Topic & Main Idea
Patterns of Organization
Inference
Vocabulary in Context
Active Reading
100
What is the topic of a reading?
Who or what it is about
100
What is a pattern of organization in a reading?
A pattern of organization refers to the author's organization of supporting details in a reading.
100
What is an inference?
An inference is a reasonable guess based on the facts in a reading.
100
What is a vocabulary context clue?
A vocabulary context clue is a clue in a reading that helps the reader to guess an unknown word.
100
What is active reading?
Active reading is a reading strategy to help readers understand and remember more of what they read.
200
What is the main idea of a reading?
The main idea of a reading is the author’s most important point. In a paragraph it’s in the topic sentence, and in an essay it’s in the thesis. It is always a complete sentence. It is never a question, but is an answer to a question.
200
How can you identify the pattern of organization in a reading?
Determine the topic. Determine the main idea. Look at the supporting details. Look for keywords. Review the main idea and supporting details and ask yourself what the author is trying to do.
200
What are the steps to infer?
It says (read the facts), I say (use your background), So (make a reasonable guess)
200
What are the four types of vocabulary context clues?
Definition, Synonym, Antonym, Inference
200
What are the steps in the active reading process?
Before reading - preview and build background While reading - ask questions and take notes After reading - review notes and questions, and quiz yourself
300
What are the steps to finding the topic and main idea in a reading?
To find the topic. Look at the title and first line of the paragraph. Look for repeated words. To find the main idea Find the topic. Find the author’s purpose. (inform, instruct, persuade) Ask what the author’s most important point about the topic is. Make sure the major supporting details (subtopics) support what you think is the main idea.
300
What are the 7 patterns of organization we discussed?
random order list specific order list a definition/example classification cause/effect problem/solution compare/contrast
300
What are a few things that you can infer from a reading?
Vocabulary meaning, predictions, implied main ideas, author's position
300
What are the steps to guess an unknown word using context clues?
Decide the part of speech of the unknown word. Look for a context clue. Make a guess.
300
What are the steps to preview?
Read the title. Read the first paragraph. Read the headings. Read the first sentence of each body paragraph. Read the conclusion.
400
What is the topic in the following passage? Stress becomes dangerous when it interferes with your ability to live a normal life for an extended period of time. You may feel out of control. This may make you feel fatigued, unable to concentrate, or irritable.
Stress
400
What is the pattern of organization in the following sentence? There are several different types of memory: episodic, declarative, and procedural.
classification
400
What can be inferred about the relationship between chimpanzees and humans in the following sentence? Human DNA is 98% identical to chimpanzee DNA.
They are related or descend from common ancestors. -Answers may vary
400
What is the meaning of the word exhilarating in the sentence below? In contrast to the boring textbook, the instructor gave an exhilarating lecture.
Exciting; not boring
400
Preview the passage below in 30 seconds. What is the topic? Setting goals is critical in college success. The more you can see these goals the better. The reason for this, says psychologist Ken Christian, is that a goal transforms your brain to find what is most relevant to you and prioritize.
Setting goals and college success
500
What is the main idea in the following passage? Coping is a way to deal with stress. There are several ways to do this. Sometimes people cope by trying to solve the problem at hand; for example, you may cope with a roommate by moving out. At other times, people focus on how they feel about the situation and deal with it at the emotional level. Sometimes people just redefine the problem as not stressful.
There are several ways to cope with stress.
500
What is the pattern of organization for the following passage? Adults need about eight hours of sleep each night, but young people need even more. "Kids from 10-18 need a little more than nine hours of sleep on average," says Mary Carskadon, a sleep researcher.
Compare/contrast
500
What can be inferred about chimpanzees from the following passage? The average amount of genetic difference between any two chimpanzees is four or five times more than the average difference between any two humans, which is 0.2%.
Humans have less genetic diversity than chimpanzees. -Answers may vary
500
What is the meaning of the word obscure in the sentence below? The teacher used obscure words. Most of the time I could not understand her.
Unclear; uncertain
500
Preview the following passage in 30 seconds. What is the topic? There are many ways to avoid success, but the most effective way to avoid success is procrastination. Procrastination, or waiting until the last minute to do things, is a big obstacle to success.
Procrastination
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