Copyright © 2006 by Fred Duckworth

STANDARD 2.1 Structural Features of Text w Level 4

Focus: Identify structural patterns such as main idea and supporting details to strengthen comprehension.

Main Idea

Whenever you read something, if you really want to understand it, you need to figure out the main idea. The main idea is the basic message. It’s what the text is all about.

If you get an e-mail, and you figure out what your friend wants from you, that’s the main idea.

When you are asked questions like . . .

What is this paragraph about?

Which paragraph best summarizes the story?

What is the theme of this unit?

How would you explain this passage to someone who hadn’t read it?

. . . you are being asked for the main idea.

Read the passage that follows. Make sure you figure out the main idea, and remember those details.

READING COMPREHENSION

STANDARD 2.1 Structural Features of Text w Level 4

Focus: Identify structural patterns such as author’s purpose to strengthen comprehension

Author's Purpose

Let’s find out about the author’s purpose. Everything you read has a purpose, which is why the author wrote it. The author’s purpose is the reason why he or she created the work. There are five different reasons an author might write a piece of literature:

explain: to teach or instruct

entertain (or narrate): amuse/humor people (often by telling a story)

inform: to state or give informaiton, describe, or create a picture

persuade: to convince, argue, or prove

READING COMPREHENSION

STANDARD 2.1 Structural Features of Text w Level 4

Focus: Identify structural patterns such as tone and mood to strengthen comprehension.

Tone / Mood

When you speak, you often have a certain tone. You may sound happy, sad, or angry. The things that you read also have a tone, which is the author’s attitude toward the subject. The way an author writes about something often creates a mood or feeling. The writer’s tone can be positive, casual, demanding, passionate, or a variety of other attitudes.

See if you can figure out the tone in this next passage:

READING COMPREHENSION

STANDARD 3.0 Literary Response and Analysis w Level 4

Focus: Students will distinguish between the structural features of expository and narrative text.

Exposition

Your science textbook is expository writing. A newspaper article about sports is expository writing. A recipe for making a cake is expository writing. Expository writing has some common parts that you can write down in an expository organizer. These parts are: title, purpose, main idea, details, and the conclusion.

Let’s read some passages and fill in the organizer.

READING COMPREHENSION

STANDARD 1.7 Research and Technology w Level 4

Focus: Students will use various reference materials (e.g., dictionary, thesaurus, card catalog, encyclopedia, online information) as an aid to writing.

Using References

A reference book is a book that you use to look up information. If you need to know something right away, you can look it up in a reference book, that is, if you know which one to choose. Hey, let’s find out how to choose a reference book.

To find a country on the map, the book you need to use is an atlas. To find a place, like a state or a river, you would use an atlas filled with maps.

To find the synonym (and sometimes the antonym) of a word, the book you need to use is a thesaurus, which is a book of synonyms.

For research on a particular topic, what you need is an encyclopedia, which is part of a series of books containing detailed articles on a wide range of subjects, providing detailed information about each specific topic

To find the meaning of a word, you need a dictionary, which lists words in alphabetical order along with their definitions.

DIRECTIONS: Read each question. Then write in which kind of reference book you should look to find the requested information.

1. Where is the capital of Norway?

___________________________

2. What languages are spoken in Norway?

__________________________

3. What is Norway?

___________________________

4. Is there a synonym for Norway?

___________________________

READING COMPREHENSION

STANDARD 2.1 Narrative Analysis of Text w Level 4

Focus: Identify the main events of the plot, their causes, and the influence of each event on future actions.

Narrative

A narrative is a story. It might be about someone else or it could tell you about a personal experience. Stories can be based on a real evert, or they can have fictional, imagined events. A story book like Little Read Writing Hood is narrative writing. Here are the key parts of narrative writing:

The plot, which is the timeline of events in the story from the beginning to the end.

This setting, which is the time and the place (when and where) in which the story happens.

The characters, which are the people (and sometimes animals or animated objects) in the story. You can have main characters, like the hero or heroine, and the villan. Supporting characters are the other people in the story.

Conflict is the problem that the main character faces. Sometimes, it takes many attempts to solve the problem.

The resolution is the final solution to the problem (at the end of the story).

Now, let's read some stories

READING COMPREHENSION

Name: _____________________________________

Date: _____/_____/_____

Score: _____

Using References and Resources

DIRECTIONS: Indicate which type of reference book is appropriate for each of the following situations. Print a capital “A” for atlas, “E” for encyclopedia, “T” for thesaurus, or “D” for dictionary.

STANDARD 2.1 Narrative Analysis of Text w Level 4

Focus: Identify the main events of the plot, their causes, and the influence of each event on future actions.

Story Maps

A story map helps you organize the parts of the story after you read it. In a story map you can write down the steady, the characters, the problem, the events that happened, and that the solution at the end.

Hey, let's map some stories.

READING COMPREHENSION

STANDARD 1.4

Word Analysis and Vocabulary w Level 4

Focus: Know common roots and affixes derived from Greek and Latin and use this knowledge to analyze the meaning of complex words.

Root Words

Did you know that most English words originally came from other languages like Greek or Latin. If you know the common root word you can figure out the meaning of many other words.

For example, the Greek word “bio” means life. So, if you take a biology class, you will study life. And if you read a biography, it will be the story of someone’s life.

Take words like telegram, diagram, and monogram, and try to find the word. The common letters are g-r-a-m, so gram is the root word, the Greek word meaning “written.”

Or take words like portable, transport, and export, and try to find the root word. The common letters are p-o-r-t. So, port is the root word, a Latin word meaning “carry.”

Now, it’s your turn to dig up some root words.

DIRECTIONS: Look at each group of three words and figure out the common root. Then write the common root word on the line.

1. What is the Latin root word meaning “to do?”

__________

action

actor

react

2. What is the Latin root word meaning “water?”

__________

aquarium

aquatic

aquamarine

3. What is the Greek root word meaning “star?”

___________

astonaut

astonomy

asteroid

4. What is the Greek root word meaning “life?”

___________

biology

biography

biopsy

READING COMPREHENSION

STANDARD 1.4

Word Analysis and Vocabulary w Level 4

Focus: Know common roots and affixes derived from Greek and Latin and use this knowledge to analyze the meaning of complex words.

Root Words

DIRECTIONS: Look at each group of three words and figure out the common root. Then write the common root word on the line.

1. What is the Greek root word meaning “circle?”

______________

bicycle

cyclone

cycle

2. What is the Latin root word meaning “to speak?”

______________

dictate

predict

verdict

3. What is the Greek root word meaning “earth?”

______________

geography

geology

geometry

4. What is the Latin root word meaning “free?”

______________

liberty

liberal

liberate

5. What is the Latin root word meaning “shape?”

______________

reform

uniform

transform

6. What is the Greek root word meaning “measure?”

______________

thermometer

centimeter

diameter

7. What is the Latin root word meaning “foot?”

______________

pedal

pedestrian

pedestal

READING COMPREHENSION

STANDARD 2.1 Narrative Analysis of Text w Level 4

Focus: Identify the main events of the plot, their causes, and the influence of each event on future actions.

Homophones

DIRECTIONS: Homophones are words that sound the same, but have differnt spellings and different meanings. Try to figure out and use the correct homophone in each of the following pairs of sentences.

1. That is a scary _______________ . (animal)

2. Her feet were ________________. (uncovered)

3. I like reading short _________________. (stories)

4. Monkeys have long _________________. (body parts)

5. I have a new ______________ of shoes. (two)

6. This is a juicy _____________. (fruit)

7. She has a _______________ thumb. (hurts)

8. The eagle _______________ to great heights. (flies)

DIRECTIONS: Finish each sentence with an appropriate homophone.

1. An animal with antlers on its head is a ______________. (deer / dear)

2. A _______________ has a black hat and a broom. (which / witch)

3. After school, we plan to meet over ____________. (their / there / they’re)

4. Hawian women often where a ___________ in their hair. (flour / flower)

STANDARD 2.1 Narrative Analysis of Text w Level 4

Focus: Identify the main events of the plot, their causes, and the influence of each event on future actions.

Using the Context

Directions: Have you ever stumbled across a word that you'd never seen before? You CAN figure out what such words mean. By reading the sentence around the new word, and figuring out the context clues.

READING COMPREHENSION

Debbie needs to learn the meaning of several words by Friday. _____

Josh has to name the states through which the Mississippi River flows.

_____

Ashley has a list of words for which she has to find synonyms. _____

Lucy needs to know another word with the same meaning as disaster.

_____

Kim must find out what the annual rainfall of the Amazon Rainforest is.

_____

Jose would like to learn the meaning of the word: ornate. _____

Victor is trying to find a synonym for the word: temporary. _____

Sierra has to do a report on China. _____

Monique is looking for a mountain range called the Alps. _____

Marcus needs a word with the same meaning as encourage. _____

Edgar wants to know more about the life of John F. Kennedy. _____

Mark has to find out in which continent is the country of India. _____

He also needs to find out about the government of India. _____

Where would you look to find the continent of Antarctica? _____

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

Worksheets

Homophones (continued)

5. Chris can’t wait to have ice cream for ____________. (desert / dessert)

6. The lighthous has a number of _______________. (stares / stairs)

7. The music ended with a loud crash of the _________. (cymbals / symbols)

8. To make bread I first knead the _______________. (doe / dough)

9. For dinner we are having salad and a _______________. (stake / steak)

10. Dad build us a beautiful tree house out of _____________. (would / wood)

11. Dad is expecting a package in the _______________. (mail / male)

12. To avoid a rabbit, Dad had to step on the car’s _______. (brakes / breaks)

13. A man dressed in armor is called a _______________. (knight / night)

14. I hope we have good _______________ today. (whether / weather)

15. For our vacation, my family went on a _______________. (crews / cruise)

16. Because of its wing span, the eagle can _______________. (sore / soar)

17. In the school play, Jose has the lead _______________. (role / roll)

18. Captain sly was a pirate who sailed the seven ____________. (sees / seas)

19. Tomorrow, we have to be in school by _______________. (eight / ate)

20. I wrote a letter on my new _______________. (stationary / stationery)

21. At the traffic light, Mom has to turn _______________. (right / write)

22. For breakfast, I ate an apple and a _______________. (pair / pear)

STANDARD 1.4 Vocabulary/Concept Development w Level 4

Focus: Identify the main events of the plot, their causes, and the influence of each event on future actions.

Prefixes, Root Words and Suffixes

DIRECTIONS: You will be given words in bold print. Carefully read each word. Then write the prefix, the base, and the suffix of the word.

1. unsuccessful

prefix: __________

base: __________________

sufix: __________

2. cooperative

prefix: __________

base: __________________

sufix: __________

3. reusable

prefix: __________

base: __________________

sufix: __________

4. semimonthly

prefix: __________

base: __________________

sufix: __________

5. encouragement

prefix: __________

base: __________________

sufix: __________

6. nonpoisonous

prefix: __________

base: __________________

sufix: __________

7. unreasonable

prefix: __________

base: __________________

sufix: __________

8. disappearance

prefix: __________

base: __________________

sufix: __________

9. incompletion

prefix: __________

base: __________________

sufix: __________

10. disgraceful

prefix: __________

base: __________________

sufix: __________

WORD ANALYSIS

STANDARD 1.4 Vocabulary/Concept Development w Level 4

Focus: Identify the main events of the plot, their causes, and the influence of each event on future actions.

Synonyms I

DIRECTIONS: You will be give a word in bold print, followed by three possible answers. Circle each word that is a synonym of the given word.

1. love

adore

hate

cooties

live

2. respect

admire

friends

rewrite

disgust

3. bicker

punch

pants

argue

scream

4. avoid

dodge

two voids

empty

divide

5. watchful

empty

cautious

danger

hateful

6. chatter

shutter

shout

dance

babble

7. content

mad

satisfied

long house

joy

8. duty

dirty

ditty

task

tusk

9. baggy

buggy

bag

tight

loose

10. bashful

hit

timid

blush

bush

WORD ANALYSIS

STANDARD 1.4 Vocabulary/Concept Development w Level 4

Focus: Identify the main events of the plot, their causes, and the influence of each event on future actions.

Synonyms II

DIRECTIONS: You will be give a word in bold print, followed by three possible answers. Circle each word that is a synonym of the given word.

1. blame

flame

blast

criticize

hatred

2. barefoot

shoeless

goat foot

footless

claw

3. barefoot

shoeless

goat foot

footless

claw

4. achieve

cheese

fail

accomplish

sleeve

5. explore

implore

hide

explain

investigate

6. fluid

solid

liquid

gas

solid

7. grasp

crutch

clutch

drop

gasp

8. spare

extra

good

foolish

spear

9. touchy

new

sensitive

big

famous

10. priceless

lost

junky

on sale

valuable

WORD ANALYSIS

STANDARD 1.2 Word Analysis w Level 4

Focus: Apply knowledge of synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms to determine the meaning of words and phrases.

Vocabulary Concepts

DIRECTIONS: Read each pair of words. Decide if they are synonyms, antonyms, or homonyms. Circle the answer that matches you decision.

1. wouldwood

synonyms

antonyms

homonyms

2. wintersummer

synonyms

antonyms

homonyms

3. loudnoisy

synonyms

antonyms

homonyms

4. storytale

synonyms

antonyms

homonyms

5. threwthrough

synonyms

antonyms

homonyms

6. rushedhuried

synonyms

antonyms

homonyms

7. emptyfull

synonyms

antonyms

homonyms

8. eightate

synonyms

antonyms

homonyms

9. quicklyslowly

synonyms

antonyms

homonyms

10. knowno

synonyms

antonyms

homonyms

WORD ANALYSIS

STANDARD 1.2 Word Analysis w Level 4

Focus: Apply knowledge of synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms to determine the meaning of words and phrases.

Synonyms

DIRECTIONS: Find the synonym in the word bank for each of the words given below. Then write the synonym on the corresponding line.

WORD BANK

nationoccupationsinjury happenmistake

riches varyprovide lessen happy

1. change:_______________________

2. glad:_______________________

3. decrease:_______________________

4. wealth:_______________________

5. supply:_______________________

6. error:_______________________

7. wound:_______________________

8. occur:_______________________

9. country:_______________________

10. jobs:_______________________

WORD ANALYSIS

Worksheets

STANDARD 1.4 Vocabulary/Concept Development w Level 4

Focus: Identify the main events of the plot, their causes, and the influence of each event on future actions.

DIRECTIONS: You will be give a word in bold print, followed by three possible answers. Circle each word that is an antonym of the given word.

1. partial

unfair

complete

limited

half

2. plain

lavish

simple

basic

plain

3. failure

letdown

hopeful

success

missed

4. accurate

mistaken

precise

exact

bullseye

5. gentle

tender

harsh

danger

mellow

6. vast

enormous

big

large

modest

7. permit

allow

forbid

authorize

ticket

8. often

common

everyday

rarely

always

9. modern

today

model

timely

ancient

10. dawn

sunset

sunny

bright

morning

11. float

sail

sink

sail

rootbeer

12. calm

panic

smooth

soft

clay

WORD ANALYSIS

Antonyms

STANDARD 1.2 Word Analysis w Level 4

Focus: Apply knowledge of synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms to determine the meaning of words and phrases.

Antonyms

DIRECTIONS: Below are eleven words printed in bold type. Following each word are five choices, one of which is the word’s corresponding antonym. Find and circle the antonym of each word in bold print. The first one has been done for you.

WORD ANALYSIS

10.

11.

cold

dull

hot

huge

super

safe

slow

spend

finish

fast

push

serious

start

weak

pull

finish

bold

shut

open

shut

dry

serious

drop

spend

shy

soft

finish

bold

shut

weak

hard

open

start

shy

soft

strong

wet

loose

pull

shirt

leave

dry

strong

weak

fast

bold

messy

pull

save

finish

silly

pull

spend

wet

clean

slow

messy

push

hard

cold

silly

win

clean

stay

drop

serious

STANDARD 1.2 Word Analysis w Level 4

Focus: Apply knowledge of synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms to determine the meaning of words and phrases.

Antonyms

DIRECTIONS: Below are ten words printed in bold type. Following each word are four choices, one of which is the word’s corresponding antonym. Find and circle the antonym of each word in bold print.

WORD ANALYSIS

joy

happy

cheerful

glad

sorrow

smooth

frictionless

uniform

rough

even

right

wrong

fair

correct

impartial

success

achievement

victory

attainment

failure

dark

murky

unlit

light

gloomy

difficult

hard

easy

gruelling

tough

freedom

liberty

unrestraint

release

captivity

gain

get

loss

acquire

win

rise

gain height

upward motion

fall

ascent

serious

joking

grave

pensive

thoughtful

10.

STANDARD 1.2 Word Analysis w Level 4

Focus: Apply knowledge of synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms to determine the meaning of words and phrases.

Using Inference

DIRECTIONS: Read each sentence. Select the best answer to the question on a separate sheet of paper.

WORD ANALYSIS

The rising sun turns the temple into a blinding tower of gold.

What time of day is it?

When the buzzer rang, Leah came in to find fresh, hot cinnamon buns. What buzzer rang?

The group knew that without air mattresses, they might have a rough night. Where might the group be?

The rice was gone, so we made some couscous to go with the meat. What was going on?

When we stalled, the driver called for help on her cell phone. What was going on?

The setting sun turns the sky a glorious shade of purple and gold. What time of day is it?

When the alarm sounded, the class quickly filed outside and waited for news. What was going on?

The group knew that empty canteens would mean serious problems. Where might the group be?

We were out of granola, so we prepared some oatmeal. What was going on?

It’s lucky that we had on our life jackets when we capsized and that the shore was not far. What was going on?

10.

STANDARD 1.2 Word Analysis w Level 4

Focus: Apply knowledge of synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms to determine the meaning of words and phrases.

What is an Analogy?

One kind of analogy is a type of comparison that is made up of two word pairs like this: “Graceful is to clumsy as late is to early.”

The standard way of writing analogies is as follows . . .

GRACEFUL : CLUMSY :: late : early

When analogies appear on standardized tests you are usually expected to find a word that correctly completes the second pair of words, like this:

GRACEFUL : CLUMSY :: late : __________

The words in an analogy are always logically related, and on a test, both pairs of words will have the same kind of relationship. To solve the analogy you need to find that relationship!

Ask yourself: What is the relationship between graceful and clumsy? They are antonyms—words that have opposite meanings. The second pair of words must also be antonyms. Fill in the blank with a word that means the opposite of late, and you’ve solved the analogy. Early is the best answer.

Besides antonyms, the relationship between the word pairs in an analogy could be that of (1) synonyms; (2) descriptive, in which one word describes the other word; (3) part to whole, in which one word is a part or piece of the other; or (4) item to category, in which one word names something that falls into the group named by the other word

Here’s another example:

PUPPY : DOG :: kitten : _______

The analogy is read “Puppy is to dog as kitten is to _______.” The first pair of words is not related in any of the ways listed above. Try reading the analogy as a sentence that expresses the relationships between the words: “A puppy is a young dog, like a kitten is a young . . .?” Cat is the best answer.

WORD ANALYSIS

STANDARD 1.2 Word Analysis w Level 4

Focus: Apply knowledge of synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms to determine the meaning of words and phrases.

Completing Analygies

DIRECTIONS: Circle the word that best completes each analogy.

1. LARGE : BIG :: triumph : ______

(huge, small, success, lose)

2. BAT : HITTER :: stick : ______ (noise, hockey player, swing, race car)

3. HEAVY : LIGHT :: as frigid : _____ (cold, boiling, massive, temperature)

4. STUDENT : CLASS :: : ______

(study, judge, school, jury)

5. LAMB : MEAT :: broccoli : ______

(fruit, vegetable, fish, eat)

6. TEETH : MOUTH :: room : ______

(face, kitchen, house, roommate)

7. STAR : SUPERSTAR :: tired : _____ (exhausted, sleep, energetic, bright)

8. OLD : AGED :: glad : ______

(young, mad, joyful, sad)

9. EGG : CHICKEN :: seed : ______

(garden, tree, vegetable, grow)

10. FOOT : LEG :: mouth : ______

(teeth, lips, ear, face)

11. BAT : HIT :: glove : ______

(mitten, buy, uniform, catch)

12. EASY : SIMPLE :: hard : ______

(difficult, harder, soft, rock)

13. BAD : GOOD :: fat : ______

(thin, eat, hungry, fork)

14. WOOL : SHEEP :: feather : ______

(fur, goose, cotton, whale)

15. PRACTICE : SUCCEED :: diet : ______

(eat, fail, cook, lose weight)

WORD ANALYSIS