Reading skill Definitions

 

Unit 1

Focus on Family

 

Setting        The time and place in which a story occurs.

 

Sequence    The order in which things happen or the steps you do to complete something.

                   Clue words: First, Next, Then, Finally, Dates and Times of the Day.  Words like

meanwhile, while, or during are used to show to events that happen at the same time.

 

Compare    To compare is to tell how two or more things are the same.  Clue words: like or as

and             To contrast is to tell how two or more things are different.  Clue words: but or unlike

Contrast     Sometimes you will have to figure out what is the same or different on your own without

clue words from the story.

 

Author’s     The reason or reasons an author has for writing.

Purpose      Four purposes are to inform, to entertain, to express, and to persuade.

 

Character  The people or animals in the story or article.  You should be able to describe their

personality by using details and examples from the information you read in the story.

 

Unit 2

A Wider View

 

Visualizing To use the information you read in a story to forma picture or pictures in your mind as you read.

 

Cause         A cause is why something happens.

and             An effect is what happens.

Effect                   Clue words: because, so, if, then, and since

 

Text            This is the way a piece of writing is organized.  The two main kinds of writing are fiction Structure   and nonfiction.  Fiction tells stories of made-up people and events.  Nonfiction gives

information, or it tells of real people and events.

 

Theme        The underlying meaning of a story- a big idea that stands on its own outside of the story.

 

Context      Use words around an unfamiliar word to figure out the meaning of the unfamiliar word.

Clues           Usually the definition or meaning can be found right before or right after the unfamiliar

word.

 

 

 

Reading skill Definitions

 

Unit 3

Keys to Success

 

Making                Thinking about and deciding how to react toward people, situations, and ideas in

Judgments           stories and articles that you read.

 

Drawing              Use details and facts from the story to figure out things about people or animals in

Conclusions           a story and what they do.  A conclusion is a decision you reach that makes sense

after you think about the details or facts that you have read.

 

Generalizing        A generalization is a broad statement or rule that applies to many examples.

                             Clue words: all, most, many, some, sometimes, usually, seldom, few, or generally

 

Predicting            To predict is to tell what you think might happen next in a story or article based on

what already happened.  Your prediction is what you say will happen next.  It is a

process of checking and changing your predictions as you read, based on new

information.

 

Unit 4

Timeless Stories

 

Paraphrasing       To explain something using your own words.  Something that is paraphrased

should include all of the author’s ideas, but it should be easier to read than the

original.

 

Compare    To compare is to tell how two or more things are the same.  Clue words: like or as

and             To contrast is to tell how two or more things are different.  Clue words: but or unlike

Contrast     Sometimes you will have to figure out what is the same or different on your own without

clue words from the story.

 

Text            This is the way a piece of writing is organized.  One way to organize a piece of writing is

Structure    to put events in chronological, or time order.  Biographies and autobiographies, which tell

about real people’s lives, are often organized in chronological order.  A biography is a

life-story written about a person by someone else.  An autobiography is a life-story about

a person written by the person.

 

Summarizing       A summary is a short statement, no more than a few sentences, that tells the main

idea of a selection.

 

Plot             A series of events that center on a problem or conflict in the story.  The problem can be

between two or more people, between people and themselves, and between people and

nature.

Unit 5

Other Times, Other Places

 

Summarizing       A summary is a short statement, no more than a few sentences, that tells the main

idea of a selection.

 

Plot             A series of events that center on a problem or conflict in the story.  The problem can be

between two or more people, between people and themselves, and between people and

nature.  The climax is where the action of the story builds and the conflict must be faced.

The resolution is when the problem is solved.

 

Graphic      Examples:  illustrations, charts, graphs, maps, diagrams, tables, lists, time lines, and

Sources      scale drawings

Previewing graphic sources before reading can help you predict what you will learn.  Graphic sources can help you during reading by showing what the words say or by organizing information in a useful way.

 

Author’s     The reason or reasons an author has for writing.

Purpose      Four purposes are to inform, to entertain, to express, and to persuade.

 

Text            This is the way a piece of writing is organized.  The two main kinds of writing are fiction Structure   and nonfiction.  Fiction tells stories of made-up people and events.  Nonfiction gives

information, or it tells of real people and events.

 

Unit 6

Express Yourself!

 

Visualizing To use the information you read in a story to forma picture or pictures in your mind as you read.

 

Steps in      The order of steps to complete an action.

a Process   Clue words: First, Next, Then, Finally, Dates and Times of the Day.  Words like

meanwhile, while, or during are used to show to events that happen at the same time.

 

Fact            A statement of fact tells something that can be proved true or false.

and             A statement of opinion tells your ideas or feelings.  It cannot be proved true or false, but Opinion it can be supported by facts and reasons.

 

Main Idea            The topic is what a paragraph or article is about.  The main idea is the most

and                       important idea about the topic.  The main idea is often stated in the first sentence Supporting                    within a paragraph or article.  Sometimes you have to figure out the main idea and Details              put it into your own words.  Supporting details are small pieces of information that

tell more about the main idea.

 

Author’s     The reason or reasons an author has for writing.

Purpose      Four purposes are to inform, to entertain, to express, and to persuade.