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Teaching Tips For close reading packs

Does technology make life better?

Materials In this Close Reading Pack, students read nonfiction selections about how technology has affected people’s lives. Students must read closely to understand the selections and to locate evidence to support their answer to the Key Question.

Home Tech Home Technology is an integral part of our homes, making our lives simpler and easier.

Cell Phone Revolution Cell phones provide a convenient means of communication, but they can have negative effects on our relationships with other people.

Pros and Cons of Processed Foods Technology helped us create quick and easy meals, but how do processed foods affect our health?

Space Program Innovations Space technology has led to many products that make our lives safer and more comfortable.

ConneCting PASSAge Life with Computers Computers have significantly

changed our lives, but they have negative effects too.

Student Response Sheet

Learning Goals These selections support student learning of the following Common Core State Standards:

Informational Text• Explainevents,procedures,ideas,orconceptsinscientificortechnicaltextbasedonspecificinformationinthetext.

•Describetheoverallstructureofevents,ideas,concepts,orinformationinatext.

Before reading

Introduce the Key QuestionDoes technology make life better?

• WritetheKeyQuestionontheboardandreaditwithstudents.Ask:What is technology? (Things that help you do things better or faster.) What are some examples of technology that you use? (Acceptreasonable responses.)

• Tellstudentsthattheywillreadsomeselectionsthatcontaininformationwhichtheycanusetoanswer the Key Question.

Preview the Passages• Dividethegroupintoteamsoffouranddistributethefourpassages(nottheConnectingPassage)

among team members. Have each student preview his/her passage by reading the title and looking at the images.

• Introducepassage-relatedvocabularybywritingthewordsontheboardandreadingthemaloud for students.(SeeWordWork)

low level

middle level

high level

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• DistributeaStudentResponseSheettoeachstudent.PointouttheWebDiagramonpage1.ExplainthatstudentswillusetheWebDiagramtorecorddetailsaboutwaystechnologyhasaffectedourlives.Explainthat students will use these notes to answer this question: Does technology make life better?

• Tellstudentstoreadtheselectiononetimetolookforwords they do not understand. Then have students reread and look for details in the selection that help them understand how technology affects our lives in both positive and negative ways.

• StudentsmighttakenotesinthemarginthatwillhelpthemanswertheKeyQuestion.Aftertheyread,theycan use the details to write their first answer to the Key Question.

during reading

Reading and Discussing the PassagesEachselectionincludesinformationaboutwaystechnology has affected our lives. Students will first use this information to answer the Key Question about one selection; team members will then discuss all the selections to generate a team answer to the Key Question. Use the questions below to guide students as they read individual selections and use information from the selection to write their first answer to the Key Question.

WORDWORK

The following words appear in one or more of the selections.

appliance (n.) a mechanical or powered household device

communicate (v.) to make one’s thoughts or ideas known using words, pictures, gestures, or other means

convenient (adj.) well suited to a person’s needs; causing little or no trouble

obesity (n.) the state of being unhealthily overweight

technology (n.) the use of scientific knowledge or tools to make or do something

Home Tech Home

1. What forms of technology do many people use in their homes?

(heating and cooling systems, kitchen appliances, washer and dryer, computer, TV, cell phone)

2. How does technology in homes make life easier and simpler?

(Acceptreasonableresponses;studentsshouldsupporttheiranswerswithdetailsfromthetext.)

3. How has technology affected life at home?

(Wecangetourworkdonefasterandeasier,sowehavemoretimetodothethingsweenjoy.)

My First Answer Sample: Technology makes life better by helping us prepare food and clean the house faster and more efficiently, so we have more time to do the things we like.

Cell Phone Revolution

1. How have cell phones made it easier and faster for people to communicate?

(Wecanplacecallsandsendtextmessagesfromnearlyanylocation.Wedonothavetobeathometomakeacall.Wegetfasterresponsesfrompeople.)

2. What negative effects do some people associate with cell phones?

(lack of spelling and punctuation skills, poor speaking skills, harmful to personal relationships)

3. How would you describe the overall structure of the information in the passage?

(The author first presents several positive ways cell phones have changed our lives and then describes several negative effects of cell phone use.)

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after reading: teamwork

Answer the Key Question• Haveteamsgather.StudentswillneedtheirselectionsandtheirStudentResponseSheets.IfyouhavenotalreadyintroducedtheReporterandDiscussionLeaderrolesforteams,youshoulddosonow.(See Using the Close Reading Packs.)

• Eachgroupwillsharebyhavingmemberssummarize their selections and showing how theycompletedtheWebDiagram.

• Telltheteamsthattheirtaskistolookateachof the webs and determine which information applies to all the selections they read to add to the Summary Chart.

• TheDiscussionLeadersshouldaskthequestionsontheStudentResponseSheettohelp teams focus on the information they need to answer the Key Question.

How has technology made people’s lives better? (Technology has been used to create products that help us do things faster and easier.

Technology has been used to make materials that make us safer and more comfortable.)

My First Answer Sample: Cell phones have made it easier for people to communicate, but some people think they have made our writing and speaking skills worse.

Pros and Cons of Processed Foods

1. How has food technology made our lives simpler and easier?

(Wedonothavetospendalotoftimepreparingandcookingfood.)

2. What dangers do processed foods pose?

(They often contain a lot of sugar, salt, and fat. These ingredients are not healthy for us in large amounts. People with food allergies can have allergic reactions.)

3. How would you describe the overall structure of the information in the passage?

(The author first presents several positive features of processed foods and then describes several negative effects of too many processed foods.)

My First Answer Sample: Processed foods provide convenient meals, but they often contain ingredients that are not healthy for us.

Space Program Innovations

1. What connection does the author make between space technology and the things people use in their everyday lives?

(TechnologyusedbyNASAhasbeenusedtocreateproductsthatmakeourliveseasier,safer,and more comfortable.)

2. How has space technology made people’s lives easier, safer, and more comfortable?

(Acceptreasonableresponses;studentsshouldciteevidencefromthetext.)

3. Which everyday product that uses NASA technology most surprised you, and why?

(Acceptreasonableresponses,citingevidencefromthetext.)

My First Answer Sample: Space technology has been used to create products that improve our lives.

Yes No

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What negative effects can technology have on our lives? (It can make our writing and speaking skills worse. It can lead us to eat foods that contain

unhealthy ingredients.)

•Telltheteamstowritetheirteam’sanswertotheKeyQuestion.

• Discusswithstudentstheimportanceofusinggeneraltermsinplaceofspecificdetailsfromtheirindividualselectionssothattheanswercanapplytoalltheselectionstheyread.Forexample,students can refer to products that make life easier in place of microwaves, washers, and dryers.

Our Team’s Answer Sample: In many ways technology makes our lives better, but it can have negative effects.

• Bringtheteamstogetherforawhole-classdiscussionandaskeachteamtosharetheiranswer.Ask:Is there anything you would add to the answer? Why or why not? (Some students might want to use more precise language to tell how technology has made our lives better, since some of the selections describe how technology helps us do things faster and easier.)

• Facilitatefurtherwhole-classdiscussionusingquestionssimilartothoseonpage2oftheStudentResponse Sheet to arrive at a consensus in response to the Key Question.

Confirm or Revise the Team’s Answer• DistributetheConnectingPassage,Life with Computers.Initiateaculminatingdiscussion.Ask:Which

details in this selection apply to what you read about the effects technology can have on our lives? Have students read the selection in pairs, independently, or as a team. Tell students to decide whether thisselectionconfirmstheiranswertotheKeyQuestion,citingevidencefromthetext.Ifitdoesnot,ask: How should the class revise the answer to the Key Question?

• Facilitatediscussionoftheculminatingactivitybyaskingquestions,suchas: Why does technology have both positive and negative effects on our lives?

•UsetheMini-LessontoprovideadditionalinstructionusingtheCloseReadingpassages.

mini-Lesson Comprehension: Main Idea and Details• Tellstudentsthatauthorsofinformationaltextoftenpresentamainideaandthensupportitwithdetailsandexamples.Explainthatstudentscanidentifythemainideaanddetailsinatextandthenusethisinformationtosummarizewhattheyread.Ask: What is the main idea ofLifewith Computers? (Computers have improved our lives, but they can also pose threats.) What details support this idea?(Wecancommunicatewithpeoplearoundtheworld.Peoplecanusecomputers to steal our personal information.) Use students’ responses to model summarizing the most important information in the passage.

• Havepairsofstudentslookattheirselections,identifythemainidea,andlookfordetailsthatsupportit.Askthemtorecordthisinformationandthenuseittosummarizethepassage.

Summary: Computers have improved our lives. They make it easy to communicate with people around the world. Computers can also cause harm. People can use computers to steal our personal information.

Main Idea: Computers have improved our lives, but they can also pose threats.

Details: We can communicate with people around the world. People can use computers to steal our personal information.