The LIFE SKILLS graded reader series sets itself an ambitious goal: teaching a language through literature and, at the same time, offering kids the tools they need to transform themselves into happier, more satisfied people.
As they read, students reflect and explore, and a new world full of ideas and emotions opens up before their eyes.
Critical thinking, problem solving capabilities, and emotional awareness are just some of the life skills that they can acquire. It’s an opportunity to get exposed to emotions and complex situations in a positive way, and grow with every page.
What are Life Skills?
Life Skills can be found anywhere: in books on personal growth, human resources hiring guidelines … even at school!
They are skills that can be taught and passed on, and are essential for growth (both personal and professional) and excellent for encouraging constructive attitudes, versatility, and a readiness in taking on life’s challenges.
The World Health Organisation has defined Life Skills as “the abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life”.
The core of Life Skills is composed of 10 skills in 3 macro areas.
THE BLACK CAT READER SERIES
Through the study of a foreign language, the Green Apple Life Skills and Reading & Training Life Skills series stimulate personal reflection through the values represented in literature.
Stories are presented without interruptions, and enriched by illustrations that facilitate comprehension of the text. At the end of each chapter there’s a moment dedicated to reflection: “Think!” exercises that invite students to consider the messages and values identified in the story. The questions are formulated to help students construct their “life skills,” encouraging them to understand the most difficult words and stimulating comparisons with their own personal experiences. At the end of the book, a map of values and emotions asks readers to identify the moral and values they found in the story, and compare them to their own lives.
The series respects the standard European language levels of reference, and a series of activities makes learning a language easy and entertaining:
- pre-reading exercises;
- CLIL-style dossiers;
- activities at the end of the book related to each chapter, including comprehension, vocabulary enrichment, grammar, writing and conversation;
- a section dedicated to oral comprehension;
- brief, internet-based research projects;
- a section for the preparation of language certification exams.
