More self-assessment and review for students at all levels. New pre-tests in every chapter allow students to identify areas that need work, while newly interactive reviews at the end help them review their learning and retention. Quick Guides at the end of the book allow more advanced students to quickly review fundamental concepts such as fragments and run-ons.
Hundreds of new exercises in the book—and online—provide abundant options for skill practice. Students can chart their progress using the new “Challenge Meter” that shows the difficulty level of each exercise, from “warm-up” at the beginning of the chapter, to “mastery test” at the end. More quizzes on the companion Web site provide additional practice with a gradebook that lets instructors track student progress.
New readings and apparatus selected especially to engage basic writers. Almost all readings—and several themes--in the mini-reader are new, drawn from contemporary authors such as YiYun Li, Gary Soto, and Amy Tan. Inspiring topics that students will want to respond to include Work & Career, Prejudice & Forgiveness, and Addiction & Risks. New apparatus offers prompts for peer discussion, paragraph writing, and discussion of the rhetorical modes.
Incremental instruction delivered in streamlined coverage keeps students focused on what’s important. Chapters that guide students through every step of building sentences, recognizing common writing problems, and developing paragraphs, have been concentrated to provide exactly the information that basic writers need and no more.
More support for instructors. New Time-to-Teach advice, available in the complementary Instructor’s Annotated Edition, offers a built-in lesson plan at the beginning of each chapter. The author’s visual preface provides a personalized guide on how to best use the book.
More digital choices start at the Stepping Stones companion site, bedfordstmartins.com/steppingstones. In one convenient place, you'll find free and open content — from activities to student samples and reliable research links as well as access to our innovative premium media including ReWriting Plus and WritingClass, an online course space preloaded with book-specific exercises, diagnostics, video tutorials, writing and commenting tools, and more. Also available for the first time is a value-priced Stepping Stones e-Book, available either as a CourseSmart e-Book or in formats for use with computers, tablets, and e-readers — visit bedfordstmartins/ebooks for more information.