Includes indexes.

"Welcome to National Geographic Learning's new Reading and Vocabulary Focus series. The series delivers memorable reading experiences, develops essential reading skills, and showcases a wide variety of high-utility vocabulary. The passages take readers to exciting new places where they can apply the skills of successful academic readers. While engaged with the content, readers encounter target vocabulary that is ample, diverse, and presented with a fresh, pragmatic view of what the term vocabulary item truly means.

A comprehensive, three-part vocabulary development program builds student confidence as learners encounter new or unfamiliar words in academic texts:
Academic Vocabulary sections develop the language that students will encounter in academic readings.
Multiword Vocabulary sections identify words that are commonly grouped together and then prompt learners to work with them in different contexts to develop reading fluency.
Topic Vocabulary is presented as a reading preview strategy to enhance learner comprehension of the text.
After each reading, learners are taught an essential reading skill and then apply that skill meaningfully to the reading.
Connect the Readings at the end of each unit practice critical thinking skills as learners are guided to compare, contrast, and synthesize information from the two readings." (Book Cover)

CONTENTS:

Inside a unit

Series introduction

U1: TRAVEL Reading 1: Forty Days and Forty Buses
READING SKILL: Understanding time order
Reading 2: Perfect Place, Perfect Job
READING SKILL: Finding the main idea of a paragraph
Unit Review

U2: FIRE AND WATER
Reading 1: Nature's Fires
READING SKILL: Identifying main ideas and supporting details
Reading 2: A Wall of Water
READING SKILL: Identifying causes and effect
Unit Review

U3: THE POWER OF IDEAS
Reading 1: A Bright Idea
READING SKILL: Identifying supporting details
Reading 2: Clean Travel
READING SKILL: Understanding pronouns
Unit Review

U4: FOOD
Reading 1: Eat Less Meat
READING SKILL: Understanding graphs
Reading 2: An Unusual Garden
READING SKILL: Finding definitions
Unit Review

U5: NATURAL HISTORY
Reading 1: Nature's Clues
READING SKILL: Scanning for specific information
Reading 2: The Answer Is In The Trees
READING SKILL: Organizing information in outlines
Unit Review

Chapter 6: RECYCLING
Reading 1: From Useless to Useful
READING SKILL: Understanding Gerund Subjects
Reading 2: Living in a Box
READING SKILL: Finding Reasons
Unit Review

Chapter 7: WILDLIFE RESCUE
Reading 1: Saving Baby Elephants
READING SKILL: Improving Reading Speed
Reading 2: Koalas in Parking Lots
READING SKILL: Identifying Reporting Verbs
Unit Review

U8: VOLCANIC ISLANDS
Reading 1: Tall, Young, and Active
READING SKILL: Understanding and Learning Technical Terms
Reading 2: An Uncertain Future
READING SKILL: Understanding Process
Unit Review

Chapter 9: MEMORY
Reading 1: An Amazing Memory
READING SKILL: Connecting Experiences to a Reading
Reading 2: Mental Athletes
READING SKILL: Identifying Contrast
Unit Review

Vocabulary Index

Credits

For high-beginner to intermediate ESL learners.