21st Century Reading: Creative Thinking and Reading with TED Talks

Language(s): American English

Level(s): Low-intermediate (US), Intermediate, High-intermediate, Advanced, B1, B2, C1

Overview

21st Century Reading was created through a partnership between TED, a nonprofit dedicated to spreading ideas through short, powerful talks and National Geographic Learning. 21st Century Reading provides the ideal forum for learners of English to make connections with topics ranging from science to business to global issues. Using TED Talks as the springboard to share ideas, this new four-level reading series shows learners how to understand and respond to ideas and content in English.

  • Featuring extraordinary stories presented by inspiring thinkers and doers, TED Talks ignite curiosity and introduce learners to ideas which can change the world.
  • TED Talks use authentic language, delivered by experts in their field, providing learners with models of English that are real and relevant to their academic studies.
  • Critical and Creative Thinking skills – including analysis, evaluation, synthesis, reflection, inference, and problem-solving – are fully integrated into every unit, to help learners develop academic skills.
  • Scaffolded reading and vocabulary tasks guide learners to a better understanding of the key ideas, skills, and language.

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Authors

Robin Longshaw

Robin Longshaw has taught English to adults and young adults in Spain and the US for thirty years. She has worked as an author and editor of English t... more

Laurie Blass

Laurie Blass is a writer and editor specializing in print and digital English Language Teaching materials. She has an M.A. in Linguistics and a TESL certificate from the University of Pittsburgh and h... more

Mari Vargo

Mari Vargo holds an M.A. in English from San Francisco State University. She has authored numerous ELT textbooks and online educational materials for a wide range of audiences, including community col... more

Eunice Yeates

Eunice Yeates taught English in Japan for a number of years before turning her attention to educational publishing in 1999. She has written extensivel... more

Ingrid Wisniewska

Ingrid Wisniewska studied modern languages and philosophy at Oxford University. She holds an MA in English language teaching and a PhD in language teacher education from the University of Southampton.... more

Jessica Williams

Jessica Williams is an author, teacher, and teacher trainer. She was a professor of Applied Linguistics for more than 30 years at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she prepared hundreds of ... more