Bridging the Gap: College Reading (8th Edition) [Paperback]

Brenda D. Smith (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0321273516 | ISBN-13: 978-0321273512 | Publication Date: November 29, 2004 | Edition: 8

 

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Written for the mid to high-level developmental reading level, Bridging the Gap, 7/e by Brenda Smith continues to be the number one choice of developmental reading educators. The seventh edition of Bridging the Gap has been carefully developed with the needs of developing readers in mind. Over the course of several editions, this theme has been broadened by linking textbook readings to recent news in the popular press, and adding material on critical thinking and the Internet. A hallmark of the book, the end-of-chapter readings represent three different reading levels (9th-10th, 10th-12th, 12th+) to permit individualization of assignments to meet varying needs. A variety of academic disciplines are represented throughout, including psychology, history, biology, business, allied health, English literature, and more. A new emphasis on cultural literacy is realized in a new feature called "Concept Prep" created to help readers develop a schema of major concepts and people in the academic disciplines. For those seeking to develop their reading skills at the 9th-10th, 10th-12th or 12th+ reading levels. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Brenda D. Smith, Professor Emeritus at Georgia State University, has more than 30 years of teaching experience. Her books have helped more than 100,000 students become better readers. Awarded with the "Outstanding Article in the Journal of Developmental Education" by the National Association of Developmental Educators two years in a row, and named "Distinguished Alumni Professor" by the Georgia State University Alumni Association, Dr. Smith continues to be recognized for her contributions to the field of reading skills. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: Longman; 8 edition (November 29, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321273516
• ISBN-13: 978-0321273512
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,452,987 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good book for getting to college level, October 17, 2005

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bridging the Gap: College Reading (8th Edition) (Paperback)

We use this text for the supplemental/academic skills courses we offer at my community college, for those people whose reading skills are rusty for a number of reasons, including having been out of school for a number of years (sometimes as long as four or five decades), not having paid attention in class in high school, or other low-level literacy related reasons.

This book is well organised for a semester-long course that will bring out many of the critical skills necessary for doing college level work. Regardless of the discipline one goes into in college, one will have to do reading - this is as true in the nursing school, the electronics/drafting programmes, the business skills areas as well as those going on to full-fledge four-year and onward college degrees.

The book begins by exploring issues in active learning and vocabulary, some of the key concepts necessary for comprehending easily what one is reading. From there, particular kinds of reading skills are emphasised - looking for the main idea, recognising patterns of organisation and flow, seeing different points of view in the text, and beginning practice with critical thinking and engagement skills.

Within each section, there are readings and essays designed to strengthen the points being emphasised. These come from a wide variety of sources and cover a lot of different topics, so that they are not all about any particular thing, but rather each student will most likely find something of interest along the way. Each section ends with a vocabulary booster piece, and the final chapter is a very useful guide of test-taking techniques and study tips.

I find the articles very interesting, and the questions developed for the various articles enhance my understanding (this despite the fact that I have, by comparison to the target audience for this text, a very advanced degree of reading capability). This is a popular book among the students who come into our tutoring centre; they have questions and need help with the various concepts, but most like the variety of selections. One particular favourite is the essay entitled 'Monkey Love', by James V. McConnell, that gives a brief history of the Harlow experiments with young monkeys and surrogate mother figures. Essays on terrorism, women in history, low-carb pizza, media influences, Malcolm X (and his story about learning to read), and other pieces relevant to our current culture make reading less of a chore and more of a pleasure, which is key to getting students to progress through the material. The pages are colourful and interesting to look at from a graphic/visual standpoint, which also aids in the learning process.

The title 'Bridging the Gap' is very appropriate, given the task is to bridge the gap between high school (however long ago that was for many students) and college-level reading they will shortly encounter after taking this class.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars First time ordering books for school, July 13, 2011

By 

Lynette - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bridging The Gap: College Reading (10th Edition) (Paperback)

Since this was the first time I had ever ordered books for school from Amazon I really didn't know what to expect. I found out quickly how the Prime works so I can get the free shipping. I found the item I needed and made mypurchase. It arrived as scheduled which was great. However, not realizing until I was into the class that there were several pages torn out of this book that I purchased. I still have a few more weeks of this class and I am hoping that I will be able to understand past the missing pages. If I had known or seen this as I recevied my book, I would have returned it immediately. I did purchase a used book but it was stated in good condition with some writing or highlighting it never said missing pages or I would have never purchased this item from that seller. I know now that I need to really inspect the used books I purchase and make sure all pages are there.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bridging the Gap: College Reading (8th Edition), November 5, 2006

By 

Jaclyn Saksefski (GA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bridging the Gap: College Reading (8th Edition) (Paperback)

It is great. It is really helping me in my classes. I am glad I got it.