Efficient and Flexible Reading, Books a la Carte Plus MyReadingLab

Efficient and Flexible Reading teaches students how to vary their approach to written texts based on the material and their purpose for reading.   In addition to instruction in literal and critical comprehension skills, vocabulary, and study skills, Efficient and Flexible Reading teaches students how to identify text structures and thought patterns for more efficient learning. Emphasizing reading as an active thinking process, the text presents systems for monitoring concentration, comprehension, and recall, encouraging students to assess the reading assignment and to select the appropriate strategy to suit the situation. The Seventh Edition expands coverage of the most crucial skills in both basic reading comprehension and higher-level critical reading: main ideas, patterns of organization, transitions, and critical analysis.   This affordable Books à la Carte Plus Edition features the exact same content from our traditional textbook in a convenient, notebook-ready loose-leaf format – allowing students to take only what they need to class. As a bonus, the Books à la Carte Plus Edition is accompanied by a full-color, laminated Study Card that’s a perfect tool to help students prepare for exams, plus an access code to the MyLab for this course.

Table of Contents:
*Denotes a selection is new to this edition. Most chapters conclude with “Summary.” Reading Is for Everyone. I. DEVELOPING A BASIS FOR READING AND LEARNING. 1. Developing Your Efficiency and Flexibility. Analyzing Your Reading Efficiency. Analyzing Your Learning Style. Developing Reading Flexibility. Principles of Efficiency and Flexibility. Evaluating Your Rate and Flexibility. Critical Thinking Tip #1: Developing Critical Thinking Skills. Reading Selection 1. “How to Brag About Yourself to Win and Hold a New Job.” Reading Selection 2. *“Talking a Stranger Through the Night." 2. Active Reading and Learning. Reading and Thinking Actively. Improving Your Concentration. Monitoring Your Comprehension. Prereading and Predicting. Developing Guide Questions. Critical Thinking Tip #2: Developing a Questioning Mind-Set. Reading Selection 3. *“Profile of a Terrorist." Reading Selection 4. “Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space.” 3. Strengthening Your Word Power. Expanding Your Vocabulary. Using Contextual Aids. Analyzing Word Parts. A System for Learning Unfamiliar Words. Using Vocabulary Reference Sources. Critical Thinking Tip #3: Vague Versus Clear Meanings. Reading Selection 5. “Archaeological Sites.” Reading Selection 6. “Why the Sky is Blue, Sunsets Are Red, and Clouds Are White.” Academic Scenario. II. IMPROVING YOUR COMPREHENSION. 4. Main Ideas and Paragraph Structure. Identifying the Topic. Finding the Main Idea. Developing Expectations as You Read. Major and Minor Supporting Details. Types of Supporting Details. Using Transitions. Critical Thinking Tip #4: Recognizing Your Own Bias. Reading Selection 7. “The Appreciation of Humor.” Reading Selection 8. “Privacy on the Web.” 5. Patterns: Relationships Among Ideas. How Recognizing a Pattern Improves Recall. Common Organizational Patterns. Other Useful Patterns of Organization. Using Transitional Words. Critical Thinking Tip #5: Analyzing Cause-Effect Relationships. Reading Selection 9. “Electronic Monitoring: An Alternative to Imprisonment.” Reading Selection 10. “How Students Get Lost in Cyberspace.” 6. Reading Essays and Articles. Reading Essays. Reading Articles. Analyzing Essays and Articles. Critical Thinking Tip #6: Evaluating Research Sources. Reading Selection 11. “Will We Control the Weather?” Reading Selection 12. *“Alternative Drug Testing Update.” Academic Scenario. III. READING AND LEARNING FROM COLLEGE TEXTS. 7. Techniques for Learning Textbook Material. Highlighting Techniques. Annotating and Making Marginal Notations. Paraphrasing. Outlining. Mapping to Show Relationships. Summarizing Information. Critical Thinking Tip #7: Annotating and Critical Thinking. Reading Selection 13. “The Supreme Court in Action.” Reading Selection 14. “Are We Alone in the Universe?” 8. Learning and Retention Strategies. Using the Organization of Textbook Chapters. Applying Effective Recall Strategies. Reading and Learning with the SQ3R System. Reading Scientific/Technical Material. Critical Thinking Tip #8: Using Your Background Knowledge and Experience. Reading Selection 15. “Problem Solving.” Reading Selection 16. “The Value of Pet Owndership.” 9. Graphic and Visual Literacy. Why Graphics Are Used. A Strategy for Reading Graphics. Integrating Text and Graphics. Types of Graphics. Strategies for Learning from Visual and Electronic Media. Critical Thinking Tip #9: Analyzing Statistics. Reading Selection 17. “Homeostasis.” Reading Selection 18. “Pangaea: The Supercontinent and Effects of Its Break Up.” Academic Scenario. IV. READING CRITICALLY. 10. CRITICAL ANALYSIS. Grasping Denotative and Connotative Meanings Making Inferences. Distinguishing Between Fact and Opinion. Recognizing Generalizations. Identifying Tone. Identifying the Author's Purpose. Identifying Bias. Understanding Figurative Language Critical Thinking Tip #10: Slanted Writing. Reading Selection 19. “I am a Japanese American.” Reading Selection 20. “Early Encounters with the Artist Within.” 11. Evaluating Arguments and Persuasive Writing. Evaluating Source and Authority. Reading Arguments. Evaluating Arguments. Errors in Logical Reasoning. Critical Thinking Tip #11: Evaluating Emotional Appeals. Reading Selection 21. “From a Vegetarian: Looking at Hunging from Both Sides Now.” Reading Selection 22. “Out of Time.” 12. READING AND EVALUATING INTERNET SOURCES. Locating Electronic Sources on the Web. Tips for Locating Reliable Web Sites. Evaluating the Content of a Web Site. Evaluating the Accuracy of a Web Site. Evaluating the Timeliness of a Web Site. Evaluating the Purpose of a Web Site. Evaluating the Structure of a Web Site. A Checklist for Evaluating Web Sources. Reading Electronic Text. Developing New Ways of Thinking and Reading. Critical Thinking Tip # 12: Choosing Between Print and Internet Sources. Reading Selection 23. “The Sweet Lure of Chocolate.” Reading Selection 24. “The Sandman is Dead–Long Live the Sleep Deprived Walking Zombie.” Academic Scenario. V. INCREASING YOUR RATE AND FLEXIBILITY. 13. Skimming and Scanning. Skimming. Scanning. Critical Thinking Tip #13: Anticipating Your Reading Assignments. Reading Selection 25. “Barriers to Effective Listening.” Reading Selection 26. “Stress Management: Personally Adjusting to Stress.” 14. Techniques for Reading Faster. Eye-Movement Patterns. Reading in Meaning Clusters. Key Word Reading. Using Transitional Words. Rapid Reading Drills. Pacing Techniques. Rereading for Rate Increase. Critical Thinking Tip #14: Recognizing Judgments. Reading Selection 27. “Flirtation–The Signals of Attraction Deciphered.” Reading Selection 28. “The Functions and Effects of Music.” Academic Scenario. VI. MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS FOR EVEN-NUMBERED READING SELECTIONS. Appendix A: Words-Per-Minute Conversion Chart. Appendix B: Reading Progress Graph. Credits. Index.