Includes the Independent Student Handbook at the back of the volume, as well as a Ted Talk Summary Worksheet and Presentation Scoring Rubrics.

Includes vocabulary index.

"21st Century Communication: Listening, Speaking, and Critical Thinking develops essential listening, speaking, and presentation skills to help learners succeed with their academic and professional goals. Students learn key academic skills as they engage with thought-provoking TED Talks and 21st century themes and skills, such as global awareness, information literacy, and critical thinking." (p.viii)

SCOPE AND SEQUENCE

Unit 1 BRINGING DREAMS TO LIFE
Theme: Business

LISTENING: Listen Up!!! - A podcast with slide show

LISTENING SKILL: Identify main points and story examples

SPEAKING SKILL: Use a story example

CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS: Predict, interpret, analyze, reflect, synthesize, evaluate

PRONUNCIATION SKILL: Intonation and pauses: continuing and concluding

NOTE-TAKING SKILL: Use abbreviations

TED TALKS: 5 ways to kill your dreams / Bel Pesce

PRESENTATION SKILL: Pause effectively

UNIT ASSIGNMENT: Give an individual presentation on "How NOT to learn a foreign language"

Unit 2 SAY IT YOUR WAY
Theme: Linguistics & Communication

LISTENING: Emoji and Emoticons: [thumbs up] or [thumbs down]? - A podcast with slide show

LISTENING SKILL: Listen for explanations of words and terms

SPEAKING SKILL: Explain words and terms

CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS: Predict, compare, interpret, infer, synthesize, evaluate

PRONUNCIATION SKILL: Compound words

NOTE-TAKING SKILL: Focus on main points

TED TALKS: Go ahead, make up new words / Erin McKean

PRESENTATION SKILL: Encourage audience participation

UNIT ASSIGNMENT: Give a pair presentation to teach new words

Unit 3 TO THE RESCUE!
Theme: Innovation & Engineering

LISTENING: Animal Heroes - A lecture with slide show

LISTENING SKILL: Ask questions while listening

SPEAKING SKILL: Give reasons

CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS: Predict, infer, personalize, analyze, synthesize, apply

PRONUNCIATION SKILL: Syllable stress

NOTE-TAKING SKILL: Include only essential details

TED TALKS: These robots come to the rescue after a disaster / Robin Murphy

PRESENTATION SKILL: Use body language effectively

UNIT ASSIGNMENT: Participate in a group role-play about robot designs

Unit 4 BEYOND LIMITS
Theme: Visual Arts

LISTENING: Different Brains, Different Ways of Learning - An interview

LISTENING SKILL: Recognize repetition of key points

SPEAKING SKILL: Explain a sequence of events

CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS: Predict, reflect, analyze, synthesize, evaluate

PRONUNCIATION SKILL: Pronouncing -ed endings

NOTE-TAKING SKILL: Write key words and phrases

TED TALKS: Embrace the shake / Phil Hansen

PRESENTATION SKILL: Use repetition and rephrasing

UNIT ASSIGNMENT: Give an individual presentation about someone who overcame a limitation or used it in order to become successful in some way

Unit 5 STRESS: FRIEND OR FOE?
Theme: Health & Psychology

LISTENING: How Stress Affects the Body - A lecture with slide show

LISTENING SKILL: Listen for cause and effect

SPEAKING SKILL: Talk about cause and effect

CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS: Predict, apply, interpret, analyze, synthesize, evaluate

PRONUNCIATION SKILL: Thought groups

NOTE-TAKING SKILL: Use symbols

TED TALKS: How to make stress your friend / Kelly McGonigal

PRESENTATION SKILL: Vary your pace

UNIT ASSIGNMENT: Conduct a survey on stress and give a group presentation to report the results

Unit 6 TREASURED PLACES
Theme: Art & Conservation

LISTENING: A Precious Resource - A class discussion

LISTENING SKILL: Recognize linking

SPEAKING SKILL: Ask for and give clarification

CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS: Predict, analyze, interpret, apply, synthesize, evaluate

PRONUNCIATION SKILL: Intonation in questions

NOTE-TAKING SKILL: Rewrite your notes in outline Form

TED TALKS: An underwater art museum, teeming with life / Jason deCaires Taylor

PRESENTATION SKILL: Be an active participant in a discussion

UNIT ASSIGNMENT: Participate in and evaluate a group discussion

Unit 7 LIVE AND LEARN
Theme: Education & Technology

LISTENING: Is the Internet Making Us Bad Readers? - A roundtable discussion

LISTENING SKILL: Recognize a speaker's tone

SPEAKING SKILL: Defend a position

CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS: Predict, evaluate, personalize, analyze and reflect, synthesize

PRONUNCIATION SKILL: Stress key words

NOTE-TAKING SKILL: Use a T-chart to take notes

TED TALKS: Build a school in the cloud / Sugata Mitra

PRESENTATION SKILL: Show enthusiasm for your topic

UNIT ASSIGNMENT: Participate in a panel discussion about Sugata Mitra's "School in the Cloud"

Unit 8 DIY: DO IT YOURSELF Theme: Technology

LISTENING: The Psychology behing DIY - A lecture with slide show

LISTENING SKILL: Understand content-rich material

SPEAKING SKILL: Explain a process

CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS: Predict, interpret, evaluate, compare, synthesize

PRONUNCIATION SKILL: Intonation in lists

NOTE-TAKING SKILL: Record information from lists

TED TALKS: Open-sourced blueprints for civilization / Marcin Jakubowski

PRESENTATION SKILL: Organize information in a logical sequence

UNIT ASSIGNMENT: Present and explain a process