Includes bibliographical references.

"This book is intended for advanced learners who are preparing for academic studies. It is geared toward learners with proficiency levels of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7-9 in reading and writing. The focus of the book is on reading, writing, critical thinking, and vocabulary development.

Each of the 10 chapters is organized around a theme that is current and of high interest. Students approach the readings in a variety of ways, including skimming, examining details, and making predictions. Throughout, students are challenged to connect and compare information from different readings through discussion and by completing guided writing tasks. In addition, students are introduced to academic vocabulary which is reinforced throughout."- Publisher's Website

CONTENTS:

Chapter 1: Our Families, Ourselves

Reading
Learn pre-reading strategies
Review connecting and signal words
Complete comprehension exercises

Critical Analysis
Extend awareness from personal to global
Analyze questions
Compare differing points of view

Vocabulary
Understanding signal or transition words as aids to comprehension
Understand vocabulary

Writing
Review the four sentence types
Review paragraph writing
Practice a summarizing strategy
Summarize quotations
Write a summary
Guide for revision

Chapter 2: Innovators: People Who Make a Difference

Reading
Identify main ideas ans supporting details
Skim for information
Summarize

Critical Analysis
Compare ideas of innovative people
Comprehend the creative process in a person's work
Discuss pros and cons

Vocabulary
Use synonyms in writing
Understand vocabulary in context
Learn vocabulary related to the environment

Writing
Identify and write main ideas
Write a description
Organize ideas: lists, clusters, flow charts
Outline: to understand organization
Plan before and after writing
Write and essay

Chapter 3: Natural Hazards across Canada

Reading
Make marginal notes
Scan for information
Recognize chronological order
Outline steps in a passage that is organized chronologically
Recognize statements that give advice
Understand the degree of possibility expressed in a statement

Critical analysis
Connect information in a reading with prior knowledge
Support your opinion

Vocabulary
Understand how suffixes change word forms
Understand the meaning of prefixes
Understand word meanings in context

Writing
Describe how something works
Write a thesis statement
Revise a draft for clarity

Chapter 4: Conflict Management: Different Roads to Justice

Reading
Skim a text for main ideas
Organize information from multiple texts using a chart
Summarize main ideas
Recognize comparison and contrast

Critical Analysis
Agree or disagree
Support your opinion
Compare approaches
Apply information

Vocabulary
Recognize collocations
Create a visual to help remember word meanings

Writing
Paraphrase
Write an essay that compares
Revise a draft for clarity

Chapter 5: Crossing Cultures: The Challenge of Adjustment

Reading
Recognize cause-and-effect organization
Take notes from readings
Scan the reading
Preview strategies before reading

Critical Analysis
Discuss effects of events in the past
Identify and compare cultural issues
Identify and discuss contributions of Canada's Aboriginal peoples

Vocabulary
Use context clues to understand
Use synonyms
Identify words that signal cause and effect
Learn culture-specific proverbs

Writing
Practise strategies for coherence
Practise cause-and-effect organization
Write summaries
Write an essay
Revise the essay

Chapter 6: Concerning Community

Reading
Identify definitions
Understand the structure of extended definitions
Analyze techniques of support
Compare ideas Skim for information

Critical Analysis
Analyze behavioral patterns
Discuss friendships online
Discuss personal responsibility in community

Vocabulary
Write formal definitions
Learn vocabulary in context
Provide extended definition of abstract words

Writing
Conduct a survey
Summarize
Write extended definitions

Chapter 7: Ethical Issues: What are the Boundaries?

Reading
Understand structure of readings
Understand and evaluate arguments
Take notes from readings
Map the author's argument
Paraphrase
Skim for information prior to reading

Critical analysis
Comprehend moral arguments
Discuss family medical dilemmas
Debate ethical issues related to the readings

Vocabulary
Learn specific vocabulary
Learn vocabulary in context
Learn medicine-related collocations

Writing
Plan an argumentative essay
Outline an argument
Write a summary
Write an argumentative essay
Revision tips for argumentative essay

Chapter 8: Varieties of Intelligence

Reading
Skim and scan a reading
Remember information by association
Underline and annotate readings
Create maps

Critical Analysis
Apply information
Extend information
Agree or disagree with a concept
Assess potential dangers of a concept

Vocabulary
Understand word meanings in context
Use word clues in context to guess meaning

Writing
Write to prepare to read
Write study summaries to remember information
Analyze writing prompts
Answer short-answer examination questions

Chapter 9: Canadian Demographics

Reading
Interpret a graph
Clarify pronoun usage
Interpret cartoons
Identify the main point and supporting points in an article
Recognize a variety of organizational patterns in a text
Identify writing strategies in a formal critique
Highlight and annotate to make key ideas stand out
Analyze the organization of a blog post

Critical Analysis
Compare information from two sources
Agree or disagree with generalizations and support your point of view
Critique the description of a problem
Critique solutions to the problem

Vocabulary
Understand word meanings in context and identify clues to meaning

Writing
Paraphrase
Write a formal summary
Write a critique that clearly communicates a point of view and uses a suitable organizational
Revise a draft for clarity

Chapter 10: Global Citizenship

Reading
Read for specific information
Select relevant information
Use a graphic to organize information in a reading
Take notes from a reading
Annotate a reading

Critical Analysis
Identify similarities and differences in perspectives (i.e., synthesize information)
Identify and explain your own position on a topic

Vocabulary
Understand word meanings in context

Writing
Paraphrase
Use the writings of other to make writing more persuasive
Use lead-ins to give credit to other authors
Document information in APA and MLA
Organize ideas and evidence for a research paper using free writing and outlining

"Creating Meaning is intended to be used by students who are either learning English in a Canadian context or are interested in learning more about Canada."- Publisher's Website