Text Features
Paraphrasing
Main Ideas
Inferencing
Text Structures
100
A text feature that provides an outline of the text, including page numbers, and helps a reader locate certain information.
What is a table of contents?
100
Some planets have many moons, but Earth has just one. The moon, which has almost no atmosphere, is dusty, and covered with craters.
What is... "Earth's one moon is dusty and covered with craters, and it has almost no atmosphere."
100
Beavers make dramatic changes to the environment. When beavers build a dam across a river, they create a pond or even a lake. The new lake becomes a home for birds, fish, and other kinds of wildlife.
What is..."Beavers greatly impact the environment."
100
Spiders belong to a group of animals called arachnids. They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. All spiders have eight legs, but they have different numbers of eyes-two, four, six or eight. And even though no spiders have wings, all of them have fangs.
What is ..."I can infer spiders are not insects."
100
A text structure in which a specific person, place, thing, or idea is described with many details.
What is description?
200
A text feature that provides definitions of domain-specific vocabulary within the text.
What is a glossary?
200
The black part of your eye is called the pupil. Its job is to let the right amount of light into your eye so you can see. If you are in the bright sun, your pupil will be small because there is plenty of light.
What is..."Your pupil allows the right amount of light to enter your eye. If you are in a place with lots of light your pupil will be smaller because it doesn't need to collect as much light for you to see."
200
Kangaroos are very social animals. They spend most of their time in groups called mobs. Kangaroos communicate with each other with clicks, coughs, hisses, and growls. They also groom each other by picking dirt, insects, and dead skin from each other's fur.
What is... "Kangaroos interact with each other often and in unique ways."
200
Wolves live in family groups called packs. They have thick fur to help them live in any type of climate. Wolves usually give birth to four to seven live pups in a litter. Female wolves nurse their young until they're old enough to eat solid food. The whole pack helps in raising the pups.
What is..."I can infer wolves are mammals."
200
A text structure in which the differences or similarities of two or more things are described.
What is compare and contrast?
300
A text feature that provides additional information for a photograph or drawing.
What is a caption?
300
Dogs make great pets, but they can have important jobs too. Service dogs are trained to help people who are blind or deaf. They can also help people with emotional issues such as post traumatic stress syndrome. They can even detect seizures before they occur as well as some kind of illnesses.
What is..."Service dogs assist people who are blind, deaf, or have emotional problems. Sometimes they can even detect illnesses and seizures."
300
Incense cedar wood is perfect for pencils. Unlike many other kinds of wood, it does not break easily, but is soft enough to be sharpened without splintering. It also won't bend or warp in hot temperatures.
What is..."Pencils can be made out of incense cedar wood because it is durable and easy to sharpen."
300
In the Middle Ages, you could blame someone in your town for committing a crime. The "criminal" could then challenge you to a fight to prove his guilt or innocence. If you lost the fight, you were charged as a liar and the "criminal" was believed to be innocent. If you won, the "criminal" was believed to be guilty.
What is..."I can infer crime laws were unfair in the Middle Ages."
300
A text structure in which a relationship between an event and what happens because of the event is described.
What is cause and effect?
400
A text feature that is organized in alphabetical order and includes page numbers where certain words and topics can be found.
What is an index?
400
Tsunamis are giant waves that are usually caused by undersea earthquakes. In 2004, a massive earthquake in Indonesia triggered a devastating tsunami. Waves reached heights of more than 100 feet and 227, 898 people lost their lives.
What is..."In Indonesia in 2004 there was a massive tsunami caused by an earthquake under the ocean. The waves were gigantic and and over 200, 000 people died."
400
The thick, white coat of an Arctic fox has two important jobs. First, it keeps the fox warm in freezing temperatures. Second, it helps the fox to blend into the snowy landscape so that it can hide from predators and sneak up on prey without being seen.
What is..."The Arctic fox's coat protects it from cold temperatures and predators."
400
In 1620, the Pilgrims set sail on the Mayflower for the long, perilous journey to America. Many passengers feared for their lives during the powerful thunderstorms. They only had enough food for a few short months. It was a time of great concern for everyone on board.
What is.."I can infer the word perilous means dangerous."
400
A text structure in which events taking place over time or a sequence of events are described.
What is sequence or chronological order?
500
A diagram which displays a comparison of two or more quantities.
What is a graph?
500
The United Nations (UN) was founded in 1945 after World War II. The purpose of the UN is to promote cooperation and peace throughout the world based on the principles of justice, human dignity, and the well-being of all people.
What is.."After World War II the United Nations was founded to promote world peace based on fairness and wellness for everyone."
500
In many developing countries people are using solar ovens to heat water and cook food. Solar ovens use energy from the sun. When a family uses a solar oven to cook their food, they do not have to collect wood for fuel or spend money to buy fuel. Sunlight is free!
What is..."Free energy from the sun can be used to cook food."
500
Jackie Robinson did something nobody had ever done before. He was the first African-American to play on a Major League Baseball team-the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson had to deal with racism all over the country. But, Whenever things got difficult, his courage and determination kept him going.
What is..."I can infer Jackie Robinson is a great figure in history."
500
A text structure in which certain ways an issue is, or could be, solved are explained.
What is problem and solution?
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