| Summary, etc |
"This book is designed for use in Communication Arts in English for today's college freshman. It grew out of the recognition of the vital and pressing need for the college student to continue developing and honing the language skills he learned in the lower levels the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.<br/>As one advances from grade school to college, he finds himself faced with materials that present an increasingly difficult challenge- concepts have added depth, topics cover a broader range, readings in the various disciplines are more varied and demanding, vocabulary is more difficult, and sentences and paragraphs are more involved. While the skills for communicating remain the same, the need to strengthen them continues.<br/>This book has two parts: the lessons in the language arts and selected literary works. To meet the changing needs and concerns of today's young adult population, the first part has been divided into three units: Science, Technology, and World Problems; Values; and Art and Culture. Each unit is made up of six lessons which follow the same integrated presentation which the authors adopted in their Communication Arts in English series for high school (Discovering Yourself, Communication Arts I; Discovering Your Afro-Asian Neighbors, Communication Arts II; Discovering Your Western Friends, Communication Arts III; and Discovering One World, Communication Arts IV).<br/>The lessons expose the student systematically to more and more advanced patterns of the language. They begin with a reading selection judiciously chosen primarily for its content, followed by closely integrated les- sons in the four language skills. The literary selections in the second part are likewise integrated in the lessons not only for the pleasure the student de- rives from reading them but also to re- nforce the concepts and values found in the selections. The vocabulary portions employ techniques to enable the student to enlarge his vocabulary with words he needs for his general reading and writing as well as for his proficient use of literary and technical English The structures furnish numerous examples and exercises on each grammar point presented, with the exercises ranging in difficulty from simple mechanical drills to meaningful integration. The pronunciation sections pro vide drills on selected sounds and sound clusters, sentence rhythm and intonation.<br/>It is suggested that the first three units be taken up in sequence for maximum effectiveness. Since each lesson fulfills a specific function in the unit, an attempt should be made to complete each lesson. However, the extent of the coverage is left to the discretion of the teacher.<br/>It is the sincere hope of the authors that a considerable number of dedicated teachers may find this book an invaluable aid in their task of stimulating their students to fresh insights and to new efforts in improving them- selves in the art of communicating thought. May our common goal be to make our students think, read, and write creatively worthwhile intellectual processes that they would do well to take with them beyond their language classes to all other outreachings of the mind." |
