Key Words. Key words summarize sentences by focusing attention on meaning and comprehension.

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2 Key Words Key words summarize sentences by focusing attention on meaning and comprehension. 1. Key words are the important words that have the most meaning in a sentence. Action verbs and time words (before, after, etc.) are key. 2. Underline key words in questions and answers before selecting the right answer. Two, three, or four key words per sentence suffice. Longer sentences may need more to keep the meaning clear. But be selective. 3. Always circle the first word in a question. It tells you what you need to look for in the answer. Who What When Where Why How 5. Key Words communicate the idea of the sentence in a meaningful code. Example: The butterflies always migrate to Mexico in the winter. Key words : butterflies migrate Mexico winter We can construct an understandable meaning from the key words by themselves. The other words that make up the sentence cannot communicate a meaning on their own: The always in the to 6. If the main topic of your question is established, you do not need to keep underlining the words that you already know are important. Example: Question: Where do sharks live? (Main topic: sharks habitat) *Shark and live are now established key words, so just underline the words in answers that are new information. Possible answers: Sharks live in shallow bays. Sharks live in fresh water lakes. Sharks live in deep ocean waters. 7. When proficient, practice finding key words by pointing and saying the key words rather than underlining them. Then, progress to just saying the words aloud. Finally, experts can think the key words in their heads before answering questions.

3 Developing Fluency: 1. Your brain works faster than your mouth! As you read a word, your eyes can look ahead to see what is coming up, to prepare your brain. Let your eyes iceskate ahead of where you are actually saying the words. How many words ahead can your eyes see if you look at one word on a line? 2. Reading with EXPRESSION helps your brain prepare for the words left in a sentence. Most of our sentences are written in similar patterns that your brain already knows and can predict. Stop at periods, pause at commas, read phrases, not word for word. 3. After you have read the story once, pay close attention to the story and your brain will remember what is coming up next. For fun, see if you can finish a sentence in the story you have read without even looking at the last few words!

4 Main Idea Questions: 1. The Main Idea is not ONE fact from a story, it is what the whole story is Mostly About. 2. Say the phrase, This story is mostly about before each of the possible answers. Which one is true? 3. Look at your list of answer choices. If the choice is just one fact from the story, you will be able to point to it in one place in the story. A Main Idea will be true anywhere in the story: at the beginning, middle, and end of the story. 4. Look for clues in the Title. The title will focus on the author s purpose of the story. 5. Look at your list of answer choices. If the choice is one fact from the story, you will be able to point to where it is, in the story. Write a 1 at the end of the answer to show it is one fact. Eliminate the other choices this way, if they are just one fact. Main ideas are more than any one fact.

5 Vocabulary Questions: Read Naturally vocabulary words are written in bold letters and are used in context or in apposition in the sentence. Try to find the context meaning within the sentence. Often there are more than one definition for a word, so you must find the meaning that is used correctly in the story. 1. If you are unable to find the meaning of a word in the sentence it is in, read the sentence that comes before or after it to see if you can clarify the meaning of the vocabulary word. 2. Try substituting the possible definitions for the bold word to see if the sentence still makes sense. 3. Look for a part of the word, or the base word, that is familiar to you. You may be able to figure out the word s meaning by looking at prefixes, suffixes, and the base word. Have you seen the base in other words? 4. Look for commas preceding and following the word in question. This indicates that an appositive, or another way to say the same thing, has been written. An appositive clarifies the meaning of a word it apposes.

6 Inference Questions: 1. Inference questions require the reader to use the information the author wrote as clues to find new meaning on your own. Inference is a way for the author to show, but not tell in their writing. 2. If the story says, The man had gray hair and walked with a cane, you can infer that the man is old. The story did not tell us he was old, it showed us. 3. Look for clues in the story by finding key words in the question. Use your background knowledge, or what you already know, to help make connections and answer inference questions. Be a detective! 4. Why questions require inference skill. Questions like, Why is that a good name for this animal?, or, Why would the character have to take his umbrella? requires the ability to make a connection between personal knowledge and the hints and clues in the story.

7 Factual Text Questions: 1. As a general rule, and especially if you are not sure of your answer, always refer back to the text to verify your facts. Put you finger on the sentence that tells about the fact. Read other sentences before and after that sentence if needed. 2. As you read, keep the key ideas of each paragraph in your head. This helps you remember where you read about a particular fact. Did you read about this in the beginning, middle, or end of the story? This will save you time when looking back for an answer. 3. Do not reread the whole story when looking for a fact. Find a key word in the question and skim for that word in the story. Read around that word for your answer.

8 Written Constructed Response: 1. Always write a complete sentence that has its own meaning. The reader should know from your answer what the question was asking. 2. Do not start your answers with Because. Try THINKING the word because in your head, then start WRITING your answer with the very next word. 3. Your answer should clarify what you learned in the story. Include facts or details from the story in your answer. 4. If you are asked to give your opinion, or what YOU THINK, you can add information you knew about the topic before you read the story. Can you make connections between what you know and what you read? Include them in your answer.