Getting Ahead: Fundamentals of College Reading (with MyReadingLab Student Access Code Card)

Getting Ahead is the first (6th-9th grade) book in a new two-book reading series. This text covers the foundations of basic reading comprehension, including improvement and practice of study, vocabulary, sentence building, and critical thinking skills. Its basic tenet is “Every students starts out with an A.” The intention is to build students' motivation–about themselves, their life situation, and their academic situation–in order to excel (“get ahead”) in both their academic and professional careers. Getting Ahead discusses the basic skills and strategies required for the simple comprehension of a written piece, coupled with an introduction to critical thinking and reading. Greater attention is given to building vocabulary skills and study strategies.

Table of Contents:
I. READING AND VOCABULARY SKILLS. Introduction: First Steps to College Success. Why Should I Be Motivated to Read My Textbooks? What Motivates You? 1. Getting Ahead in College. What Is Motivation? What Is Intelligence and How Can I Increase It? What Is Academic Self Image and How Do I Change Mine If It Is Low? How Can I Improve My Study Habits? How Is Interest Connected with Success? How Can My Career Choice Help Me to Stay Focused? How Does Learning Style Affect Motivation? Teaching Style and Motivation. 2. Reading: Habits and Skills. Managing Time. Reading Skills—Using the PQ4R Method. A Reading in Chemistry: “International Needs for Safe Drinking Water.” A Reading in Interpersonal Communications: “Friends.” A Reading in Sociology: Contemporary American Families. 3. Vocabulary: Development and Practice. Learning Words from Textbooks. Using the Glossary to Cross Check Meaning. Using the Dictionary. The Thesaurus Word Parts. A Reading in Memoir: “An American Childhood.” Commonly Confused Words. Eight Exercises for Vocabulary. 4. Main Idea and Supporting Details. Topics. Main Idea. A Reading in History: “Back to the Kitchen.” A Reading in Chemistry: “DNA Analysis.” A Reading in Psychology: “Birth Order.” 5. Implied Main Ideas. Main Idea Patterns. Major and Minor Details. The Implied Main Idea. A Reading in Social Psychology: “Free Food for Life.” A Reading in Biology: “The Iguana.” A Reading in Autobiography: “Homemade Education.” 6. Text Patterns—Paragraphs. Text Structure. Term, Definition, and Example. Topic and List. Process. Chronological Pattersn. Other Text Patterns. A Reading in Human Communications: “Psychological Time.” A Reading in Physical Science: “The Vertical Structure of the Atmosphere.” A Reading in Sociology: “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.” II. CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS. 7. Inference. Reviewing Implied Main Idea. Making Inferences. Types of Inferences. Types of Reasoning. Drawing Conclusions. Situations that Require Inference. A Reading in Narrative: from The Outsiders. A Reading in American History: “The Cuban Missile Face-off.” A Reading in Interpersonal Communications: “Gender and Listening.” A Reading in Chemistry: “Vitamins.” 8. Purpose and Tone. Author's Purpose. Author's Tone. A Reading in Anthropology: “The Yanomamo.” A Reading in Humanities: “Stop Blaming Kids and TV.” A Reading in Autobiography: “Maybe You Never Cry Again.” 9. Critical Thinking. Logical Reasoning. More complicated cause-effect relationships. Drawing Conclusions. A Reading in Communication: “On Communication Styles in Marriage and Family.” A Reading in Health Sciences: “The Butterfly Effect.” A Reading in Literature: “Opening My Eyes.” A Reading in Mathematics: “How To Become a Good Notetaker.” A Reading in Communications: “The Broadcast Media.” The Night Before. 11. Preparing for Exams. Attend Your Classes. Study! Study! Study! Using the R2D2 System. Key Words and Concepts for Notes. The Night Before. A Reading in Political Science: “Presenting the News.” A Reading in Psychopathology: “The Different Types of Text Anxiety.” A Reading in Interpersonal Communication: “The Excuse.” 12. Reading Speed. What Is Speed Reading? Calculating Your Reading Speed. What Is Reading Rate? Increasing Reading Speed. A Reading in Developmental Psychology: “Health and Fitness.” A Reading in Developmental Psychology: “Exercise.” A Reading in Developmental Psychology: “ More Benefits to Exercise.” APPENDIX: Sentence Structure and Patterns. Parts of Speech. Nouns. Pronouns. Adjectives. Verbs. Adverbs. Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases. Simple Subjects and Predicates. Complete Subjects and Predicates. Sentence Patterns. A Reading in Geography: “Brazil.” A Reading in Chemistry: “Photovoltaics: Plugging in the Sun.” A Reading in Psychology: “What Makes Love Last?”