Page 13 - In Focus (demo)

Unit sections

1 Critical cartoons

This is a short speaking activity centered on a cartoon related to the topic of the unit.
The look and feel of the cartoon is that of a political cartoon that might be found in a
newspaper. Questions help activate schema and develop critical thinking skills.

2 Core vocabulary

Each unit teaches 10 important words from the NGSL. The section begins with a
short reading passage (approximately 200 words) on an aspect of the unit topic that
contextualizes the 10 keywords. A series of learning activities focuses on developing
knowledge of collocations and analyzing and understanding word parts. This gives
students practice using the words introduced in the unit. It also develops vocabulary
learning skills and strategies that will be useful when encountering new words not
introduced in the unit. A speaking activity rounds this section off.

3 Reading skills

Students work with a longer text (approximately 400 words) that gives a different
or expanded point of view on the topic of the unit. This exposure to multiple points
of view is a key aspect of developing skills in critical thinking. This is followed by a
series of carefully structured activities including pre-reading, identifying the topic and

main idea, finding supporting details, and logical reasoning. The section culminates
in a short discussion.

4 Find out more

Since information from various points of view is crucial to thinking critically about
an issue, the pair or group activities in this section encourage gathering further
information related to the topic. This is followed by comparison and discussion of the
information collected.

5 Critical thinking

Through pair, group, and open class work, students are encouraged to develop
critical thinking skills, such as making inferences and ranking and categorizing data.
Students then write a few sentences to express their opinion on the topic. The fi nal
page brings the content of the unit together in a discussion about the topic. Useful
language prompts help students in each unit.

6 Quotable quotes

This final section introduces a quote on the topic of the unit by a famous person.
Several thought-provoking questions on the quote conclude the unit. This section can
be done in class as a short discussion activity or as a writing assignment outside the
class.
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