We have called this online book a “workbook” because it is much more than a textbook to read. Of course, there is some reading. However, this workbook also includes many opportunities for you to work and practise and use your skills. Here are some tips for making good use of this workbook.

Audios

This book includes audios and videos for listening activities. They are usually followed by comprehension questions.

On the pages where there is a lot of reading, we have also included audios at the top of the page, just like this one. You can choose to listen and read at the same time. Or you can choose to just listen or to just read. You might even want to shadow read along with the speaker, me!

Hint: Shadow reading is when you read aloud at the same time as an audio. You try to use the same timing, pauses, intonation, and word stress. This is a great way to improve your pronunciation!

Interactive Activities

This online workbook has many interactive activities that you can do to learn and to check your comprehension. They are made with a program called H5P. The activities include drag and drop, multiple choice, check the right answer, true/false, fill in the blanks, interactive videos, flashcards, and more.

After you do an activity, check the solution. If you missed something, go back and read or listen, and then try the activity again.

Note: These activities help you learn. Your grades are not recorded in this online textbook. However, your instructor may want you to take a screenshot or use the Snipping tool on your computer to show that you successfully completed an activity.

Writing Activities

This online book has H5P writing tools. These tools have textboxes where you can type longer text—perhaps your opinion, an email, or a story. Follow the instructions to export and download what you write into a Word document.

You might want to send the document to your teacher or tutor for feedback. Start an email to your teacher or tutor and attach the document. You will find the documents in your Downloads folder.

Recordings

In some activities, you have the opportunity to record yourself speaking. After you record yourself, you can listen to yourself. Did you complete the task correctly? Did you include everything? Are you clear and easy to understand? If you are not happy with the recording, you can do it again. When you are happy with the recording, you can download it.

You might want to send the recording to your teacher or tutor for feedback. To do this, start an email to your teacher or tutor and attach the recording. You will find the recording in your Downloads folder.

Glossary

This workbook also has a glossary. As you read, you will see some words that are blue and underlined. If you click on the word, you will see a definition of the word. Click anywhere else on the page or press the esc (escape) key to close the definition.

Note: The glossary includes words that you might not understand and that are used in this online book. The glossary does not include all the words in the interactive vocabulary exercises.

You can also review the words in the Glossary List at the end of this workbook.

Icons

You will see Canadian Language Benchmark and Essential Skills icons at the bottom of the pages in this workbook. These icons highlight the important skills you used on that page. Use these icons to reflect on what you learned.