Paraphrasing
Supporting Details
Main Idea
Inferences
Theme
100
What is a paraphrase?
-A paraphrase is a passage in your own writing that is borrowed from a source and rewritten in your own words.
100
What are supporting details?
-Supporting details give you more information on the main idea -These details tell why, how, where or when the main idea happened
100
What is main idea?
The main idea is the key concept or most important point being addressed in a paragraph.
100
What is an inference?
An inference is making a prediction based on your previous knowledge and what you have read.
100

What does "theme" mean?

Theme is the message or lesson of the story. It is the most important or most recurring idea in a piece of fiction text.

200
Why do we paraphrase?
Any of the following will suffice: -We paraphrase to avoid plagiarism -We paraphrase to strengthen our own writing -We paraphrase to add more evidence to our writing
200
Why are supporting details important?
-These details connect to the main idea and help us fully understand the main idea and what is happening in the text -They can also help us make inferences and draw conclusions
200
Why is main idea important?
There are several reasons: - Readers will not know the purpose of the paragraph. - Readers must be able to understand the main idea of each paragraph so they can follow the author’s greater vision. - As readers, we cannot remember every single word so getting the gist is essential to our comprehension.
200

Why is finding the theme of a work important?

Finding the theme is important because it helps readers fully understand what the story is about and what the author wanted us to learn

300
Paraphrase the following passage: Orchids require humidity and warm temperatures to thrive, and raising them in a dry climate can be a challenge.
Exemplar response: Growing orchids where it is dry is difficult because they need humidity and warmth to do well.
400
Identify three supporting details in the following passage: "Trained Monkeys Light Fireworks in Downtown Miami" Fireworks were not the only spectacle to observe in Miami, Florida. On Wednesday, July 04, 2012, at precisely 9:30 p.m., trained monkeys lighted fireworks in downtown Miami for the entire city to see. The monkeys set off the fireworks in celebration of America’s birth day. In order to protect the highly sensitive animals from potential danger, scientists allowed them to press automatic buttons which would release the multi-colored explosions into the air.
Exemplar student response will have identified three sentences that answer the when, why, where, how and sometimes the who or what
400

What is the main idea of the following passage? 

Even kids can help kids. Courtney Watson, a second grader who will join walkers in New York City, said, "I think it would be really helpful if a lot of people walked to help the World Food Program and learned about hunger." People who can't join a real walk can help with a virtual walk on the Web site www.fighthunger.org. One healthy meal a day doesn't just save lives. It also gives kids the energy to get an education, which can help them make their lives better when they grow up.

The main idea is that everyone can help fight hunger.

400

Based on the following title, what is this movie most likely about? "Hollywood Must Stop Glamorizing Smoking in Movies"

This movie is most likely about movies showing smoking make smoking look cool.

400

The Ants and the Grasshopper The ants worked all summer long gathering food. The grasshopper, on the other hand, spent all his days singing. When winter came, the ants had plenty to eat, but the grasshopper had nothing. The grasshopper went to the ants and begged them for some food. They laughed and said to him, “You were foolish enough to sing all summer while we worked, and now you must live with the result. You will have no food from us.” Which of the following best describes the theme of this piece? A.Ants are rarely nice, especially to other insects. B.People who like to sing deserve whatever happens to them. 

C.If you don’t work, you don’t eat. 

D.It’s a good idea to make friends with people before you try asking them for food.

The answer is C. (If you don't work, you don't eat.

500
Identify the supporting details in the following passage: Last month, Mark Norell, a paleontologist at New York City’s American Museum of Natural History, came across an auction catalog. It featured a Tyrannosaurus bataar skeleton that was for sale to the highest bidder. According to the catalog, the dino was found in Great Britain. Norell knew immediately that something was wrong. This type of dinosaur, discovered in 1946, roamed the Earth some 70 million years ago in what is now Mongolia, a nation in Asia. Norell also knew that in Mongolia it is a crime to send fossils out of the country. Norell wondered what the 8-foot high, 24-foot long skeleton was doing in New York City and why it was up for sale. The fossil scientist wrote a letter to other paleontologists. “As someone who is intimately familiar with [dinosaurs], these specimens were undoubtedly looted from Mongolia,” he said.
Exemplar response will identify the what, when, where, why and how
500

What is the main idea of the following passage? This minute, furry creature's body is about 8 inches (20 cm) long, with a tail of another 3 inches (7.5 cm). It weighs only about 0.8 ounces (23 g). It's been around North America for a long time; scientists have found 40- million-year-old fossils of the tiny creature's ancestors!

The main idea is that the white-footed mouse is very small.

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