Summarizing
What are the three most important things you should look for when summarizing a fictional story?
Characters, key events, and the main problem/solution.
How does a caption help you understand a picture in a nonfiction text?
It explains what the picture shows and adds important information.
A passage describes a problem and suggests ways to fix it. What text structure is this?
Problem and solution.
What strategy helps you figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar word in a sentence?
Using context clues.
What does the prefix re- mean in the word “redo”?
To do again.
Read this short passage:
"Maria trained all summer for the big race. She felt nervous but ready. When the race began, she fell behind, but she didn’t give up and finished in third place."
What is the best summary?
Maria trained, ran a race, struggled at first, but didn’t give up and finished third.
Which text feature would help you find the meaning of a bolded science word?
A glossary.
You read two paragraphs that describe how two animals are alike and different. What text structure is used?
Compare and contrast.
In the sentence, “The puppy was timid around new people,” what is the meaning of timid based on context?
Shy or nervous.
If un- means “not,” what does unfair mean?
Not fair.
Explain why a summary should not include your opinion.
Because a summary should only focus on the author’s key ideas, not what the reader thinks.
You’re reading an article with a timeline. How does the timeline help you understand the text better?
It shows events in the order they happened, helping you understand the sequence.
What clues help you identify a cause and effect structure?
Words like “because,” “as a result,” and “therefore.”
What is a synonym, and why is it useful?
A word with a similar meaning; it helps you understand unfamiliar words.
The suffix -ful means “full of.” What does the word helpful mean?
Full of help or giving help.
A student writes:
"The article is really interesting, and I liked how the author described the rainforest animals."
Why is this NOT a correct summary?
It includes opinions and does not restate the important ideas from the article.
If you want to locate a specific section quickly, which text feature should you use and why?
The table of contents because it lists section titles with page numbers.
Why might an author use a sequence text structure when writing a procedural text?
To show the steps clearly in the order they must be done.
If you replace a word with an antonym, how does it affect the sentence?
It changes the meaning to the opposite
What does the prefix pre- in “preview” tell you about when something happens?
It happens before.
How can identifying the central idea help you create a stronger summary of nonfiction text?
It helps you focus on the author’s main point so you choose the most important supporting details for your summary.
Explain how headings and subheadings support comprehension.
They break the text into sections and tell what each part is mainly about
A text explains what whales are like and describes their features. What text structure is this, and how do you know?
Description — it gives details about the characteristics of a topic.
A sentence says: “The athlete demonstrated exceptional endurance.”
Using context, what does endurance most likely mean?
The ability to keep going for a long time.
If the root word “act” means “to do” and -ion means “the act of,” what does “action” mean?
The act of doing something.