TS - Improving Reading Skills

Chapter 1 - Vocabulary in Context

Context Clues:

• Examples - Suggest the meaning of the unknown word
  • After weeks of procrastination, Emily finally took the initiative to study.
  • Initiative is the ability to take charge
• Synonyms - another word in the sentence or passage means the same or almost the same as the unknown word
  • As soon as I made a flippant remark to my boss, I regretted being so disrespectful.
  • Flippant means disrespectful
• Antonyms - another word in the sentence or passage means the opposite of the unknown word
  • Typically signified by words or phrases like ‘however’, ‘but’, ‘in contrast’, ‘on the other hand’, etc.
  • Everyone is fallible, but everyone is also capable of success
  • fallible means capable of failure
• General Sense of the Reading or Passage - clues surrounding the unknown word may provide an answer when asking questions about the text
  • A video of a kid yelling at a teacher went viral, millions of people watched it before it had even been up for 24 hours!
  • What happened if so many people watched the video in such a short period of time?
  • Viral means spreading quickly

Chapter 2 - Main Idea - Point and Support

Point and Support:

• Point

  • Expresses the main idea of the text
  • Can be backed up by supporting details
  • Typically at beginning of paragraph or passage
  • Normally shorter than supporting details

• Support

  • Backs up and provides examples for the main idea
  • Don’t make sense without a main idea
  • Typically after the main idea
  • Normally longer than main idea and topic sentences

• Ex.

  • (A) The creaking of the house settling can sound like a monster.
  • (B) Noises at night.
  • (C) Gusts of wind rattling at windows can sound like intruders breaking in.
  • (D)Nighttime noises can be frightening to children.
  • B - Topic
  • A - Support
  • C - Support
  • D - Point

Chapter 3 - Supporting Details

• Supporting Details

  • reasons, examples, facts, steps, or other kinds of evidence that explain a main idea
  • oftentimes introduced by addition words or transition words - Ex. Also, one way, for example, etc.

• Major Details

  • first elaboration of main idea
  • always occuring
  • More general than main idea

• Minor Details

  • fill in details in major details
  • examples, stories
  • occurs occasionally

List Words

• List Words - Introduce a list of details
  • Example:
  • several kinds of…
  • several ways of…
  • various reasons for…
  • several causes of…
  • __ steps…
  • a number of effects…
  • some factors…
  • among the results…
  • a series of…

Note- Taking Strategies

• Outlining

• Mapping

• Summarizing

• Outlining

  • Identifying and sorting main ideas, major details, and minor details
  • Begin with main idea or summarize main idea into a heading
  • List major details
  • List minor details under their respective major details, if applicable

Outlining - Example

• Main Idea: Our phones are really important

  • Major Detail 1: We do most of our socializing with our phones
  • Minor Detail 1: texting
  • Minor Detail 2: social media
  • We can use phones for chores
  • shopping
  • paying bills
  • to-do lists
  • picking a place to eat
  • Keep visual records of our lives
  • pictures
  • videos
  • We use our phones for entertainment
  • games
  • music
  • movies
  • We use our phones to get around
  • GPS

• Summarizing - the reduction of a large amount of information to its most important points

  • Identifying and possibly rephrasing/shortening main ideas
  • Listing one example or supporting detail
  • A paragraph to one or two sentences
  • An article to a paragraph
  • A textbook chapter to three-ish pages of notes
  • Do not summarize textbook definitions

Summary - Example

Our phones are really important.

Chapter 4 - Implied Main Ideas

• Implied Main Ideas
  • not directly stated
  • suggested by supporting details
• Finding Implied Main Ideas
  • Ask questions
  • “Who or what is this paragraph about?”
  • “What is the main point the author is trying to make about the topic?”
• Verifying the Main Idea Found
  • Verifying questions
  • “Does all or most of the material of the paragraph support the idea?”

Example

All people are concerned about a few great questions: the existence of God, the purpose of life, the existence of an afterlife, and morality. About the first, science has nothing to say: no test tube has either proved or disproved God’s existence. As to a purpose for life, although science can provide a definition of life and describe the characteristics of living organisms, it has nothing to say about the ultimate purpose. Regarding to an afterlife, science can offer no information, for it has no tests that it can use to detect a “hereafter.” As for the question of morality, science can demonstrate the consequences of behavior but not the moral superiority of one action compared with another. Science cannot even prove that loving your family and neighbor is superior to hurting and killing them.

• What is the paragraph about?
  • Science telling us about the four main concerns of people
• What is the main point the author is trying to convey?
  • Science cannot give us definite answers about the four big concerns of humanity.
• Main Idea
  • Science alone cannot tell us about the four main concerns that all people have.
  • All of the details in the paragraph support the statement.

Chapter 5 - Relationships I - Addition and Time

• Transition Words

  • Words that link two related statements together
  • Addition Words
  • Words that show when something happened in relation to another event
  • Time Words

• Addition Words

  • Used when a writer is presenting one or more ideas the continue along the same line of thought as a previous idea
  • Help Writers organize and clearly present ideas to the reader
  • Ex.
  • one
  • first of all
  • first
  • second
  • secondly
  • second of all
  • third
  • thirdly
  • third of all
  • to begin with
  • one thing
  • etc…

• Time Words

  • words that show the timing of an event in relation to the timing of another
  • Ex.
  • before
  • previously
  • now
  • immediately
  • next
  • frequently
  • eventually
  • etc…

Chapter 6 - Relationships II - Comparisons and Illustration

• Illustration Words

  • Definition and Example
  • Indicate the author will provide more examples to develop or clarify an idea
  • Ex.
  • for example
  • example
  • for instance
  • instance
  • such as
  • including
  • specifically
  • to be specific
  • as an illustration
  • to illustrate
  • one
  • once
  • etc…

• Comparison Words

  • indicate the author is trying to illustrate similarity between two ideas or examples
  • Ex.
  • just as
  • as
  • just like
  • like
  • alike
  • same
  • both
  • equal
  • equally
  • resemble
  • likewise
  • in like manner
  • in like fashion
  • similar
  • similarly
  • in a similar manner
  • in a similar fashion
  • in the same way
  • that same way
  • common
  • in common
  • etc…

• Contrast Words

  • indicate the author is trying to illustrate differences between two examples or ideas
  • Ex.
  • but
  • yet
  • however
  • although
  • nevertheless
  • still
  • instead
  • instead of
  • in contrast
  • on the other hand
  • contrary
  • on the contrary
  • converse
  • conversely
  • opposite
  • even though
  • as opposed to
  • in spite of
  • despite
  • rather than
  • different
  • difference
  • differently
  • differ
  • differ from
  • unlike
  • while
  • etc…

• Cause and Effect

  • indicate the author is describing the reason or result for or of something
  • Ex.
  • thus
  • therefore
  • as a consequence
  • consequence
  • consequently
  • due to
  • so
  • as a result
  • result
  • results in
  • leads to
  • led to
  • since
  • owing to
  • effect
  • cause
  • causing
  • if
  • then
  • affect
  • because
  • because of
  • reason
  • explanation
  • accordingly
  • depend on
  • depends on
  • depend
  • depends
  • etc

• Summary

  • There are many relationships between ideas in writing and many ways to detect them. Definition and example structures provide an idea and details to support it and can be detected through words and phrases such as ‘for example’ and ‘instance’. Comparison structures indicate similarity between ideas and can be identified by words and phrases like ‘just as’ and ‘alike’ whereas contrast structures show differences and are indicated by transitions like ‘conversely’ and ‘in spite of’. Cause and effect structures illustrate the reason for an example or the effects of an example and are shown using transitions like ‘since’ and ‘resulting in’.

• Notes

  • Texts can comprise of multiple relationship structures

Chapter 7 - Inferences

• Inferencing
  • picking up ideas that are not directly stated
  • Use available information and background knowledge to formulate an inference

Chapter 8 - Purpose and Tone

• Purpose

  • the reason the author is writing the text
  • there can be multiple
  • to inform
    • to teach the reader(s) something
    • provides information
    • states facts
  • to persuade
    • to convince the reader to agree with the author
    • uses words like must, should
  • to entertain
    • to appeal to the readers emotions; to bring joy
    • playful, often exaggerated
    • can be fiction or non-fiction

• Tone

  • the attitude of the author toward the subject
  • can be identified through vocabulary the author chooses

Check pages 330-331 for words