Reading and Writing About Contemporary Issues, MLA Update

For courses in Integrated Reading & Writing and Intermediate Reading (9-12 grade level). This version of   Reading and Writing About Contemporary Issues has been updated to reflect the 8th Edition of the MLA Handbook (April 2016)*

Prepares students for academic reading and writing  Reading and Writing About Contemporary Issues  builds on students’ reading and writing skills through numerous examples for analysis. Each nonfiction reading is organized into thematic units that focus on contemporary issues, and has been chosen to interest and motivate students. Readings are drawn from a variety of sources, such as books, textbooks, periodicals, popular magazines, newspapers, blogs, websites, and Internet sources. The Second Edition builds upon the strong pedagogy in the text by using the readings as direct teaching tools rather than examples. Instructional components of each chapter are built around reading samples, and each reading has been organized based on its level of difficulty. Its versatile presentation adapts easily to a variety of integrated reading and writing courses and a wide range of students. 
* The 8th Edition introduces sweeping changes to the philosophy and details of MLA works cited entries. Responding to the “increasing mobility of texts,” MLA now encourages writers to focus on the process of crafting the citation, beginning with the same questions for any source. These changes, then, align with current best practices in the teaching of writing which privilege inquiry and critical thinking over rote recall and rule-following.

Kathleen T. McWhorter has taught reading and writing courses for over 30 years at Niagara County Community College. Her many titles provide various and flexible approaches to teaching reading and writing strategies that accommodate a range of learning and teaching styles. 

All of the McWhorter books share three fundamental characteristics that have led to enormous success in the classroom:

INTEGRATION OF READING AND WRITING

Reading and its integral connection to writing is emphasized throughout the books, helping students to see reading and writing as complementary processes.

FOCUS ON CRITICAL THINKING

McWhorter recognizes, and features throughout her books, the role and benefits of critical thinking in the reading and writing processes.

EMPHASIS ON VISUAL LITERACY

Print and electronic sources, including textbooks, are becoming increasingly visual. McWhorter's books include chapters, exercises, and features that all reinforce visual literacy.