Includes appendices.

“LEAP 1: Listening and Speaking is the first level of a four-level task-based coursebook series. Along with extensive online resources, LEAP 1 develops the skills students need to excel in an academic context. With its focus on authentic listening and critical thinking, LEAP 1: Listening and Speaking exposes students to cross-curricular content and concepts from a variety of disciplines. Activities that support vocabulary acquisition, grammar, listening comprehension, and speaking skills prepare students for college and university listening and speaking requirements. LEAP 1: Listening and Speaking is a key stepping stone on every student's path towards academic success." (Book Cover)

CONTENTS

Chapter 1: WHAT WILL YOU LEARN? Subject Areas: education, technology

Listening: Listening to Understand - Learn tips to help your understanding
Listening 1: An Interview about Goals
Listening 2: Enjoy the Journey
Listening 3: How to Learn Anything

Critical Thinking: Asking follow-up questions - Use reduced-form questions

Speaking: Starting, maintaining, and ending a conversation

Pronunciation: Intonation in wh- questions

Grammar: Tag questions

Academic Survival Skills: Identifying personal goals - Plan how to get things done

Assignments:
WARM-UP ASSIGNMENT:
FINAL ASSIGNMENT:

Chapter 2: THE JOY OF INVENTING
Subject Areas: engineering, innovation

Listening: Listening for main points - Identify key words and ideas
Listening 1: High-Flying Dreams
Listening 2: The Useless Machine
Listening 3: Canadian Develops Futuristic Hoverboard

Critical Thinking: Sketching what you hear - Understand things in new ways

Speaking: Using linking words

Pronunciation: Stress in nouns and verbs

Grammar: Adverbs of frequency

Academic Survival Skills: Discussing a new topic - Introduce your topic, explain it, and summarize it

Assignments:
WARM-UP ASSIGNMENT: Explain an invention to a partner
FINAL ASSIGNMENT: Discuss an Invention with a Partner

Chapter 3: THE SHARING ECONOMY
Subject Areas: business, economics

Listening: Listening for specific details - Find information by listening for key words and phrases
Listening 1: Conditions and Benefits of the Modern Sharing Economy
Listening 2: Two Case Studies: Zipcar and Airbnb
Listening 3: AskforTask CEO Interview

Critical Thinking: Questioning assumptions - Try to see potential problems

Speaking: Using talking points

Pronunciation: Dates, times and numbers

Grammar: Count and non-count nouns

Academic Survival Skills: Using mind maps to take notes - Record what you hear and read

Assignments:
WARM-UP ASSIGNMENT: Examine a Sharing Economy Business
FINAL ASSIGNMENT: Present a Sharing Economy Business

Chapter 4: YOUR DREAM JOB
Subject Areas: economics, statistics

Listening: Listening to compare - Listening for adjectives, comparatives, and superlatives
Listening 1: Some Jobs Aren’t Worth the Costs
Listening 2: A Job in Space Debate
Listening 3: Chris Hatfield, Hero Astronaut

Critical Thinking: Recognizing point of view - Listen for clues in the title and main points

Speaking: Disagreeing politely

Speaking: Disagreeing politely

Pronunciation: Emphasis on key words in a sentence

Grammar: Prepositions of time and place

Academic Survival Skills: Working with a partner - Learn tips to work effectively

Assignments:
WARM-UP ASSIGNMENT: Describe Your Dream Job
FINAL ASSIGNMENT: Compare Two Jobs

Chapter 5: WHERE WILL YOU LIVE?
Subject Areas: architecture, sociology

Listening: Listening for opinions - Identify key words to decide whether an opinion is supported by facts
Listening 1: Give Me a Micro House!
Listening 2: It’s Time to Rethink Our Homes
Listening 3: Buildings That Breathe: Doris Sung’s Living Architecture

Critical Thinking: Understanding non-verbal clues - Use body language to enhance understanding

Speaking: Expressing an opinion

Pronunciation: Words ending in the letter -s

Grammar: Conditionals (zero and first)

Academic Survival Skills: Working in a group - Learn tips for working in groups

Assignments:
WARM-UP ASSIGNMENT: Present Your Opinion
FINAL ASSIGNMENT: Discuss Your Opinion

Chapter 6: EARTH, YOUR HOME
Subject Areas: biology, history

Listening: Listening to infer the meaning of words - Use the context to infer meaning of words
Listening 1: What about Water?
Listening 2: Three Ways to Look at the World
Listening 3: The World View of Wade Davis

Critical Thinking: Connecting new ideas to what you know

Make connections to familiar and unfamiliar ideas

Speaking: Giving instructions

Pronunciation: Two ways to pronounce th-

Grammar: Asking questions using modals

Academic Survival Skills: Asking questions in a lecture - Learn tips on when and how to ask questions

Assignments:
WARM-UP ASSIGNMENT: Prepare a Set of Instructions
FINAL ASSIGNMENT: Discuss Instructions

Chapter 7: BE A PERFECT HUMAN
Subject Areas: genetics, medicine

Listening: Listening for details about charts - Learn tips to help understand a chart
Listening 1: Learning from Savants
Listening 2: Human Physical Limits
Listening 3: How to Have a Good Day

Critical Thinking: Predicting to listen effectively - Identify the topic and think of questions as you listen

Speaking: Structuring a presentation

Pronunciation: Words with silent letters

Grammar: Present perfect tense

Academic Survival Skills: Talking with graphic organizers - Learn strategies to use graphic organizers effectively

Assignments:
WARM-UP ASSIGNMENT: Talk about a Habit
FINAL ASSIGNMENT: Discuss a New Habit

Chapter 8: THE SIXTH EXTINCTION
Subject Areas: geography, paleontology

Listening: Listening for sequence - Identify key words and phrases
Listening 1: The Roads to Extinction
Listening 2: Dinosaurs Around Us
Listening 3: The Sixth Extinction

Critical Thinking: Paraphrasing to understand - Learn strategies for paraphrasing in a conversation

Speaking: Making and responding to suggestions

Pronunciation: The –ed ending

Grammar: Simple past and present perfect tenses

Academic Survival Skills: Taking part in a panel discussion - Learn how to conduct a panel discussion

Assignments:
WARM-UP ASSIGNMENT: Discuss an Extinction Event
FINAL ASSIGNMENT: Share Ideas in a Panel Discussion

APPENDIX 1: Pronunciation Guide

APPENDIX 2: Vocabulary

APPENDIX 3: Strategies for Improving Listening and Speaking Skills

APPENDIX 4: Conversation Gambits

Photo and Video Credits

For high-beginner to intermediate English as second language students (A2-B1 - CEFR).