ReadingWriting Reading selections: informational paragraph(225 to 250 words) – news report...

Reading WritingReading selections:

• informational paragraph(225 to 250 words)

– news report

--dialogue (225 to 250 words)

– real-life narrative (about 600 words)

• graphic (fewer than 150 words)

Types of writing tasks and questions:

• Long-writing tasks

– news report (one page)

– series of paragraphs expressing an opinion (two pages)

• Two Short-writing tasks

(six lines each)

Types of

questions:

• multiple-choice

• open-response

(six lines each)

• multiple-choice questions

– developing a main idea with

supporting details

– organization of ideas

– language conventions

Reading Informational

-paragraph

-News report

Narrative

- dialogue

- real-life narrative

Graphic

Reading Strategies

What do you need to know?

finding the MAIN IDEA

identifying the SUPPORTING DETAILS

understand what is being stated EXPLICITLY (direct)

understanding what is being stated IMPLICITLY (indirectly)

making connections to your own PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE and EXPERIENCES

Finding the Main Idea

How Can I Locate the Main Idea?

Once you can find the topic, you are ready to find the main idea. The main idea is the point of the paragraph. It is the most important thought about the topic.

To figure out the main idea, ask yourself this question: What is being said about the person, thing, or idea (the topic)?

The author can locate the main idea in different places within a paragraph. The main idea is usually a sentence, and it can be located in the beginning, middle, or the end of a paragraph. The writer then uses the other parts of the paragraph to support the main idea.

Supporting Details

Details, major and minor, support the main idea by telling how, what, when, where, why, how much, or how many.

supporting sentences (major and minor details), help to explain or prove the main idea. These sentences present facts, reasons, examples, definitions, comparison, contrasts, and other pertinent details. They are most important because they sell the main idea.

The last sentence of a paragraph is likely to be a concluding sentence. It is used to sum up a discussion, to emphasize a point, or to restate all or part of the topic sentence so as to bring the paragraph to a close. The last sentence may also be a transitional sentence leading to the next paragraph.

Explicit vs. Implicit

Explicit (Direct) – answer can usually be found “directly” within the text. Explicit examples are found in informational and narrative texts. Finger on the fact; knowledge and understanding

Where is the Niagara Escarpment located?

What is the first step in getting an apprenticeship?

Implicit (Indirect) – answer is not always right in front of you. This type of response usually requires inferencing (reading between the lines). Examples can be found in Graphical Texts. Reading between the lines; thinking and inquiry.

Why is the title “Blowing the Whistle on Concussions” appropriate ?

Why did Johnny buy milk? (when it is not directly stated.)

What does the narrator mean when he says “______”?

Reading an Informational Paragraph

Tips for Reading an Informational Paragraph

SCAN

1. Read the first and last sentences.

FOCUS

2. Turn the first sentence into a question; read for the answer.

REVIEW

3. Reread the first and last sentences.

RESTATE

4. In one or two sentences, state what the paragraph is about.

REFLECT

5. Reflect on what the paragraph made you think and feel.

(presents ideas and information on a topic)

The United States seems to be in love with the idea of going out to eat. Because of this, a real variety of restaurants has come about specializingin all kinds of foods. McDonald's is the king of a subgroup of restaurants called fast-food restaurants. Chances are, no matter where you live, thereis a McDonald's restaurant near you. There are even McDonald's in Russia. Now McDonald's is trying something new. It is called McDonald's Express and there is a test site in Peabody, Massachusetts. It is part of a Mobil gas station. This allows you to fill up with gas and fill up on food at the same time. What will they think of next?

In this paragraph:

• the topic is McDonald's

• the main idea is in the middle of the paragraph, in the third sentence: McDonald's is the king of fast food

Example for finding the Main Idea…try this

Complete the READING AN INFORMATIONAL PARAGRAPH activity provided by your teacher.

***Refer to the TIPS FOR READING AN INFORMATIONAL PARAGRAPH ***

Reading a Real-Life Narrative

Tips for Reading a Real-Life Narrative

RESTATE

4. In one or two sentences, state what the narrative is about.

REFLECT

5. Reflect on what the narrative made you think and feel.

SCAN1. Read the beginning and end first.

FOCUS2. Read the middle, paying specific attention to what the main character thinks about, says and does.

REVIEW3. Read the beginning and ending again.

(an account of a significant time in an individual’s life)

Einstein's Brain: Built for Brilliance Albert Einstein's brain was very different from yours and mine. What was inside his shaggy head managed to revolutionize our concepts of time, space and motion. There had to be something remarkable about Einstein's brain, but the doctor who examined the brain after Einstein's death reported that it was, to all appearances, normal -- no bigger or heavier than anyone else's.However, Canadian scientists analyzed Einstein's brain in 1999 and revealed that it had some distinctive physical characteristics after all. A portion of the brain that governs mathematical ability and spatial reasoning was significantly larger than average. Its cells may have been more closely connected, which could have allowed them to work together more effectively. The curious tale of how the brain got to McMaster University, in Hamilton, Ontario, is also fascinating. In 1955, when Einstein died at the age of 76, Dr. Thomas Harvey removed the brain during the autopsy at Princeton Hospital in New Jersey. He kept it preserved in formaldehyde. This unauthorized appropriation of Einstein's brain appalled and outraged many scientists. However, the family agreed that Dr. Harvey could keep it for scientific study. Over the next four decades, Dr. Harvey seemed to do little further investigation of the brain. For a while, according to several reports, he stored it behind a cooler in his office.

Finally, in 1996, Dr. Harvey gave his data and a significant fraction of the brain itself to

Dr. Sandrea Witelson, a neuroscientist at McMaster who maintains a "brain bank" for comparative studies of brain structure and function. Dr. Witelson and her team compared Einstein's brain tissues with those from males close to his age, whose intelligence had been carefully assessed before death. They found that a region which controls spatial awareness, mathematical thought and imagery of movement (called the inferior parietal lobe) was about 15% wider than normal. We know that Einstein's insights tended to come from visual images which he translated into mathematical language. For example, one of his famous theories came from Einstein imagining himself riding through space on a beam of light. Another feature of his brain was that separations between sections were smaller than normal. Einstein's brain cells were packed more closely together, permitting more interconnections. According to scientific theory, this can result in increased cross-referencing of information and ideas, leading to great leaps of insight. While this theory fits current neurological thinking, that doesn't necessarily make it true. We know Einstein was a genius, and we now know his brain was physically different from average. But this doesn't prove a cause-and-effect relationship. We need to examine the brains of other mathematical geniuses to see whether similar characteristics are present. Even if they are, it's possible that the bulked-up brains result from strenuous mental exercise, rather than in-born features that make genius possible. Although Canadian scientists have made a fascinating discovery, we still don't know whether he developed it, one brilliant idea at a time.

Multiple Choice (Record the best or most correct answer on the Student Answer Sheet.)

1. What is the best meaning for the word "portion" as used in paragraph 2? A age B part C whole D appearance

2. Paragraph 3 adds to paragraph 2 by A stating an example. B showing cause and effect. C providing background information. D rewording the ideas in paragraph 2.

3. Why it is important to study a brain like Einstein's. A to determine Einstein's history

B to understand the workings of the human brain C to understand the workings of the human spine D to prevent illness

4. What neuroscientist was given part of the brain in 1996? A Dr. Harvey

B Einstein's daughter C the Neuroscientist Association D Dr. Witelson

Complete the READING A REAL-LIFE NARRATIVE activity provided by your teacher.

***Refer to the TIPS FOR READING A REAL-LIFE NARRATIVE ***

Reading a Graphic Selection

Reading Graphic Selections(presents ideas and information with the help of graphic features, such as diagrams, photographs, drawings, sketches, patterns, timetables, maps, charts or tables)

SCAN

1. Read the title and headings

2. Read graphics (pictures, maps, etc.) before text.

FOCUS

1. Read the text. Turn headings into questions; read for the answer.

2. Pay attention to what the text “says” about a graphic.

REVIEW

1. Reread the title, headings, and graphics.

RESTATE

1. In one or two sentences, state what the brochure is about.

REFLECT

1. Reflect on what the brochure made you think and feel.

Courtesyof the Canadian Museum of Nature

Multiple Choice for Graphic Selection

1. How does the way the information is presented help the reader know that there were seven exhibits in the museum between January and April 1999? A The exhibits are numbered. B All of the exhibits relate to nature. C Each exhibit has its own illustration. D The exhibits are identified by a different font.

2. What graphic indicates the Canadian Museum of Nature on the map? A the rectangle B the circle C the arrow D the statue

3. What is the name of the river shown on the map? A Confederation Square B Queensway C 417 D Rideau Canal

4. Why was the image selected for "Life through the Ages?" A because the exhibit is about mammals B because the exhibit is about Peru C because the exhibit is about dinosaurs D because the exhibit is about rocks

Complete the READING A GRAPHIC SELECTION activity provided by your teacher.

***Refer to the TIPS FOR READING A GRAPHIC SELECTION ***

Reading a News Report

Tips for Reading a News Report(presents information in the form of a news story)

SCAN

1. Read the title and any headings

2. Read the first and last sentences or paragraphs.

FOCUS

3. Turn headings or first sentences into questions; read for the answer.

REVIEW

4. Reread the first and last paragraphs.

RESTATE

5. In one or two sentences, state what the news report is about.

REFLECT

6. Reflect on what the news report made you think and feel.

No alarm bells went off. That's the most disturbing thing about a Sault Ste. Marie entrepreneur's plan to export water to Asia.

It didn't occur to the two provincial bureaucrats in Thunder Bay who granted the permit that there might be far reaching implications. They treated it as a routine application to draw water from Lake Superior.

It didn't occur to their boss, Environment Minister Norm Sterling, to slam on the brakes. Water exports aren't his responsibility.

It wasn't until the controversy landed in Ottawa that officials appreciated the seriousness of the case. Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy pledged to find a way to block the sale.

In the end, government action wasn't necessary. John Febbaro, the businessman who triggered the controversy, offered to surrender his permit if Ottawa, Ontario and the United States all agreed to ban Great Lakes water sales.

The three governments are working on it. Canada asked the U.S. to jointly refer the question of Great Lakes water exports to the International Joint Commission, which oversees boundary waters. It will report back in the fall.

This is not the first time commercial interests have tried to turn Canadian water into a profit commodity.

Exporting Our Water

In the early '90s, a similar water diversion project has halted, at the last moment, in British Columbia. A local company won a permit to ship water to drought-plagued California. Soon, dozens of others were lining up for permits. Worried, the B.C. government banned the export of water in anything larger than a 20-litre container.

These incidents fit the scenario that trade critics warned of a decade ago, when Canada and the United States negotiated their historic free trade agreement.

They feared that private companies would start selling our fresh water to the world's parched regions; and once begun, such exports would be impossible to stop.

Federal officials dismissed their concerns. Canada would never allow water to become a tradeable commodity, they insisted. There was no need for a specific law banning bulk water sales.

It is clear they were wrong. All it took was a couple of bureaucrats with tunnel vision and a provincial minister who didn't look beyond his own jurisdiction to prove that we do need reliable safeguards.

Fortunately, this case seems headed toward a benign conclusion. But there's a lesson here: a worrisome precedent was set - almost by accident.We cannot afford to be so careless with a precious inheritance.

Exporting Our Water Reprinted with permission of: From the Toronto Star

Canada: Exploring New Directions

Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1999


1. Which of the following statements regarding the sale of Canadian water is correct?

A Thunder Bay bureaucrats were against the sale of water to Asia. B John Febbaro offered to surrender his permit if the sale of Great Lakes

water was banned. C Environment Minister Norm Sterling was responsible for the sale of water

outside Canada. D Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy encouraged the sale of water to

foreign countries.

2. How did John Febbaro start the controversy?

A Failing to look beyond his own jurisdiction. B Shipping water to California. C Planning to export water to Asia D Pledging to block the sale of water.

Written Answers (Answer in full and correctly written sentences)

Why do you think that Lloyd Axworthy would want to block the export of Canadian water? Use information from this selection and your own ideas to support your answer.

Complete the READING A NEWS REPORT activity provided by your teacher.

***Refer to the TIPS FOR READING A NEWS REPORT ***

Reading Dialogues

Tips for Reading a Dialogue(presents a conversation between two or more people)

SCAN

1. Read the beginning and ending first.

FOCUS

2. Read the middle, paying specific attention to dialogue.

REVIEW

3. Read the ending again.

RESTATE

4. In one or two sentences, state what the selection is about.

REFLECT

6. Reflect on what the selection made you think and feel.

Read the selection below and answer the questions that follow it.

After their mother had repeated for the twentieth time that she'd like the boys to have "a taste of nature," Carter and Rodney decided that maybe they could feign enthusiasm for a camping trip after all.

1

However, by the time they got three hours away from the city, set up the tents and turned off their CD player, they had decided nature wasn't so bad. Accustomed to their noisy Hamilton neighbourhood, they were in awe of the overwhelming night-time silence.

2

Until they heard a loud rustling sound outside their tent, that is. 3

"Ugh, huh?" Carter snorted as he jolted awake. He turned to shake his older brother, but Rodney was already up.

4

"What's that?" whispered Carter. He raised his voice a little. "Mom?" 5

The only answer was an even louder crunching that sounded like footsteps. 6

"There's somebody out there!" gulped Carter, panic edging into his voice 7

"That's not somebody, that's something," Rodney whispered authoritatively. "That's not human. It must be a bear."

8

They could just make out each other's wide-open eyes. 9

"Should we, uh, get Mom?" Carter asked. 10

"But her tent is over on the other side of the bear," said Rodney. "Besides, I've been taking the train all the way to Toronto by myself for five years. I can handle this."He felt around the tent for his flashlight. "Remember that nature documentary on TV? We'll make a lot of noise and scare him away."

11

Carter nodded reluctantly. 12

They quietly eased the tent zipper open, then turned on the flashlight, jumped out of the tent and started whooping.

13

Looking up at where the bear's face should be, they saw only darkness. They looked down. There, in front of them, was a mother raccoon and her three babies, eyes blinking in the sudden brightness. Behind them were the remains of the family's food -- sandwich crusts, apple cores and an empty potato-chip bag

14

The brothers looked at one another sheepishly as the fearsome predators sauntered away with the rest of tomorrow's lunch. "Uh," Rodney mumbled, "maybe we don't need to tell Mom about this..."

15

3. Why did the brothers look at each other "sheepishly" in paragraph 15? A because it wasn't a big scary bear after all B because it was nothing C because sheep eat grass D because they didn't dispose of their food properly

1. The dash in paragraph 14 is used to introduce A a new idea B a definition C direct speech D an explanation

2. "Besides, I've been taking the train all the way to Toronto by myself for five years," (paragraph 11) Why does Rodney make this statement? A he is rich B he has relatives in Toronto C he wants to prove that he is mature D he wants to go again


Using information in the story and your own ideas, explain why Rodney wouldnot want to tell his mother about the encounter with the raccoons. (paragraph 15)

Written Answers (Answer in full and correctly written sentences)

Complete the READING A DIALOGUE activity provided by your teacher.

***Refer to the TIPS FOR READING A DIALOGUE ***

Writing Long Writing Tasks

-series of paragraphs expressing an opinion (2 pages)

-News report (one page)

Two Short Writing Tasks (six lines each)

Multiple-Choice Questions

-Developing a main idea with supporting details

-Organization of ideas

-Language conventions

Writing a News Report

Tips for Writing a News Report

Plan

1. Read the picture and headline and decide on an event. Ask: “What happened?”

2. Make a list of questions and answers.

Write

3. Write the opening paragraph

4. Write the body.

5. Write the conclusion.

Review

6. Review and correct.

Hundreds of Teens in Demonstration

Paragraph 1: What happened, when, where, who was involved?

Paragraph 2: Why did it happen? How did it happen? What was done about it?

Paragraph 3+4: Interviews of bystanders. What do they think about it? Officials reactions?

Steps for Writing a News Report

Short Writing Task (answer in full and corretly written sentences.)

Task:

Write a news report based on the headline and picture below. You will have to make up the facts and information, answering some or all of the following questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?

Purpose and Audience:

to report on an event for the readers of a newspaper

Length:No more than one hand-written page. The lined space provided for your written work indicates the approximate length of the writing expected.

Fireworks Mark Beginning

Rough Notes

Use the space below for rough notes. Nothing you write in the space will be scored.

Rough notesUse the space below for rough notes. Nothing you write in this space will be scored.

Students Applaud Guest Speaker

http://www.cawthrapark.com/eqao/newsreportsteps.htm

Complete the WRITING A NEWS REPORT ACTIVITY activity provided by your teacher.

***Refer to the TIPS FOR WRITING A NEWS REPORT ACTIVITY ***

Writing a Series of Opinion Paragraphs

Tips for Writing a Series of Paragraphs Expressing an Opinion

PLAN

1. Choose a position (opinion) on the topic: yes/agree, no/disagree.

2. Draft a topic sentence

3. Organize your ideas: list three reasons that you will support in the body paragraphs with details and examples.

WRITE

4. Write an introduction: topic sentence with main idea.

5. Write the body of your opinion piece: reasons and supporting details.

6. Write a conclusion: restate your position.

REVIEW


Series of Paragraphs Expressing an Opinion Organizer

Introduction--- clearly states your opinion (yes/agree or no/disagree).

Example: “I believe that _________ because REASON 1, REASON 2, and REASON 3.

Read the Task Prompt carefullyDO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE?

Paragraph 1 - explain REASON 1 with supporting details



Conclusion-- restate your opinion from the introduction (yes/agree or no/disagree).

Example: “Because of REASON 1, REASON 2, and REASON 3. I believe that _________

Writing a Series of Paragraphs

Task:

Write a series of paragraphs (a minimum of three) expressing an opinion on the topic below. Develop your main idea with supporting details (proof, facts, examples, etc.).

Purpose and Audience:

an adult who is interested in your opinion

Topic:Are today’s famous people good role models for young people?

Length:The lined space provided for your written work indicates the approximate length of the writing expected.

Rough notesUse the space below for rough notes. Nothing you write in this space will be scored.

Complete the SERIES OF OPINION PARAGRAPHS activity provided by your teacher.

***Refer to the TIPS FOR WRITING A SERIES OF OPINION PARAGRAPHS***

Short Writing Tasks

Tips for Short Writing Tasks Plan

1. Read the question and choose your response

Example: what would you do?

2. Organize your ideas: list facts, reasons and examples (supporting details).

Write

3. Write a topic sentence by rephrasing the question to include your response (main idea).

4. Write four sentences that describe, explain and give examples.

5. Write a concluding sentence that connects to the main idea.

Review


Short Writing Task (answer in full and correctly written sentences.)1. What was your favourite junk food when you were a child. Explain why you liked it .

Rough NotesUse the space below for rough notes. Nothing you write in this space will be scored.

Complete the SHORT WRITING TASK ACTIVITY activity provided by your teacher.

***Refer to the TIPS FOR SHORT WRITING TASK ACTIVITY ***

ReadingWriting Reading selections: informational paragraph(225 to 250 words) – news report...

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