Thursday 01-26-12

Read the following paragraphs and tell where the main idea is located

—  A. Despite the hatred that most people feel toward cockroaches, they do help humans in several ways. For example, they are perfect experimental animals and are used for scientific research in the laboratory. Breeding them is easy, for they thrive under almost any conditions. In studies on nutrition and food, cockroaches are good subjects because they will eat any kind of food. They can be used to study heart disease, and cancer researchers work with roaches because they grow cancerous tumors like those that are found in humans.

1)      in the first sentence

2)      in the last sentence

3)      in the middle of the paragraph

4)      in two sentences of the paragraph

—  B. Making a study schedule is one important step in becoming a successful student in college. Students should schedule one hour of study time for every one hour of class time. At exam time, more study time may be necessary. Also, students must study in an appropriate place. It is important to study in a quiet place away from the distraction of other people and such things as the television and the radio. Students should find a comfortable place with plenty of space for all the necessary study supplies. Then, students need to study the information in small amounts. It is a good idea to learn the required concepts slowly and thoroughly instead of trying to learn everything on the evening before the exam. Students who want to be successful in college should remember these three helpful study strategies.

1)      in the first sentence

2)      in the last sentence

3)      in the middle of the paragraph

4)      in two sentences of the paragraph, the first sentence and the last sentence.

—  C.  Television can be an excellent teacher for everyone from very young children to the oldest of viewers. Television entertains young children with sights and songs. Television provides company for older viewers who are stuck at home with no one to talk to. New immigrants can learn English just by turning on the television. All viewers can keep informed on the latest events around the world by watching the news. While there are many great things about television, there are also many bad things. Over time, television shows have begun to show more and more violence, death and murder. The bad language and profanity on some shows make them unsuitable for families. The number of shows which deal with sex outside of marriage also shocks many viewers. And these terrible scenes are sometimes copied by young, impressionable viewers.

1)      in the first sentence

2)      in the last sentence

3)      in the middle of the paragraph

4)      in two sentences of the paragraph

Main Idea Tuesday 1-24-12

FINDING THE MAIN IDEA

—  The main idea tells what the whole passage is about.  It is the main or most important point the writer wants to make.

—  When looking for the main idea read the title of the passage.  The title is written in BOLD at the top of the passage.  Find the title before you read the passage.  Read it and think about it by asking:

—  What is this reading all about?

—  What is the main point?

—  Why did the writer write this?

—  What information will I get from this reading?

—  What is the BIG picture here?

—  Why would someone want to read this?

—  The introduction is right under the title.  Just like the title, the introduction gives important information about what you are going to read.  Sometimes the introduction tells the main idea before you read. After you read the introduction, ask yourself:  Is there a topic sentence? 

A topic sentence explains in a few words what the passage is going to be all about.  When you find the topic sentence, you have found the stated main idea.

If the main idea is not stated, then it is implied. The implied main idea is only suggested. There is not topic sentence, so you need to be a good detective. Pay attention to details, and put them together with your own knowledge to determine the main idea.

Read the following paragraphs and choose the correct main idea for each paragraph.

1. There are several events that can change the Earth's surface very quickly. Volcanoes can erupt and spread lava, rock and ash for several miles.  Earthquakes can leave large cracks in the Earth's surface.        

What is the main idea?

1.  Several events can change the Earth's surface.
2. Earthquakes can cause large cracks. 

C.       Volcanoes can be dangerous.

2. Most of the world's volcanoes are part of the "The Ring of Fire." This is a ring of volcanoes that form a circle around the Pacific Ocean. Thousands of volcanoes make up "The Ring of Fire." These volcanoes formed the sea floor and many underwater mountains.

What is the main idea?

1. There are thousands of volcanoes in the world.
2. Most volcanoes are part of the "Ring of Fire."
3.  Some underwater mountains are volcanoes

3. Scientists can measure the intensity of an earthquake. They use an instrument called the Richter scale. The Richter scale compares the strength of different earthquakes. Earthquakes  below 2.0 usually can’t be felt. Earthquakes over 5.0 on the scale can cause damage. A magnitude 7.0 is a major earthquake and can cause tremendous damage.

What is the main idea?

1. Strong earthquakes can cause lots of damage.
2. Some earthquakes are very small. 
3. Scientists can measure the intensity of an earthquake.

Thursday 01-19-12

Read this story about three friends who plan to take some photos. As you read, think about what might happen next. Look for clues in the story. Think about what you already know.

Photo contest

It was Friday afternoon. Tia, John, and Sam were just leaving school. They stopped to read a sign for a photo contest. Each had a camera. They thought they could take some winning pictures. But what would they take their photos of? They talked it over.

Tia said, “Everybody likes animals. Dogs are great in photos. My cousin has two dogs. I will take my camera when I visit my cousin this weekend.”

John said, “Most people like to see pictures of sports. My favorite sport is baseball. I will take my camera to the big game on Sunday.  Maybe there will be a home run.”

Sam said, “I think the best photos are of flowers. Roses have the most  beautiful colors. There are many rose bushes at the park. My dad will take me to the park tomorrow.  I will take my camera.”

They read the rest of the sign: “Bring your photos to the school gym on Tuesday. Bring them at 3:00 P.M. The best photos will win prizes.”

The three friends wished each other luck.
 

1. John will probably take pictures of

  a. his home.

  b. the big baseball game.

  c. his dog.

  d. the roses at the park.

2. What day will Sam go to the park?

  a. Saturday

  b. Monday

  c. Tuesday

  d. Sam never goes to the park.

 

3. Where did you find the clue that helped you make the prediction?

  a. in the title

  b. in the picture

  c. in the details that tell about the photo contest that       Tia, John, and Sam will take pictures for.

  d. in the details that it was Friday, and Sam’s dad               would take him to the park tomorrow.

4. What will Tia, John, and Sam probably do on Tuesday?

Tuesday 1-17-12 and Wednesday 1-18-12

Predictions and Inferences

WHAT IS PREDICTION?

 What is Inference?

ÒInference is reading all of the clues and making your best guess.

ÒIs similar to prediction but they are not the same.  When you infer you are using the clues to draw conclusions about what is being read.

“Good readers draw inferences from text. Proficient readers use their prior knowledge and the information from the text to draw conclusions, make critical judgments, and form unique interpretations from text. Inference may occur in the form of conclusions, predictions or new ideas.”

 Example:

ÒMaurice loved the feeling of being launched at such fast speeds.  He looked forward to the twists and turns, and the upside down loops.  The park had gotten so expensive that his family could only afford to go once a year, so Maurice would count down the days until he could feel his hair blowing in the wind as he raced around the track.

1. Where does Maurice’s family go once a year?

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
PREDICTION AND INFERENCE? 

ÒWhen you make predictions, your prediction will be proven at the end of the story. When inferring, you may or may not know the answer to your question by the end of the story.

ÒWhen predicting, you are focusing on what will happen in the story.  When inferring, you are making a guess about what a character will do, how a character feels, etc…

ÒPrediction= answered by the end of the story.

ÒInference = may or may not be answered by the end of the story.

Directions: Read the passages and answer the questions.

 1. Josh woke up early on Saturday morning and looked outside the window. The sun was out and it was hot. His dad called to Josh and said, “It is a perfect day, don’t forget to bring a towel!” Josh grabbed a towel and they left the house.

  A. Where do you think Josh and his dad were going?

 2. It was dark. Jack and his mom had taken a long walk near their house. They had gone with some friends. They used a flashlight to see the path and had a lot of fun. They roasted marshmallows when they got home.

A. When did this story take place?
  a. in the afternoon

  b. at lunch

  c. in the morning

  d. at night
B. What might Jack be able to see if he looked at the sky?
  a. a tiny bird

  b. his mom

  c. stars

  d. sun

3. Shanay had never seen so many fish before.  She looked around at the huge tanks and could see hundreds of fish, crabs, shrimp, and all other amazing creatures completely surrounding her.  She never thought she could feel like she was completely underwater, yet still be completely dry. 

  A. Where is Shanay? ____________________________________________________________

4. Michael felt completely sad and completely alone.  He had always counted on his grandfather for help and for guidance.  Now, without him he wasn’t sure what he could do.  The feeling made him even more adamantly opposed to drunk driving.

  A. What happened to Michael’s grandfather?

ÒA prediction is what you think will happen based upon the text, the author, and  background knowledge.

ÒA prediction is an educated guess as to what will happen next.

Example

 ÒDan has always been pretty independent. 
  He has always been willing to do things
  for himself.  His mom has gone to visit his
  aunt for the weekend, and Dan and his dad
  are home alone.  Dan has a baseball game
  tomorrow, but his only uniform is dirty.

ÒInference is reading all of the clues and making your best guess.

ÒIs similar to prediction but they are not the same.  When you infer you are using the clues to draw conclusions about what is being read.

 “Good readers draw inferences from text. Proficient readers use their prior knowledge and the information from the text to draw conclusions, make critical judgments, and form unique interpretations from text. Inference may occur in the form of conclusions, predictions or new ideas.”

1. What will he do?

  a. He will miss the game.

  b. He will wash his uniform.

What is Inference?

 Example

ÒMaurice loved the feeling of being launched at such fast speeds.  He looked forward to the twists and turns, and the upside down loops.  The park had gotten so expensive that his family could only afford to go once a year, so Maurice would count down the days until he could feel his hair blowing in the wind as he raced around the track.

1. Where does Maurice’s family go once a year?

  WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
PREDICTION AND INFERENCE?

ÒWhen you make predictions, your prediction will be proven at the end of the story. When inferring, you may or may not know the answer to your question by the end of the story.

ÒWhen predicting, you are focusing on what will happen in the story.  When inferring, you are making a guess about what a character will do, how a character feels, etc…

ÒPrediction= answered by the end of the story.

Inference = may or may not be answered by the end of the story

 MAKING INFERENCES
 3. Shanay had never seen so many fish before.  She looked around at the huge tanks and could see hundreds of fish, crabs, shrimp, and all other amazing creatures completely surrounding her.  She never thought she could feel like she was completely underwater, yet still be completely dry.

  A. Where is Shanay? ____________________________________________________________

4. Michael felt completely sad and completely alone.  He had always counted on his grandfather for help and for guidance.  Now, without him he wasn’t sure what he could do.  The feeling made him even more adamantly opposed to drunk driving.

  A. What happened to Michael’s grandfather?

Directions: Read the passages and answer the questions.

 1. Josh woke up early on Saturday morning and looked outside the window. The sun was out and it was hot. His dad called to Josh and said, “It is a perfect day, don’t forget to bring a towel!” Josh grabbed a towel and they left the house.

  A. Where do you think Josh and his dad were going?

Thursday 01-05-12

THURSDAY

Cause and Effect Essays

The purpose of the cause and effect essay may be either to analyze or inform. Generally, the cause and effect essay is organized either chronologically or in order of importance. Keep causes and effects clearly defined by using keywords for causes such as because of, due to, since, and leads to. For effects use words like consequently, as a result of, thus, resulting in, and, therefore.

When writing your essay, support each point with evidence that clearly shows its relation to your topic. In cases where your facts don’t clearly support your argument, qualify your statements with phrases like, “the evidence suggests”, “it seems likely,” or “the apparent cause” and words like “possibly,” “probably”, “perhaps”, and “maybe”.

Cause and effect essays explore how and why things happen. You may start with an event, like the Boston Tea Party, and explain why it happened. You could also start with the Boston Tea Party and explore the events that followed.
Follow these instructions when writing an outline of a cause and effect essay:

1.    Decide your essay structure and then outline your essay according to this structure. You can set the essay up with many effects caused by one thing or you can set the essay up with one effect caused by many things.

2.    Brainstorm the causes and effects so you can find the best topics to include in your essay. You want to find a general statement to prove and then find the main causes of the effects you write about. Use these points to form your topic sentences.

3.    Write an introduction with a thesis statement. Place your general statement in the thesis. Then pick three points that will explain or prove your thesis statement. These will be the main three points in your outline structure.

4.    List the first point or statement. This will probably be your first effect. List one or more causes explaining why the effect happened. List your supporting details in point form under the first point. Write a sentence leading into the next paragraph.

5.    Add your next point or statement. List your causes explaining the effect. List your supporting details in point form beneath this statement. Beneath the points, add a lead into the next paragraph.

6.    Repeat the structure for the third cause and effect. List your supporting details in point form and write a lead into the next paragraph.

7.    Insert a conclusion beneath your points tying all the paragraphs together. You now have an essay outline with an introduction, three main statements with point form causes beneath each statement and a conclusion.