Teaching Comprehension Strategies: Book B - Ages 6-7 by Teacher Superstore

RIC-6297 5.3/960

TEACHING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES (Book B) Published by R.I.C. Publications® 2006

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TEACHING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES (Book A) TEACHING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES (Book C) TEACHING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES (Book D) TEACHING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES (Book E) TEACHING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES (Book F) TEACHING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES (Book G)

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Foreword Teaching comprehension strategies: A metacognitive approach is a series of seven books using modelling, guided and independent practice to teach students strategies they can use to develop different reading comprehension skills. Titles in this series include:

• Teaching comprehension strategies—Book A

• Teaching comprehension strategies—Book B

• Teaching comprehension strategies—Book D • Teaching comprehension strategies—Book E • Teaching comprehension strategies—Book F

• Teaching comprehension strategies—Book G

Contents

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r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S • Teaching comprehension strategies—Book C

Teachers notes................................................................................................................................................................................................. iv – vii Curriculum links..................................................................................................................................................................................................... vii Comprehension skills class test record . ................................................................................................................................................................ viii Individual student evaluation....................................................................................................................................................................................ix

Understanding words 1 – Best buddies (recount).......................4–7

Concluding 1 – An insect which can walk on water (report)....52–55

Understanding words 2 – Goldfish (report).................................8–9

Concluding 2 – Two paper cups and piece of string (explanation).....................56–57

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Teachers notes.......................................................................50–51

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Teachers notes...........................................................................2–3

Finding information 1 – Susie Scooter (narrative poem)........10–13

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Summarising 1 – Rainy day jewellery (recount)......................58–61

Finding information 2 – Make a party hat (procedure)..........14–15 Identifying the main idea 1 – Planting trees (exposition).......16–19

Summarising 2 – Peas and beans (poem)...............................62–63

Identifying the main idea 2 – Ambulance officers (explanation)..........................................20–21

Inferring 1 – Jumping jerboa (report).....................................64–67

Tests – Granny Nell (description).............................................22–25

Tests – How Red Bird got his colour (legend)..........................70–73

Teachers notes.......................................................................26–27

Teachers notes.......................................................................74–75

Sequencing 1 – A clean weekend (recount).............................28–31

Cause and effect 1 – Zork and his visit to Earth (recount).......76–79

Sequencing 2 – Draw a self-portrait (procedure)....................32–33

Cause and effect 2 – Sir Brian and the bees (fairytale)............80–81

Finding similarities and differences 1 – Paige’s farmyard of pets (description).......................................34–37

Fact or opinion 1 – The strange okapi (report).......................82–85

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Inferring 2 – The lion who lost his wig (fable).........................68–69

Fact or opinion 2 – The Marvellous Magic Safety Machine (advertisement) ............86–87

Finding similarities and differences 2 – Public transport (exposition)....................................................38–39 Predicting 1 – Working with Papa (narrative)..........................40–43

Point of view and purpose 1 – Eat more bread (exposition).....................................................88–91

Predicting 2 – Robber Ron (narrative)....................................44–45

Point of view and purpose 2 – New party clothes (recount)....92–93

Tests – A big birthday bash (report/book review).....................46–49

Tests – Diary of a germ (recount).............................................94–97

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iii

Teaching comprehension strategies

Teachers notes What is comprehension? Comprehension is a cognitive process. It involves the capacity of the mind to understand, using logic and reasoning. It is not, as some students sadly believe, trying to guess the answers to formal exercises, done with a pencil and paper, after reading text. Students need to know how to think about and make decisions about a text after reading it.

Teaching comprehension

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S Metacognitive strategies

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Metacognitive strategies, teaching students how to think about thinking, are utilised in developing the twelve comprehension skills taught in this book. Metacognitive strategies are modelled and explained to students for each skill. As this is essentially an oral process, teachers are encouraged to elaborate on and discuss the explanations provided on the ‘Learning about the skill’ pages and to talk about different thought processes they would use in answering each question.

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Comprehension skills can and should be developed by teaching students strategies that are appropriate to a particular comprehension skill and then providing opportunities for them to discuss and practise applying those strategies to the texts they read. These strategies can be a series of clearly defined steps to follow. Students need to understand that it is the process not the product that is more important. In other words, they need to understand how it is done before they are required to demonstrate that they can do it.

Students will require different levels of support before they are able to work independently to comprehend, make decisions about text and choose the best answer in multiple choice questions. This support includes modelling the metacognitive processes, as well as supported practice with some hints and clues provided.

Higher order comprehension skills are within the capacity of young students, but care needs to be taken to ensure that the text is at an appropriate level and that the language of discussion is also age-appropriate.

© R. I . C.Publ i cat i ons The text can be read with the students. The emphasis should be on discussion and the comprehension activities Comprehension strategies •f o r r evi e w pu r pose sonl y• should be completed orally before moving to supported and then independent pencil and paper work.

The exercises in this book have been written not to test, but to stimulate and challenge students and to help them to develop their thinking processes through modelled metacognitive strategies, discussion and guided and independent practice. There are no trick questions, but there are many that require and encourage students to use logic and reasoning.

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Note: Some students may not be able to complete the activities independently.

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They should practise saying and reading words such as ‘strategies’, ‘paragraphs’, ‘sentence’ etc. so they are familiar with them.

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Particularly in the higher order comprehension skills, there may be more than one acceptable answer. The reader’s prior knowledge and experience will influence some of his or her decisions about the text. Teachers may choose to accept an answer if a student can justify and explain his or her choice. Therefore, some of the answers provided should not be considered prescriptive but more a guide and a basis for discussion.

Note: The terms skills and strategies are sometimes confused. The following explanation provides some clarification of how the two terms are used in this book.

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Skills relate to competent performance and come from knowledge, practice and aptitude. Strategies involve planning and tactics.

In other words, we can teach strategies that will help students to acquire specific comprehension skills.

Teaching comprehension strategies

There are students with excellent cognitive processing skills and a particular aptitude for and interest in reading who develop advanced reading comprehension skills independently. However, for the majority of students, the strategies they need to develop and demonstrate comprehension need to be made explicit and carefully taught, not just tested; the rationale behind this series of books.

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Teachers notes The following twelve comprehension skills are included in this book. Understanding words

Sequencing

Concluding

Cause and effect

Finding information

Finding similarities and differences

Summarising

Fact or opinion

Identifying the main idea

Predicting

Inferring

Point of view and purpose

These twelve skills have been divided into four sections, each with teachers notes, three different comprehension skills and three student assessment tests.

There is a test at the end of each section to assess the three skills, consisting of:

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S • Student page 1 – Text 3

Each group of six pages given to a particular skill consists of:

• Student page 2 – Skill 1 test • Student page 3 – Skill 2 test • Student page 4 – Skill 3 test

A class test record sheet is provided on page viii and an individual student evaluation sheet is on page ix.

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• Student page 1 – Text 1 • Student page 2 – Learning about the skill (teacher modelling of the skill) • Student page 3 – Practice page (student practice with teacher assistance) • Student page 4 – On your own (independent student activity) • Student page 5 – Text 2 • Student page 6 – Try it out (independent student activity with one clue)

There are a variety of different text types used and identified in this book including:

Teachers pages

Reports

Narratives

Expositions

Recounts

Procedures

Explanations

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An indicator states the expected outcome.

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Answers are given for many questions but they may vary, particularly with the higher order comprehension skills. Teachers may choose to accept alternative answers if students are able to justify them. R.I.C. Publications® ~ www.ricpublications.com.au

Information about and answers for student tests for each of the three skills are included. Teaching comprehension strategies

Student pages Text 1

Learning about the skill

Practice page

Concluding Learning about the skill Learn how you can work out conclusions. Conclusions are decisions you make about the meaning of facts and details in the text. • Find out what it is you are making conclusions about. • Look in the text to find the facts and details. Underline them. • Make decisions about what they mean. • Check all answers before choosing one. 1. Read the question.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S Why are water striders insects?

(a) They have wings like other insects.

(b) They can walk on water like other insects. (c) They lay eggs like other insects.

(d) They have three main body parts and six legs.

2. You will be making conclusions about insects. Find the words insect or insects in the text and underline them. 3. Choosing the best answer.

(b) The text does not tell us that other insects can walk on water. This is not the best answer.

(d) Water striders have three main body parts and six legs like other insects. These details are in paragraph 3. Water striders must be insects. This is the best answer.

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• The skill is identified and defined. • The text is presented.

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Teaching comprehension strategies

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(a) The text does not tell us about insects having wings. This is not a good answer.

• The logo indicates that this is a teaching page.

• The logo indicates that this is a teacher and student page.

• Steps and strategies are outlined.

• Some multiple choice questions and others requiring explanations are presented with prompts or clues to assist students.

• Multiple choice questions are presented and metacognitive processes for choosing the best answer are described.

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• The logo indicates that this is a student page.

• The skill is identified. • The text is presented.

• At least one multiple choice question and others requiring explanation are presented for students to complete.

Teaching comprehension strategies

• The logo indicates that this is a student page. • Multiple choice questions and some requiring explanation are included.

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Student test pages Tests 1–3

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Test text

• . Logo to indicate this isa a student page.n © R. I . C P ubthatl i c t i o s • The text is presented. • The comprehension skill to be tested is identified and appropriate strategies and steps •f orr evi ewrevised.pur posesonl y• • The three skills to be tested are identified.

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Curriculum links NSW

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• Multiple choice questions and others requiring more explanation are presented.

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ENRE0201

R 2.1

1.3

RS1.6

ENRE0202

R 2.2

1.7

RS1.7

ENRE0203

R 2.3

1.11

RS1.8

ENRE0204

R 2.4

RS1.5

Qld Refer to curriculum documents on <http:// www.qsa.qld.edu.au>

ENRE0205 ENRE0206 ENRE0207 ENRE0208

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Point of view and purpose

Fact or opinion

Cause and effect

Inferring

Summarising

Concluding

Predicting

Finding similarities and differences

Sequencing

Identifying the main idea

Finding information

Notes

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Name

Understanding words

Comprehension skills class test record

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Individual student evaluation Name: Skill

Strategies

Comments

knowledge Understanding words

application

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S knowledge

Identifying the main idea

Sequencing

Finding similarities and differences

application knowledge

application

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Finding information

knowledge application knowledge application

©knowledge R. I C.Publ i cat i ons . Predicting application •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• knowledge

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Inferring

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application

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Concluding

knowledge application

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application

knowledge

Cause and effect

application

knowledge Fact or opinion

application knowledge

Point of view and purpose

application

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Teachers notes – 1 The focus of this section is on the following skills:

Understanding words

Finding information

Understanding words

Identifying the main idea

Finding information Indicators • Students scan text to locate keywords. • Students read text carefully, as many times as necessary to find important and supporting information and details.

Background information

The meaning of the words and phrases we use depends on how they are used in a sentence. Contextual information is a very useful cue in determining meaning.

This section models and explains how to locate keywords in questions and then in the text. Students are encouraged to scan a text to identify keywords and then to read the text a number of times, if necessary, to locate details and to determine which details are important in clarifying information and in supporting their ideas and the choices they have made.

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Indicators • Students will use contextual information to determine the meaning of words and phrases in texts. • Students will apply metacognitive strategies to reflect on how they determined the meaning of words and phrases.

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Some students find the concept difficult and need explicit modelling and supported practice to understand this and to use contextual information to determine word or phrase meaning. Many are unaware they can determine meaning by careful consideration of the text and that there are clues there to help them.

Many students are unaware of the need to return to text or even that this is permitted and believe they should have understood and remembered all details from their first reading.

In choosing answers to multiple choice questions, students should first locate the word in the text. They should then read the sentence and perhaps some others around it, as well as any other parts of the text that may provide clues to its meaning. They should consider all answers before making a decision and choosing one.

Having identified the keyword in a question, some students find it quite difficult to scan text to locate these words. It is suggested that they are assisted by being given additional information; for example, the specific paragraph they need to read. Many may not be aware that the first sentence in a paragraph often tells what that particular paragraph is about and reading it quickly can be very helpful.

Students may also need to use syntactic information to check that the meaning they have selected ‘fits’ the sentence.

When locating details in informational text, particular care should be taken to ensure that the information is accurate and that it is recorded correctly. Although there is generally more room for interpretation in fiction, this skill requires students to locate information that is stated in the text.

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Answers

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Best buddies . .................................................................................. Pages 4–7 • Practice: Page 6 1. (d) 2. (b) 3. To be around each other and do things together 4. Answers will vary but will be similar to ‘having to do new things can be scary but it is easier to do if you have someone to share things with’. • On your own: Page 7 1. (d) 2. (b) 3. (b) 4. (d) 5. The same or very much alike, almost identical 6. Teacher check

Susie Scooter .............................................................................. Pages 10–13 • Practice: Page 12 1. (c) 2. dodged traffic, watched lights, delivered parcels 3. (c) • On your own: Page 13 1. (d) 2. (c) 3. (c) 4. enjoyed the sunny air/flitted about/helped each other

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Goldfish . ........................................................................................... Pages 8–9 • Try it out: Page 9 1. (c) 2. (b) 3. (a) 4. (b) 5. (d)

Make a party hat . ...................................................................... Pages 14–15 • Try it out: Page 15 1. (a) 2. newspaper or card; stapler and staples or sticky tape; decorations, ribbon or thin elastic 3. (d) 4. let it dry 5. ‘Try on the party hat to see how it looks.’

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Teachers notes – 2 The focus of this section is on the following skills:

Understanding words

Finding information

Identifying the main idea

Student tests

Indicator

Tests have been incorporated to provide teachers with a clear record of each student’s level of understanding and development pertaining to each skill. It is important that students work independently to complete the tests.

• Students determine the main idea in a text and in specific paragraphs.

Background information

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If students are able to identify the main idea of a text they are more likely to comprehend it. This section models how this is done. It provides opportunities for students to practise this skill and to understand why it is important.

A class test record sheet is provided on page viii and an individual student evaluation sheet on page ix. Granny Nell

The main idea connects the ideas expressed in the paragraphs and gives coherence to the text. Some students may find it easier to practise this skill at the paragraph level, particularly if they understand that the first sentence is often the topic sentence and may contain the main idea.

• Test 1 — Understanding words ......................................... Page 23 1. (b) 2. (a) 3. (c) 4. (d) 5. Teacher check

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Identifying the main idea

Another very significant clue is the title, which usually indicates what the text is about and may incorporate its main idea. Another is the conclusion, which in some text types often restates the main idea. In expository text, the main idea is stated in the first paragraph, where the writer is expected to state the issue and his or her position on it.

• Test 2 — Finding information .......................................... Page 24 1. (d) 2. (b) 3. crotchets, uses a walker, watches a lot of television

When selecting the main idea in multiple choice questions, it is essential that students read all the choices carefully, because while all of them are often ideas expressed in the text, generally one is more of an overall summary of the text’s focus.

• Test 3 — Identifying the main idea ................................. Page 25 1. (a) 2. (d) 3. (c) 4. Teacher check

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Planting trees................................................................................Pages 16–19 • Practice: Page 18 1. (a) 2. Trees are good for the environment. 3. (d) 4. (a) Yes (b) Teacher check • On your own: Page 19 1. (d) 2. (b) 3. (a) More trees should be planted in the playground. (b) trees would keep us cool, trees would make the playground look nice, trees keep the air clean.

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Ambulance officers . ................................................................. Pages 20–21 • Try it out: Page 21 1. (b) 2. Paragraph 7: Ambulance officers write reports; Paragraph 9: Ambulance officers look after the ambulances and the equipment in them; Paragraph 8: Ambulance officers transport people to and from hospital for treatment. 3. Answers should indicate that ambulance officers are special people who do an important job.

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Understanding words – 1 We use words to communicate with other people. It is important that we understand what words mean when we read them. We also need to know some ways to work out what unfamiliar words mean. Read the recount.

Best buddies

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We have done lots of new things together. When I attended school on my very first day, Ryan started too. When I was promoted from one grade to the next at school, Ryan was too. When I went on my first school excursion, Ryan went too. When I was introduced to a new teacher at the beginning of each year, Ryan met him or her too. Having someone to share scary, new experiences with made it easier to cope with them.

Some people say that we are like two peas in a pod. We both like to draw and play cricket. We both like the same television shows and books. I have a pet labrador that chases balls and sticks—and so does he. I don’t like to eat broccoli and neither does Ryan, but we both like to eat ice-cream and cheese.

Ryan is seven and so am I. Usually, it’s great to share everything with my best buddy, but Ryan’s birthday is the same day as mine too, so we share a birthday as well. That’s when it’s not so great that your best buddy is also your twin brother! You only get to go to one birthday party instead of two.

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Ryan is my best buddy. I call him that because we do lots of things together. We are nearly inseparable. We sit next to each other in class and we play games together in the playground. On the weekends and after school, we hang out together.

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Teaching comprehension strategies

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Understanding words Learning about the skill Learn how to work out the meaning of new words. • Find and underline the word in the text. • Read the sentence the word is in. Think about the other words in the sentence to find out what clues they give you.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u • Always checkS all the possible answers before choosing one.

Read the question. What does the word inseparable mean? (a) house (b) a parent (c) happy (d) unable to be parted

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• If you are still not sure, read the sentences before and after that one and the whole paragraph if you need to.

2. Find and underline the word inseparable in paragraph 1.

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3. Choosing the best answer (a) The text is about two friends, not houses, so this is not a good answer.

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(b) If we put the words ‘a parent’ in the sentence instead of ‘inseparable’ the sentence would say ‘We are nearly a parent’. The text tells about two friends, not their parents, so this is not a good answer.

o c . che e r o (c) If we put the word ‘happy’ in the sentence instead of ‘inseparable’, the t r s s r u e p sentence is okay but doesn’t sound quite right. This is probably not the best answer. (d) The sentence before tells about two children who do lots of things together. They do not like to be parted. The sentence with ‘inseparable’ in it tells about this. This is the best answer.

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Understanding words Practice page Use strategies like those on page 5 to work out word meanings. (Clues are given to help you!) 1. Find and underline the word promoted in paragraph 2. Does it mean: (a) to get in trouble? (b) a tree? (c) visited? (d) moved up?

2. Find and underline the word labrador in paragraph 3. Does it mean: (a) someone’s name (b) a breed of dog (c) a fish (d) exercising

Read the sentence, trying each of the answers in it and think about which one makes the most sense.

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r o e t s Bo r e p ok u I think the best answer S is .

Think!

The sentence will give you a clue about what the labrador does.

. © R. I . C .Publ i cat i ons 3. Explain what your think the phrase hang out •f o r ev i e wp ur p osesonl y• Think! I think the best answer is

together in paragraph 1 means.

The beginning of the paragraph will give you a very good clue.

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o c . c e h r 4. Explain what the words easier to cope with in er o t s The beginning ofThink! super paragraph 2 mean. the

sentence will give you a clue.

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Understanding words On your own Think about the strategies you have been practising and work out the meaning of these words and phrases. 1. What does the word broccoli mean? (Paragraph 3) (c) a toy

(d) a vegetable

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(b) dance

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r o e The best meaning is t s B r e oo p 2. What does theu word excursion mean? (Paragraphk 2) S (a) work (b) trip (a) to buy

The best meaning is

(d) holiday

3. What does the word experiences mean? (Paragraph 2) (a) clothes

(b) things that happen to you

(d) animals

(a) old

(b) enter

(d) met

The best meaning is

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5. Explain what the phrase like two peas in a pod means. (Paragraph 3)

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6. (a) The title of this text is Best buddies. Do you think it is a good title?

yes

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Understanding words – 2 Read the report.

Goldfish 1.

Goldfish are interesting creatures. They are one of the most common fish kept in an aquarium.

r o e t s Bo r e p o u k They belong to a family S of fish called carp. Carp were a very popular fish in China. Initially, they were silver, but when one was born with gold on it, people started to breed the gold variety.

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Goldfish can grow to be almost as long as a ruler and can live for six or eight years.

People like to keep colourful goldfish in ponds. They are not expensive to buy and can be very hardy. Some can live for a short time in ponds with ice on the surface.

Goldfish need to be kept in a pond or tank with a filter to clear away waste and keep the water clean. They need plants to help keep the water clean and for them to eat. Sometimes snails can be added to the pond or tank to eat algae that grows.

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o c . e Special goldfish foodc should be fed to goldfish. There are flakes which h r e o t sink slowly to the r float on the surface of the water or pellets which s su r e p bottom of the tank. Goldfish are greedy so they will eat every bit of

food which is put in the tank. It is very important to not feed goldfish too much food.

A tank full of different coloured goldfish would be really easy to keep at home and fun to watch!

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Understanding words Try it out Use the strategies you learnt and practised in Best buddies to work out the meaning of some of the words and phrases. Remember: Find the words or phrases, read the words around them and think.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S The best answer is .

Think!

Where does the word come in the sentence?

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1. What does the word initially mean? (Paragraph 2) (a) today (b) tomorrow (c) first (d) drink

2. Tick the best answer for the meaning of the word aquarium. (Paragraph 1) (a) something which is blue

(b) a pond or tank

(d) a house

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The best answer is

(d) a cap

4. What does the word expensive mean? (Paragraph 4) (a) costs nothing (b) costs a lot (c) easy (d) hard

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o c . che e r The best answer is .r o t s super

5. Tick the best answer for the meaning of the word algae. (Paragraph 5) (a) fruit

(b) cotton

(d) weed

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Finding information – 1 When you read a text you can usually remember some things. If you are asked questions, you should read it again to find information and check that you are correct. Remember the answer you are looking for is in the text, you just need to find it! Read the narrative poem.

Susie scooter

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r o e t s Bo r e Susie, the scooter, was mad. p ok u Susie, the scooter, was sad. S She sat inside the dirty shed With sticky cobwebs as her bed. She dreamed about her busy life Dodging traffic, watching lights. Delivering parcels here and there

‘I’m no use! I ‘m just a piece of junk!’

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‘No-one wants me any more! All I do is clunk!’

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So sunk in gloom was she, she hardly noticed the fuss.

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Unemployed and on the shelf.

o c . Some tinkering and tweaking, chea coat of shiny paintr e ohad no complaint! And Susie soon was spick and span—she certainly r st supe r A big, black trailer took her away—disappearing in the dust!

Now Beryl and Susie are quite a pair! Two grannies enjoying the sunny air! Flitting about all over the place

Each helping the other with a smile on her face.

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Finding information Learning about the skill Learn how to find information in text. • Read the question very carefully. Keywords will tell you what information and details you need to find.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S in the text and carefully read the information around them. • Find the keywords • Underline the keywords in the question.

• Check all the possible answers before making a decision.

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• Think about an answer, but you must look at the text again to check that you are correct.

Read the question. How was Susie feeling at the beginning of the narrative poem? (a) Susie was feeling happy. (b) Susie was feeling disappointed. (c) Susie was feeling scared. (d) Susie was feeling mad and sad.

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2. Underline the keyword feeling in the question. 3. Find and underline words about feelings at the beginning of the poem (Verse 1).

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4. Choosing the best answer (a) The verse tells about Susie being in a dirty shed filled with cobwebs. She was definitely NOT happy! This is not a good answer. (b) This could be a good answer but we don’t know for sure if Susie is feeling disappointed because the text doesn’t say exactly. There may be a better answer. (c) The text doesn’t say anything about Susie being scared of anything. This is not a good answer. (d) This answer is the best. The text uses these exact words to tell how Susie is feeling.

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Finding information Practice page Use strategies like those on page 11 to practise finding information. (Clues are given to help you!) 1. What was the place like where Susie lived? (Verse 1)

r o e t s Bo r e (b) It was dirty. p o u k (c) It was dirty and filled with cobwebs. S (d) It was big and a bit dusty. I think the best answer is

One answer is almost right but find the answer which has ALL the words you need.

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(a) It was comfortable and clean.

Think!

2. Write three things which Susie did in her previous job. Think! (Verse 2) Look in verse 2 to find (a)

three things Susie did

(b)

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(c)

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o c . 3. Why was Susie feeling useless? (Verse 4) ch Think! e r o Some things may (a) She was rusting away.e r st super be true but may not (b) She didn’t like being in the shed.

answer the question best.

(d) She was sad. The best answer is

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Finding information On your own Think about the strategies you have been practising and work out these answers. What had to be done to Susie before she could be used? (Verse 4) (a) She just had to be cleaned. (b) She had to feel happy. (c) She had to be taken apart and put together again. (d) She had to be fixed up and painted.

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The best answer is

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2. Who was Susie’s new owner? (Verse 5) (a) a biker named Black Bill (b) a junkyard where metal is recycled (c) a granny named Beryl (d) a teenager . . © R. I . C Publ i cat i ons or r evi eexplain w pu r p os eso nl y• 3. Tick • thef best answer to why Susie didn’t complain. (Verse 4) The best answer is

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(a) No-one would listen to her.

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(b) She had a sore throat.

. te to stay dirty. o (d) She wanted c . che e r o 4. Write two things Beryl and Susie did together. t r s (Verse 5) super (c) She looked and felt good.

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Finding information – 2 Read the procedure.

Make a party hat Make a party hat by following the steps.

r o e t s Bo r e • a large sheet of newspaper or card p o u k • scissors S • paint

• paintbrush • stapler and staples or sticky tape

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You will need:

• decorations (strips of coloured paper, glitter, sequins etc.) • ribbon or thin elastic

Steps:

2. Staple or tape up the edges.

3. Cut away any extra paper to make a rounded bottom on the hat.

4. Paint and let it dry.

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. tein each side of the hat along the bottomo 6. Poke a hole edge. c . che 7. Tie ribbon or elastic in each hole to hold the party hat on. e r o t r s s r u e p Test:

5. Decorate the hat.

1. Try on the party hat to see how it looks.

2. Loosen or tighten the ribbon or elastic so it holds the hat on firmly.

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Finding information Try it out Use the strategies you learnt and practised in Susie Scooter to find information and answer the questions. Remember: • Work out the keywords and find them in the text.

r o e t s Bo r e p o u 1. Which three things does everyone need to use? k S (a) scissors, paint and paintbrush (b) newspaper, scissors and paint (c) decorations, elastic and paint (d) ribbon, sticky tape and stapler The best answer is

Think! Look in the You will need: part for where the words or or etc. are used. This means that people have a choice.

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• Check all answers before you make a decision.

2. List the four things that you have a choice about using.

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3. What holds the party hat on? (a) scissors (b) paint (c) sticky tape (d) ribbon or elastic

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. te o The best answer is . c . che e r o t r sbeen painted? su 4. What do you need to do after the has er phat 5. How will you know if you have made a good party hat? R.I.C. Publications® ~ www.ricpublications.com.au

Teaching comprehension strategies

Identifying the main idea – 1 If you know what the main idea of a text is, you will have a much better chance of understanding it. Read the exposition.

Planting trees

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1. We are lucky that our school is a very pleasant place. We have good teachers, big classrooms, lots of computers and books, some good playground equipment and lots of space to play. The only thing that I don’t like is that we don’t have many trees! We should plant more trees in our playground. 2. Sometimes it gets very hot in the playground, especially when we run around a lot. If we had more trees we could sit in the shade and cool down when we get hot.

3. Our playground has lots of things made by people, such as climbing equipment, a sandpit and seats. We really like to use these, but if we had more natural things like trees and flowers to go with the grass, it would look much nicer.

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4. Trees are good for the environment too. They take in carbon dioxide and give out oxygen. This helps to keep the air clean. 5. Dad lets me plant seedlings and water the plants at home. If we planted some trees at school, I would look after them. I think every class could plant and look after a tree of its own.

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playground because they would keep us cool, make our playground look nice and keep the air clean.

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Identifying the main idea Learning about the skill Learn how to work out the main idea and why it is important. There are often many ideas in a text but there is one idea that joins the other ideas together. This is the main idea.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u • Always checkS all the answers before choosing one.

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• Read the text then ask yourself, what is it mainly about? (The title is a very good clue to the main idea because a good title often tells the reader what the text is about.)

1. Read what you need to find out. The main idea of Planting trees is: (a) Trees look pretty.

(b) Trees should be cut down to make more room for children to play.

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(a) The writer thinks trees look pretty but this is the main idea of paragraph 3, not the main idea of the whole text. So this is a good answer but not the best choice.

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(b) The writer likes trees so would not want trees to be cut down to make more room for children to play in the playground. This is a bad choice.

o c . (c) The text does not mention native trees at all. This is not a good ch e r er o answer. st super

(d) This is the best answer. The writer gives lots of reasons why more trees should be planted in the school playground. They would keep the children cool, make the playground look nice and help the air.

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Identifying the main idea Practice page Use strategies like those on page 17 to practise finding the main idea. (Clues are given to help you.) 1. What is the main idea in paragraph 2? (a) Trees give shade to keep us cool when we get hot.

The best answer is

2. Explain what paragraph 4 is mainly about.

What are all the ideas in this paragraph about?

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r o e t s Bo r e (b) Trees have a trunk, branches and leaves. p o u k (c) We run around a lot at school. S (d) Trees look nice.

Think!

The writer has stated the main idea at the beginning.

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3. Which paragraph’s main idea is that every class should plant a tree and take care of it?

. te (c) Paragraph 4 (a) Paragraph 1

(b) Paragraph 3

o c . c e h r The best answer is . e o t r s super 4. (a) Does the title of this text give information about the main idea?

Yes

(d) Paragraph 5

(b) Explain.

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Identifying the main idea On your own Think about the strategies you have been practising and work out these answers. 1. What is the main idea of paragraph 3?

r o e t s Bo r e p needs more equipment. (c) The school playground ok u (d) It is good Sto have some natural things in a playground. (a) The school playground is perfect as it is.

The best answer is

2. What is the main idea of paragraph 1? (a) The school has some very good teachers. (b) They need to plant more trees at school.

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(b) Trees help keep the air clean.

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The best answer is

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3. In paragraph 6, the writer retells three important ideas that are connected to the main idea of the paragraph.

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(a) What is the main idea?

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Identifying the main idea – 2 Read the explanation.

Ambulance officers 1. Ambulance officers are special people who do a very important job.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S In emergencies and at accidents, ambulance officers are there to help.

4. They go to places where there are lots of people such as large sporting events, agricultural shows and concerts. If accidents happen or people get sick or hurt, they help them.

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2. They take sick people to hospital and look after them on their way there.

5. Ambulance officers carefully put people onto stretchers, place them in the ambulance and take them to hospital.

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6. They drive ambulances to places where emergencies happen to collect patients to transport them to hospital.

. te o c Sometimes, people cannot get to hospital for treatment and back . c e home again, so ambulance take them. heofficers r o r st suthe r pe Ambulance officers make sure that ambulances and the equipment

7. Ambulance officers have to write reports about the injuries of patients and what they did to look after them. 8.

in them work well. They also make sure that they have enough medical supplies, such as bandages, in the ambulance.

10. Ambulance

officers work in teams and at different times during the day and night. They often need to work closely with firefighters, police officers and other health workers. Ambulance officers must be very clever to be able to do all those things and help save lives too!

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Identifying the main idea Try it out Use the strategies you learnt and practised in Planting trees to find the main idea. Remember: • The information is usually in the text.

r o e t s Bo r e • Look at the title, too!p ok u S answers carefully before making a decision. • Read all the possible

1. Underline the main idea of paragraph 4. (a) Ambulance officers work long hours. (b) Ambulance officers look after crowds at big events. (c) Ambulance officers are kind. (d) Ambulance officers work day and night.

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• Ask yourself ‘Which answer tells what it is mainly about?’

Think!

Read paragraph 4 then read the answers again.

Paragraph 7

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Paragraph 9

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3. In your own words, write the main idea of the whole text.

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Student tests The tests on pages 23 to 25 will show how well you can: • Understand words

• Find information

• Identify the main idea

(You will be working on your own!) Read the description.

Granny Nell

r o e t s Bo r e p She looks just like any other little old grandmother.o u k Her hair is black with streaks of grey through it. S She has lots of wrinkles because she likes to laugh 1. Granny Nell is my favourite relative.

a lot and enjoys life. She wears little spectacles perched on the end of her nose like little canaries on a branch in a cage. She is short and round and seems to shrink each time we see her.

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3. Granny Nell is not as active as she used to be. Her hands are gnarled with arthritis, so she can’t knit for a long time like she used to. Instead, she crotchets a bit as this doesn’t seem to hurt her hands so much.

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4. One day when she was out walking, she fell and broke her hip. After her hip healed, she was a little wary about moving around too much. We decided to buy her a walker. She likes to say that she finally has her own hot rod. We were thinking about putting a ‘Beware’ sign on the walker or even a ‘P’ plate. There is no stopping her now!

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5. Because she can’t get around very much, she spends a lot of time watching television. I think the noise makes her feel as though there are lots of people around. It’s really amusing to hear her argue with the umpire at the footy match on the television!

o c . che e r o t r s super Granny Nell is never pushy. She doesn’t say that her ideas are the 6.

right ones and that your opinion doesn’t count. She lets you make your own decisions and then she helps if you need it. She listens when I tell her things, no matter how silly they may be.

7. I think that’s the main reason why Granny Nell is my favourite relative. She lets me just be me!

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Understanding words Test 1 Remember: • Find and underline the word or phrase in the text. • Read the sentence with the word or phrase in it and those around it.

r o e t s Bo r e • Check all possible answers before making a decision. p ok u S

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• Say the answer word in the sentence to see if it makes sense.

Name:

Date:

1. What does the word streaks mean? (Paragraph 2) (a) to run fast (b) bands of colour The best meaning is (c) talk (d) a piece of meat

2. What does the word spectacles mean? (Paragraph 2) (a) glasses (b) trees The best meaning is (c) exercise (d) act silly

3. What does the word gnarled mean? (Paragraph 3) (a) growl (b) funny The best meaning is (c) twisted (d) a type of dress

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4. What does the word wary mean? (Paragraph 4) (a) happy (b) win The best meaning is (c) fight (d) worried

5. Explain why the writer said that Granny Nell’s glasses were ‘like little canaries on a branch in a cage’. (Paragraph 2) R.I.C. Publications® ~ www.ricpublications.com.au

Teaching comprehension strategies

Finding information Test 2 Remember: • Look in the text to find information. • Underline keywords in the question so that you know what information you are looking for.

r o e t s Bo r e p o u k • Check all possible answers before making a decision. S

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• Find and underline keywords in the text. Carefully read information about them.

Name: 1.

Date:

How do you know that Granny Nell is a happy person? (Paragraph 2) (a) She has black hair with grey streaks in it. (b) She frowns a lot. (c) She tells jokes. The best answer is . (d) She has lots of wrinkles from laughing.

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2. What is the main reason that Granny Nell is the writer’s favourite relative? (Paragraph 7) (a) She gives him or her presents. (b) She lets him or her just be himself/herself. (c) She drives a hot rod. The best answer is (d) She is shorter than he or she is.

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. o c . c eas active as 3. Write three things Granny Nell does because she isr not he o st s she used to be. (Paragraphsr 3, 4u and p5)er • • •

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Identifying the main idea Test 3 Remember: • The main idea links all the other ideas together and tells what the text is mainly about.

r o e t s Bdecision. r • Always check all possible answers before making ao e p ok u S

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• The title gives a clue about the main idea of the text.

Date:

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Name:

Paragraph 2 tells mainly … (a) what Granny Nell looks like. (b) what Granny Nell likes to do. (c) that Granny Nell is popular with her grandchildren. (d) that Granny Nell is a nasty person.

The best answer is 3.

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(a) Paragraph 1 (b) Paragraph 4 (c) Paragraph 3 (d) Paragraph 6

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The main idea of paragraph 4 is … (a) Granny has a ‘P’ plate on her walker. (b) Granny has a sore leg. (c) Granny now gets around using a walker. (d) Granny can’t go anywhere.

The best answer is

4. The title tells you that the text is about Granny Nell, but it doesn’t tell you the main idea. Write a new title for the text which gives the main idea. R.I.C. Publications® ~ www.ricpublications.com.au

Teaching comprehension strategies

Teachers notes – 1 The focus of this section is on the following skills:

Sequencing

Finding similarities and differences

Sequencing

Predicting

Finding similarities and differences

Indicator

• Students will sequence events.

• Students will compare and contrast people, places and events.

Background information

This section demonstrates how to determine the order in which events occur, sometimes using time markers and other strategies to identify the relationship between events.

The ability to compare and contrast the information provided in a text enhances the reader’s understanding of that text and is an important comprehension skill students need to practise.

Knowing the sequence of events is an important, often critical, factor to a reader’s understanding of a text.

Students are required to categorise information to determine what some people, places and events have in common, or how they differ.

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Graphic organisers are a very useful tool for identifying similarities and differences, particularly Venn diagrams, T–charts and compare and contrast charts.

Students may also find time lines of sections of the text or specific events a useful strategy.

Answers

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Firstly, students need to determine from the question which events they are required to sequence. Then, they should locate them in the text and look for any time markers that could be helpful. Examples could include before, then, when, while, after, finally, at last or following.

Venn diagram

A clean weekend..........................................................................Pages 28–31 • Practice: Page 30 1. (a) 2. (a) 3. (c) 4. Mum and Dad kept cleaning up until lunchtime. • On your own: Page 31 1. (c) 2. (d) 3. 2, 3, 1 4. … put away the tools.

compare

T-chart

contrast

Contrast chart

Answers Paige’s farmyard of pets...........................................................Pages 34–37 • Practice: Page 36 1. (c) 2. dogs: long, fluffy tail; rabbit: short, round tail like a cotton wool ball; cat: no tail; goldfish: soft, rounded tail 3. (b) 4. (d) • On your own: Page 37 1. (b) 2. dogs: brown, black, white; rabbit: white; cat: white, brown, black; goldfish: gold, orange, orange and gold 3. (c) 4. (a) Yes (b) No (c) No (d) Yes

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Draw a self-portrait...................................................................Pages 32–33 • Try it out: Page 33 1. (c) 2. (a) Yes (b) No (c) No (d) Yes (e) No 3. details such as freckles, scars etc. 4. Answers should be similar to ‘Compare your self-portrait to what your face looks like when you look in the mirror’.

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Public transport...........................................................................Pages 38–39 • Try it out: Page 39 1. (a) 2. (a) True (b) False (c) False 3. (a) roads (b) train stations (c) very quickly 4. Teacher check: transport many people; less pollution; no traffic jams; relaxing etc.

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Teachers notes – 2 The focus of this section is on the following skills:

Sequencing

Finding similarities and differences

Predicting

Student tests

Indicator • Students will use information from a text to predict outcomes not explicitly stated in the text.

Background information

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A class test record sheet is provided on page viii and an individual student evaluation sheet on page ix.

To be able to predict outcomes, often in terms of the probable actions or reactions of specific characters, students need to focus on content and to understand what they read. They need to monitor their understanding as they read, constantly confirming, rejecting or adjusting their predictions.

A big birthday bash

• Test 2 — Finding similarities and differences .............. Page 48 1. (d) 2. (b) 3. (a) 4. different; different

If students’ answers differ, it is suggested that they check again to see why their answer varies from the one given. If they can really justify their answer, teachers may decide to accept it.

• Test 3 — Predicting .............................................................. Page 49 1. (d) 2. Teacher check. Students may suggest that the mouse scared the children and the sneezing powder made everyone sneeze. They may suggest that these caused more problems such as children knocking over food etc. when they ran away or sneezed. 3. (c)

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Students need to be able to locate specific information related to an issue and/or characters using keywords and concepts. Their predictions should not be wild guesses, but well thought out, logical ideas based on the information provided and some prior knowledge.

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The focus of this section is on teaching students how to locate and use the information provided in the text to determine probable outcomes and then to evaluate their predictions.

• Test 1 — Sequencing ........................................................... Page 47 1. (a) 2. (b) 3. 3, 2, 1, 4, 6, 5

Working with Papa......................................................................Pages 40–43 • Practice: Page 42 1. (b) 2. (b) 3. (d) • On your own: Page 43 1. (c) 2. (a) 3. Teacher check

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Robber Ron...................................................................................Pages 44–45 • Try it out: Page 45 1. (b) 2. (d) 3. (a)

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Sequencing – 1 If you want to understand what you read, you must be able to work out the order in which events happen. This is called sequencing. Read the recount.

A clean weekend

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My two brothers and I had to help Mum and Dad. Before we started to clean up, we filled some large drink bottles with cold water and placed them on the patio in the shade. Then we put on sunscreen, hats and thick garden gloves.

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Last weekend, my family cleaned up our yard. Our local council was going to pick up all the rubbish the following week.

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straight after breakfast.

First Dad used his tree loppers and pruning saw to cut away branches hanging over the gutters, driveway and path.

Then he passed the branches to Mum, who used her shears to cut them into smaller pieces.

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o c . che e r o t r s super Mark, David and I stopped and went back inside before lunch because

After that, we shoved the small pieces into large, strong garbage bags until they were full. We carried the branches which were too long or thick to fit in the bags out to the footpath to make a pile. Finally, we placed the bags on top of the pile.

we were getting tired, but Mum and Dad kept cleaning up until lunchtime.

After Mum and Dad swept up and put away the tools, they had their showers and took us to get hamburgers, chips and milkshakes for lunch. They said we deserved it because we had been a really big help!

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Sequencing Learning about the skill Remember: The order in which things happen is very important. • Make sure you understand which events you need to sequence. • Look in the text to find the events listed as possible answers to the question and underline them.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u • Always checkS all possible answers before making a decision.

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• You will need to work out how these events are related. There may be some time marker words such as then, before or next in the text to help you.

Read the question. What events had to happen before the family could start their clean-up? (a) The family had showers and breakfast. (b) The family filled up and carried bags of rubbish out to the footpath. (c) The boys went inside and then went to have lunch. (d) The family got drink bottles filled with cold water, put on sunscreen, hats and garden gloves.

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them. They tell you that you are looking for events that happened before the clean-up started. This information will be near the word before.

3. Choosing the best answer. (a) The family may have had showers and breakfast before starting the clean-up, but the text does not tell us this. This is not a good answer because it is not in the text. (b) The family did fill up bags and carry them out to the footpath but this was during the clean-up — not before! This is not a good answer! (c) The boys did go inside and have lunch, but not before they had started the clean-up. These events happened after the clean-up was finished. (d) The second sentence in paragraph 2 of the text begins with ‘Before we started to clean up, ...’. The events following are the ones needed to answer the question. Getting bottles of cold water, putting on sunscreen, hats and garden gloves is the best answer.

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Sequencing Practice page Use strategies like those on page 29 to practise sequencing. (Clues are given to help you.) What was the first thing that Dad had to do? (a) Dad had to cut away the big branches. (b) Dad had to carry bags out to the footpath. (c) Dad had to buy lunch. (d) Dad had to have a shower.

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The best answer is

Think!

You will need to find and underline all of the answers in the text to work out which one happened first.

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2. What was the first event to happen after Dad cut away the branches? (a) Mum cut them into smaller pieces. (b) The boys put on sunscreen. (c) Mum swept up. (d) The family had lunch.

Think!

Find the sentence in the text which tells about Dad cutting away the big branches, then see which event comes straight after.

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3. What did the boys do after Mum cut the bigger branches into smaller pieces? (a) The boys got tired and went inside. (b) The boys cleaned up until lunchtime. (c) The boys put the smaller pieces into garbage bags. (d) The boys put the bags out on the footpath.

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The best answer is

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The best answer is

Think!

Find the sentence where Mum is cutting up the bigger branches. Then read the next event that happened.

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4. What happened after the boys got tired and went inside? Teaching comprehension strategies

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Sequencing On your own Think about the strategies you have been practising and work out these answers. 1. Which event happened first?

r o e t s Bo r e p after breakfast. ok (c) They started straight u (d) They didS not stop to drink.

(a) They had hamburgers, chips and milk shakes for lunch.

The best answer is

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(b) They stopped before lunch.

2. What was the last event to happen to the boys before they went inside because they were tired? (a) Dad gave Mum the big branches to cut into smaller pieces.

The best answer is

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3. Number these events in the correct order.

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. teDad took the boys to get hamburgers, chips o (b) Mum and and c . milkshakes c for lunch. e her r o st su r eaway p (c) Mum and Dad swept up and put the tools. (a) Mum and Dad had their showers.

4. Write the next event to complete the sentence. After Mum and Dad swept up they

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Sequencing – 2 Read the procedure.

Draw a self-portrait Follow the directions to draw a self-portrait.

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You will need: • a large sheet of white art paper • a lead pencil • a rubber • a mirror Steps:

1. Place your paper with the short sides at the top and bottom and the long sides on each side.

2. Look at your face in the mirror and decide what shape it is (oval, circle, rectangular, square etc.). Draw the shape on your paper, taking up most of the space. Leave a bit of room at the top, bottom and sides for ears, hair and a neck.

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3. Look in the mirror at the shape of your nose. Find the middle of the face on the paper and draw a nose. 4. Look in the mirror at the shape of your mouth. Draw it below the nose.

. te eyelashes and any lines you can see around o 6. Add eyebrows, the c . eyes. che e r o tand cheeks. r 7. Look in the mirror. Draw lines fore the chin s s r up 5. Look in the mirror to see where your eyes are. Draw them.

8. Look in the mirror to draw ear shapes and hair.

9. Add other details you can see when you look in the mirror, such as freckles, scars etc. 10. Colour your portrait. Test: Does your self-portrait look like the face you see in the mirror? Teaching comprehension strategies

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Sequencing Try it out Use the strategies you learnt and practised in A clean weekend to work out the sequence. Remember: The order in which things happen is very important. • Which events do you need to sequence?

r o e t s Bo r e • Work out how thesep events are related. Look for time marker words such as then, o u k before or next to help you. S

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• Look in the text to find the events listed as possible answers.

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• Check all possible answers before deciding.

What should you do first? (a) Colour your portrait. (b) Add details such as freckles. (c) Collect the things you need. (d) Place your paper up the correct way.

Think!

Find and underline all the instructions in the text. Work out which one comes first.

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2. Circle yes or no. Yes No

(b) The nose is drawn after the eyes.

Yes No

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(a) The shape of the face is drawn before everything else.

. te are drawn after the eyes. o (d) The eyelashes c . ccheeks e (e) The chin and are drawn after the ears. her r o t s super (c) The mouth is drawn before the nose.

Yes No Yes No Yes No

3. What are the last details drawn on the self-portrait?

4. The last event of the procedure is a test. Write the test as a sentence. R.I.C. Publications® ~ www.ricpublications.com.au

Teaching comprehension strategies

Finding similarities and differences – 1 To help you understand what you read in text, you may need to think about how things are alike or how they are different and to make comparisons. Read the description.

Paige’s farmyard of pets 1.

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My neighbour, Paige, has a ‘farmyard’ of pets.

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2. She has two dogs called Bill and Bob who are German shepherds. They are big with soft brown, black and white fur. They have a long fluffy tail. They look really mean but they always let me pat them. Bill and Bob like to run around the yard a lot. Paige takes them for a long walk every morning and afternoon as well. They behave when they are on their leads and they know how to ‘sit’, ‘stay’ and ‘come’ when Paige asks them to. Bill and Bob gobble up a large bowl of dry dog food each day and Paige gives them bones to chew as well. They also have a large bucket of fresh water to drink.

3. In one corner of her yard, she has a rabbit hutch where a large, white, fluffy rabbit called Hop lives. Hop has a short round tail like a cotton ball. Sometimes Paige lets Hop out of the hutch and she hops around the yard looking and sniffing at everything. Hop loves to nibble carrots and spinach. She has a water bottle and a rubber toy to chew on.

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4. Sheba is the name of Paige’s cat. She is really a strange looking cat as she has no tail. I thought that she had been in an accident, but Paige told me that she was a special breed of tailless cat called a Manx. Sheba has soft, glossy, white, brown and black fur. She is a very friendly cat, as she often comes to visit me. She always runs home though when it’s time for her dry cat food or drink of water.

. te o Paige keeps an aquarium. She has lots of c . ch e goldfish. Most are gold, some are orange r er o t and some are gold and orange. They s super have soft rounded tails. They eat dry 5.

fish flakes and nibble on the water plants. A filter keeps the tank clean, but fish don’t drink water.

6. Paige must love animals very much to keep so many!

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Finding similarities and differences Learning about the skill Learn how you can organise information to make it easier to answer questions about similarities and differences. Remember:

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

• Make sure you understand the question. Underline the keywords.

• Always check all the possible answers before deciding.

Read the question. Which pets have black on their bodies? (a) cat and goldfish (b) cat and rabbit (c) rabbit and dogs (d) dogs and cat

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• Sometimes it is easy to see how things are different or the same if you are comparing two things. However, if there are three or more things to compare, it can be helpful to organise the information in a chart.

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2. Underline the keywords black and bodies in the question. This is the important information to find out about the pets. You need to find two pets which have the same colour (black) on their bodies. 3. Choosing the best answer.

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(a) In the text, the cat has black on its body, so this could be an answer. But the goldfish are not black so this answer is not a good one. It is only half right. We need to find an answer which talks about two pets with black on their body. (b) In the text, the cat has black on its body but the rabbit is all white. This is not a good answer either. It is only half right. (c) The rabbit is white but the dogs have black on their body as well. This is only half right. There should be a better answer than this. (d) The dogs have black on their body and so does the cat. This is the best answer. R.I.C. Publications® ~ www.ricpublications.com.au

Teaching comprehension strategies

Finding similarities and differences Practice page Use strategies like those on page 35 to practise finding similarities and differences. (Clues are given to help you.) 1. Which pet is different because it doesn’t eat dry food? (a) goldfish (b) cat (c) rabbit (d) dogs

Think!

Find the paragraph about each animal and look for the sentence which tells what the pet eats.

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r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S . The best answer is

Think!

2. Complete the table with words which tell about the tail of each pet. dogs

rabbit

Copy the exact words from the text.

cat

goldfish

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Use the information from the table to answer the question. Which pet is different from the others because it doesn’t have a tail? (a) goldfish (b) cat (c) rabbit (d) dogs

Use the information to answer the question. Which pets have round tails? (a) rabbit and cat (b) goldfish and dogs (c) cat and dogs (d) rabbit and goldfish

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o c . che e r o t r s super The best answer is .

The best answer is Teaching comprehension strategies

. 36

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Finding similarities and differences On your own Think about the strategies you have been practising and work out these answers. The three pets that drink water are ... (a) rabbit, cat and goldfish (b) dogs, rabbit and cat (c) goldfish, rabbit and cat (d) goldfish, dogs and cat

Think!

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The best answer is

You may think that you know the answer but check the text.

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2. Complete the table using words from the text about the colour of the pets. The dogs are …

The rabbit is …

The cat is …

The goldfish are …

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3. Which two pets have both black and brown? (a) goldfish and rabbit (b) rabbit and cat (c) cat and dogs (d) dogs and rabbit

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o c . c e r The best answer ish e.r o t s super 4. Tick yes or no.

(a) Rabbit and cat both have white.

Yes

(b) Goldfish and rabbit have one colour the same.

Yes

(d) Cat and dogs have three colours the same.

Yes

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Finding similarities and differences – 2 Read the exposition.

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Public transport

Lots of people use public transport such as trains and buses to move about. I think more people should use public transport.

Buses are good because many people can travel on one bus. People can be picked up and set down at many bus stops along the way. This means that there is less pollution, because only one bus is used instead of lots of cars. It also means that there are less vehicles on the road so there aren’t as many traffic jams.

cars.

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4. People can read books or newspapers, look at the scenery or talk to their friends on buses. They can relax on their way to school or work.

. tquickly along their tracks and stop at many o They move verye stations. c . People can get on and off at stations along the train route. ch e r e o t r People can do lots of thingss onu trains instead s of having to worry per 5. Trains can carry lots and lots of people too. 6. 7.

about driving to work. They can read, talk or look at the scenery.

8. Trains don’t cause traffic jams or make lots of pollution because one train takes the place of many cars. 9. Buses and trains are good forms of public transport. I think more people should use them.

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Finding similarities and differences Try it out Use the strategies you learnt and practised in Paige’s farmyard of pets to work out similarities and differences. Remember: • Make sure you understand the question. Underline the keywords.

r o e t s Bo r e p o • Always check allu the possible answers before deciding. k S 1. Buses and trains both cause fewer traffic jams …

(a) (b) (c) (d)

because they carry lots of people at one time. because they are small. because they move quickly. because they let people relax.

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• If there are three or more things to compare, it can be helpful to organise the information in a chart.

Think!

Look for the keywords in the text.

. . © R. I . C Publ i cat i ons f o r r evi ew pur posesonl y• 2. Write• True or False. The best answer is

(b) Trains and buses both travel very fast.

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(a) Trains and buses both make lots of stops.

. te o c (a) Trains travel on tracks, buses travel on . che e r o t r (b) Buses stop at bus stops, trains stop at s super

3. Complete the sentences about how buses and trains are different.

. . .

4. Why are trains and buses both good forms of transport? Give one good reason. R.I.C. Publications® ~ www.ricpublications.com.au

Teaching comprehension strategies

Predicting – 1 As we read, it is important to think about what is happening and to work out what we think will happen next. Read the narrative.

Working with Papa 1. Gabriella had a student-free day from school. Today she was going to work with her dad, Enzo, at their restaurant in town.

r o e t s BUsually she was not r e She was feeling very excited and very grown up.o p ok the week. allowed to go to the restaurant during the day through u Swanted her to work hard at school and do well. Mamma and Papa Teac he r

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They wanted her to get a good job when she grew up. They didn’t want her to have to work day and night, seven days a week.

3. They arrived at the restaurant early. Papa took Gabriella into the office.

4. ‘I’m glad you brought your homework report to do, Gabriella’, Papa said. ‘I can find some websites for you to use to find information. When you’ve finished your report, you can draw or read until it’s time to eat.’

5. Papa left and went into the kitchen to start work.

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6. ‘This is no fun’, thought Gabriella. ‘I came to the restaurant to watch Papa work. I like being here. I like helping in the kitchen and talking to all the customers. All I ever seem to do is schoolwork.’ 7. Gabriella left the office and went into the kitchen to find Papa.

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o c . che e r o t r s ‘You’d better ask your papa’, s heu replied. per 8. ‘What can I do to help?’ she asked Aldo, one of the cooks who was peeling vegetables. 9.

10. ‘What can I do to help?’ she asked Maria, the waitress who was carrying tablecloths. 11. ‘You’d better ask your papa’, she replied. 12. Gabriella

went out into the restaurant to find her papa.

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Predicting Learning about the skill Learn how to work out what probably happens next. Remember: • The answers are not in the text.

r o e t s B r e o • Find and underline information which tells about the question. p ok u • Think hard! What Sis the writer suggesting might happen? • Consider all possible answers before deciding.

1. What do you think Gabriella will do next? (a) Go back to the office to finish her schoolwork. (b) Play a game at the front of the restaurant.

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• Find information in the text to use and think about.

2. Choosing the best answer.

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(a) Gabriella came to the restaurant to watch her papa work. She doesn’t want to do her schoolwork (paragraph 6). She probably won’t go back to the office to finish her schoolwork. This may not be the answer.

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o c . che e r o t r (c) Gabriella can’t go to school is r a student-free day (Paragraph 1). s suaspite This is not a good answer.

(b) The restaurant is in town. It is probably on a busy street with lots of traffic. If Gabriella goes out the front to play a game her papa may worry where she has gone. This is not a good answer.

(d) Gabriella has already talked to the cook and the waitress. Now she probably needs to find her papa and talk to him. She probably needs to tell him how she feels. This is the best answer.

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Predicting Practice page Use strategies like those on page 41 to help you predict what will happen. (Clues are given to help you.)

r o e t s Bo r e (a) a restaurant ownerp o u k (b) a good job that pays well S (c) a cook or waitress 1. What sort of job will Gabriella’s mamma and papa want her to have when she grows up?

Think!

(d) a job where she has to work hard The best answer is

2. What do you think Aldo the cook will do next?

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Read the last sentence of paragraph 2.

Think! © R. I . C.Publ i cat i on s Read what Aldo was doing when Gabriella asked him (b) Cook• the vegetables. f o rr evi ew pur poseso nl y• if she could help. (a) Serve a customer. (c) Go shopping.

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The best answer is

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(d) Help Gabriella with her homework.

o Think! c . Read paragraph 4 to help che e r work out the best o you (a) Send her to school. r st super answer. (b) Sing a song. 3. Imagine that Gabriella has decided to work in the kitchen without asking her papa. What do you think he will do?

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Predicting On your own Think about the strategies you have been practising and work out these answers. 1. What do you think Papa will probably say to Gabriella when she asks to help?

r o e t s Bo r e pat school?’ ok (b) ‘Why aren’t you u Sschoolwork and then you can help.’ (c) ‘Finish your (d) ‘You don’t like helping.’ The best answer is

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(a) ‘You’re too little to help.’

2. What do you think Maria the waitress will most likely do next? (a) Put the tablecloths on the tables.

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The best answer is

3. Write three things Papa might let Gabriella do to help in the restaurant. • •

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•

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Predicting – 2 Read the narrative.

Robber Ron 1. It was a cool, clear night in the busy city of Brownswood. Robber Ron hid like a mouse in the shadows watching the windows of the jewellery shop across the street.

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2. Robber Ron was dressed for work. He wore dark clothes and soft shoes which did not squeak when he moved. He had a black cap on his head and he carried a dark grey back pack. Robber Ron did not want to get caught.

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3. Robber Ron had spent the last few weeks watching the shop. He knew when the shop opened, when it closed and who worked in the shop. He also knew that a very expensive diamond necklace was being made for Mrs Rich and that she was going to pick it up the next day. He had heard Mr Gem and Mrs Rich talking about it outside the shop. 4. As he watched the shop, he went over his plan in his mind. First, he would wait until there were no pedestrians or traffic in the street. Then he would creep out of the shadows and cross the street. He would then make his way to the side entrance of the shop, where he would use his lock picks to unlock the side door. Once he was inside, he would use his special skills to disarm the alarm. After that it was a simple matter of using his torch to find his way to the safe in the office where he knew Mr Gem would have stored the diamond necklace belonging to Mrs Rich.

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5. The street cleared so Robber Ron crossed to the side entrance of the jewellery shop. He used his lock picks to unlock the door. He checked the alarm box and saw that it was already turned off. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Something wasn’t right! The alarm should have been on! He was already inside so he crept around the display cases to the office. Mr Gem must have forgotten to turn off the light.

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6. He opened the office door to find Mr Gem and Constable Owens waiting for him.

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Predicting Try it out Use the strategies you learnt and practised in Working with Papa to make predictions. Remember:

r o e t s Bo r e p o • Think hard! Whatu is the writer suggesting might happen? k S • Consider all possible answers before deciding. • The answers are not in the text.

What do you think Robber Ron will do next? (a) Tell them his name is Robber Ron. (b) Close the office door and run out of the shop. (c) Tell them he got lost. (d) Make a cup of tea.

The police officer will probably … (a) scream in fright. (b) give Robber Ron the necklace. (c) ask Robber Ron the time. (d) try to arrest Robber Ron.

(a) (b) (c) (d)

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• Find and underline information in the text to use and think about.

Think!

Read the last sentence in paragraph 2.

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. te o c The best answer is . che. e r o t r ssafer in the future? s uphis er 3. How you think Mr Gem will make shop Not talk to customers outside the shop. Leave a light on at night. Ask Constable Owens to live there. Leave a window open.

The best answer is

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. 45

Teaching comprehension strategies

Student tests The tests on pages 46 to 49 will show how well you can: • Sequence

• Find similarities and differences

• Predict

(You will be working on your own!) Read the report.

A big birthday bash

r o e t s Bo r e p o u kBree who is The funny, rhyming storybook tells about a girl named S having a party to celebrate her seventh birthday. 1. This picture book is a new one written by Karl Green.

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Bree has invited some schoolfriends, including two unusual characters called Tatts and Butch. Mum has bought or cooked all the food. The decorations are up and Mum has set up games for them to play. Soon the party guests start to arrive. Finally, Tatts and Butch arrive. Unfortunately, Tatts has brought his pet mouse, Twitch, in his pocket and Butch has hidden a jar of sneezing powder inside his jacket.

The madness that follows after Tatts and Butch make trouble by playing tricks makes this a very funny book.

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5. Karl Green has written two other books, A schoolday scare and A holiday howl. A schoolday scare is scary and A holiday howl is sad. This book is different because it is written in rhyme but, like his other books, it is still very funny. 6. This book is illustrated by Tess Willis. Her cartoon-like pictures make it colourful and funny. It is the first time she has drawn pictures for a book written by Karl Green.

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7. This is a very funny story which all children will enjoy reading.

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Sequencing Test 1 Remember: • Make sure you know which events you need to sequence. • Find possible answers in the text and underline them.

r o e t s Bo r e • Check all possible answers before making a decision. p ok u S

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• Work out how they are related.

Name:

Date:

1. What happened first in the story A big birthday bash? (a) Bree invited friends to her party. (b) Bree went to bed. (c) Tatts and Butch made trouble. (d) Mum ate birthday cake.

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(b) Madness followed. (d) Mum put up decorations.

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(a) The party guests arrived. (c) Bree was five years old. .

. te o c (a) Mum put up the decorations. . che e r o t r s super (b) Mum cooked the food.

3. Write numbers next to the events to show the correct order.

(c) Bree invited schoolfriends to the party. (d) Mum got the games set up. (e) Tatts and Butch arrived. (f) The party guests started to arrive. R.I.C. Publications® ~ www.ricpublications.com.au

Teaching comprehension strategies

Finding similarities and differences Test 2 Remember: • Make sure you understand the question and underline the keywords. • Use a table or chart if you need one.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S Date:

• Check all possible answers before deciding.

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Name:

1. A big birthday bash is different from other books because ... (a) it is a scary story. (b) it is hard to read. (c) it is not funny. (d) it is written in rhyme. The best answer is

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The best answer is

(d) He wrote a book.

3. The three books are the same because …

(a) (b) (c) (d)

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they are all written by Karl Green. Tess Willis illustrated them. they are about birthday parties. the words rhyme.

The best answer is

4. Circle the correct word(s). The pictures in A big birthday bash are different/the same because they are drawn by a different/the same illustrator. Teaching comprehension strategies

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Predicting Test 3 Remember: • The answers are not in the text. • Find and underline information in the text to use and think about.

r o e t s r e before deciding.Boo • Consider all possiblep answers u k S

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• Think hard! What is the writer suggesting might happen?

Name:

Date:

1. What do you think Bree thought would happen when she invited Tatts and Butch to her party? (a) Things would go wrong and spoil her party. (b) No boys would come to her party. (c) She would get cross with Tatts and Butch. (d) Her party would be lots of fun and a bit different.

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2. Write sentences to tell what probably happened after Tatts and Butch played their tricks at the birthday party.

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3. What will Mum probably do to Tatts and Butch after they make trouble? (a) give them cake (b) put them in a tree (c) growl at them (d) take them home The best answer is R.I.C. Publications® ~ www.ricpublications.com.au

. 49

Teaching comprehension strategies

Teachers notes – 1 The focus of this section is on the following skills:

Concluding

Summarising

Concluding

Inferring

Summarising

Indicator

• Students will make judgments and reach conclusions based on facts and details provided in a text.

• Students will summarise text by linking important information and identifying the main points.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

Background information

This section demonstrates how to decide on the meaning of facts and details provided in a text and to build up evidence in order to make judgments and reach conclusions about this information.

To be able to summarise text successfully, students first need to be clear about what they are being asked to do and the form their answer should take. (For example, a one-word answer or a more detailed explanation may be required.) It will help if they underline the critical words in the question. They then need to locate any relevant information in the text, underline it and establish how it is linked. Words like, while, but, and, when and as may be significant in establishing how the information is linked. Unnecessary and irrelevant information should be omitted and the main points established for inclusion in the summary.

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Students also need to be able to search for evidence to support a particular conclusion by locating the relevant information in the text, and then making judgments about it. In higher order comprehension skills such as this, answers are not always immediately obvious and discussion about why one answer is judged to be the best should be encouraged. However, teachers may decide to accept another answer, if a student can provide the necessary evidence to support the answer he or she has given.

Students may need to locate information throughout the entire text in order to summarise the main points for some questions.

Answers

An insect which can walk on water......................................Pages 52–55 • Practice page: Page 54 1. (c) 2. (b) 3. (c) 4. (d) • On your own: Page 55 1. (b) 2. (b) 3. (a) 4. They can walk on water. They can sense movements on the water surface. Their middle legs act like paddles.

Answers may vary and will require teacher checking. Those given below are provided as a guide to the main points.

Answers © R. I . C.Publ i cat i o ns •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y•

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Two paper cups and a piece of string..................................Pages 56–57 • Try it out: Page 57 1. (b) 2. (d) 3. Teacher check

Rainy day jewellery.....................................................................Pages 58–61 • Practice page: Page 60 1. (a) 2. (b) 3. necklace — straws, scissors, safety pin, wool; brooch — felt, scissors, buttons, needle and cotton, glue; ring — cardboard, glue, scissors, sequins; crown — cardboard, glue, sequins, buttons, scissors • On your own: Page 61 1. (c) 2. (b) 3. (a) collected all the materials, made the jewellery, let them dry (b) played games using the jewellery 4. Teacher check. Ensure all details are included.

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Peas and beans.............................................................................Pages 62–63 • Try it out: Page 63 1. (b) (‘vegetables’ is not used in the text) 2. (c) 3. Peas — Look ... — like balls of stuff from your nose which you wipe on your cuff, Smell ... — bad, make him gag, Taste ... — like cattle dung; Beans — Look ... — green, long, ugly, (squishy, soft), Smell ... — like leaves from bongo trees, Taste ... — like worms covered in dirt

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Teachers notes – 2 The focus of this section is on the following skills:

Concluding

Summarising

Inferring

Student tests

Indicator • Students will make inferences about what is most likely to be true, based on information provided in the text.

Tests have been incorporated to provide teachers with a clear record of each student’s level of understanding and development pertaining to each skill.

Background information

A class test record sheet is provided on page viii and an individual student evaluation sheet on page ix.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S How Red Bird got his colour

• Test 1 — Concluding ........................................................... Page 71 1. (a) 2. (d) 3. (c) 4. Wolf would get angry and chase him through the woods.

The focus of this section is on teaching students how to use contextual information, both written and visual, to determine what they believe to be true, and then to find further evidence to support their decisions.

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Inferences are opinions about what is most likely to be true and are formed after careful evaluation of all the available facts. Students need to realise that because there is no information that ‘tells’ them the actual answer, their inferences may not be correct. They have to determine what makes the most sense, given the information provided, and to then look for details to support their decisions.

• Test 2 — Summarising ........................................................ Page 72 1. (c) 2. (d) 3. Possible answer: Wolf got a branch, then he chewed the end and used it to paint Bird’s feathers red.

Student answers will need to be teacher checked, but some possible answers have been provided as a guide.

Answers

• Test 3 — Inferring ................................................................ Page 73 1. (b) 2. (b) 3. (d) 4. Possible answer: Bird had plain feathers and painting them red made them beautiful.

The lion who lost his wig.........................................................Pages 68–69 • Try it out: Page 69 1. (a) 2. (c) 3. Teacher check

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Jumping jerboa............................................................................Pages 64–67 • Practice page: Page 66 1. (a) 2. (c) 3. (c) • On your own: Page 67 1. (d) 2. (b) 3. (d) 4. (a)

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Concluding – 1 Conclusions are decisions we make by working something out. We make conclusions about what we read by finding facts and details in the text and deciding what they mean. Read the report.

An insect whichs can walk on water or e t

Bo r e pare some insects ok Did you know that there u which can actually Swalk on water?

2. The water strider lives in quiet streams and ponds and can run across the surface of the water.

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3. The water strider has a head, a thorax, an abdomen and six jointed legs, just like other insects. It has two antennae. It has a long, dark, skinny body with hair on the underside which keeps water off.

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4. The long middle legs act like paddles to move the water strider across the surface of the water. The long back legs act like a steering wheel and brakes. The short front legs are used to catch and hold other small insects or larvae which fall on the surface of the water.

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5. Water striders are very clever because they can sense movement and vibrations on the surface of the water. This ability helps them to find their prey. Water striders eat by pushing their mouth into insects and sucking them dry. 6. Luckily, water striders do not like to bite people. They need to be careful of birds coming from the air above the water or fish coming from under the water. 7. Water striders are very unusual insects.

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Concluding Learning about the skill Learn how you can work out conclusions. Conclusions are decisions you make about the meaning of facts and details in the text.

r o e t s Bo r e pwhat they mean. ok • Make decisions about u S • Check all answers before choosing one. • Find out what it is you are making conclusions about.

1. Read the question. Why are water striders insects? (a) They have wings like other insects.

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• Look in the text to find the facts and details. Underline them.

(d) They have three main body parts and six legs.

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2. You will be making conclusions about insects. Find the words insect or insects in the text and underline them.

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3. Choosing the best answer.

o c . c e r (b) The text does h note tell us that other insects can walk on water. This is o t r s s r upe not the best answer. (a) The text does not tell us about insects having wings. This is not a good answer.

(c) The text does not tell us anything about water striders laying eggs. This is not a good answer. (d) Water striders have three main body parts and six legs like other insects. These details are in paragraph 3. Water striders must be insects. This is the best answer.

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Concluding Practice page Use strategies like those on page 53 to practise concluding. (Clues are given to help you.) 1. How do the legs of water striders help them to move on the water?

(d) The legs have webbed feet. The best answer is

2. How does the hair on a water strider help it to live on the water?

Read paragraph 4 for details about legs.

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r o t s (a) The legs help them catchr prey to eat.eB e o p ok (b) The legs have water floats on them. u (c) The legs actS like paddles, steering wheel and brakes.

Think!

Read paragraph 3. Look © R. I . C.Publ i cat i on fors the words ‘hair’ and ‘water’. (b) It keeps it dry. •f orr evi ew pur poseso nl y•

(a) It keeps it warm.

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The best answer is

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(d) It is good for making a ponytail. .

Think! . (a) they don’tt eat. Look in paragraph 4. e o c (b) insects fall into their mouths. . c e he r (c) they wait for their prey tor fall on the surfacet ofo the water. s s r upe (d) they eat birds and fish. 3. Water striders are lazy hunters because ...

The best answer is

4. What do water striders mainly use their short front legs for? (a) flying

(b) swimming

The best answer is Teaching comprehension strategies

(d) catching prey

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Concluding On your own Think about the strategies you have been practising and work out these answers. Water striders eat their prey in an unusual way because ... (a) they don’t use a napkin. (b) they push their mouth into the insect and suck it dry. (c) they jump up and catch their food. (d) they peel their food.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

The best answer is

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2. Why do water striders need to be careful of birds and fish? (a) They might make the water move and it would be too hard to walk on. (b) They can’t feel them moving on the surface of the water so they don’t know they are there. (c) They might squash them. (d) They might take over their habitat.

The best answer is

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3. Because water striders catch their prey on the water surface, you can conclude that: (a) flying insects are their prey. (b) water striders can walk on land. (c) birds are their prey. (d) water striders can swim.

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o c . che e r o t r s super The best answer is .

4. Colour the boxes that say why water striders are clever and unusual insects. They can walk on water.

They can fly.

They have six legs.

They can sense movements on the water surface.

They eat other insects.

Their middle legs act like paddles.

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Concluding – 2 Read the explanation.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

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Two paper cups and a piece of string

1. You can make a simple telephone to talk to your friend. 2.

First, collect two large paper cups. Punch a small hole in the middle of the bottom of each one with a sharp object like a sewing needle.

3. Find some strong string or thread which does not stretch. Cut a very long piece, about twenty or thirty metres long. Thread each end of the string through the hole in each paper cup. Knot or tape the string on the inside of the cup so that it will not slip out.

Give one paper cup to your friend and take the other one yourself. Move apart until the string is stretched tightly. Now, when one person talks into his or her paper cup, the other person should be able to hear what is being said.

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. te o c When a person talks into the end of the paper cup, his or her voice . c e he r makes soundwaves. The soundwaves make the bottom of the cup o t r s through the string. uper vibrate back and forth. Thes vibrations travel

Do you know why this works?

Soon the bottom of the cup at the other end will start to vibrate with soundwaves. The second person will be able to hear what the other person has said.

7. Your paper cup and string telephone will be fun to use anywhere, as long as you remember to keep the string stretched tightly.

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Concluding Try it out Use the strategies you learnt and practised in An insect that can walk on water to make conclusions. Remember: Conclusions are decisions you make about the meaning of facts and details in the text.

r o e t s Bo r e • Look in the text to find them. pthe facts and details. Underline o u k • Make decisions Sabout what they mean. • Check all answers before deciding.

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• Find what you are making conclusions about.

1. Why is a sharp object needed to help make the telephone? (a) The string is too blunt.

(b) It is needed to punch a hole in the bottom of each paper cup.

The best answer is

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Why are two people needed to make the telephone work? (a) It is too long for one person to hold up. (b) It would take too long for one person to make it on their own. (c) It is too hard for one person to make. (d) One person has to talk and the other has to listen.

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o c . che e r o The best answer is .r t s super

3. Would you like to make a simple telephone like this? Yes Give a reason for coming to this conclusion.

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Summarising – 1 Summarising is giving the main ideas or facts without using many words. Summarising can help us to understand text. Read the recount.

Rainy day jewellery

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u I love making things. I worked out how to make S some jewellery using materials that we could find 2.

around the house.

3. I collected all the things that I thought we could use. I had some glue, a pair of scissors, some brightly coloured plastic straws, some wool, some scraps of cardboard, some old buttons, some leftover sequins, a big sewing needle, some felt, some cotton and some safety pins.

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1. Because it was raining last weekend, I decided to keep busy at home by making some jewellery.

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4. threaded them onto lengths of wool and tied the ends together to make some necklaces. Then I glued buttons onto felt shapes and sewed a safety pin to the back to make a brooch. Next, I used little strips of cardboard and glued sequins onto them. I glued them in a circle to make rings. Finally, I cut a crown from cardboard and glued sequins and buttons in rows all over it. Then I glued the ends together to fit my head.

. te o I left them to dry completely after I had finished them on Saturday. c . c e them when I I used them on Sunday when I was dressing up. Ir used h e o t when I pretended pretended to be a queen ofr an army. used them s s r upIe 5.

to be an evil rich lady who tried to take over the world. I used them when I pretended to be a grandmother dressing up to see a play. I used them when I pretended to be a pirate finding treasure on a deserted island.

6. I hope it rains again soon because I really enjoyed making my jewellery! I wonder what I could make next?

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Summarising Learning about the skill Learn how to work out the main points and summarise text. • Make sure you understand the question. Underline the keywords. • Look for information in the text. Decide what is important and how it is connected.

r o e t s Bo r e p o u k • Check all the answers before deciding. S

1. Read the question.

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• Leave out any information you don’t need.

Which paragraph gives a summary of all the things needed to make ‘rainy day jewellery’? (a) Paragraph 4

(b) Paragraph 1

(d) Paragraph 2 © R. I . C. Publ i cat i ons •f o rbest r ev i ew pur posesonl y• 2. Choosing the answer. (c) Paragraph 3

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(a) Paragraph 4 tells about how to make jewellery. It does not tell what things are needed. This is not the best answer. (b) Paragraph 1 does not tell anything about things needed at all. It tells who, when, where and why but it does not tell what was used or needed. This is not a good answer.

. te o c (c) Paragraph 3 tells about all the things that were collected to be used. . c eSummaries don’t use There is a longh list given. This is not a summary. r e o t s su many words. There r may be p a better answer. er (d) Paragraph 2 says ‘materials that we could find around the house’. This is a good summary because it tells that the materials are things found at home and uses only a few words. This is the best answer.

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Summarising Practice page Use strategies like those on page 59 to practise summarising. (Clues are given to help you.)

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

The best answer is

2. Choose the answer which best summarises the information given in paragraph 5. (a) what the jewellery looks like (b) some games played using the jewellery (c) how the writer feels about the jewellery (d) what the weather was like

Think!

Read paragraph 4 carefully and decide what it is telling about.

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1. Which words summarise the information given in paragraph 4? (a) How to make the jewellery. (b) Where to find the materials to make jewellery. (c) Who is going to make the jewellery. (d) When to make the jewellery.

Think!

Read paragraph 5 carefully and decide what it is telling about.

The best answer is

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3. Write lists of words to summarise materials needed for each piece of jewellery. necklace

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Think!

Look in paragraph 4. Leave out any words you don’t need such as ‘lengths of ..’, ‘some’ etc.

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ring crown Teaching comprehension strategies

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Summarising On your own Think about the strategies you have been practising and work out these answers. 1. Which sentence summarises how the writer felt about making her jewellery? (a) She felt angry. (b) She felt sad. (c) She enjoyed it. (d) She didn’t like it at all.

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Which words best summarise what she was like? (a) boring (b) creative and clever (c) annoying (d) noisy and naughty The best answer is

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r o e t s Bo r e p. ok The best answer is u S 2. The writer found something to do to keep herself busy all weekend.

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(b) On Sunday, the writer ...

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o c . che e r o t r s su r 4. Draw pictures to summarise what each piece of jewellery looked like. pe

necklace

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brooch

ring

crown

Teaching comprehension strategies

Summarising – 2 Read the poem.

Peas and beans I don’t like peas.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok From your nose wiped on your cuff u S They smell so bad. They make me sneeze.

They make me gag. And when you put them on your tongue They taste like bits of cattle dung.

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They look like little balls of stuff

They’re long and ugly, squishy and soft.

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They smell like leaves from bongo trees. I’d rather starve than eat all these.

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Last time I ate them, they made me cough.

. te it’s going to hurt! o When I munch them, c . che e r o t r s super When Mum tells me to eat my greens, They taste like worms covered in dirt

I swallow fast and do not breathe. I close my eyes and try to think Of ice-cream that’s white or brown or pink.

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Summarising Try it out Use the strategies you learnt and practised in Rainy day jewellery to summarise information. Remember: • Make sure you understand the question. Underline the keywords.

r o e t s Bo r e p you don’t need. ok • Leave out any information u S before deciding. • Check all the answers

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• Look for information in the text. Decide what is important and how it is connected.

1. Which collective word summarises what peas and beans are? (a) vegetables (b) greens (c) ice-cream (d) fruit The best answer is

Think!

Look in verse 3! Think about what colour they are!

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The best answer is

(b) The poet thinks they’re okay. (d) The poet doesn’t care.

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(a) The poet loves them. (c) The poet hates them.

. tePeas o Beans c . che e r o t r s super Look ...

3. Complete the table to summarise the information.

Smell ...

Taste ... R.I.C. Publications® ~ www.ricpublications.com.au

Teaching comprehension strategies

Inferring – 1 When we read, we often decide what we think might be true based on information in the text. This is called inferring. Read the report.

Jumping jerboa

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

1. Jerboas are small rodents with a long tail.

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2. Jerboas look a bit like a mouse or a tiny kangaroo. They have a long tufted tail and short front legs. Jerboas use their tail for balance and to help them sit. They usually have large eyes and ears so they can see and hear other animals coming. Some jerboas have five toes on their back legs and some have three. Jerboas usually have long, soft, brown fur. 3. Jerboas move by using their long back legs to jump great distances— sometimes as far as three metres in one jump! They do this to escape animals that try to catch and eat them. It also helps them to travel long distances quickly. 4.

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5. Jerboas like to eat plants, seeds or insects they can find in the desert. They do not need to drink water as they get all the moisture they need from the food they eat.

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Jerboas build both temporary and permanent burrows. Permanent burrows are sealed and camouflaged with many entrances. They have a nesting room and food storage rooms.

o c . c e he r Female jerboas usually give birth to t o r s sup er between two to six babies in a litter twice 6.

a year.

7. Jerboas are very interesting animals.

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Inferring Learning about the skill Learn how to work out what is most likely to be true. • The answers are usually not in the text, but there is information to give you clues to think about. (This could be underlined.)

r o e t s Bo r e ok • Consider all answersp before deciding. u S

1. Read the question.

Why do jerboas need to have large ears and eyes? (a) to see the sun come up (b) to hear the wind

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• Find the answer that makes the most sense and is helped by details from the text.

which talks about jerboas needing to see and hear. Then think!

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3. Choosing the best answer.

(a) This answer only talks about seeing something. It would be nice to see the sun come up in the desert but it doesn’t tell why jerboas need large ears and eyes. This is not the best answer.

. te only talks about hearing the wind. It does o (b) This answer not talk about c . eyes seeingc at all. This is probably not the best answer. e her r o st (c) This answer does talk s about both seeing and hearing. It may be good up er to communicate with other jerboas. This may be a good answer, but remember to read all of them as there may be a better answer.

(d) This answer talks about seeing and hearing. It also talks about a way to help jerboas survive in the desert. This is probably the best answer.

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Inferring Practice page Use strategies like those on page 65 to practise inferring. (Clues are given to help you.) 1. Why do you think jerboas need to be able to travel long distances quickly across the desert?

(d) because they live a long way away from their family The best answer is

2. What do you think jerboas use their short front legs for?

Read paragraph 3 to find how animals survive in deserts.

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r o e t s Bo r (a) to hunt for food e p ok (b) to practise jumping u S in the desert (c) to see everything

Think!

© R. I . C.Publ i cat i onsRead aboutThink! their back (b) talking legs in paragraph 3 • f o r r e v i e w p u r p o s e s o n l y • and what they eat in (c) grabbing and holding plants, seeds and insects (a) jumping

(d) brushing their fur

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The best answer is

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paragraph 5. Then decide!

when eating

o Think! c . Read paragraph 3. c e h r (a) They have springs one their feet. o t r s s r u e p (b) They use a trampoline. 3. How do you think jerboas are able to jump so far with each leap?

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Inferring On your own Think about the strategies you have been practising and work out these answers. 1. Why do jerboas eat plants, seeds and insects?

r o e t s Bo r e p (c) They are crunchy. ok u (d) There are Splants, seeds and insects in the desert. (a) They taste nice.

The best answer is

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(b) They are small animals who can only eat small things.

2. How often do female jerboas need to use the nesting room? (a) every day

(b) twice a year

(d) never

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(b) They don’t like water. (c) They don’t like wet places.

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(a) They don’t like swimming.

. te o The best answer is . c . che e r o t r s 4. Jerboas use food storages rooms up…er (d) They don’t need to drink water.

(a) (b) (c) (d)

when there isn’t enough food. because they like collecting things. when its too windy. when they feel tired.

The best answer is

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. 67

Teaching comprehension strategies

Inferring – 2 Read the fable.

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The lion who lost his wig

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2. One windy day, the lion was walking through the jungle when he saw a pretty young tiger coming towards him. 3. He wanted to make her think that he was a nice, friendly lion so he smiled politely and bowed down low.

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o c . ch e He stood there looking and feeling very silly. His r bald head shone in e o the sunlight like a golf ball.r st super 4.

Just at that moment, a big gust of wind blew past and swept his wig from his head and into a nearby tree.

Although he knew he looked silly, the old lion looked at the tiger and smiled shyly.

7. ‘It isn’t a surprise that someone else’s hair wouldn’t stay on my head’, he said. ‘I couldn’t even keep my own hair!’ he laughed. 8.

The moral of this story is, a strong person can laugh at himself or herself.

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Inferring Try it out Use the strategies you learnt and practised in Jumping jerboa to work out what is probably true. Remember:

r o e t s Bo r e pmakes the most sense and is helped okby details from the • Find the answer that u text. S • Consider all answers before deciding.

1. Why do you think the old lion wore a wig? (a) He thought he looked silly with a bald head. (b) He wanted to have really long hair.

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• The answers are usually not in the text, but there is information to give you clues to think about. (This could be underlined.)

Think!

Read how he felt when he first lost his wig in paragraph 5.

The best answer is

(a) honey

(b) glue

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2. What do you think the old lion used to keep the wig on his head?

. te is . o The best answer c . che e r o 3. The old lion finally laughed at himself when he lost his wig. He joked t r s s r u e p with the tiger. (c) nothing, because it blew away

(d) pins

Write one or two sentences to describe what this tells about the old lion. R.I.C. Publications® ~ www.ricpublications.com.au

Teaching comprehension strategies

Student tests The tests on pages 71 to 73 will show how well you can: • Conclude

• Summarise

• Infer

(You will be working on your own!) Read the legend.

How Red Bird got his colour

r o e t s Bo and chase him r e Racoon liked to tease Wolf. Wolf would get angry p ok through the woods.u S One day, Wolf chased Racoon to a river. Instead of swimming across, 2.

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Racoon hid in a nearby tree.

3. Wolf came to the river and saw Racoon’s reflection in the water. He jumped in to find him. He looked and looked until he became so tired that he nearly drowned. Finally he climbed out and fell asleep on the riverbank. While Wolf slept, Racoon crept down and covered Wolf’s eyes with thick mud. Then he scurried away, laughing to himself. When Wolf finally woke up, he thought he was blind.

my eyes!’

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5. Soon his cries were heard by a little bird. ‘I’m just a plain little bird,’ he said, ‘but I will help if I can!’ 6. ‘If you help,’ said Wolf, ‘ I will take you to a magic rock that oozes red paint and make your feathers red’.

. te o c ‘Thank you’, said Wolf. ‘Now I will keep my promise . c e and make your feathers red.’ he r o t r s sup er Together they went through the woods to the

7. Bird pecked at the dried mud until Wolf could open his eyes again. 8.

magic rock. Wolf pulled a branch from a tree with his jaws and chewed the end until it was soft like a paintbrush. He dipped it into the red paint and painted Bird’s feathers red.

10. The happy bird flew away to show his family how beautiful his once dull feathers now looked. Teaching comprehension strategies

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Concluding Test 1 Remember: • Decide what it is you are making conclusions about. • Look in the text to find the facts and details. Underline them.

r o e t s Bo r e • Check all the answers before deciding. p ok u S

Name:

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• Make decisions about what they mean.

Date:

1. Which words best tell what Racoon was like? (a) mean and cunning

(b) nice and happy

(d) sad and lonely

The best answer is

(b) calm

(d) easily fooled

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(a) young and healthy

The best answer is

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2. Which words best tell what Wolf was like?

o c (a) scared (b) cowardly (c) helpful (d) nasty . c e her r o t s uper The best answer is . s 3. Which word best tells what Bird was like?

4. How do you know that Wolf was annoyed with Racoon? R.I.C. Publications® ~ www.ricpublications.com.au

Teaching comprehension strategies

Summarising Test 2 Remember: • Make sure you understand the question. Underline the keywords. • Look for information in the text. Decide what is important and how it is connected.

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r o e t s Bo r e • Leave out any information you don’t need. p o u k • Check all the answers before deciding. S Name:

Date:

1. Choose the answer which best summarises the information given in paragraph 9. (a) Wolf became blind. (b) Racoon likes to tease Wolf. (c) Wolf changed the colour of Bird’s feathers. (d) Bird loved his new feathers.

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The best answer is

2. Paragraph 3 gives information to tell ... (a) how Bird helped Wolf. (b) how Wolf helped Bird. (c) how Racoon hid in the tree. (d) how Wolf became blind.

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o c . e The best answer is c . her r o t s super 3. Fill in the missing words to summarise the steps Wolf took to change the colour of Bird’s feathers. Wolf got a

, then he

and used it to

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Inferring Test 3 Remember: • The answers are usually not in the text, but there is information to give you clues to think about. (This could be underlined.)

r o e t s Bo r e pbefore deciding. ok • Check all the answers u S

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• Find the answer that makes the most sense and is helped by details from the text.

Name:

Date:

1. What colour do you think Bird probably was? (a) brightly coloured (b) brown (c) striped

(d) spotty

. . © R. I . C Publ i cat i ons 2. Why• didf Racoon most likely away, laughing himself? orr e vi e w run pu r po sestoo nl y• The best answer is

He had to get home in time for dinner. He was pleased with the trick he had played on Wolf. He was a happy animal. He thought Bird looked silly with dull feathers.

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(a) (b) (c) (d)

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. . te o 3. What part of his body would Wolf probably have used to hold the c . ‘paintbrush’? c e h r e o (a) his eyes (b) hisr nose p (c) his ears (d) his mouth st su er The best answer is

The best answer is

4. Write a sentence to tell why Wolf thought that Bird would like to have red feathers. R.I.C. Publications® ~ www.ricpublications.com.au

Teaching comprehension strategies

Teachers notes – 1 The focus of this section is on the following skills:

Cause and effect

Fact or opinion

Cause and effect

Point of view and purpose

Fact or opinion

Indicator

• Students will determine cause and effect and understand how they are connected.

• Students will demonstrate their ability to identify facts and opinions and their understanding of how they differ.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S

Background information

Students need to understand that the cause leads to the effect and that they are connected.

A fact is something that is true. It can be verified by referring to other information. In other words, it can be checked and be shown to be correct.

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This section demonstrates strategies for students to use in order to find information in text which, in turn, helps them to make the connection and determine cause and effect.

An opinion is something that someone believes to be true, but which cannot be verified. In other words, it is something that someone thinks rather than knows is true.

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They need to find and underline the keywords in questions, then search for information in the text which makes connections between the keywords and either the cause or the effect. They need to understand that they will be given one in the question, but they will need to search for the other.

Students must be able to distinguish between facts and opinions to become critical readers. They have to engage and interact with text and read with a questioning attitude. They can then look for relationships and critically judge and evaluate what they read.

Critical readers become more discriminating consumers of the news media and advertising.

Answers

Zork and his visit to Earth.......................................................Pages 76–79 • Practice page: Page 78 1. (a) 2. (b) 3. (a) Their eyes drooped. (b) They didn’t have to get up early for space school. (c) Zork sent them an email each day. • On your own: Page 79 1. (c) 2. (a) 3. (a) 4. He sent them an email each day. (b) Zork missed his oldlings and his home and he would be glad to be back home.

Answers

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Teaching comprehension strategies

The Marvellous Magic Safety Machine................................Pages 86–87 • Try it out: Page 87 1. (b) 2. (d) 3. (a) opinion (b) opinion (c) fact

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Sir Brian and the bees...............................................................Pages 80–81 • Try it out: Page 81 1. (b) 2. (c) 3. ... happily ever after

The strange okapi.......................................................................Pages 82–85 • Practice page: Page 84 1. (c) 2. (d) 3. (a) strange-looking (b) This animal has stripes on the top of its legs. • On your own: Page 85 1. (c) 2. (d) 3. (a) unusual (b) cute (c) beautiful, unusual

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Teachers notes – 2 The focus of this section is on the following skills:

Cause and effect

Fact or opinion

Point of view and purpose

Student tests

Indicator

• Students will understand and identify the writer’s point of view and purpose.

Background information

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The author’s point of view is his or her opinion about a subject. A reader should, after careful and detailed analysis of what has been written, understand and be able to identify the point of view expressed in the text.

A class test record sheet is provided on page viii and an individual student evaluation sheet on page ix. Diary of a germ

The author’s purpose for writing explains why the text was written. It may be to express a particular point of view, to amuse, entertain, inform, persuade, instruct, describe, record information or to explain something.

• Test 1 — Cause and effect .................................................. Page 95 1. (a) 2. (b) 3. (a) gave her a sore throat (b) started a little hole

Students should be encouraged to try to work out how and what the writer was thinking and to use this to help them make decisions about the writer’s point of view. They should then look for details in the text to support or reject the choices they have made.

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Point of view and purpose

• Test 2 — Fact or opinion .................................................... Page 96 1. (c) 2. (b) 3. (a) fact (b) opinion (c) opinion

All possible choices should be considered before a final decision is made.

Answers

• Test 3 — Point of view and purpose ................................ Page 97 1. (d) 2. (b) 3. (c)

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New party clothes........................................................................Pages 92–93 • Try it out: Page 93 1. (d) 2. (b) 3. (d) 4. (c)

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Eat more bread............................................................................Pages 88–91 • Practice page: Page 90 1. (a) 2. (b) 3. (c) 4. to encourage people to eat more bread • On your own: Page 91 1. (c) 2. (d) 3. grainy bread because it feels, tastes and looks nicer than white bread. 4. Teacher check 5. Teacher check

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Cause and effect – 1 Cause and effect is when one thing (the cause) makes something else happen (the effect). If you want to understand what you read you must be to be able to work out the cause and effect of the things that happen. Read the recount.

r o e t s Bo r e Zork was a happy Krocklite who liked playing with his friends and p o u k visiting relatives on Mars and Earth. S Zork and his visit to Earth

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2. During space school holidays, he went to visit his cousins, Max and Bob, and his Aunty Jill and Uncle Ted, who lived on Earth. Together they visited the historic museums and libraries. They goggled at the strange clothes, old pollution-causing cars and old paper books and odd-looking homes people had in the olden days. Zork was amazed that planet Earth was able to survive all the bad things that the Earthlings had done to their own home.

3. They spent hours at the fun stations playing games until their brains got tired. They ate junk rations until they felt sick. They watched 3-D GCDVDs until their eyes drooped. They stayed up late and slept in each morning because they didn’t have to get up early for space school.

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4. One day they decided to play quiet space games. Max won the first game, ‘Spirt’, because it was his favourite game and he played it all the time. Zork was the winner of the next game, ‘Clott’, because he was a good drawer. Bob and Max tied as winners of the next game. Max wasn’t very happy because he didn’t like his little brother being as good as him at anything.

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o c . che e r o t r u Each day Zork sent an email tos his oldlings tos tell them per 5.

what he was doing and to let them know that he was safe and well. He knew they worried when he was so far away from them.

6. He enjoyed visiting his relatives but he missed his oldlings and his home planet. He would be glad to be back home.

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Cause and effect Learning about the skill Learn how you can work out the cause and effect. Remember: • The cause leads to the effect. They are connected.

r o e t s B r e o • Look for keywords inp the question and underline them.o u k • Find words inS the text that are connected to the key question words.

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• You will be told one and you will need to work out the other.

• Check all answers before deciding.

1. Read the question. What causes Zork to be happy? (a) going to space school (b) being away from home (c) wearing strange clothes (d) playing with his friends and visiting relatives on Mars and Earth

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2. The keywords in the question are Zork and happy. Underline them in the question. Find the keywords in the same sentence in the text. Underline them.

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3. Choosing the best answer.

o c . c e r (b) The text does h note say that being away t from home caused Zork to be o r s s r up ehe is away but he enjoys visiting his happy. He misses his home when

(a) Space school is talked about in the text but it does not say that going to space school causes Zork to be happy. This is not the best answer.

friends. There may be a better answer.

(c) The only time ‘strange clothes’ are talked about in the text is when the boys saw them in the museum. This is not the best answer. (d) The first sentence tells about Zork being happy when he plays with his friends and visits relatives on Mars and Earth. This is the best answer.

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Cause and effect Practice page Use strategies like those on page 77 to practise finding cause and effect. (Clues are given to help you.)

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The best answer is

What caused the boys to feel sick ? (a) spinning in space (b) eating too many junk rations (c) not getting enough sleep (d) staying up late

Find and read the sentence where having ‘tired brains’ is talked about. The cause is in the same sentence.

Think!

Find and read a sentence which tells about the boys feeling sick. Find the cause.

The best answer is

Think! Find the sentences where the causes are talked about and find the effects.

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Think!

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1. What caused the boys to have ‘tired brains’? (a) playing games at the fun stations (b) eating junk rations (c) visiting the museums and libraries (d) wearing strange clothes

3. Complete the table.

Cause Effect . te3-D GCDVDs o (a) They watched c . che e r o t r s super (b)

They stayed up late and slept in each morning.

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Cause and effect On your own Think about the strategies you have been practising to work out these answers. Why caused Max to win the ‘Spirt’ game? (a) He was lucky when he played the game. (b) He cheated. (c) It was his favourite game and he played it all the time. (d) He was a good drawer.

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The best answer is

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2. What caused Zork to win the ‘Clott’ game? (a) He was a good drawer. (b) He was a good runner. (c) He played the game all the time. (d) He was very clever.

The best answer is

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(b) museums (d) strange clothes

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to the Earthlings’ home planet? (a) old cars (c) libraries .

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4. Write a sentence to tell what caused Zork’s oldlings to know he was safe.

5. Write a sentence to tell what the effect was of Zork visiting his relatives and being away from his oldlings and his home. R.I.C. Publications® ~ www.ricpublications.com.au

Teaching comprehension strategies

Cause and effect – 2 Read the fairytale.

Sir Brian and the bees 1. Once upon a time in a little kingdom, there lived a strong, fierce knight named Sir Brian.

r o e t s Bo r e p King Wesley called Sir Brian okand said, ‘Sir One fine spring day, good u Brian, I have a very important job for you. Tomorrow is Queen Kate’s S birthday. I would like to give her a very special present. 2.

Sir Brian was very brave. He was not afraid of anything—except one thing. He was afraid of bees!

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4. ‘A beautiful blue flower grows in the forest. I want you to go there and bring one back for Queen Kate’. 5. Early the next morning, Sir Brian set off. He made his way deep into the forest until he came to a sunny field where the blue flowers were growing. A swarm of bees buzzed noisily above the flowers, collecting pollen.

7. ‘What can I do?’ he thought. ‘I must pick a blue flower for Queen Kate’s birthday. If I don’t, King Wesley will be mad!’

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9. He walked slowly into the field towards the blue flowers. As he got closer, the bees smelled wild pig manure and flew away. Sir Brian picked a blue flower and went back to the castle.

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8. Sir Brian saw a pile of wild pig manure on the ground. He held his nose and jumped into the manure. He rolled around and around in it until he was covered from head to foot.

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10. Queen Kate was very happy when she got her blue flower for her birthday. King Wesley was very happy that Sir Brian had done his job so well. Sir Brian had a long soak in sweet-smelling bath water and everyone lived happily ever after. Teaching comprehension strategies

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Cause and effect Try it out Use the strategies you learnt and practised in Zork and his visit to Earth to work out cause and effect. Remember:

r o e t s Bo r e p o • Look for keywords in the question and underline them. k u S • Find words in the text that are connected to the key question words. • The cause leads to the effect. They are connected.

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• You will be told one and you will need to work out the other.

• Check all answers before deciding.

Think! 1. What caused Sir Brian to be afraid when he saw The keyword to find in the field of blue flowers? the text is ‘afraid’. (a) He was afraid of blue flowers. (b) He was afraid of the swarm of bees above the flowers. (c) He was afraid of King Wesley. (d) He was afraid of Queen Kate.

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The best answer is

2. Sir Brian covered himself in wild pig manure. What effect did this have on the bees? (a) The bees stung him. (b) The bees kept getting pollen from the flowers. (c) The bees flew away. (d) The bees rolled in wild pig manure too.

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The best answer is

3. Complete the sentence. Sir Brian’s clever thinking caused everyone to live … R.I.C. Publications® ~ www.ricpublications.com.au

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Fact or opinion – 1 A fact is something that is true. An opinion is something that someone thinks is true. When reading, it is important to understand the difference between facts and opinions and to be able to work out which is which. Read the report.

The strange okapi

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u This strange-looking animal has S stripes on the top of its legs. These 1. The okapi is a mammal that lives in Africa.

stripes may be used by young okapi to follow their mothers through the rainforest. Their magnificent stripes also help them to hide.

The body of an okapi is dark with a coat that is softer than velvet.

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© R. I . C.Publ i cat i ons It has a head which looks a bit like a horse and a thick neck. An okapi has long • ears, which help it w listen leopards, thato hunt it.• It also f o rr e vi e pfor ur poses nl y has an unusual, black tongue which is so long that it can wash its eyelids or clean its ears.

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5. An okapi eats leaves, tree buds, grass, ferns, fruit and fungi.

6. Okapi are shy animals. They like to live by themselves until they are ready to breed. Okapi usually only have one cute baby at a time, which the mother feeds for about ten months.

. te o Okapi only need to sleep for five minutes each day and can live for c . che e more than thirty years. r o t r s su er p The gentle giraffe is the okapi’s only living relative. 7.

9. Okapi are believed to have lived in Ancient Egypt. Some people thought they were an African unicorn. 10. Okapi are threatened because their habitat is being destroyed and people hunt them for their skins. 11. These beautiful and unusual animals must be looked after.

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Fact or opinion Learning about the skill Learn how to work out if something is a fact or an opinion. • Ask yourself: Can the statement be checked and proved to be correct? If it can, it’s a fact.

r o e t s B r e oo For example: Hensp lay eggs. (fact) u k Eggs S taste good. (opinion) • Check all the answers before deciding.

1. Read the question. Which sentence is an opinion?

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Is it what someone thinks is true and can’t be proved? If so, it’s an opinion.

© R. I . C.Publ i cat i ons (b) It has a head that looks a bit like a horse and a thick neck. •f orr evi ew pur posesonl y• (c) An okapi eats leaves, tree buds, grass, ferns, fruit and fungi. (a) The okapi is a mammal that lives in Africa.

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(d) Their stripes may be used by young okapi to follow their mothers through the rainforest. 2. Choosing the best answer.

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(a) This is a fact that would be easy to check; for example, in books and on the Internet.

o c (b) This fact can be checked by looking at pictures . in books, on the c e h r Internet or on television. er o t s s r u e p (c) This information could be easily checked by looking in books or on the Internet. It is a fact. (d) It is a fact that young okapi follow their mothers through the rainforest, but it would be difficult to prove that they use their mother’s stripes to do this, so it is an opinion.

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Fact or opinion Practice page Use strategies like those on page 83 to practise working out facts and opinions. (Clues are given to help you.)

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The best answer is

2. Which sentence is an opinion? (a) Okapi use their long black tongues to wash their eyelids or clean their ears. (b) Some people thought Okapi were African unicorns. (c) Okapi live by themselves until they are ready to breed. (d) Okapi must be looked after.

Think

Which sentence is something someone thinks is true?

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1. Which sentence is not a fact? (a) Okapi are believed to have lived in Ancient Egypt. (b) Leopards hunt okapi. (c) The okapi’s stripes are magnificent. (d) Okapi usually only have one baby, which the mother feeds for about ten months.

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cannot easily be checked.

. . te o Think 3. Read the sentence from the text. c . Some adjectives give chehas stripes on e This strange-looking animal r such as funny, o opinions r st super the top of its legs. beautiful etc. Look for The best answer is

(a) Write the words which give an opinion.

adjectives!

(b) Write the part which is a fact. Teaching comprehension strategies

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Fact or opinion On your own Think about the strategies you have been practising and work out these answers. Which sentence is an opinion? (a) Okapi have dark coloured coats. (b) Okapi are related to giraffes. (c) Okapi have coats that are softer than velvet. (d) Okapi live in Africa.

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The best answer is 2.

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Which sentence is not a fact? (a) Okapi are threatened because their habitat is being destroyed. (b) Okapi are hunted for their skins. (c) Okapi have long black tongues. (d) Okapi are beautiful animals.

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3. Find and write a word (or words) from each sentence which is an opinion. (a) They also have unusual, black tongues which are so long that they can wash their eyelids or clean their ears.

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o c . che e r o t r s (b) They usually only haves one baby. r ucute pe (c) Okapi are beautiful and unusual animals.

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Fact or opinion – 2 Read the advertisement.

The Marvellous Magic Safety Machine 1. Every boy and girl should have a Marvellous Magic Safety Machine. 2. Adults help to keep children safe. The Marvellous Magic Safety Machine can do that when an adult isn’t around.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok Children need to be able to cross the u S Marvellous Magic street safely. The Teac he r

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Safety Machine will help your child to do this. The lights on the machine turn green to tell the child when it is safe to cross the street. They go red and emit a whirring siren noise when it is not safe to cross. This machine is better than a Stop-Go person!

4. Children need to be aware of the danger of tripping over objects. The Marvellous Magic Safety Machine will beep when obstacles are close by so that the child can stay clear of them. The Marvellous Magic Safety Machine gives out a warning noise and tells where and what the obstacle is. This machine is like having eyes and ears all over the place!

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5. Children need to be aware of stranger danger. The Marvellous Magic Safety Machine has a special radar which tells the child if a stranger is good or bad. What a clever machine! Every mum and dad will want one of these for their child.

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6. The Marvellous Magic Safety Machine reminds children about the safety rule of buckling up their seatbelts. It reminds children to put on sunscreen, a hat and a T-shirt before going out into the sun. It also reminds them of water safety rules such as checking how deep the water is before diving in. 7. This machine is one that mums and dads will not be able to live without! It will stop them worrying. It is almost like having another adult to babysit their children. 8. Don’t delay! Get this Marvellous Magic Safety Machine TODAY!

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Fact or opinion Try it out Use the strategies you learnt and practised in The strange okapi to work out facts and opinions. 1. Which sentence is an opinion?

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(d) Buckling up seatbelts is a safety rule. The best answer is

2. Which sentence is a fact?

Work out which one tells what someone thinks!

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r o e t s BoMagic r (b) Every boy and girl should have a Marvellous e p ok Safety Machine. u (c) ChildrenS can trip over objects and hurt themselves. (a) Adults keep children safe.

Think!

(a) Every Mum and Dad will want one of these for their child.

(b) This machine is one that mums and dads will not be able to live without! (c) This machine is better than a Stop-Go person!

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The best answer is

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(d) Sunscreen, hats and T-shirts protect children from the sun.

. te is like having eyes and ears all over theoplace! (a) This machine c . c e her r o st super 3. Write fact or opinion for each sentence.

(b) It is almost like having another adult to babysit their child. (c) Checking the depth of the water is a water safety rule.

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Point of view and purpose – 1 When we read we should try to think like the writer to work out how and what he or she feels and believes (point of view) about the subject and why he or she wrote the text (purpose). Read the exposition.

Eat more bread

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S Bread is a carbohydrate. Some diets tell people that too many 2.

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1. My favourite thing to eat is fresh bread with peanut butter. There is nothing nicer than biting into a soft, gooey peanut butter sandwich. I think people should eat more bread. carbohydrates are bad for you, but everyone needs some carbohydrates. Bread is a good carbohydrate to eat.

3. Bread has good things in it which our bodies need. Fibre keeps our intestines healthy. Some experts say that it may even stop us getting heart disease when we grow older.

4. Bread breaks down slowly in the body so it gives energy over a long time. It isn’t like a sugary drink or sweets, which give a quick burst of energy which is used up quickly.

5. Eating bread fills you up because it is digested slowly. You don’t feel hungry for a long time after eating bread.

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6. All bread isn’t the same, though. White bread isn’t as good as wholemeal bread. Grainy bread feels, tastes and looks nicer than white bread.

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o c . che e r o t r s super Bread comes in all shapes, colours and sizes. You

7. Bread can be used in lots of ways. It can be used to make sandwiches or toast. It can be topped with lots of different things such as butter, ham, jam, cheese or salad. It can be eaten hot or cold. It can be dipped in gravy or eaten with soup. 8.

can buy bread rolls, loaves in all shapes and sizes, sliced and unsliced bread, brown, black, white bread or bread with many colours together. Bread is not boring!

9. So eat more bread—especially if it has something nice like peanut butter on the top! Teaching comprehension strategies

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Point of view and purpose Learning about the skill Learn how to work out the writer’s point of view and his or her probable purpose or reason for writing the text. • Writers don’t always just tell you what they think or believe or why they have written the text. Sometimes you have to try to think like they do and work it out for yourself.

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1. Read the sentence. The writer thinks that: (a) Carbohydrates are bad for you.

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r o e t s Bo r eand information related • In the text, there arep details to the question for you to find, o u underline and use in making your choices. k S • Check all answers before deciding.

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2. Choosing the best answer.

(a) In paragraph 2, the writer says that everyone needs some carbohydrates. If people need them, they must not be bad for you. This is not a good answer.

. te o c (b) In paragraph 7, the writer tells about different ways bread is used. It . c efoods to eat. This is he does not say that bread and butter are the best r o st super not a good answer. r (c) The writer tells about eating bread with jam in paragraph 7, but does not say that people should eat more bread and jam. This is not the correct answer. (d) In paragraph 2, the writer says that bread is a carbohydrate and everyone needs some carbohydrates. Bread is a good carbohydrate to eat. This is the best answer. R.I.C. Publications® ~ www.ricpublications.com.au

Teaching comprehension strategies

Point of view and purpose Practice page Use strategies like those on page 89 to help you work out what the writer believes and why he or she wrote the text. (Clues are given to help you.)

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The writer believes that ... (a) bread has good things in it which our bodies need. (b) bread is not good for you. (c) bread is fattening. (d) bread has too much sugar in it.

The best answer is

The writer thinks that ... (a) the energy in bread is used up quickly. (b) bread gives energy over a long time. (c) bread does not give the body energy at all. (d) bread has too much energy in it.

Think!

Find the word ‘energy’ in paragraph 4 and read about the energy in bread.

The best answer is

The writer thinks that ... (a) after you eat bread, you still feel hungry. (b) bread tastes awful. (c) eating bread fills you up. (d) bread is not good for your teeth.

Think!

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Read paragraph 3.

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Think!

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Read paragraph 5.

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o c . c e h r The best answer is . e o t r s super 4. What is the writer’s purpose for writing this text? (Why did he or she write it?)

Think! Look in paragraph 1.

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Point of view and purpose On your own Think about the strategies you have been practising and work out these answers. The writer thinks that ... (a) bread can only be used to make toast. (b) bread can only be used to make sandwiches. (c) bread can be used in lots of different ways. (d) bread can only be eaten hot.

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The best answer is 2.

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The writer thinks that ... (a) bread is only white. (b) bread only comes in one shape. (c) bread can only be bought sliced. (d) bread is not boring because it comes in all shapes, colours and sizes.

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3. Complete the sentence. The writer thinks the best bread to eat is …

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4. Write your own point of view about bread.

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5. Complete the sentence. My favourite way of eating bread is .

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Point of view and purpose – 2 Read the recount.

New party clothes 1. Yesterday, Dad took me to the shopping centre to buy new clothes for Abu‘s birthday party. Mum said I was growing too fast and that all my good clothes were too short for me.

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2. At Fashion City, we went into Jazzy Jeans. I tried on a nice pair of jeans and a bright red T-shirt which had an alien picture on the front. I thought it looked really cool and the jeans were really soft and comfortable. Dad didn’t think jeans and a T-shirt were good enough to wear to a party so we went to another shop. 3. At Great Guys, I tried on a pair of black trousers and a black shirt. I didn’t like it because it was too dull. They weren’t as comfortable as the jeans and T-shirt. When I told Dad in a loud voice, he turned red and we left.

4. In Manly Men, I tried on a pair of brown shorts and a blue T-shirt with a rocket on it. The material of the T-shirt was scratchy and the shorts were too tight. Dad said they didn’t match very well and they still weren’t good enough to wear to a party. Dad was getting a bit grumpy.

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5. At Thomas John’s, Dad made me try on a dark blue suit, a light blue shirt and a blue patterned tie. Dad said that I looked very smart but I felt like an idiot! When I told Dad that it wasn’t comfortable and that no-one wore suits to a birthday party, he threw his hands in the air in disgust.

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o c . ‘Well! What do boysc wear to birthday parties?’, he e her r bellowed. o t s s r u e p ‘Jeans and a T-shirt!’, I told him. 6. 7.

8. ‘Well! Why didn’t you say so before?’, he said as he pulled me out the door towards Jazzy Jeans. 9. I wore my nice new jeans and red T-shirt to Abu’s birthday party.

Teaching comprehension strategies

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Point of view and purpose Try it out Use the strategies you learnt and practised in Eat more bread to work out the writer’s point of view and purpose. Remember

r o e t s Bo r e p o u • In the text, there are details and information related to the k question for you to find S and use in making your choices. (These could be underlined.) • Check all answers before deciding.

1. The writer thinks that jeans and a T-shirt are ... (a) not good enough. (b) dull. (c) cheap to buy. (d) soft and comfortable.

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• Writers don’t always just tell you what they think or believe or why they have written the text. Sometimes you have to try to think like they do and work it out for yourself.

Think!

Read paragraph 2.

The best answer is

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The best answer is

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2. The writer thinks that black trousers and shirt are ... (a) too bright. (b) too dull. (c) too tight. (d) too scratchy. .

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3. The writer thinks that the suit, shirt and tie are ... (a) smart. (b) too big. (c) too bright. (d) uncomfortable.

o c . The best answerc is . e her r o t s sforp er 4. What is the writer’s purposeu writing this text? (Why did he or she

write it?) (a) To say he’s going to a party. (b) To tell the reader how to shop. (c) To tell about his experiences shopping for new party clothes. (d) To tell the reader shopping is fun.

The best answer is R.I.C. Publications® ~ www.ricpublications.com.au

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Student tests The tests on pages 94 to 97 will show how well you can work out: • Cause and effect

• Fact or opinion

• Point of view and purpose

(You will be working on your own!) Read the diary.

Diarys of ar germ o e t

ew i ev Pr

Teac he r

Bo r e p o u k Monday S Today I hid in some dirt, climbed onto Blaine’s hand and made him

sick. Blaine forgot to wash his hands with soap and water. Soap and water can kill germs. I think children should not bother to wash their hands because they will only get dirty again! Tuesday

Today I took a ride on a sneeze, landed on Nick’s fingers, slipped into his mouth and gave him a cold. I think keeping clean is a waste of time because tomorrow I will be out and about again. I am small but I am powerful!

Wednesday

w ww

m . u

Today I flew into Kelly’s mouth and gave her a sore throat. Pills and medicines can kill germs. I think it is no use parents reminding children to wash their hands because they always forget!

. teinto Sasha’s tooth and started a little hole. o Today I burrowed Soon she c . will have a cavity. Sasha hardly ever remembers toe brush her teeth c h r unless her mum reminds e her! I think clean bathrooms o are not good t r s s r u e p places. I like to live on dirty toilet seats and sticky kitchen bench tops. Thursday

They are the best places! Friday

Today I tried to find a dirty place on Anna’s body but I couldn’t find one anywhere. I can’t live on her healthy, clean body! I’ll have to find someone else to live on!

Teaching comprehension strategies

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R.I.C. Publications®

Cause and effect Test 1 Remember: • The cause leads to the effect. They are connected. • You will be told one and you will need to work out the other.

r o e t s B r e • Find words in the text that are connected to the keyo question words. p o u k • Check all answers S before deciding.

ew i ev Pr

Teac he r

• Look for keywords in the question and underline them.

Name:

Date:

1. What caused Blaine to get sick? (a) The germ hid in some dirt and climbed onto his hand. (b) He ate bad fruit. (c) He fell over and hurt his forehead. (d) He had a needle.

The best answer is

w ww

m . u

2. What caused Nick to catch a cold? (a) He forgot to put on his jumper. (b) The germ rode on a sneeze, landed on Nick’s fingers and slipped into his mouth. (c) He fell in some cold water. (d) He forgot to brush his teeth.

. te

o c . e The best answerc ish . r er o t s super 3. Write the effect of each. (a) The germ flew into Kelly’s mouth and

(b) The germ burrowed into Sasha’s tooth and R.I.C. Publications® ~ www.ricpublications.com.au

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Teaching comprehension strategies

Fact or opinion Test 2 • Ask yourself: Can the statement be checked and proved to be correct? If it can, it’s a fact. Is it what someone thinks is true and can’t be proved? If so, it’s an opinion.

r o e t s Bo r e p ok u S Date:

Name:

ew i ev Pr

Teac he r

• Check all the answers before deciding.

Which sentence is a fact? (a) Soap smells nice. (b) Water tastes nice. (c) Soap and water can kill germs. (d) Soap and water feel nice on your hands.

Which sentence is an opinion? (a) Germs are small. (b) Children shouldn’t wash their hands. (c) Pills and medicines can kill germs. (d) Germs live on dirty toilet seats and sticky kitchen benches.

w ww

m . u

. te The best answer is

o c . che e r o t r 3. Write fact or opinion next to each. s super .

(a) Germs can’t live as well on healthy clean bodies. (b) Clean bathrooms are not good places. (c) Keeping clean is a waste of time.

Teaching comprehension strategies

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R.I.C. Publications®

Point of view and purpose Test 3 • Writers don’t always just tell you what they think or believe or why they have written the text. Sometimes you have to try to think like they do and work it out for yourself.

r o e t s Bo r e p deciding. ok • Check all answers before u S

Name:

ew i ev Pr

Teac he r

• In the text, there are details and information related to the question for you to find and use in making your choices. (These could be underlined.)

Date:

1. The germ thinks that ... (a) children are clean people. (b) children always remember to wash their hands.

w ww

2. The germ thinks that ... (a) it can live anywhere.

. te

(b) it can’t live in clean bathrooms.

m . u

The best answer is

o c . (d) it can’t live on dirty toilet seats. ch e r e o t r s uper The best answer is . s (c) it can live on clean bodies.

3. What is the writer’s (the germ’s) purpose for writing this text? To tell the reader … (a) it is dirty.

(b) it can run fast.

(d) to stay dirty.

The best answer is R.I.C. Publications® ~ www.ricpublications.com.au

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Teaching comprehension strategies