Contents and Links to blog posts

Reading Power 2

introduction to the textbook

Part 1

Extensive Reading

What is extensive reading?

What are the benefits of reading?

Why do we read? What are the levels of reading?

Unit 1 - New words in your Reading

Unit 2 - Fiction and Nonfiction

Unit 3 - Books  - books on Google Books

Part 2

Vocabulary Building 

Unit 1- Guidelines for learning vocabulary - Parts of Speech - Sounds &Letters

Unit 2 - Learning New words from the reading

Unit 3 - Guessing Meaning from Context 

Unit 4- Word Parts   word parts I - word family

Unit 5 - How words are used together  - Phrases - Collocations

Unit 6- How words Work in  Sentences - Parts of a sentence

Part 3

Comprehension

Unit 1 - Previewing

Unit 2 - Scanning

Unit 3 - Making Inference 

Unit 4 - Focusing on the topic

Unit 5 - Understanding the Paragraph

Unit 6 - Identifying The Patterns

Unit 7 - Thinking in English

Part 4 

Reading Faster

Passages from The Textbook

Listen and read

Textbook Exercises:

Links on the blog

- Part 2 Unit 1 pages 37 and 39 and 40
- Part 2 Unit 3 pages 55 to 60 Exercises 4-5-6-7-8

- Part 2 Unit 4 - pages 62 -69

- Part 2 Unit  2 pages 91 -92

- Part 3 Unit 2 Exercise 15 page 134

- Part 3 Unit 3 Exercise 10 page 116

- Part 2 pages 149 and 161 and 183

- Vocabulary Building pages 149 and 161 and 183
- Part 3 unit 6 - Exercise 12 page 204

- Homework Philosophy 

Passages in the textbook

1- Reducing stress - page 45
2- Pets for better health - page 46
3- The common cold - page 47
4- Flight Risks - page 48
5- Europeans stand tall - page 48-49
6- The Boston marathon - page 83
7- The Past Under Ice - page 86
8- The Hebrides Islands - page 96
9- Health tips for travelers - page 97
10- A One-women show in New Work - page 108
11 - Accident at the Brookfield zoo - page 109
12 - Children can't stop talking - page 110
13- The black Death  - page 13

Links and Contents

The Hebrides Island - page 96

Links and Contents

Some of the textbook Exercises:

Textbook Exercises:

Links on the blog

- Part 2 Unit 1 pages 37 and 39 

- Part 2 Unit 4 - pages 62 -69

- Part 2 Unit  2 pages 91 -92
- part 2 Unit  2 pages 56-57

- Part 3 Unit 2 Exercise 15 page 134

- Part 3 Unit 3 exercise 10 page 116

- Part 2 pages 149 and 161 and 183

- Vocabulary Building pages 149 and 161 and 183

Part 4: Reading Faster

Why read faster?

• You can read more in less time
• you can understand better
• You will improve your general knowledge of English

How to read faster?

1- Check your reading Habits

2- skip or guess unknown words

3- Practice reading faster by timing yourself

Guidelines for reading Faster

Follow these for timed readings:

1- Use a timer before you start.

2- Preview each passage before reading it

3- Read the passage and then write down the exact time you finish.

4- Answer the questions without looking back at the passage. Then check your answers

5- Read the passage again. Look for the answers to the questions, especially the ones you answered incorrectly.

6- Find your reading time and your reading rate.

7- Write your reading rate and your comprehension score and the number of correct answer in the progress charts.

8- After reading 4 or 5 passages, check your progress. 

Content and Links

Part 3 : Unit 7 Thinking in English - pages 205 - 219

Introduction

When you read in English , you are thinking about what will come next? Good readers think when they are reading. 

They are thinking ahead. That is, they are thinking about the ideas, and about what might come next. If they think about what will come next, their eyes move ahead quickly.

 In fact, good readers don't have to focus on each word for long. A quick look is enough. 

Thinking in English while reading  is using the skills and strategies and patterns you learned in English to understand the text. Thinking in English helps you read faster and understand quicker. 

Thinking in English is process that require practice and it does not happen over night. Remember, translating every thing that you read  into your own language first can slow your reading. 

Content and links to this blog

for further reading:

- Learn how to think in English

- Do you think in English?

Part 3: Unit 6 Identifying The Pattern pages 184 -204

التعرف على انماط ( أساليب) الكتابة الشائعة

 What is a Pattern ?

It's a regular way that something is organized or done. 

Many things around us are organized into patterns in some way. In fact, people usually prefer things to be organized. 

 There are patterns in English writing, too. When you are reading in English, you should look for the pattern. It will help you understand and remember the ideas. In this unit you will learn four common patterns in English Writing. 

Common Patterns in Writing

1- The listing Pattern
2- The sequence Pattern
3- The Comparison Pattern
4- The Cause/Effect Pattern

Links and Contents 

Part 3: Unit 5 Understanding Paragraph pages 162- 183

1- What is a Paragraph?

A paragraph is a group of sentences that are all about one thing. 

- Writers often put the topic in the first sentence.
- The topic is usually repeated several times in the paragraph

2- Topics of Paragraphs:

In English, most paragraphs ( and longer passages ) have a topic. The topic of a paragraph tells what the paragraph is about. When you are reading , you should always look for the topic. If you know the topic will understand better. 


Writing the topic of a paragraph:

- The topic should tell what the paragraph is about.
- It shouldn't be too general or specific.

3- Main Ideas in a Paragraph:

The main idea is the writer's idea about  the topic. The main idea gives you a more complete understanding of the topic. When you are reading, you should first find the topic. Then ask yourself, "What does the writer want to say about the topic?"

Writing the main idea of a paragraph:

The first sentence in a paragraph often, but not always, includes the main idea. You may need to use parts of several sentences to write the main idea. 

When you write the main idea of a paragraph , it should:

- tell the writer's idea about the topic
- be general enough  for all the ideas and information in the paragraph
- not refer to idea or information that are not in the paragraph


4- Finding supporting Facts and ideas:

- A paragraph also includes facts and ideas that support ( explain or relates to) the main idea. They help make the write's ideas stronger and clearer. Supporting facts and ideas can be examples of something or parts of an explanation.

Part 3: Unit 4 Focusing on the topic - pages 150-162

What is a topic?

A topic is a word or phrase that tell what something is about.

The topic is important in written English. Writers think about the topic as they are writing, and their ideas follow from that topic. If you want to understand the ideas, you must start by looking for the topic.

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Part 3 Comprehension Skills

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Part 3: Unit 3 Making Inferences pages 135 to 149

الاستدلال والاستنتاج

How Do You Make an Inference ?

An inference is a kind of guess. When you read a passage, you get information from it. Then you can make an inference (guess) about other information and ideas that are not in the passage.

When Do You Make Inference ?

In everyday life, you often make inference.

Readers also make inferences.

• They may need to infer the general meaning of new words. ( See Part 2, Unit 3 )
• They sometimes infer information or ideas that aren't in the passage. Writers do not or can not always tell everything to the reader. There may be gaps (holes) in the reader's knowledge about something. The reader may need to try to fill in these gabs by making inference. 

Links:

-  making inferences 
- making inferences a comprehension skill

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Part Three : Unit 2 Scanning page 117 - 134

What is scanning?

scanning is a very fast kind of reading.

When do we scan?

You scan when you want to find information quickly. For example, you scan a telephone book, a menu, a dictionary, or a web article.

How do we scan?

 You scan when you move your eyes very quickly over the page. You don't read all the words. You read only the words that help you find the information. 

scanning practice will help you recognize words faster and move your eyes more quickly across the page. This way you can read faster and with better comprehension.

Content and Links

Word Family - Exercise 10 - page 116

A word family is a group of words with the same root. They all belong to the same family of meaning, but they are different parts of speech.

add these words to your study cards..And check page 67 to 69

Link : word family


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Children Can't Stop Talking - Listen and read - page 110

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Previewing - Part 3 - Unit 1

Whit is previewing?

Previewing is when you look at something quickly before you read it. You preview when you want to get information. 

Previewing is a common skill in daily life. You can preview material. for example:

• newspaper by reading the headlines
• a letter buy looking at the envelope
• a new book by reading the front and back.

Why Preview?

Previewing can help you make decisions. It can help you  decide:

• which articles to read in the newspaper
• whether to open the letter( it might be junk mail you would throw away).
• if the book is interesting, and if you want to read it.

in the same way, previewing can help you with your reading. When you preview a passage, you get some ideas about it. this way, your brain is already thinking about the topic when you start reading. You can understand better and read faster.

Preview can help you with all of your reading. It is particularly helpful at school, for reading assignments for tests. 

How Do You Preview? 

when you preview, you ask yourself questions about the passage.

the questions you ask depends on many things: what you are reading, why you are reading, and what you need to find out.

Some of the common previewing questions:

• What is it?
• Who wrote it and who is it for?
• what is it about?
• How long is it?
• Is it difficult or easy to read?
• Is it  interesting or useful?
• What will come next?

Relative pronouns who that - which (exercises 7 - 8 pages 91- 92)

page 92 exercise 8

page 91 exercise 7

ضمائر الوصل
What is a relative pronoun?

Relative pronouns connect several ideas in one sentence. The pronoun takes the place of a noun or an idea already in the sentence.

Relative Pronouns:

1-who  :   refer to people 
2-which : refer to things and ideas 
3- that :   refer to things

Part 2 - Unit 6 - How Words Work in Sentences? parts of a sentence

Example:

the key parts are:

Subject: Tells who or what the sentence is about
Verb: tells what the subject does

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Pronouns: 
Pronouns are small but important words. They are often important in the meaning of a sentence.

kinds of pronouns:

1- subject pronoun          I      you         he     she    it       we      they
2- object pronoun          me    you         him   her    it       us       them
3- possessive pronoun   my    your        his    her    its     our     their

Demonstrative Pronouns:  ضمائر الاشارة

- singular:    this, that
- plural        these, those

Demonstrative adjectives: 

- singular:  this book
- plural :    these people


Relative Pronouns: ضمائر الوصل

1-who  :   refer to people 
2-which : refer to things and ideas 
3- that :   refer to things

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Synonyms: المترادفات

A synonym is a word that has the same or similar meaning  as another word or phrase.

examples:

little   =  small
enjoy =  like
store  =  shop
teenagers  = young people 
angry   =  mad

Unit 5 How Words Are Used Together pages 70 to 81

What is a phrase?

a phrase is a group of related words, that are used as a single part of speech and that does not contain both a verb and a subject. 

 

What is a phrasal verb?

 

an idiomatic phrase consisting of a verb and another element, typically either an adverb, as in break down, or a preposition, for example see to, or a combination of both, such as look down on.

How Words Are Used Together - Unit 5 page 70 - page 74 to 78

Phrases /collocations

- What is a phrase? عبارة
 
-  A phrase is a group of words that stand together as a single unit

What are collocations ? متلازمات

They are words that are commonly used with a certain word.

Exercise 3 B page 74

Exercise 4 -B page 75

Phrases pages 76 -77 - 78

Links for more reading:

- phrase examples
- The appositive phrase
- 100 Common phrases in English and sentence patterns
- Academic phrasebook
- common business phrases 
- phrases for emails

Links and Contents

PART TWO: Vocabulary building - Unit One

Using study Cards To revise and study words

- Guidelines for learning vocabulary

- Making good use of the dictionary
- study vocabulary often
- choosing a good dictionary
- Pronunciation 
- spelling 
- The parts of speech 
- different meaning 
- How to use the word
- vocabulary notebook
- study cards
- the 1000 list of common words in English

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