What is
THE REAL THING?
The Real Thing is a unique skill-building book and DVD/video that prepares students for college success.
The Real Thing video contains fifteen college classes, each 10-15 minutes long, showing teacher/student interaction in a wide range of courses typically taken by freshmen. It provides authentic examples of classroom language and expectations.
The accompanying book focuses on the lectures and guides students' development of the skills essential for college success:
how to ...
• take good notes
• predict and prepare for quizzes and tests
• participate effectively in an American college classroom
The book contains practical study tips, suggestions about how to interact with the professor and classmates, sample discussion topics that call for students to generate original opinions, and examples of real quizzes the professors gave after the lectures.
Who benefits from
THE REAL THING?
• Students in summer college orientation programs
• Advanced ESL classes
• Students developing general study skills
• Learners in individualized labs
• Overseas students preparing for study in the United States
Units in
THE REAL THING
Unit 1 Skills for College Success
Bill Bronson, Guidance
Unit 2 Expectations of a Student
Suzanne Gutierrez, Counseling
Unit 3 Overcoming Communication Anxiety
Ray Collins, Speech Communication
Unit 4 Supply and Demand
Dan McUsic, Economics
Unit 5 Marketing
Madelaine Wolfe, Business
Unit 6 The Essay
Reginald Lockett, English
Unit 7 Immigration
Dale Debold, History
Unit 8 Culture
Phil Crawford, Sociology
Unit 9 Interpreting “Borders”
Martha Kendall, Humanities
Unit 10 Central Processing Unit
Kishan Vujjeni, Computer Information Systems
Unit 11 Statement of Cash Flow
Steven Wong, Accounting
Unit 12 Logic
Dan Phillips, Critical Thinking
Unit 13 How Food Chains Work
Ann Lopez, Biology
Unit 14 Aging
Priscilla Brown, Health
Unit 15 Origins of Jazz
Joe Weed, Music
How will
THE REAL THING
meet your students’ needs?
Q. “My students have trouble recognizing main ideas. How can I teach them this skill?”
A. The Real Thing gives students hours of practice with authentic college lectures. The book guides listeners, emphasizing key point recognition, summarizing skills and test preparation.
Q. “My students lack intellectual aggressiveness. They just don’t understand what is expected of them in college!”
A. The Real Thing teaches students to ask questions, think critically, synthesize ideas and defend opinions, verbally and in writing.
Q. “My advanced ESL students are competent in conversational English, but they can not keep up with notetaking demands in fast-paced lectures. How can they make the leap from the ESL classroom to the competitive academic curriculum?”
A. The Real Thing teaches students how to take notes efficiently, and then how to organize, study, and learn from them.
How do students use
THE REAL THING?
Students watch the videotaped classes (each 10-15 minutes long) and use the skill-building book to:
• increase their listening comprehension
• understand varied accents and lecture styles
• practice taking notes
• improve study skills
• prepare for quizzes and tests
• learn critical thinking strategies
• become comfortable in group activities
• gain familiarity with norms of the college classroom
