do you agree or disagree?

Do you agree or disagree?Your brain has the capacity to learn an average of 4,000 to 12,000 new words each year just by reading.

Explain your opinion.

Words are important!

• understand what you read,• the smarter you will sound

when you talk,• and the more successful

you will be in school.

The more words you know, the more you will

DefinitionA word’s context is the words, phrases, and sentences around the word you don’t know. Many of these words, phrases, and sentences give you clues to help you figure out the meaning of the word. When you bump into a difficult word, DON’T stop reading! Use the context clues that the author leaves to figure out what the word means.

“He’s a great teacher. He builds you up, and he puts you in situations where you can make plays.”

Brad Johnsonquarterback

The “Secret”

• Don’t give up.• Look back and look ahead.• Think about what you already know.• Use the clues and what you know to figure out the meaning of the hard word.



Practice The first time I met Mongoose, I was in awe. He towered over me like a lighthouse. In

fact, he was so tizzillwizzil that I barely stood up to his waist. I even had to reach up over my head to shake his enormous hand.



Practice

from Experiencing World History

Most castles had high walls and were surrounded by a water-filled ditch called a moat.

_____________



Practice

A tilapia is a kind of fish.



Practice

He says his laughter was unintentional, but I think He laughed on purpose.



Practice

The aging house stood isolated and decrepit. The roof sagged and most of the windows were broken. The once beautiful garden were choked with thorny brambles. For years no living thing had entered the front door.



Practice

from The Sultan’s Perfect Tree

There was once a sultan who loved perfection. In his palace he would allow only the most perfect things. Each fruit that he ate had to be without blemish. Each cup that he drank from had to be without flaw.

______________



PracticeVincent van Gogh, Go, Go

You may know of Vincent van Gogh as the mentally disturbed painter who cut off his ear or as the brilliant impressionist artist who painted such masterpieces as The Starry Night. Whatever you may think about him, van Gogh’s paintings are among the most prized in the world. Van Gogh produced hundreds of paintings and drawings. However, his career only lasted about ten years. He was a speedy painter, and he produced a lot of artwork, considering the shortness of his career. In fact, he was so prolific that he painted a canvas every day for the last seventy days of his life. He died when he was thirty-seven.



A. disturbed

B. talented

C. old

D. productive

What does the word prolific mean in the second paragraph?

Word Parts

Oh, no!!

You can’t figure out the meaning of a word using context clues.

Then …

Look at the parts of the word to figure out what it means.

Word Parts

PREFIX ROOT SUFFIX



Common roots

• and hear audio

• dic say, tell dictate

• fact do, make manufacture

• scrib write script

• chron time chronometer



Common prefixes

• pre before preview

• un not unbelievable

• re again rewrite

• tri three triangle

• bio living biology



Common suffixes

• ism the act of criticism

• logy the study of dermatology

• meter measure kilometer

• phobia fears something arachnophobia

• phone sound telephone



The “Secret”

• Don’t give up.• Look at the word parts.• Think about what you already know.• Use the word parts and what you know to figure out the meaning of the hard word.



Practice

What do these words mean?

mechanize

cosmology

prehistoric

chronology

unrelated

Multiple-meaning Words

Multiple-meaning words

Some words have more than one meaning.

How can you choose the word’s correct meaning?



Dictionary definition

_sheet \’shet\ noun 1. A large piece of cloth used on a bed 2. a piece of paper 3. a rope or chain attached to a boat’s sail



Multiple-meaning words

What does the word sheet mean in the sentences below?

When making your bed, be sure to tuck in the sheet.

When you are through with the test, turn in your answer sheet.



The “Secret”

• Go back to the passage.• Look at the surrounding words.• Look at the surrounding sentences.• Think about the author’s intent.• Choose the correct definition.



Practice

Marty scrambled the eggs with a beater, mixing in bits of onion and pepper.

_____

_____John scrambled quickly across the rock.

scramble \ ‘skram-b l\ v 1. to move with urgency or panic 2. to struggle eagerly for possession of something 3. To gather something with difficulty 4. To toss or mix together

e



Practice

Susan was too busy straining water out of the pasta to answer the phone.

____

____Straining to hear through the loud radio, John thought he heard the doorbell ring.

strain \’stran\ v 1. to filter to remove 2. to squeeze tightly 3. to stretch beyond a proper limit 4. to put forth extreme effort

__



Practice

The cowboy tried to contain the wild horses in the wooden corral, but it wasn’t big enough to hold them all.

____

____Mary could barely contain her disappointment, though she tried to hide her feelings.

contain \k n-tan\ v 1. to include as part of 2. to fit or accommodate 3. to restrain oneself 4. to encircle or enclose

__e

?

Part of speech

AlternativeDefinition

Geometry To touch another curve or another part of the samecurve so as to havethe same tangentand curvatureat the point of contact

noun

osculation

Used incontextTheir final

__________was full of passionas the young soldierleft to go to war.

definition

touch withthe lips

Figurative Language



Definition

Authors use figurative language to help create pictures in your mind. Figurative language helps you see ordinary things in an unusual way. Authors also use figurative language to make you feel a certain way (mood).



Practice

The stream was a ribbon of light.



Practice

The bed was as soft as a cloud.



Practice

As the sky darkened into evening, the factory stood at attention. Suddenly, the factory’s smokestacks began to sputter and belch loudly, the smokestacks filled the evening sky with a blanket of thick dark-gray smoke. The factory seemed to laugh as it choked the city with its foul-smelling breath.

Denotation/Connotation



Definition

The denotation of a word is its dictionary definition or meaning.

The connotation of a word is the feelings you feel when you read or say a word.



Practice

cheap thrifty stubborn determined

cooking cuisineconceited confident

Do you agree or disagree?These are the steps that your brain uses when you are reading to understand the author’s ideas.

Steps

1. Identify the topic.

2. Write a summary.

3. Locate the details.

4. Find the main idea.


Reading paragraphs/passagesThere are two steps to understanding a paragraph/ passage.

• Find the topic• Find the main idea



Topic

The topic is what the paragraph/passage is about.



• Ask yourself, “What’s the main thing being written about in this paragraph/passage?”

• Read the title or heading.• Read the first sentence.• Notice key words or

repeated words.

The “Secret”



Practicefrom “The Cowboys Arrive”

As ranching grew in the Southwest in the mid 1800s, a new figure arose – the cowboy. Many cowboy stories tell about brave men who captured wild horses by day and told jokes around the campfires at night. But real cowboys worked long hours for little pay. They risked their lives in blizzards to guard herds on the open prairies. They rounded up cattle and branded them by burning their ranch’s mark into the animals’ hides. And the cowboys drove cattle hundreds of miles to railroads so that they could be shipped across the country.

Main Idea and Details

Main Idea

The main idea of a paragraph/passage answers the questions “What is the paragraph/passage mostly about?”



• Sometimes the author clearly states the main idea.

• Sometimes the author makes you use details (clues) from the passage to find the main idea.

• Sometimes the author puts the main idea in different places within the paragraph.

Main Idea



Details

Details are located in the sentences around the main idea that relate to or support the main idea. Details answer the questions why?, what?, when?, where?, and how?



• Find the topic.• Look for details (clues) that

help you decide what the author thinks is important about the topic.

• Put the topic and the details together to state the main idea in your own words.

The “Secret”



Practice

from “Split-Screen View”

If you’ve every tried to swat a fly, you know it’s hard to hit. That’s because a fly can detect moving objects extremely well. Flies view the world through compound eyes – eyes with multiple lenses. Each lens faces a different direction and views a small part of a scene. The parts add up to a complete picture in the insect’s brain, which tells a fly to fly away fast!



Practice

from The Magic Paintbrush

Reverently he removed the wrapping and held up a black-and-white photo. It seemed to be of someone’s living room. On a table sat a big, old-fashioned radio. In front of it a man and woman stood together. The man was in a tuxedo, and the woman was in a fluffy gown. They were holding hands, as if they were about to dance. They were so young, they didn’t look like his parents.



Practice

from “The Birds’ Peace”

On the day Kristy’s father went off to war, she burst out the back door and ran down the path to the woods. Her eyes hurt. Her chest burned. She crossed the bridge over the purling stream and dashed into the lean-to she and her father had built near the edge of the flower-filled woodland meadow.

Summary

Summary

A summary is a short paragraph that restates the main idea and the most important details from the beginning, the middle, and the end of a passage. A summary tells what the entire passage is about. A summary is usually several sentences written in your own words.



• Reread the passage.• Look for the main idea and

important details in the beginning, in the middle, and in the end of the passage.

• Put the ideas from the beginning, the middle, and the end together.

• Write a concise, several sentence summary in your own words.

The “Secret”



Practice

Read “Weekend Events in Oakwood”

Complete the graphic organizer.



Practice

Read “Ray and the Campfire”

Complete the graphic organizer.



• Topic – what the paragraph/ passage is about.

• Main idea – most important idea, one sentence.

• Details – answer the questions who?, what?, when?, where?, and why?

• Summary – combines the main ideas and the details in a short paragraph written in your own words.

Review

Inferences, Conclusions,

Generalizations, and Predictions

Do you agree or disagree?

Reading “between the lines” of a text is just as important to my understanding as “reading the printed lines”.Explain your opinion.

Inferring

Inferring is the ability to “read between the lines” to get the meaning that the author does not directly state.

• A conclusion• A generalization• A prediction

Types



The “Secret”

• Carefully read and notice the author’s ideas, facts, details, and examples.• Combine what the author says with what you already know.• Then make an “educated guess” about the author’s meaning (inference).



Drawing a conclusion

Ask questions like:

• What is the author suggesting?• What does my experience tell me?• What “educated guess” (conclusion) makes sense?



Making a generalization A generalization is an “educated guess” about a whole group or category based

on information the author gives you about a few things in that group or category.



Making a prediction

When you make a prediction, you use information from the passage and what you already know to make an “educated” guess about what will happen next.



Practice

Read the following paragraph and explain how a conclusion, a generalization, and a predication can apply to it.

As she wandered through the department store, Sally was approached by an aggressive “perfume lady” who sprayed her scent on Sally’s arm. Sally smelled the perfume and scowled, curling her lips into a frown and shaking her head in disgust. She glared angrily at the woman who sprayed her and then walked off.



Practice

Read the sentence. What conclusion can you draw?

“He and the other workers also paid a Chinese cook to import pressed duck, dried squid, and the other things needed to prepare proper meals.”



Practice

Read the sentence. What generalization might you make?

Suppose you read a magazine article that tells about new soccer leagues that are being formed in many cities across the United States.



Practice

Read the passage. What prediction can you make?

The curtains were about to open, but the play could not begin without Alisha. She had a starring role. Mrs. Kirkland nervously watched the door. She hoped that at any second it would swing open and Alisha would rush in. Mrs. Kirkland tried to ignore the fact that the play should have started ten minutes ago, but the rustling and whispering from the other side of the curtain grew louder. The audience was growing restless! “Bring me Alisha’s costume, please,” Mrs. Kirkland said to a stagehand. As she waited, Mrs. Kirkland whispered, “I sure hope that skirt fits me.”

Text Structure

Do you agree or disagree?

Authors use specific patterns to organize their ideas when they write.


Text structure

Authors arrange and link their ideas in several different ways. These patterns of organization are called the text’s structure.



•Chronological (time)•Compare/contrast•Cause/effect

Types



• Read and study more effectively.

• Understand the information.• Remember the information.

Types

Text structure helps you …



Definition

Chronological order

The author puts events or ideas in which they occurred (happened) in time.



Definition

Compare/Contrast

The author focuses on how two or more things are alike or different.



Definition

Cause/Effect

The author focuses on something that has happened (effect) and tells you why it has happened (cause).

Practice

What is the structure of this text?

Sequence of events: How to make a pizza … First you make the dough, next you add the tomatoes, then you put the cheese …

Practice


Cause and effect: George eats garlic. Martha hates garlic, so Martha left George.

Practice


Compare/contrast: Both Wendy’s and McDonald’s serve burgers and fires, but Wendy’s burgers are broiled and McDonald’s are fried.



Decide if the author organizes information by …

• Chronological order (cue words: first, second, before, after, next, finally)

• Comparing/contrasting (cue words: but, like, unlike, while, rather)

• Cause/effect (cue words: because, so, since, as a result)

The “Secret”



• Chronological order

• first, second, before, after, next, finally

Cue Words

• Compare/contrast • but, like, unlike, while, rather

• Cause/effect • because, since, so, as a result



Maps

Maps are structures that allow you to “see” how the author organizes text.



Practice

The computer and the human mind are very much alike. Both can store and recall information. However, the computer must be told what to do with the information. The human mind can invent new and different ways to use information.



Practice

“Hundred of years ago a fierce group of people called the Huns attacked China. The Huns wanted to conquer China. The Chinese built a huge wall 1,500 miles long to keep the Huns out of China. The wall is still standing today.”



Practice

“It was already dark by the time Beth and Mary left the library. They immediately started walking as quickly as possible to the bus stop. Unfortunately, the bus had already left when they got there. They had to telephone Mary’s mother for a ride home.”

Fact and Opinion

Do you agree or disagree?An author can use a fact and an opinion in the same reading passage.




The “Secret”

• Steven Spielberg directed the movie The Polar Express.

A fact is a statement that can be proved true.



The “Secret”

• The Polar Express was the best movie made in 2004.

An opinion is a statement that cannot be proved true or false. An opinion tells what someone thinks, feels, or believes.

Practice

Dodonpa: 0-107 Miles Per Hour in 1.8 Seconds

Last year, I visited Japan with my family. It is a beautiful country with very friendly people. There are mountains that are more than 11,000 feet tall. One of the best parts of the trip was when we visited the Fujikyu Highland Park. They have a roller coaster called Dodonpa. Dodonpa is one of the most incredible roller coasters in the world.

Dodonpa can reach a speed of 107 miles per hour. It also reaches that speed in less than two seconds. That’s almost too fast! The roller coaster is 3,900 feet long. Its highest point is more than 170 feet in the air. Even though Dodonpa is not even half the height of the 415-feet-tall “Superman:The Escape” at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California, Dodonpa is faster. And because Dodonpa is faster, it is also more fun!

Fix-up Strategies

Do you agree or disagree?The first thing you should do when you can’t understand something that you are reading is to STOP READING and do something that is easier to do.




Signals

• The voice in your head changes.• The camera inside your head shuts off.• Your mind starts to wander.• You can’t remember what you’ve just read.• You are not asking or answering questions as your read.• You can’t keep the characters straight.

Does this ever happen to you when you are reading?

Definition … fix-up strategyA fix-up strategy is something that you can use to help yourself get “unstuck” when you are reading confusing text.

Remember

It is YOUR job to know when the text makes sense and when it doesn’t. No one can do the comprehending for anyone else, so you have to know when you’re “not getting it.”

Your job

Good readers STOP when the reading becomes confusing and figure out how to get “unstuck”.



The “Secret” .. fix-up strategies• Think about why you’re reading this.• Adjust your reading rate.• Read ahead.• Think about what you’ve already read.• Read the confusing part aloud.• Try to make pictures in your head about what you are reading.• Look at the text’s structure.• Look at the pictures, title, headings, etc.• Reread.

Advice from a student

What It Means to be An Active Reader

Listen to the voice in your head that always bugs you and use it … if there are questions, answer them. Keep your mental picture in your head, and let that little voice work. Do I understand? Do I not get it? Write questions, comments, “I wonder,” and even lingering thoughts. Determining importance happens when you find something important: Highlight it, ask questions about it, and connect with it. If any of these pieces of advice help you, don’t thank me-thank that annoying voice in your head?

do you agree or disagree?

Documents

great teacher

brad johnsonquarterbackfrom

brad johnsonquarterbackhe

new words

willdefinitiona words

hard word

difficult word

context clues