Discovering Fiction

North American short stories enhance pre-intermediate students' reading skills, language learning, and enjoyment of literature. Discovering Fiction, An Introduction, has the same unit and chapter structure as the two higher level books, Discovering Fiction Level 1 and Level 2. There are four units, each containing three stories that are related in terms of their theme; extensive prereading and post-reading tasks accompany each story. Unlike the other two books, however, an audio CD containing a reading of each story is packaged into each Student's Book.

North American short stories enhance students' reading skills, language learning, and enjoyment of literature. Discovering Fiction, Second Edition, Student's Book 1 presents stories with universal appeal to engage students and make them think critically. Among the authors included are O. Henry, William Saroyan, Gwendolyn Brooks, Isaac Asimov, and Sandra Cisneros. Extensive pre-reading activities capture students' interest. Post-reading activities check their comprehension, increase their knowledge of grammar and vocabulary, and provide thought-provoking discussion and writing assignments. Literary term explanations and tasks enhance students' appreciation of literature.

Discovering Fiction is a two-level reading series that introduces students to authentic American literature. Student s Book 2 is an anthology of eighteen short stories by contemporary and classic American authors, including Kate Chopin, Ernest Hemingway, Langston Hughes, and Shirley Jackson. The stories have universal appeal that will touch students and make them think. Designed for high-intermediate to advanced students, the text provides interactive, integrated skills lessons developed around each story. Pre-reading sections include prior knowledge questions, author biographies, discussions of literary terms, and reviews of idioms and expressions found in the stories. Accompanying grammar exercises help students overcome such trouble areas as prepositions, articles, and irregular verbs. Also included are vocabulary sections, reading comprehension questions, and thought-provoking discussion and writing topics. Review sections tie the stories together and provide review tests.

Over the past twenty years, Chinese novelist Yan Lianke has emerged as one of the most important writers in the world. In Discovering Fiction, Yan offers insights into his views on literature and realism, the major works that inspired him, and his theories of writing. He juxtaposes discussions of the high realism of Leo Tolstoy and Lu Xun against Franz Kafka’s modernism and Gabriel García Márquez’s magical realism, charting the relationship between causality, truth, and modes of realism. He also discusses his approach to realism, which he terms “mythorealism”—a way of capturing the world’s underlying truth by relying on the allegories, myths, legends, and dreamscapes that emerge from daily life. Revealing and instructive, Discovering Fiction gives readers an unprecedented look into the mind and art of a literary giant.

Authentic North American short stories enhance students' reading skills, language learning, and enjoyment of literature. The Teacher's Manual provides tips and strategies on how to teach the different exercise types in a chapter. In addition, the authors provide interpretative commentary on the readings, helping teachers gain a literary appreciation of the text. Finally, a complete answer key is provided, including suggested answers to the critical thinking questions.

Authentic North American short stories enhance students' reading skills, language learning, and enjoyment of literature. The Instructor's Manual for Discovering Fiction, Student's Book 2, provides further information about the stories, teaching suggestions, and an answer key. In addition, a useful brief synopsis of each story is provided in the Elements of a Short Story section.

Equips students to read and understand authentic short stories with vocabulary, reading, and critical thinking skills. Classic and contemporary stories give students a thorough background in North American literature. Every chapter gives students practice in guessing meaning from context, which research shows is one of the most important skills for reading unadapted texts. Students also learn to think critically, make inferences, discuss what they read and write responses to the work. --

Equips students to read and understand great literature with vocabulary, reading, and critical thinking skills. Features: classic and contemporary stories give students a thorough background in North American literature; every chapter gives students practice in guessing meaning from context; students also learn to think critically, make inferences, discuss what they read, and write responses to the work. --