Birthstones=Birthstones

Author: Ellen Marcus (USA)
Publisher:
Publish Date: April 1, 2006
Features: The National Geographic Student English Thematic Reading Training Series is another series of American English reading textbooks launched by us after the National Geographic English Reading and Writing Training Series (a total of 14 volumes). It aims to further provide middle school students and learners with the same English proficiency level in China with a new type of English learning reader that combines the essence of American original textbooks with the teaching philosophy of China's new curriculum standards for English. The entire series features over 2,000 lively, natural, and captivating images, accompanied by concise and vivid text that guides students to read through pictures and recognize pictures through text. The picture-and-text integrated reading materials not only make English learning more enjoyable and interesting for students but also align well with the new trend of picture composition in China's college entrance examination. The National Geographic Student English Thematic Reading Training Series consists of 18 volumes, covering 9 themes and 72 topics across three subject areas: mathematics, science, and social studies. Based on the requirements of English learning and college entrance examination writing for Chinese middle school students, we continue to provide students with all-English reading materials while adhering to the vocabulary grading annotation principle adopted in the National Geographic English Reading and Writing Training Series. The annotated vocabulary is divided into three categories: "Memorable Vocabulary," "Reading Intermediate Vocabulary," and "Reading Reference Vocabulary." Considering the importance of phonetic symbols in word memorization, we have added new international phonetic symbols to all annotated vocabulary to cultivate students' reading and speaking skills. Additionally, we have included corresponding "Reading Objectives" and "Review Activities" in each book to support classroom teaching and help students conduct self-assessment of their English reading comprehension. The authentic picture-and-text reading provided by the National Geographic Student English Thematic Reading Training Series is highly beneficial for middle school students to broaden their knowledge and expand their cultural horizons. It can also effectively help them improve their English proficiency and achieve a unity of "knowledge" and "learning." We sincerely hope that the publication of this series will not only enable Chinese middle school students to master rich knowledge and effective English learning methods through enjoyable reading but also contribute to enhancing their comprehensive qualities, including humanistic sentiments, scientific perspectives, social awareness, and global thinking.