Comprehension

Strategies

Fiction or Non-Fiction, What's the Difference?

Fiction

made up

one purpose is to entertain

can be realistic or fantastical

must be read in order

it has story text features

a beginning
a middle
an end
characters
dialogue
setting
conflict
resolution

the author’s name is different

from the character

Non-Fiction

true facts

one purpose is to inform

does not contain fantasy

you can read sections by themselves

organizational text features

table of contents
index
headings & subheadings

text features for understanding

key words
glossary
photos & illustrations
captions & labels
charts & tables

there may be many authors

Making Connections

Text to Self:

Does this story relate to your life? It can be in a positive or negative way.

Example: When I played soccer, I was a little like Zinkoff. I remember one time when I missed the ball during a PE test. My reaction was different than Zinkoff's though, I was embarrassed, whereas he doesn't seem to mind when he makes a mistake.

Text to Text:

Does this story relate to another book you have read? Or an article? Or a website?

Example: This chapter reminds me of an article I read about being a good sport. It was talking about how professional athletes need to show better manners on the field.

Text to World:

Does this story make you remember something you know?

Example: I know that it takes a long time for some people to learn a sport. Maybe he will be better when he is older.

Answering questions about the text

How to give a level 4 answer:

Use sentences with periods and capitals.
Use the words from the question in your answer.
Give evidence from the text AND explain what it means.
Think beyond the text. Make a connection. How does it affect you?
Think about what the writer is doing. (text features, genre, etc.)

Question: How did Zinkoff feel about losing the race?

Tell us the answer using words from the question. If a person was reading your answer, they should be able to understand, even if they never saw the question.

I know that Zinkoff felt upset about losing the race from the way he acted at dinner time.

Give evidence from the text. If you are using the exact words of the text, use quotation marks.

The author told us, "He hopes his parents won't ask him about field day." Then, he screamed at his little sister, Polly, after she asked him, "Didja win?"

Then explain why those details help you understand.

If Zinkoff was feeling okay about the race, he wouldn't have avoided talking about it. Usually Zinkoff likes talking about his day.

Add a connection.

I don't think anyone would have been happy after being laughed at and called a loser by so many people in his class. I know, I wouldn't be.

More Examples

Why is it dangerous for the boy in Hatchett to find food?

It is dangerous for Brian to find food because he is alone in the wild with no training. He doesn't have a lot of tools and he has no experience in these woods. On page ? he is worrying about getting lost while looking for food. If he goes too far, he might not find his shelter again. On page ? he wonders if the berries will be poisonous. He doesn't really have any way of knowing and he can't just go to the hospital if there is a problem. On page ? a bear is trying to eat the same food. It could decide to eat him instead!

Look at the photo. How does it help you understand the text better?

The photo shows a bear eating berries in the forest. It helps me see how scary it would be to suddenly see one like Brian did when he was picking berries. The teeth are so big! I can relate to Brian's inability to speak. If I saw one like that, I would be speechless, too!

How can you use the information that Brian learned in the wild?

I hope that I never get lost in the woods and that I never need the information Brian learned in the wild for that. However, I can use the information for other things. On page ? he learns that birds flock to berries. When I go bird watching, I will pick a place where there are some berry bushes so I can get good photos. On page ? he learns that if he eats too fast, he gets sick. I often tend to gobble down my food so it would be good for me to remember. In this book, I think the big ideas are that he learns adapt and he never gives up. Even though he is lost and does not have any training, he keeps going. When things get tough for me, I can remind myself to keep going, just like he does!

Summarizing with "Somebody...Wanted...But...So..."

Somebody - Who is the main character?

Wanted - What do they want?

But - What are the obstacles/problems?

So - What does the character do in response to the problems?

Then - How does it all end up? Is the problem resolved? Did they get what they wanted?

Example from Freak the Mighty: Max feels like he's stupid and wants to be left alone, but he makes friends with Kevin and his life changes. Eventually, Max is kidnapped by his own father who has gotten out of jail but is later rescued by Kevin. Sadly Kevin then dies from a disease, but at the end Max learns that he's not stupid at all, and even writes an entire book about his adventures with Kevin.

Example from Spirited Away: Chihiro is unhappy because her family has moved to a new town but her parents are suddenly turned into pigs and she is forced to go to work for a mean witch. Chihiro works hard and stops feeling sorry for herself. She makes friends with different people, including a no-faced monster and a giant baby. In the end she is able to save both her parents and her new friend Haku who is also under the power of the witch.

Pronouncing New Words

1) Slow down and take your time.

2) Look for parts of the word that you do know. Use your fingers!

3) Think of different pronunciation rules and try them.

4) Does it match any words that you know? If you think you have it, re-read it and check to make sure it makes sense.

5) If it is a word you have never heard, just try your best. You can always write it down and look it up later. If you use Google Translate, it will say it for you.

6) Re-read the sentence so you can practice saying it smoothly.

Examples:

commencement com + men _____ + ment 'ce' says 's'

intuition in + ______ + ______ 'tion' says 'shun'

'u' can say 'uh' or 'you'

'i' can say I or i or be silent

Finding the Meaning of New Words

1) Using a dictionary

There are many ways that a dictionary can help you (like pronunciation and spelling) but the most common use is for finding the exact meaning of a word. You need to be careful though. Often words have more than one meaning. If you choose the wrong one, it might not make sense with what you are reading. That is why you must pay attention to context.

Looking for Bias & Stereotyping

Be careful when you read...some authors have very strong opinions that they use instead of facts. Their writing can seem strong, but when you examine it closely, it is really full of holes. Don't be fooled!

Examples of this can be found in many places on the internet, including "news" sites. You have to look at the facts and judge this writing for yourself. Also, you can see this in fiction, too...especially stories that were written a long time ago. Sometimes an author will have certain beliefs that you can see in their big ideas, but they contain prejudice.

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