Reading in 15 Minutes a Day: Junior Skills Builder (Junior Skill Builders)

288 Pages·2008·1.96 MB·English

by  Learning Express Editors

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Junior Skill Builders
®
NEW YORK
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Copyright © 2008 LearningExpress, LLC.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright
Conventions.
Published in the United States by LearningExpress, LLC, New York.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Junior skill builders : reading in 15 minutes a day.
p. cm.
ISBN: 978-1-57685-661-1
1. Reading (Middle school) 2. Reading (Secondary) 3. English
language—Grammar—Study and teaching (Middle school) 4. English
language—Grammar—Study and teaching (Secondary) I. LearningExpress
(Organization) II. Title: Reading in 15 minutes a day.
LB1632.J86 2008
428.4071'2—dc22 2008020199
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First Edition
For more information or to place an order, contact LearningExpress at:
2 Rector Street
26th Floor
New York, NY 10006
Or visit us at:
www.learnatest.com
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C O N T E N T S
Introduction 1
Pretest 5
SECTION 1: BUILD YOUR VOCABULARY 17
Lesson 1: Multiple-Meaning Words 19
• Don’t be fooled by words with more than one meaning
Lesson 2: Words That Sound or Look Alike 27
• The difference between a homophone and a homograph
Lesson 3: Synonyms and Antonyms 35
• Using words that mean the same or mean the opposite
Lesson 4: Prefixes and Suffixes 43
• Get clues about a word’s meaning from its parts
Lesson 5: Terminology and Jargon 51
• Don’t be thrown by technical terms and
subject-matter vocabulary
Lesson 6: Context Clues 59
• Find the meaning of unknown words from hints in the text
Lesson 7: Denotation and Connotation 67
• Know what a word implies as well as what it really means
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iv contents
SECTION 2: VARIETY IN READING 75
Lesson 8: Genre: Fiction or Nonfiction? 77
• How do you know if something’s fiction or not?
Lesson 9: Author’s Purpose 85
• Why did the author write this selection anyway?
Lesson 10: Tone and Style 93
• How does what authors say and how they say it make
you feel?
Lesson 11: Text Features 101
• What information can you get from headings, subheads,
and captions?
Lesson 12: Graphics 109
• What information can you get from graphs, maps, and
other visuals?
SECTION 3: ORGANIZATION OF TEXT 117
Lesson 13: Main Idea and Supporting Details 119
• What’s a selection all about? Are there enough facts to back
that idea?
Lesson 14: Chronological Order 127
• Follow things as they happen, from beginning to end
Lesson 15: Cause and Effect 135
• What makes something happen? What effect can one thing
have on another?
Lesson 16: Compare and Contrast 143
• How are people, places, and events alike? How are
they different?
Lesson 17: Fact and Opinion 151
• What can the author prove to be true? What are simply his or
her personal beliefs?
Lesson 18: Question and Answer 159
• The author asks you a question, and then you find the answer
Lesson 19: Problem and Solution 167
• The author states what’s wrong and suggests how to fix it
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contents v
Lesson 20: Making Inferences 175
• Learn to make good guesses so you can predict what’ll
happen next
Lesson 21: Drawing Conclusions 183
• Weigh all the evidence, and then make a decision
Lesson 22: Summarizing 191
• Retell only the most important parts of what you read
SECTION 4: ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE: THE FACTS 199
ABOUT FICTION
Lesson 23: Character and Setting 201
• Who’s the story about?
• Where does the story take place?
Lesson 24: Plot: Conflict and Resolution 209
• Follow a story’s ups and downs on the path of happily
ever after
Lesson 25: Point of View 217
• Who’s telling this story anyway?
Lesson 26: Theme 225
• What’s the message or lesson the author wants me to learn?
Lesson 27: Imagery 233
• Use your senses to get “into” the story
Lesson 28: Flashback and Foreshadowing 243
• Thinking about the past
• Warning readers about what might happen in the future
Lesson 29: Figurative Language: Idiom, Personification, Hyperbole 251
• Words don’t always mean what they say
• Objects can be characters, too
• Making things bigger than life
Lesson 30: Figurative Language: Similes and Metaphors 259
• Compare things that are different, in very interesting ways
Posttest 267
Glossary 280
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I N T R O D U C T I O N
CAN YOU SPARE 15 minutes a day for 30 days? If so, Junior Skill Builders:
Reading in 15 Minutes a Daycan help you improve your reading comprehen-
sion skills.
Just what is reading comprehension? Here’s a clue: Understanding is a
synonym for comprehension. So, as I’m sure you figured out, reading comprehen-
sionmeans, “understanding what you read.” Not everyone does, you know. If
you ask some people to tell you about a book or article they read, they often say,
“I’m not really sure—I didn’t get it!” Well, this book will help you definitely “get
it” every time you read, whether it’s an ad or a full-length novel!
THE BOOK AT A GLANCE
What’s in the book? First, there’s this introduction, in which you’ll discover
some things good readers do to get more out of what they read. Next, there’s a
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2 introduction
pretest that lets you find out what you already know about the topics in the
book’s lessons—you may be surprised by how much you already know. Then,
there are 30 lessons. After the last one, there’s a posttest. Take it to reveal how
much you’ve learned and improved your skills!
The lessons are divided into four sections:
1. Build Your Vocabulary:The Wonder of Words
Figuring out the meaning of unknown words
2. Variety in Reading:What’s to Read?
Recognizing the characteristics of different kinds, or genres, of
writing
3. Organization of Text:Putting the Words Together
Identifying various text structures an author can use to present
ideas
4. Elements of Literature:The Facts about Fiction
Understanding the basics and other devices authors use to make
stories more interesting
Each section has a series of lessons. Each lesson explains one comprehension
skill, then presents reading selections and questions so that you can practice
that skill.
BECOME AN ACTIVE READER
Active readers are people who “get it.” They really understand what an author
is thinking, saying, and trying to get across in the text. Here are a few things
active readers do. As you read this list of some things active readers do, you may
discover that you’re already one!
1. Previewwhat you are about to read.
Read the selection title and look over any pictures and captions.
Skim the text. Ask yourself: What did the author think was important
enough to show in a picture? Why did the author choose to put that word
in boldface, or darker, text?
2. Predictwhat the selection will be about.
What do you think the selection is about? Write your prediction on
a sticky note and attach it to the selection. As you read, look for
information to confirm your prediction.
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introduction 3
3. Set a purposefor reading.
Ask yourself: Why am I planning to read this? What do I want to get
from it?Maybe it’s assigned reading for class and you want to find
facts so you can answer questions. Maybe you need to read direc-
tions that tell you how to do something. Or maybe you just want
to read for enjoyment. Knowing whyyou’re reading can help you
get what you want from the text.
4. Askquestions to guide your reading.
Ask some 5Ws and an H question: Who? What? When? Where?
Why?and How?For example: Where do the characters live? Why did
they choose to do what they just did?As you read, look for answers.
They might be right there, explained in the text. Or you might have
to put details from the text together to figure out the answer to
your question.
5. Notewhat’s important.
As you read, highlight or underline key words and ideas. Ask
yourself: Is this word or detail really important or is it just kind of inter-
esting?Make sure you identify and highlight or underline only the
most important ones. And write your personal reactions to what
you read in the margins or on sticky notes by the text. How you
react to what you read is very important.
6. Clearthe way.
As you read, stop if you’re confused. Circle unfamiliar words or
phrases, then reread the text. That may make the meaning clear. If
it doesn’t, check nearby words and pictures for clues to the mean-
ing. And tap into your own personal knowledge. Ask yourself:
Have I ever read anything else about this subject before? Do I know a word
or phrase that means about the same thing?Try that word or phrase
in the text to see if it makes sense. If you’re still confused, just read
on. Maybe you’ll find the answer there!
7. Askquestions to understand the author.
Try to figure out how the author thinks and what he or she is try-
ing to communicate to you. Ask questions like: Did the author
write this to inform me, entertain me, or persuade me to do something?
Is the writing funny, sad, friendly, scary, or serious? Why did the
author choose this particular word to describe the character? Why did
the author have the character react like that? Does the author tell both
sides of the story?
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4 introduction
8. Return, review, and reword
When you finish reading, review your sticky notes and high-
lighted or underlined text. This will quickly remind you not only
of the most important ideas, but also of how those ideas are con-
nected. Finally, state what the selection is about in your own
words.
Each of these points is covered again later in the book. But for now, practice being
an active reader as you take the pretest that follows!