5 Ws
Which sentence best adds the “Why” without fluff?:
“Firefighters responded quickly when a kitchen fire broke out in a local apartment…”
Because a resident threw water on a grease fire.
Because it was scary and smoky and everyone was running.
A
“Sometimes people have to lose something important before they realize its value.”
Is this statement a main idea or a theme?
Identify and correct the error:
“The journalist wrote there story quickly.”
The journalist wrote their story quickly.
Connect these ideas with a transition word:
“Students cheered for their team. The coach gave a short speech.”
Students cheered for their team while the coach gave a short speech.
Argument or explanation:
The student could not give her speech because she forgot her notes.
Which of the 5Ws is missing?
“On Monday afternoon, students at Strickland Middle School gathered in the gym to hear about new safety rules.”
Why
Main idea: A student starts a small recycling program at school, even when others tease her for caring too much about the environment.
What theme can you infer from this main idea?
Fix the subject-verb agreement:
“Students was excited for the assembly.”
Students were excited for the assembly.
Revise this sentence down to at least 6 words:
“The main point of the article is mainly about teamwork.”
The article's main idea is teamwork.
Argument or explanation:
Dogs are loyal companions because they protect and comfort their owners.
Argument
Which of the 5Ws is missing?
“A family rescued a stray dog after a thunderstorm destroyed part of their fence.”
Why
Main idea: A new student lies about his background to fit in with friends, but later admits the truth and feels relieved.
What theme could a reader draw from this main idea?
It can be a relief to be your true self.
Add a comma in the right place:
“Before the bell rings students should already be seated.”
"Before the bell rings, students should already be seated."
Fill in the blank the best transition word:
“The students were exhausted after the game. _________, they still had homework to finish.”
The students were exhausted after the game. However, they still had homework to finish.
“All the students in journalism club love writing. Maria is in journalism club. Therefore, Maria loves writing.”
What kind of reasoning is this?
Deductive reasoning
Identify all 5Ws:
“At 8 a.m. Friday, city workers began repairing a burst water main on Elm Street to restore water service to nearby homes.”
Who: City workers
What: Repair a water main
When: 8 a.m. on Friday
Where: Elm Street
Why: To restore water service
What shared theme do these texts express?
Text 1: In a news article, a high-school student describes organizing a fundraiser to help families after a flood.
Text 2: In a short story, a boy secretly repairs his neighbor’s damaged fence after a storm, even though they’ve argued for years.
Disasters can sometimes strengthen community.
Punctuate the sentence correctly:
The coach yelled Don’t quit! and everyone cheered
The coach yelled, "Don't quit!" And everyone cheered.
Break up this run-on into two complete sentences:
“The reporter ran across campus she wanted the first interview it was raining hard but she didn’t stop.”
The reporter ran across campus. She wanted the first interview; it was raining hard, but she didn't stop.
“Ten students from Strickland brought lunch from home today. Students at Strickland must prefer home lunches.”
What kind of reasoning is this?
Inductive reasoning
Change the punctuation or structure to fix the error:
The editor liked the story, she asked for more sources.
The editor liked the story, so she asked for more sources.
Combine these two sentences into one using correct punctuation:
“The journalist missed the deadline. She didn’t double-check her facts. She was in a hurry.”
Because the journalist missed her deadline, she was in a hurry and didn't double-check her facts.
“The newspaper is missing from the teacher’s desk. There are crumbs and a coffee cup nearby. The teacher probably took it to the lounge.”
What kind of reasoning is this?
Abductive reasoning