Focus on Writing is an academic writing program that provides students with essential tools to master not only the key steps in the writing process, but also the grammatical structures, lexical knowledge, and rhetorical modes essential for academic writing. This five-level series progresses with students as they grow in confidence and ability from sentence level (Book 1) through paragraphs (Books 1-3) and essays (Books 3-5). Each unit leads writers step-by-step through the process of pre-writing, writing a first draft, revising, and editing before producing a final draft. Not only do students write an entire paragraph or essay in each unit, they are also given plenty of practice at the sentence and word levels.

Clear and easy-to-follow, the NorthStar listening/speaking and reading/writing books follow the same unique unit outline. Each unit is flexible enough to customize for your individual classroom needs. And while the exercises in steps 1 to 4 are essential for comprehension of the topic, you can choose from exercises 5 to 7 or assign those activities for homework.

Basic Level NorthStar is an innovative five-level, integrated-skills series for learners of English as a Second Language or English as a Foreign Language. The series is divided into two strands: listening/speaking and reading/writing. There are four books in each strand, taking students from Basic to Advanced. The two books at each level explore different aspects of the same contemporary themes such as the effect of food on mood, experimental punishments for juvenile offenders, the role of cars in modern life, privacy in the workplace, and alternative medicine. The parallel books in each strand are linked by grammar and vocabulary as well, providing the opportunity to recycle and reinforce the language while the content remains fresh and exciting.

NorthStar, Fourth Edition, a five-level series, engages students through authentic and compelling content and empowers them to achieve their academic and personal goals. The approach to critical thinking in both the Reading/Writing and Listening/Speaking strands challenges students to move beyond basic comprehension to higher-level analysis. Conceptualized to promote critical thinking, NorthStar infuses analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and application throughout every lesson, not just in a critical thinking section like in other series.