party	78	(4)
Mona Gardner
Comprehension Check	79	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	80	(1)
Vocabulary	80	(1)
Content Vocabulary
Text Analysis	81	(1)
Elements of Fiction: Setting, Characters, Plot
Writing Task	81	(1)
Planning and Writing a Narrative
Making Revisions
Washing Dishes	82	(3)
Thich Nhat Hanh
Comprehension Check	83	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	83	(1)
Text Analysis	83	(1)
The Grammar-Meaning Connection: Adverbs
Writing Task	83	(1)
Describing a Process and Evaluating it
A Final Look	84	(1)
Discussion
Writing
UNIT 4: FORMATION OF GENDER ROLES	85	(36)
It Begins at the Beginning	86	(5)
Deborah Tannen
Comprehension Check	87	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	87	(1)
Vocabulary	88	(1)
Content Vocabulary
Vocabulary of Contrast
Text Analysis	89	(1)
Text Organization: Contrast
Writing Task	90	(1)
Brainstorming for Ideas; Contrasting
Hidden Lessons	91	(6)
Claire Safran
Comprehension Check	93	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	93	(1)
Vocabulary	94	(2)
Content Vocabulary
Grammatical Function
Word Analysis
Text Analysis	96	(1)
Supporting General Statements
Writing Task	96	(1)
Supporting a Generalization
Understanding Gender Differences	97	(10)
Wayne Weiten
Comprehension Check	102	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	102	(1)
Vocabulary	103	(2)
Content Vocabulary
Idioms and Phrasal Verbs
Qualifying/Limiting Statements
Text Analysis	105	(1)
Text Organization: Indicating What's Coming Next
Writing Conventions: Citing Sources
Writing Task	106	(1)
Freewriting; Responding to a Reading
X	107	(10)
Lois Gould
Comprehension Check	113	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	114	(1)
Vocabulary	115	(1)
Content Vocabulary
Connotations
Text Analysis	116	(1)
Tone
Writing Task	116	(1)
Responding to a Reading
Black Woman	117	(4)
Ini Statia
Comprehension Check	118	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	119	(1)
Text Analysis	119	(1)
Text Organization: Sections; Repetition
Writing Task	119	(1)
Writing from Another's Point of View
Giving Advice
A Final Look	120	(1)
Discussion
Writing
UNIT 5: CULTURES IN CONTACT	121	(38)
Culture	122	(7)
Conrad Phillip Kottak
Comprehension Check	124	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	124	(1)
Vocabulary	125	(2)
Content Vocabulary
Word Analysis
Grammatical Function
Text Analysis	127	(1)
The Grammar-Meaning Connection: Active and Passive Voice
Text Organization: Main Idea
Writing Task	128	(1)
Giving a Definition with Examples
Responding to a Reading
Touching	129	(8)
Robert E. Axtell
Comprehension Check	133	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	134	(1)
Vocabulary	134	(2)
Content Vocabulary
Grammatical Function
Text Analysis	136	(1)
Supporting General Statements
Writing Task	136	(1)
Writing a Summary
Writing up Observation Notes
Don't Misread My Signals	137	(6)
Judith Ortiz Cofer
Comprehension Check	139	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	139	(1)
Vocabulary	140	(1)
Content Vocabulary
Inferring Meaning from Context
Text Analysis	141	(1)
Figurative Language
Supporting General Statements
Writing Task	142	(1)
Using Similes and Anecdotes
Writing a Conversation
Assembly Line	143	(11)
B. Traven
Comprehension Check	150	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	151	(1)
Vocabulary	152	(1)
Content Vocabulary
Text Analysis	153	(1)
Elements of Fiction: Characters
Writing Task	153	(1)
Contrasting
Writing from Another's Point of View
Yuba City School	154	(5)
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Comprehension Check	156	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	156	(1)
Text Analysis	157	(1)
Figurative Language: Similes and Metaphors
Text Organization: Passage of Time
Writing Task	157	(1)
Writing from a Character's Point of View
Writing a Narrative
A Final Look	158	(1)
Discussion
Writing
UNIT 6: HUMANS AND OTHER ANIMALS	159	(36)
People and Other Animals	160	(6)
Gloria Steinem
Comprehension Check	163	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	164	(1)
Vocabulary	164	(1)
Content Vocabulary
Word Analysis
Text Analysis	165	(1)
Supporting General Statements
Writing Task	165	(1)
Using an Anecdote to Support an Idea
Food for Thought from ``The Humane Farming Association''	166	(7)
Comprehension Check	169	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	169	(1)
Vocabulary	169	(2)
Content Vocabulary
Word Analysis
Text Analysis	171	(1)
Cause and Effect
Persuasion
Writing Task	172	(1)
Writing Formal Letters
Responding to a Reading
A Plea for the Chimps	173	(9)
Jane Goodall
Comprehension Check	178	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	178	(1)
Vocabulary	179	(1)
Content Vocabulary
Word Analysis
Text Analysis	180	(1)
Text Organization: Contribution of Paragraphs
The Grammar-Meaning Connection: Passive Voice
Writing Task	181	(1)
Writing Formal Letters
Writing a Summary
The Pig Who Loved People	182	(7)
Jo Coudert
Comprehension Check	186	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	186	(1)
Vocabulary	186	(1)
Content Vocabulary
Text Analysis	187	(1)
Figurative Language: Similes
Nonfiction Stories: Setting, Characters, and Plot
Writing Task	188	(1)
Writing a Nonfiction Story
Writing a Guided Essay
Snake	189	(6)
D. H. Lawrence
Comprehension Check	192	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	192	(1)
Text Analysis	192	(1)
Stanzas
Figurative Language
Writing Task	193	(1)
Describing and Analyzing Behavior
A Final Look	194	(1)
Discussion
Writing
UNIT 7: HUMANS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT	195	(34)
Ten Major Threats to the Environment	196	(7)
Jeremy Iggers
Comprehension Check	199	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	199	(1)
Vocabulary	200	(2)
Providing Definitions
Content Vocabulary
Text Analysis	202	(1)
Text Organization: Headings
Writing Task	202	(1)
Freewriting to Improve Understanding
The Destruction of the Rain Forests	203	(8)
Les Inglis
Comprehension Check	210	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	211
Vocabulary	208	(1)
Content Vocabulary
Inferring Meaning from Context
Text Analysis	209	(1)
Text Organization: Headings
Persuasion
Writing Task	210	(1)
Describing a Geographical Place
Describing a Process
Using Persuasion
Unmined Riches	211	(7)
Edward Wilson
Comprehension Check	215	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	215	(1)
Vocabulary	216	(1)
Content Vocabulary
Word Analysis
Text Analysis	217	(1)
Figurative Language: Similes and Metaphors
Text Organization: Sections and Headings
Writing Task	217	(1)
Writing a Summary
Using Persuasion
The Way	218	(6)
Forrest Carter
Comprehension Check	222	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	222	(1)
Vocabulary	222	(1)
Content Vocabulary
Text Analysis	223	(1)
Figurative Language: Images, Similes, and Metaphors
Writing Task	223	(1)
Writing a Summary
Writing a Conversation
Prayer for the Great Family	224	(5)
Gary Snyder
Comprehension Check	225	(1)
Sharing Your Thoughts	225	(1)
Text Analysis	226	(1)
Writing Conventions: Capitalization
Stanzas
Repetition
Writing Task	226	(1)
Responding to a Reading
Expressing a Point of View Creatively
A Final Look	227	(2)
Discussion
Writing
Answer Key	229