Landscapes Groundwork for College Reading

LANDSCAPES is a comprehensive college reading preparatory text (spanning grade levels 8-10) that takes a metacognitive approach and focuses on how the brain processes information, often referred to as brain-based learning. Since metacognition can best be understood as thinking about "thinking," the text consistently presents new information with written "think alouds" to model the thought process involved in applying skills and strategies to reading passages. Based on the premise that the brain learns best through organization of information, the text presents the recognition of text structure and organization as a fundamental skill--one that is especially important for students who have limited prior knowledge of a subject. This focus on text structure provides a scaffold onto which developmental-level readers can apply new knowledge. Information is presented in a carefully crafted sequence that serves to build upon prior knowledge and expand understanding of skills and strategies in a recursive manner.