Reading Skills & Central Ideas
This is the most important point the author wants you to remember from a text
Central idea
Persuade, Inform, Entertain — these are examples of…
Author's purpose
If you don’t know a word, look at surrounding sentences. These are called…
Context clues
Retelling a text in your own words is called…
Paraphrasing
One article has a central idea about protecting oceans. Another’s central idea is about fishing laws. What is one difference between them?
Their central ideas focus on different topics/aspects
When two articles cover the same topic, what’s one way they can still be different?
Having different perspectives or central ideas
The main statement a writer tries to prove in an argument is called a…
Claim
A word’s emotional or cultural meaning is its…
Connotation
Shortening a text to only the key ideas is called…
Summarizing
An author writes to convince you to recycle more. What is their purpose?
Compare/Contrast is an example of what in a text?
Text structure
Distinguish between a claim and an opinion.
Claim = statement to prove with evidence; opinion = personal belief without proof
In “prehistoric,” what does the prefix “pre-” mean?
Before
What is one difference between paraphrasing and summarizing?
Summarizing keeps only main ideas, paraphrasing keeps all details in new words
The word “joyful” has what kind of connotation?
Positive
If one article lists events from earliest to latest, what structure is being used?
Chronological order
Give one example of evidence an author might use to support a claim.
Statistics, expert opinions, examples
In “He trudged home after the game,” the word “trudged” suggests what feeling?
Tiredness, or reluctance
Summarize: “The hikers packed supplies, checked the map, and began their trek up the mountain.”
The hikers prepared and started climbing the mountain
Summarize in one sentence: “Tom gathered his notes, practiced his speech, and presented it to the class.”
Tom prepared and gave a class speech?
Explain how identifying text structure can help you figure out the central idea of both texts.
It organizes details logically so the main point becomes clear
Explain why knowing the author’s perspective helps you judge their argument
It shows how their viewpoint affects what facts they choose
Explain how context and connotation together help you understand an author’s tone.
Context gives meaning and connotation shapes emotional impact
Explain why summarizing helps you find the central idea.
It forces you to focus only on the most important points
A paragraph lists events in the order they happened. Identify the text structure.
Chronological order