When did it happen?
Using the story your teacher gave you, choose if the detail happened at the beginning or the ending of the story.
Pip grabbed the ball with his long front teeth...
ending
Using the story, Barnaby and the Shiny Desert Trap, answer the question.
Who helped Barnaby solve his problem?
a. Barnaby
b. the hiker
c. Pip
c. Pip
discuss why the other answers are not correct
Central Idea: Dogs make great family pets.
Which detail supports this central idea?
A) Dogs are friendly and love to play fetch with kids.
B) Some cats like to sleep in the sun all day.
C) Fish live in clean water tanks.
A
Most plants get all their food from sunlight and soil. However, the Venus flytrap is carnivorous—it grows in poor soil, so it traps live insects inside its sticky leaves and digests them for nutrients.
What does carnivorous mean?
A) Sleeping through the cold winter
B) Growing underwater in deep lakes
C) Meat-eating or insect-eating
C) Meat-eating or insect-eating
discuss which context clue you used (IDEA)
What does CENTRAL IDEA mean?
It means what the text is mostly about.
Using the story your teacher gave you, choose if the detail happened at the beginning or the ending of the story.
Barnaby happily munched on real, crunchy wildflowers in the shade of his cool burrow.
ending
Using the story, Barnaby and the Shiny Desert Trap, answer the question.
When does the story take place?
a. in the afternoon
b. the Mojave Desert
c. in a burrow
a. in the afternoon
discuss the difference between WHEN and WHERE
Central Idea: Rain is very important for plants.
Which detail supports this central idea?
A) Rain clouds are dark and gray in the sky.
B) Rain gives plants the water they need to grow strong and healthy.
C) Many people like to wear yellow boots on rainy days.
B
A chameleon changes color using special cells inside its skin. When the lizard gets cold or stressed, these cells spread out a natural skin pigment—a color material that turns its bright green skin into dark brown or black to absorb heat.
What does pigment mean?
A) A substance that creates color
B) A sharp claw used for climbing
C) A loud sound made to warn enemies
A) A substance that creates color
discuss which context clue you used (IDEA)
Name at least 2 places in a text that help you determine the central idea. There is a total of 4.
(It's on the poster!)
-title/heading
-repeated words
-pictures
-first and last sentence (topic and closing sentence)
Using the story your teacher gave you, choose if the detail happened at the beginning or the ending of the story.
Barnaby went looking for yellow wildflowers.
beginning
Using the story, Barnaby and the Shiny Desert Trap, answer the question.
Where does the story take place?
a. in the afternoon
b. the Mojave Desert
c. in a pond
B. the Mojave Desert
Central Idea: Libraries are helpful places in our community.
Which detail supports this central idea?
A) Books have colorful covers and many pages.
B) You can borrow books, movies, and computers for free at a library.
C) Schools have long hallways and big classrooms.
B
The Sahara is an extremely arid land. It receives less than three inches of rain each year, leaving the soil bone-dry and making it hard for most plants to grow.
What does arid mean?
A) Covered in thick ice
B) Very dry with little rain
C) Full of deep rivers
B) Very dry with little rain
discuss which context clue you used (IDEA)
Using the text the teacher gave you, what would be another good title for the passage?
a. All About the Desert
b. Sea Turtles
c. The Life of Desert Turtles
C. The Life of Desert Turtles
Discuss why the other answers are NOT correct
Using the story your teacher gave you, choose if the detail happened at the beginning or the ending of the story.
Barnaby spotted a smooth blue plastic ball left behind by a hiker.
beginning
Using the story, Barnaby and the Shiny Desert Trap, answer the question.
How did Pip help Barnaby solve his problem?
a. With his long teeth and strong legs.
b. He yelled, HELP!" with his loud voice.
c. He gathered yellow wildflowers for him.
a. with his long teeth and strong legs.
Discuss why the other answers are not correct.
Central Idea: Bees have an important job in nature.
Which detail supports this central idea?
A) Bees carry pollen from flower to flower so new plants can grow.
B) Yellow and black are bright colors.
C) Bears like to eat sweet honey from beehives.
A
Mount Rainier is a famous volcano in Washington state. Scientists classify it as dormant because it has not erupted in over 100 years, but it still has deep heat inside and could wake up and erupt again in the future.
What does dormant mean?
A) Erupting with hot lava right now
B) Temporarily inactive or sleeping
C) Completely destroyed and gone forever
B) Temporarily inactive or sleeping
discuss which context clue you used (IDEA)
What is the central idea of paragraph 1?
A. The Mojave Desert is a very hot and dry place where animals must adapt to survive.
B. All plants in the desert need lots of water to grow.
C. The desert turtle is the only animal that lives in the desert.
A. The Mojave Desert is a very hot and dry place where animals must adapt to survive.
Put these three events in the order they happened in the story: You can practice annotating by numbering the events in the story to make sure they are correct!
-The ball popped right off!
-Pip rolled the plastic away to keep the desert clean.
-Barnaby’s beak got stuck tight in the hard plastic!
Barnaby’s beak got stuck tight in the hard plastic!
The ball popped right off!
Pip rolled the plastic away to keep the desert clean.
Using the story, Barnaby and the Shiny Desert Trap, answer the question.
What is Barnaby's problem in the middle of the story that is resolved by the end?
a. There was no food to eat in the hot desert.
b. Barnaby’s beak got stuck tight in the hard plastic.
c. Barnaby found a shiny plastic ball to play with.
B. Barnaby’s beak got stuck tight in the hard plastic.
Discuss how the other choices could be tricky if you're not careful.
Central Idea: Eating fruits and vegetables helps keep your body healthy.
Which detail supports this central idea?
A) Apples can be red, green, or yellow.
B) Ice cream comes in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.
C) Fruits and vegetables are full of vitamins that help you fight off sickness.
C
Sea otters spend almost their whole lives in the ocean. Thanks to their thick, air-trapping fur, sea otters are naturally buoyant, which lets them float effortlessly on their backs while eating, resting, and taking care of their pups.
What does buoyant mean?
A) Able to float in water
B) Able to swim deep below the surface
C) Strong enough to fight predators
A) Able to float in water
discuss which context clue you used (IDEA)
Part A: The central idea of paragraph 4 is water and food can be hard to find.
Part B: What information in paragraph 4 supports your answer in Part A?
a. The desert is very hot and dry.
b. The turtle drinks as much water as it can.
c. Turtles dig burrows to stay cool.
B. The turtle drinks as much water as it can.
discuss why the other answers are not correct