Course Match

The Main Idea: Reading to Learn, 4/e

BASIC APPROACH

(Note: This textbook was published by our college division for use by students at post-secondary institutions whose reading skills are below the level needed to succeed in college. Please review this text carefully to ensure appropriateness of content for your students.)

The Fourth Edition of this successful, user-friendly reading text has been revised to help students learn strategic behaviors that empower them to succeed in all their courses.

The Main Idea, Fourth Edition, written at the 6th- to 9th-grade-level, emphasizes reading to learn. Students develop an increasingly complex understanding of the reading process through incremental strategies and "game plans." Instructive and interesting reading selections vary in topic and length within each chapter. A casebook of longer readings based on the theme of inter-generational relationships integrates chapter concepts with real-world material. In addition, a wealth of pedagogical features, such as discipline-specific vocabulary instruction, individual and collaborative activities, critical thinking and reading strategies, and a complete chapter on reading college textbooks, help the developmental reader learn the skills necessary to succeed in college.

FEATURES

• "Game Plans" in each chapter help structure students' activities before, during, and after reading, allowing them to become actively involved in the reading process.
• Readings within each chapter are of varied lengths, so that instructors can begin with short selections in order to build students' self-confidence, and then move to longer, selections.
• Instruction on developing new discipline-specific vocabulary is included for courses such as Mathematics, Psychology, and History, familiarizing students with the language used in classes they will take.
• Many group activities provide opportunities for discussion and collaborative learning.
• A chapter dedicated to reading college textbooks familiarizes students with the special features of texts and discusses strategies for textbook reading, while developing student confidence in higher ability to learn from texts.
• "Written Patterns of Organization" throughout enables students to visualize how writers organize information.
• "Study Patterns of Organization" throughout assist students in streamlining the organization of information for study purposes.

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