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HandsOn English, ETC READING & WRITING Strand = Six Student Texts + Six Instructor's Annotated Editions/Manuals
ISBNs 978-1-934637-14-2, -77-7, -79-1, -81-4, -83-8, -85-2
220.00 USD
Product Availability: In Stock, Ships In 2 Business Weeks
HandsOn English, ETC: READING & WRITING  Strand = Six Student Texts + Six  Annotated Teacher's Editions or Teacher's Manuals

HandsOn English is a 21st-century title for the classic 17-Book ETC PROGRAM Competency-Based Skills Series.  Its six Levels of challenge were designed for novice/beginning to advanced language + content learners.  Each Level contains two or three Student Texts, subtitled [1] "Getting Started with Life Skills," [2] "English in Everyday Life," [3] "An Immigration Story," [4] "World Culture/Cross-Cultural Communication," [5] "Language & Culture in Depth," and [6] "Issues & Answers."  Coordinated within each level of difficulty and carefully sequenced between levels, the seventeen (17) Texts (six with accompanying CDs) + 17 Instructor's Annotated Editions or Instructor's Manuals comprise a 34-book package of well-balanced, comprehensive language-skills/practical competency instruction, practice, activity, and assessment (testing). 

The HandsOn English/ETC PROGRAM  was designed for secondary-school students and adults wanting complete, detailed, practical language-based help with daily tasking, the world of work, social relationships, and other aspects of life in English-speaking environments.  The entire Competency-Based PROGRAM is divided into three Language-Skills Strands.  These are [a] Grammar (Sentence Structure/Rules),  [b] Oral Skills (Listening & Speaking), and [c] Written Skills (Reading & Writing).  Every Student Book can be used with the one or two corresponding Texts at the same Level 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6.  Alternatively, it can be used independently of the other Texts, with or without its supplements--even in combination with other materials in the same--or a different--Strand.  


Educators/learners that tend to rely on Written Skills--reading comprehension and strategies, vocabulary within text, spelling, and "writing it down"--are likely to feel comfortable with Books and ancillaries that emphasize the productive use of printed matter.  Alternatively, language students more proficient in Oral Skills (Listening Comprehension & Speaking) and/or analytical approaches to the structure of language might well appreciate the low-stress opportunity to "read for meaning" and "learn from reading" that leveled text materials offer.  The six Texts and supporting tools of the HandsOn English, ETC Reading & Writing Strand provide high-interest content that is adapted in difficulty to the proficiency levels users are striving for.  Many years in development that involved hundreds of potential users, it takes into account what motivates and engages learners of English--not only source material that relates directly to their everyday needs but also stories about people they can relate to,  which serve naturally as models for their own self-expression and interactive communication in the language.  As usual, valuable info, cultural content, and competencies are woven into the material, complementing but not repeating those of the corresponding Grammar in Context  and Listening/Speaking Books. The multi-purpose, Get-to-the-Point  format of the HandsOn English, ETC Reading & Writing Strand is likely to appeal to many different kinds of educators and learners.

Accompanied by an Annotated Edition or Instructor's Manual, each HandsOn English ETC Reading/Writing Text 1-6  has an Intro before ten chapters, each on a different general  competency-based, real-life subtopic within the Level  topic.  Every Chapter contains four Parts: these have titles like Information, Spelling, The Story, The Rules of Writing, Writing Your Own Story, Scanning for Information, Vocabulary Building, or something comparable.  Here's more specific information about each Book: 

The last of four sections in each of ten Chapters of the Level 1 (Getting Started with Life Skills) Skills Book is called Reading & Writing.  In keeping with its chapter title (Things, Information, Help, Food & Money, Times & Places, The Body, People, Emergencies, Work, Fun), PART FOUR helps beginners with tasks like Reading Lists, Times, Menus, Price Lists, Thermometers, Maps, Labels, Schedules, Invitations, and, especially, different kinds of Signs.  After recognizing the vocabulary of each type of everyday "realia," learners are then guided in writing--their names and addresses on cards, numbers in math, prices in lists, the requested information on all kinds of forms and applications, dates and time in calendars, memos & messages, and so on.  Also, each PART FOUR of the ten Chapters of the corresponding Level 1 Workbook contains Spelling & Vocabulary instruction, a very basic "mini-course" in the most frequent phonics patterns and grammatical endings--along with the most commonly taught vocabulary categories.    

At R/W Level 2 (English in Everyday Life), in PART ONE participants read and understand everyday kinds of print info, such as street signs, illustrated directions, addresses and telephone numbers, abbreviations in ads and on maps, menus, labels, shopping lists, directories, and the like; informational paragraphs are also introduced.  PART TWO  focuses on the details of different kinds of information, like that on calendars, bills, bank or accounting forms, maps, charts, job applications, coupons, ads, etc.  PART THREE  is a focused Spelling section, and PART FOUR helps high-beginning students learn to fill in or write street directions, bulletin board notes, info on applications, memos,  lists, messages, business letters, postcards, and more.   (The Chapter Topics are Getting There, Problems & Solutions, Moving, Food & Things, The Family, The Community, Work, Shopping, Health, The Community, The Weekend & Vacations.)

After a Getting Acquainted Intro, each PART ONE of the ten Chapters of R/W Level 3 (An Immigration Story)
is a story about a newcomer's experience related to that Chapter Topic:
The Arrival, Housing, Transportation, Work, Education, Money, Recreation & Entertainment, Health & Illness, Friendship & Romance, Family & Special Occasions.  After ensuring that they get the main ideas of the narrative, text-users work in pairs to understand and relate two different possible story endings.  Each second PART offers both reading comprehension and writing activity based on everyday realia, such as customs forms, housing ads and applications, bus schedules, driving tests, tax forms, multiple-choice tests, bills and budgets, newspaper ads, checks and receipts, food labels, calendars of events, and the like.  PART THREE is a how-to spelling, writing mechanics, and editing section.  And PART FOUR, called Communicating in Writing, offers guidelines for creating and putting on paper pieces of communication such as instructions, notes, directions, accident reports, resumes, letters of application, personal and business letters, invitations, thank-you notes, recipes, notices, and more.

At R/W Level 4 (Cross-Cultural Communication/World Culture), vocabulary and concepts are introduced through four Everyday Stories that provide superficial "coverage" of the Intro and ten Chapter topics: The "Rules" of Culture, Beginnings, The Body, Dealing with Situations, Eating & Drinking, Solving Problems, Communication, Social Interaction, Home & Family Life, Work & Money, Education.  Text-users read for main ideas, demonstrate comprehension through a variety of exercise types, and work on vocabulary in different ways, including through games.  Prepared with info, vocabulary, and ideas from PART ONE, they write their own stories in PART TWO, perhaps relying on and going beyond the given models for good writing.  The next section, called Practical Reading & Writing, "covers" existing realia on the topic at an Intermediate Level.  Finally, PART FOUR  offers an engaging cooperative/competitive Questions & Answers activity based on "important trivia" related to the Chapter topic.  As is usual in the HandsOn ETC PROGRAM, its content supplements and complements that of the other three parts and the other two Books of that Level.  But there's no duplication or tedious repetition. 

R/W Level 5 (
Language & Culture in Depth) is more "academic" than the HandsOn, ETC Reading & Writing Books of previous levels.  Designed for advancing students, its Intro addresses written skills and strategies like Previewing, Getting Main Ideas, Understanding Significant Details, Scanning for Information, Building Vocabulary, and Understanding the Writing Process.  Reading selections on its ten Chapter  topics--Meeting People;  Getting an Education; Money, Money, Money; Earning a Living; Getting Help; Going Places; Getting Along with People; Having Fun; The Media; and A Lifetime of Learning---are of or include different types: for instance, there is a Personal Journal, an Autobiography, a Loan Information Sheet, a Job Ad + Letter of Application, a Construction Contract, a Postcard, a Personal Letter, a Flier, and the like--all simulated but providing relevant vocabulary and content.  PART TWO  of each Chapter offers a kind of systematic Vocabulary Building  "mini course" because it presents and practices words according to learning principles (parts of speech, synonyms, descriptives, meaning categories, noun-adjectives, dictionary use, definitions, idioms, word parts, objective vs. subjective terms.  In PART THREE, students scan simulated (but only slightly adapted) realia (excerpts from Calendars of Events; Catalogs, Schedules, Diagrams, Forms, Paperwork, Contracts, Tickets, Travel Schedules, Advertising, Game Rules, Housing Regulations, etc., to find pertinent information.  Each Chapter  ends with a related individual and/or group writing activity that includes steps in "writing as a process." These include journal entries, autobiography, business and personal letters, expressions of opinion, fliers, and persuasive essays; exercises on correction (editing) and sentence combining are included.

After an Intro that describes kinds of sections in print media, the ten Chapter themes of HandsOn, ETC R/W 6 (Issues & Answers) are topics that are often in the news:   Families, Health & Fitness, Government & Law, Business & Work, Science & Technology, Consumerism, Education, The Environment, Immigration, and Travel & Recreation.  Each PART ONE offers topic-related vocabulary, a paragraphed Background Reading, comprehension exercises that aid in comprehension, and discussion/opinion activities.  The second part helps advanced students with Vocabulary Building & Reading Skills in detail; its sections deal with parts of speech, synonyms, examples, compounds, definitions,  punctuation, reference words, ellipsis, connectors, replacement words, related words, connotation, approximate vs. exact meaning, exaggeration, etc.--all based on meaning in context.  PART THREE, Practical Reading, offers simulated media articles of different kinds: Advice Columns, News Briefs, Headlines, News Stories, Facts & Figures, Graphs, Features, Consumer Info, Public Opinion Surveys, Letters to the Editors, Editorials, and travel Descriptions & Tips.  The last PART of each Chapter helps text-users to Write About the Issues in various forms: Personal Letters, Explanations with Examples, Narratives, Expository Prose, Persuasion vs. Objective Description, Comparison, Argument Supported by Reasons, Viewpoints Supported by Facts, and Place Descriptions with Travel Advice. 

The Teacher's Annotated Editions for Level 1, and the Instructor's Manuals for R/W Levels 2-6 include not only suggestions for productive use of the Texts but also the correct answers to all text exercises; each manual ends with reproducible Progress Tests for the Intro and all Chapters. 

Text  ISBNs 978-1-891077-57-9/978-1-934637-02-9, -77-7, -79-1, -81-4, -83-8, -85-2           
Instructor's Annotated Edition or Instructor's Manual  ISBNs 978-1-891077-58-6/978-1-934637-03-6, -78-4, -80-7, -82-1, -84-5, -86-9

Feel free to get even more detailed information about an individual title and/or its ancillaries (CDs, Teacher's Annotated Edition/Instructor's Manual) in the Written-Skills (Reading/Writing) Strand of the HandsOn English, ETC PROGRAM.  On request, we can provide a copy of its Preface or Table of Contents, sample Try-Before-You-Buy material (even entire chapters), and other useful freebies.  At present, all elements of HandsOn English, ETC can be ordered on a "print-on-demand" basis.  Their pricing, therefore, will depend on many factors.  Don't hesitate to contact us for an estimate. 

(The six Student Texts + ancillaries of the Reading & Writing Strand of the HandsOn ETC Program  can be used to great advantage on their own, of course, especially with language learners that need more instruction and help in Written Skills than in Grammar or Oral Skills.  In fact, in some learning situations, courses, and programs, participants might choose to use elements of more than one R/W Level simultaneously or sequentially.)

(On the other hand, many users of HandsOn English ETC R/W materials at any proficiency Level 1-6 might also be interested in the corresponding Student Texts  that comprise the other two Strands of the PROGRAM.  These Books have the same leveled themes as the Oral-Skills materials, as reflected in their subtitles. 
Even though  the chapter titles are the same in all three Texts of each Level--and the content and vocabulary tend to reinforce one another across the curriculum, the specific language-skills competencies, pedagogy, and subtopics are different in each Book.  Considering that there are only two or three Student Texts with ancillaries per Level, there is a tremendous amount of unique, yet well-coordinated, material.)


(To teach or learn phrase and sentence structure in practical competency-based contexts, take a look at the six HandsOn English ETC GRAMMAR Texts [ISBNs 978-1-934637-57-9, -24-1, -06-7, -08-1, -10-4, -12-8] with or without their Instructor's Annotated Editions or Instructor's Guides [ISBNs 978-1-891077-58-6, -04-3, -06-7, -08-1, -10-4, -12-8].)

(To focus on oral-skills competencies, try out the six HandsOn English ETC LISTENING/SPEAKING Texts [ISBNs 978-1-934637-57-9, -60-9, -63-0, -66-1, -69-2, -72-2] with or without their one to 5 CDs each [ISBNs 978-1-891077-59-3, -62-3, -65-4, -68-5, -71-5, -74-6] and/or their Instructor's Annotated Editions/Guides [ISBNs 978-1-891077-58-6, -61-6, -64-7, -67-8, -70-8, -73-9].) 
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