"Building on the success of the previous editions, Northstar, Third Edition continues to engage and motivate students with new and updated contemporary topics delivered through a seamless integration of print and online components.

What is special about the new edition?

Blended approach with MyEnglishLab.
Online activities offer support and expansion, fully blending the student book with MyEnglishLab for extra practice, ongoing assessment, and instant feedback.

New and updated themes and topics.
Presented in a variety of genres - including literature and lectures - and in authentic reading and listening selections, the content challenges and engages students intellectually.

Explicit skills instruction.
The inclusion of 2-3 explicit language skills in every unit allows students to build their language proficiency.

New and revised assessments tied to learning outcomes.
Online assessments allow teachers to track students' progress mastery of material and skills.

A new design with thought provoking images.
A compelling graphic look makes the content and activities come alive." (Book Cover)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Unit 1 EXTREME SPORTS – A Test of Endurance
Listening 1: Ultrarunner: Jay Btachen
Listening 2: Sports Psychology

LISTENING:
Make and confirm predictions
Identify main ideas and details
Recognize signal words that tell what to expect

SPEAKING:
Ask for and express opinions
Support ideas in one listening with examples from another listening
Use appropriate language to agree and disagree
TASK: Interpret, discuss and create aphorisms

INFERENCE: Infer meaning from context in a listening

PRONUNCIATION: Recognize, use, and distinguish between expressions with other (each other, another)

VOCABULARY:
Infer word meaning from context
Describe goals and challenges

GRAMMAR: Recognize and use reflexive and reciprocal pronouns

VIDEO: Danny Parks (BMX Pro)

ASSESSMENTS: Check What You Know, Checkpoints 1 and 2, Unit 1 Achievement Test

Unit 2 FRAUD – Avoiding Identity Theft
Listening 1: Lily's Story
Listening 2: Public Service Announcements

LISTENING:
Make and confirm predictions
Identify main ideas and details
Recognize signal words that tell what to expect

SPEAKING:
Ask for and express opinions
Support ideas in one listening with examples from another listening
Use appropriate language to agree and disagree

TASK: Interpret, discuss and create aphorisms

INFERENCE: Infer meaning from context in a listening

PRONUNCIATION: Recognize, use, and distinguish between expressions with other (each other, another)

VOCABULARY:
Infer word meaning from context
Describe goals and challenges

GRAMMAR: Recognize and use reflexive and reciprocal pronouns

VIDEO: Unhappy Returns (NBC News)

ASSESSMENTS: Check What You Know, Checkpoints 1 and 2, Unit 2 Achievement Test

Unit 3 SPACE – Why Explore Space?
Listening 1: The Space Junk Program
Listening 2: The View from Space

LISTENING:
Make and confirm predictions
Identify main ideas and details
Distinguish between similar sounding numbers
Determine pronoun references

SPEAKING:
Analyze and categorize effects
Support ideas with details and examples
TASK: Discuss opinions about effects of space exploration, offering reasons and examples

INFERENCE: Infer factual information from context

PRONUNCIATION: Distinguish between /d/, /t/, and /ed/ endings

VOCABULARY: Infer word meaning from context

GRAMMAR: Recognize and use present perfect and simple past

VIDEO: Life in Space (ABC News)

ASSESSMENTS: Check What You Know, Checkpoints 1 and 2, Unit 3 Achievement Test

Unit 4 LANGUAGE – Words That Persuade
Listening 1: Corporate Euphemisms
Listening 2: House Hunting

LISTENING:
Make and confirm predictions
Identify main ideas and details
Recognize intensifiers that emphasize ideas

SPEAKING:
Use language strategies to appeal to emotions
Express a point of view

TASK: Create and dramatize a persuasive advertisement

INFERENCE: Infer a speaker's purpose

PRONUNCIATION: Recognize and use intonation and stress for emphasis

VOCABULARY:
Infer word meaning from context
Categorize common words and phrases in advertisements

GRAMMAR: Recognize and use superlative adjectives

VIDEO: Gender and Communication (Video Activity)

ASSESSMENTS: Check What You Know, Checkpoints 1 and 2, Unit 4 Achievement Test

Unit 5 CAREERS – Follow Your Passion
Listening 1: Changing Career Paths
Listening 2: Finding Your Passion

LISTENING:
Make and confirm predictions
Identify main ideas and details
Recognize common reductions in speech

SPEAKING
Ask for and give advice
Use follow-up questions to extend conversation, ask for clarification, or gain information
TASK: Create and dramatize a job interview

INFERENCE Infer meaning from context in a listening

PRONUNCIATION: Distinguish between rising and falling intonation in questions

VOCABULARY: Infer word meaning from context

GRAMMAR: Recognize and use infinitives of purpose

VIDEO: Dream Jobs (ABC News)

ASSESSMENTS: Check What You Know, Checkpoints 1 and 2, Unit 5 Achievement Test

Unit 6 TOURISM – Culture and Commerce
Listening 1: Tourist Attraction or Human Zoo?
Listening 2: Town Hall Meeting in Cape Cod

LISTENING:
Make and confirm predictions
Identify mains ideas and details
Recognize markers that signal an opinion

SPEAKING
Evaluate and debate the effects of tourism
Use expressions to make suggestions and give advice
TASK: Participate in a simulation: Defend and support a proposal

INFERENCE: Infer a speaker's attitude and emotion from word choice

PRONUNCIATION: Distinguish between different pronunciations and spellings for the letter o

VOCABULARY
Infer word meaning from context
Categorize words with similar meanings

GRAMMAR: Recognize and make predictions using will and if clauses

VIDEO: The Benefits of Ecotourism (Video Activity)

ASSESSMENTS: Check What You Know, Checkpoints 1 and 2, Unit 6 Achievement Test

Unit 7 MARRIAGE – Before You Say "I Do"
Listening 1: A Prenuptial Agreement
Listening 2: Reactions to the Prenuptial Agreement

LISTENING:
Make and confirm predictions
Identify main ideas and details
Identify reasons for a speaker's opinion
Recognize markers that signal disagreement and a contrasting opinion

SPEAKING
Evaluate advantages and disadvantages and debate a position
Use transitions when making oral presentations
TASK: Prepare and present an oral report

INFERENCE: Infer certainty from word choice

PRONUNCIATION: Recognize and use contrastive stress for emphasis

VOCABULARY: Infer word meaning from context

GRAMMAR: Recognize and use comparatives and equatives with adjectives and adverbs

VIDEO: Couples Protect Themselves with Postnup (ABC News)

ASSESSMENTS: Check What You Know, Checkpoints 1 and 2, Unit 7 Achievement Test

Unit 8 CLIMATE CHANGE – Reducing Your Carbon Footprint
Listening 1: Living Small
Listening 2: A Call to Action

LISTENING:
Make and confirm predictions
Identify main ideas and details
Interpret statistics in order to label a graph
Recognize repetition of ideas to emphasize key points

SPEAKING
Use expressions to agree and disagree
Use strategies to interrupt politely and hold the floor
Use strategies to lead a discussion
TASK: Participate in an academic seminar

INFERENCE: Infer contrast based on context

PRONUNCIATION: Identify whether a speaker is pausing or concluding based on intonation

VOCABULARY
Infer word meaning from context
Recognize and use word forms (nouns, verbs, adjectives)

GRAMMAR: Recognize and use modals of necessity in the present and future

VIDEO: Living the Real Simple Life (ABC News)

ASSESSMENTS: Check What You Know, Checkpoints 1 and 2, Unit 8 Achievement Test

Students Activities

Unit word List

Grammar Book References

Audioscript

The Phonetic Alphabet

Level: Intermediate