Skill Sharpeners: Book 1

Skill Sharpeners, Third Edition, by Judy DeFilippo and Charles Skidmore, is a four-level series especially designed for students whose skills in English require strengthening. By introducing basic skills tied to classroom subjects in a simple grammatical framework, the series helps to prepare these students for academic success. The Skill Sharpeners series bridges the gap between English Language Learning and regular school subjects. With all students, it reinforces confidence and self-esteem.

Each level of the series offers exercises to sharpen both language and subject-area skills. Students interpret graphs and charts, read maps, solve math word problems, and learn library and study skills. They sharpen comprehension skills as they read about history, science, and American culture. And they deepen their understanding of basic English structure. Lessons cover skills required on most middle school state-competency tests.

The Third Edition of Skill Sharpeners preserves all the features of the earlier edition and updates content. A favorite with teachers nationwide, Skill Sharpeners remains dedicated to helping students sharpen their skills in all facets of English communication.

Features

Higher-order thinking skills and writing. Survival skills necessary for coping with a new environment. Abundance of content area reading and writing activities. Comprehensive review of language structures. Self-contained lessons. Test-taking strategies.

Judy DeFilippo is a coordinator of ESL in the Intensive English program at Northeastern University. She is author of Lifeskills 1 and 2 and Lifeskills and Citizenship, and is co-author of Grammar Plus, all published by Longman.

Charles Skidmore is an ESL teacher at the secondary level in the Boston, Massachusetts, schools and at Boston University’s CELOP program. He is co-author of In Good Company, published by Addison-Wesley.