Includes an index of Key Words and Phrases as well as a Skills Index.

“Insights for Today, Fifth Edition, is a reading skills text intended for high-beginning English-as-a-second or foreign-language (ESL/EFL) students. The topics in this text are fresh and timely, and the book has a strong global focus.

"Insights for Today, Fifth Edition, provides students with essential practice in the types of reading skills they will need in an academic environment. It requires students not only to read text but also to extract basic information from various kinds of charts, graphs, illustrations, and photos. Beginning-level students are rarely exposed to this type of reading material. In addition, they are given the opportunity to speak and write about their own cultures and compare their experiences with those of students from other countries. The text includes real-life activities that give students tasks to complete outside the classroom. These tasks provide students with opportunities to practice reading, writing, speaking, and listening to English in the real world. Thus, all four skills are incorporated into each chapter." (Preface, xiii)

CONTENTS: Preface
Introduction
Acknowledgments

Scope & Sequence:

UNIT 1 Education in Today’s World

Ch. 1 Readings:
1. Work and College: You Can Do Both!
2. A Different Kind of College Student

Reading Skills:
Previewing a reading
Recalling information
Scanning for information
Skimming for main idea

Reading Skill Focus:
Using headings to create an outline

Vocabulary Skills:
Understanding meaning from context

Word Forms:
Identifying parts of speech: nouns and verbs
Understanding word connections

Critical Thinking Skills:
Creating a list
Identifying reasons
Developing ideas for the future
Preparing a schedule
Comparing schedules

Ch. 2 Readings:
1. A New Way to Apply to College
2. The Right College for You

Reading Skills:
Previewing a reading
Recalling information
Scanning for information

Reading Skill Focus:
Organizing information in a chart

Vocabulary Skills:
Understanding meaning from context

Word Forms:
Recognizing the suffixes –ion and -tion
Understanding content-specific vocabulary

Critical Thinking Skills:
Explaining opinions
Comparing colleges
Developing future plans
Designing a non-traditional college
Creating a video

UNIT 2 Family Life

Ch. 3 Readings:
1. How alike are identical twins?
2. Diary of a Father of Triplets

Reading Skills:
Previewing a reading
Recalling information
Scanning for information
Skimming for main idea

Reading Skill Focus:
Understanding a bar graph

Vocabulary Skills:
Understanding meaning from context

Word Forms:
Recognizing the suffix -ness
Understanding antonyms

Critical Thinking Skills:
Categorizing information
Describing personality traits
Explaining opinions
Assessing advantages and disadvantages
Preparing interview questions
Discussing questions related to the chapter topic

Ch. 4 Readings:
1. A Healthy Diet for You and Your Family
2. Why do I eat when I’m not hungry?

Reading Skills:
Previewing a reading
Using a chart to answer questions
Activating prior knowledge
Scanning for information
Skimming for main idea

Reading Skill Focus:
Creating a flowchart

Vocabulary Skills:
Understanding meaning from context

Word Forms:
Recognizing the suffix –ment
Understanding synonyms

Critical Thinking Skills:
Discussing reasons
Creating and comparing lists
Writing about personal experiences
Planning a healthy diet
Comparing diets
Evaluating a menu
Reporting on a restaurant meal

UNIT 3 Making a Difference

Ch. 5: Tragic Mistakes: When Children Are Switched as Babies
1. Volunteer Vacations
2. Who volunteers?

Reading Skills:
Previewing a reading
Using a diagram to answer questions
Recalling information
Scanning for information

Reading Skill Focus:
Organizing information in a chart

Vocabulary Skills:
Understanding meaning from context

Word Forms:
Recognizing the suffix -tion
Recognizing word connections

Critical Thinking Skills:
Evaluating volunteer organizations
Explaining reasons
Recording experiences
Creating a list
Preparing interview questions
Discussing questions related to the chapter topic

Ch. 6 Readings:
1. Improving Lives with Pet Therapy
2. A New Way to Relieve Student Stress

Reading Skills:
Previewing a reading
Scanning for information
Recalling information

Reading Skill Focus:
Understanding a pie chart

Vocabulary Skills:
Understanding meaning from context

Word Forms:
Recognizing the suffix -ful
Prepositions that follow verbs

Critical Thinking Skills:
Describing pets
Writing about relaxation techniques
Choosing pets for people
Writing about past experiences
Analyzing information
Assessing needs and costs

UNIT 4: Technology Today and Tomorrow

Ch. 7 Readings:
1. Robots: The Face of the Future
2. An Unusual Teacher

Reading Skills:
Previewing a reading
Making a list to answer questions
Predicting content
Skimming for main idea

Reading Skill Focus:
Understanding a pie chart

Vocabulary Skills:
Understanding meaning from context

Word Forms:
Recognizing the suffix -ment
Recognizing connecting words

Critical Thinking Skills:
Predicting outcomes
Considering advantages and disadvantages
Illustrating a fictional robot
Explaining opinions
Designing an advertisement
Creating and comparing lists

Ch. 8 Readings:
1. A blind man sees again!
2. A Bionic Hug

Reading Skills:
Previewing a reading
Scanning for information
Understanding types of questions
Recalling information

Reading Skill Focus:
Understanding a graphic

Vocabulary Skills:
Understanding meaning from context

Word Forms:
Recognizing the suffix -ness
Understanding antonyms

Critical Thinking Skills:
Identifying types of technology
Explaining opinions
Writing about experiences
Researching medical technology
Creating and comparing lists

UNIT 5 International Scientists

Ch. 9 Readings:
1. Alfred Nobel: A Man of Peace
2. Choosing Nobel Prize Winners

Reading Skills:
Previewing a reading
Activating prior knowledge
Scanning for information

Reading Skill Focus:
Creating a chart to summarize a reading

Vocabulary Skills:
Understanding meaning from context

Word Forms:
Recognizing the suffixes –ion and -ation
Recognizing the prefix -un

Critical Thinking Skills:
Preparing instructions
Describing Nobel Prize nominees and winners
Recording an autobiography
Developing a fictional Nobel Prize category
Evaluating Nobel Prize category
Researching past Nobel Prize winners

Ch. 10 Readings:
1. Marie Curie: Nobel Prize Winner
2. Irène Curie: Following in Her Mother’s Footsteps

Reading Skills:
Previewing a reading
Predicting content
Scanning for information
Skimming for main idea

Reading Skill Focus:
Understanding a timeline

Vocabulary Skills:
Understanding meaning from context

Word Forms:
Recognizing the suffixes –ance and –ence
Understanding synonyms

Critical Thinking Skills:
Examining reasons
Preparing an autobiography or biography
Describing experiences
Predicting experiences
Researching a historical figure
Assessing discoveries

UNIT 6 Earth’s Resources and Dangers

Ch. 11 Readings:
1. Oil as an Important World Resource
2. Fresh Water for the World

Reading Skills:
Previewing a reading
Creating a list to answer questions
Recording answers in a flowchart
Scanning for information
Skimming for main idea

Reading Skill Focus:
Understanding a bar graph

Vocabulary Skills:
Understanding meaning from context

Word Forms:
Recognizing the suffix -tion
Understanding synonyms

Critical Thinking Skills:
Considering advantages
Describing scientific processes
Evaluating scientific advances
Inferring potential scenarios
Creating and comparing lists
Evaluating a process
Researching energy types

Ch. 12 Readings:
1. Earthquakes: Powerful and Deadly
2. A Survivor’s Story

Reading Skills:
Previewing a reading
Scanning for information
Recalling information

Reading Skill Focus:
Using an illustration and text to create a flowchart

Vocabulary Skills:
Understanding meaning from context

Word Forms:
Recognizing the suffix -ment
Understanding antonyms

Critical Thinking Skills:
Interviewing people
Writing about experiences
Developing a plan of action
Describing an earthquake
Labeling a map
Analyzing statistics in a chart
Creating a plan of action
Researching natural disasters

Index of Key Words and Phrases

Skills Index

Credits

Notes

For ESL students at a high-beginner level.