Vocabulary in Context
"We should bear in mind, of course, that other causes of death for this age group are rare: adolescents are less likely than either children or adults to die from health-related causes. At the same time, they are more likely to take risks that result in accidents, even fatal accidents."
WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF FATAL?
Deadly
"At the same time, the prefrontal cortex—which stops us acting on impulse and inhibits risk-taking—is not yet mature."
The author is giving us a simplified _______ of prefrontal cortex (aka meaning of the word).
definition
List the five different types of text structure that we've discussed.
chronological/sequential, cause and effect, problem/solution, compare and contrast, description
Identify the colon.
A. ( )
B. :
C. ;
D. ,
B. :
What is a text feature?
Any information beyond the normal text
"In young adolescents, the limbic system is already mature and particularly sensitive to the rewarding feeling that risk-taking sometimes elicits." WHAT IS THE MEANING OF MATURE?
fully developed
"Adolescents are given more independence than children, spend more time unsupervised, and are allowed and indeed encouraged to make their own decisions."
THIS IS A _____ OF EXAMPLES TO CLARIFY THE AUTHOR'S POINT ON WHY ADOLESCENTS ARE SEEN AS MORE LIKELY TO TAKE RISKS.
list
What key words might signal the author is using cause/effect structure?
As a result, if/then, why
What is the meaning of connotation?
The feeling that is associated with a word i.e. confident vs. cocky.
This text feature is paired with a photo or other visual to explain what is being shown.
a caption
"At the same time, the prefrontal cortex—which stops us acting on impulse and inhibits risk-taking—is not yet mature" WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF IMPULSE?
A. the end of an argument
B. the ability to control yourself
C. a strong desire to do something
D. a need to stop
C. a strong desire to do something
"It is worth noting that death is fortunately rare, with survival rates of North American high-school students at over 99.5 per cent."
a statistic/fact
When first born, a child's brain is 25% of its adult size. Then, by age 6, it has reached 90-95% development. Finally, at age 25, the brain undergoes a “remodeling” process.
WHAT IS THE TEXT STRUCTURE?
chronological/sequential
The urge to seek out rewarding and pleasurable experiences is a mixed blessing. On the plus side, it’s part of what makes it so much fun to be a teenager. But sometimes this drive is so intense that adolescents can exhibit a sort of reward tunnel vision.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS PARAGRAPH?a. to argue that teens need more restrictions
b. to explain the necessary steps for adolescent development
c. to present information on the reasons behind adolescent behavior
d. to entertain the reader as they recall their own experiences as an adolescent
c. to present information on the reasons behind adolescent behavior
This is the text feature that visualizes data, like the one that showed the difference between adolescent and adult mice.
graph or chart
"Adolescents are given more independence than children, spend more time unsupervised, and are allowed and indeed encouraged to make their own decisions" WHAT IS THE MEANING OF UNSUPERVISED?
A. not being super
B. doing well
C. being watched over
D. not being watched over
D. not being watched over
But is it as simple as this? Do all adolescents take risks?
rhetorical question
Adolescents are given more independence than children, spend more time unsupervised, and are allowed and indeed encouraged to make their own decisions—all opening up opportunities for increased exploration and risk-taking. In contrast, parents typically set boundaries and constraints on the decisions of younger children, who are not able to take as many risks as they might otherwise.
WHAT IS THE TEXT STRUCTURE?
compare and contrast
Society stereotypes adolescents, and particularly adolescent boys, as reckless risk-takers. But is it as simple as this? Do all adolescents take risks? In some contexts, adolescents actually avoid risk-taking... And, when adolescents do take risks, there’s probably good reason for it.
WHAT IS THE AUTHOR'S PURPOSE FOR THIS PARAGRAPH?
To argue that the stereotype of reckless adolescent risk takers is wrong.
This text feature goes at the bottom of the page. It gives additional information. In our texts, it frequently gives definitions of words in the text.
footnote.
Joshua used sound reasoning to explain why he didn't do his chores, so he didn't get in trouble. In this context, sound means...
A. a loud noise
B. error filled
C. error free
D. inconsistent
C. error free
"Ron Dahl, from the University of California in Berkeley, has referred to this as the ‘paradox of adolescence...’"
expert quote
This combination of advanced (but not yet totally mature) reasoning and heightened sensation-seeking explains why otherwise intelligent adolescents often do surprisingly foolish things. More important, the fact that teenagers’ ability to control their impulses is immature at the same time that their interest in sensation seeking is stronger than ever makes them vulnerable to making mistakes.
WHAT IS THE TEXT STRUCTURE?
cause and effect
This is the ‘paradox of adolescence’: in the period of life during which people are at their healthiest and fittest, there is still mortality, caused mostly by accidents that are, in principle, largely preventable.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE COLON?
a. The information after the colons provides the definition of a key phrase.
b. The information after the colons provides lists of characteristics needed to be a responsible adolescent.
c. The information after the colons provides the exact information to prove the claims the author is making about reckless adolescents.
d. The information after the colons provides further examples of mature adolescents.
a. The information after the colons provides the definition of a key phrase.
That’s not to say that risk-taking isn’t a serious problem: the leading cause of death in adolescence and young adulthood in Western countries is accidents, and these are sometimes a result of risk-taking—primarily reckless driving.
How would a bar graph of the causes of death for adolescents affect the author's purpose of this paragraph?
a. It would show why adolescents are the most dangerous drivers.
b. It would illustrate the frequency of accidents that occurred in Western countries vs. other countries
c. It would emphasize the difference in the number of adolescent deaths caused by accidents compared to other causes.
d. It would compare how many accidents resulted in fatalities versus accidents that only resulted in injuries.
c. It would emphasize the difference in the number of adolescent deaths caused by accidents compared to other causes.