Lesson 2: Reading Well

Read and Practice

Expanding your vocabulary is an important part of becoming a better reader and writer. You will find that many of your Daybook lessons include a section on vocabulary. At first, it might seem hard to notice vocabulary words while you are reading, but as you practice more and more, it will start to become a strategy that you use to get the most from what you read. It will also help you build your vocabulary and notice patterns in language.

In this online course, I will give you short lists of words that might be new to you or might be used in a new way. There are several ways to tackle these vocabulary words. Here are some suggestions:

1. Before you begin, write down the words on a chart. If you like, print off my suggested chart to keep track of the words for each lesson. As you read, look for each word and how it is used in the sentences.

2. After you have read the selection, go back and find each word. Enter its page number, your guess about its definition, and its dictionary definition on the chart or in your notebook.

3. If you and your parent/teacher have decided that it is OK to write directly into your Daybook, you can highlight or underline the words as you come to them. Then you can write their meanings in the Response Notes section.

You will notice that a word might be defined in a variety of ways. As long as you understand what the word means in the context of the sentence (how it is being used), you should be able to recognize the correct definition on the progress evaluations, even if it is a little different from the way you defined it for yourself or how you found it written in a dictionary.

Predictions: Thinking Ahead

There are several words in this section (pages 18–22) that may be new to you:

• rawhide
• striding
• swamp
• tobacco

As you read “Little Hare and the Pine Tree,” find these words in the context of a sentence (how the word appears in the sentence) and try to predict their meanings. Use the other words in the sentence to help you figure out the meaning of the new word. Check your predictions with a dictionary, if you are uncertain, then check your answers.

Self-Check: Ask yourself the questions below as you read pages 18–22 and complete the Daybook activities. Once you have completed your responses, check your answers.

1. What qualities of the characters might affect what happens?
2. What has already happened?
3. How could this problem be resolved?
4. What character seems to be in control?
5. What lessons could be taught in a new ending?

Write: On page 22 of the Daybook, you are asked to write a new ending to the story. You can be thinking of this assignment as you read. When you write your new ending, you can start with the sentence “Little Hare grabbed hold of the great pine.” Use information about important characters (the people or animals in the story) and events (what happens in the story) to write an ending that you might have predicted earlier in the story.

When you write your ending, it is fun to try to stay in the same style the folktale uses. Think about using short sentences and not using contractions like “don’t.” (Instead, use “do not.”) Using the same style will make your writing seem like it is a continuation of the story. Because this folktale includes many magical happenings, your predictions may have been very different from what actually happened.

Inference: Reading Between the Lines

In this section (pages 23–26), you will be making inferences. As you have read, inferences are reasonable guesses based on information in the story. Sometimes making inferences is called “reading between the lines.” This means that you pick out clues while you read and make the types of guesses that will help you understand the main ideas. While you are reading, you can highlight or jot down clues and then decide on your four strongest clues to help you make your final inferences.

In Princess and the Pigpen, there are several words that may be new to you:

• wretched
• coverlet
• jostling
• peasant
• byre

As you read, find these words in the context of the sentence and try to predict their meanings. Check your predictions with a dictionary if you are uncertain, then check your answers.

Self-Check: As you read and complete the various activities included in the Daybook, ask yourself the questions below.

1. Where is Elizabeth? Is she still in England?
2. How does the man’s language provide clues to the location?
3. How does the man’s response to Elizabeth’s threats provide clues to the location?
4. Is this situation dangerous for Elizabeth? How do you know?

To answer the questions above, you will be making inferences. The story does not tell you this information, but you will use clues provided by how the characters act and what the author tells you to “read between the lines.” This is what happens as you become a thinking reader! Once you have answered the questions, check your answers.

Activity: Complete the activity on page 26. If you have difficulty making the inferences, you can do the activities in reverse: find your strongest clues first and then go back and write your inferences. Different readers will infer different things, but you should check with your parent/teacher to be sure that your inferences are based on information from the story.

Main Idea: What’s the Point?

Your Daybook states that the main idea is the central point that the author makes. The main idea consists of the subject and what the author has to say about it. Being able to pick out the main idea is important, because it will help you understand what the author is telling you and help you make accurate predictions and inferences. Supporting details are important, because they give specific information about the main idea. In this section, you will be studying strategies to help you identify the main idea and supporting details, and then you will try an activity to do this on your own.

In Mistakes that Worked on pages 27–29, there are several words that may be new to you:

• breed
• gesture
• obstacle
• disobedience
• initiate

As you read, find these words in the context of the sentence and try to predict their meanings. Check your predictions with a dictionary if you are uncertain and then check your answers.

Self-Check: As you read pages 27–29 and complete the activities, think about the questions below. Once you have answered the questions, check your answers.

1. What is the subject of this article?
2. What are the different types of information the author presents?
3. Does the author directly state a main idea about the subject?

Authors use different types of information when they are supporting their main idea. They may use facts, stories, quotes, or descriptions. These details answer the “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” “why,” and “how” questions readers ask themselves as they read. These are the supporting details that good writers use to help their readers understand.

Main ideas are sometimes difficult for students to recognize. Finding main ideas is something you just have to practice, but it’s an important skill to know. It helps you as a reader, because you can understand how the author is using details to support the main idea. As a writer, you will use main ideas to structure your paragraphs and support your statements.

In a nonfiction book in which the author is giving information, you can often find the main idea in the heading at the top of the page that introduces the subject. Usually, the first one or two sentences on the page introduce you to the main idea, and the rest of the paragraphs give you the supporting details. Often each paragraph will discuss a different supporting detail. One way to practice while you read is to use a “tabletop organizer.” This type of an organizer looks like a table. The top of the table is the main idea. The legs of the table are the supporting details. If you visualize the “table,” you will not be as likely to write down too much information. You will have to decide what things will be important to hold up the table.

Have you ever heard of a topic sentence? This is usually the first sentence in a paragraph, and it often gives you a clue to the main idea of that paragraph. The remainder of the paragraph provides you with the supporting details. It is sometimes more difficult to identify the main idea in a piece of fiction writing, because the author’s purpose is not just to provide information. For example, read the paragraph below:

Justin just couldn’t understand why he hadn’t made the team. He had come to all of the practices. Even though he had been late a couple of times, it was only by a few minutes. He was the best passer during practice and even made a couple of goals. Even though he was the youngest player trying out, his skills were almost as good as the older players.

Can you see that the paragraph’s main idea (in bold) is about why Justin did not make the team? The supporting details in this paragraph (underlined) answer those “how” and “why” questions. Other supporting details in a piece of writing might explain more about something or give specific information.

If you and your parent/teacher would like to have more practice with main ideas, you can use a page out of one of your own books. Find the main idea and supporting details in some of the passages.

Activity: On page 29, you will practice understanding the difference between the main idea and supporting details. If you are having trouble, think about a book. The title would be like a main idea, and the chapters would be like supporting details. If you have difficulty finding the main idea, write down details from the story first and then use them to help you decide what most of them are about.

Reflection: What Does it Mean to Me?

When you read, it is important to connect the text to your own experiences, ideas, and feelings. This is called reflection. It helps you to remember what you have read and to understand the author’s meaning. It is also a way to learn from others’ experiences and ideas. When you look back at what an author has written and think about how it relates to your own life, you are reflecting on the text.

Self-Check: As you read “About Loving” on pages 30–32 and complete the activities, ask yourself the questions below, then check your answers.

1. What feelings do you experience as Jean describes her parents?
2. What personal memories jump into your mind as you read?
3. What is the author’s main point?
4. Do you agree or disagree with her opinions? Why?

Write: On page 32, you are asked to write a journal entry. In a journal entry, you respond to a passage, describing how it relates to your own experiences. Think about what the reading selection means to you. Remember that in a reflection journal entry, you look back on what you have read and connect it to your own life. Find something the author said in the passage and then tell what you think about it.

You can use quotes from the story in your response, if you wish. However, this should not be just a summary of what the passage was about. If you are having trouble getting started, you might want to start with a list of words. Then you can use each word to start a section of your journal entry. You can also start by brainstorming. That means jotting down words that pop into your head. Then use those words to help you develop a focus for your entry.

You will write this journal entry from the first-person point of view. Writing in first-person means that you are the person telling the story. You will use words like “I,” “we,” “me,” and “us” when you write in first person. Share your writing with your parent/teacher.

Check the writing reminders to guide your writing. You can use this link any time you are doing a writing to help you remember what you need to do.