Activities to enhance reading comprehension Taken and adapted

Activities to enhance reading comprehension Taken and adapted from www. edhelper. com/ Alajuela English Advisory Ronald Vargas Chavarría 2008

Main idea

A. n Read the paragraph and the main idea for the paragraph. Underline the details that support the main idea: Main Idea: A new school is being built. They are building a new school. It is near my house. Every day, I watch the workers. They drive huge tractors. I watch them push a ton of dirt. They have a big crane. It helps them place tall beams. The workers build walls. They are using brick. Every day, it looks more like a school. Mom says I will go there in the fall!

B. q Read the paragraph and then write the main idea of the paragraph: My favorite dress is yellow. It has a white ribbon that ties in the middle. It has lace by the neck. It also has lace at the bottom. I wore it for my aunt's wedding. I was the flower girl. Mom said I looked as pretty as the bride! The main idea in this passage is: _____________

C. n Read the paragraph and then select the main idea for the paragraph: It was backward day at school. The students had to do things backward. Some of them wore their T-shirts backward. They took a test before they studied the lesson! Dessert was served first instead of last. They tried to walk home backward, but they bumped into each other and fell down. n. The main idea in this passage is: A Dessert is supposed to come last. C It is hard to do things backward. B The students had a backward day. D Students failed their tests.

D. Write the main idea of the paragraph and then underline the details that support the main idea. n I have a dog whose name is Shelby. I've had Shelby for five years. She is very pretty with long brown hair. She has turned into my best friend. She plays with me, sleeps with me, and goes on walks with me. I am so glad to have her around. I love her. The main idea in this passage is: _______________

E. n Read the paragraph. Write the topic, the main idea, and two details that support the main idea. John held the ball in his hands. He bounced it slowly on the ground. Once. Twice. He crouched low and then jumped. The ball flew into the air. Up, up, it went. Then down, into the basket. "Yes!" he yelled. "Nothing but net!" Topic (1 -2 words): main idea: (one sentence) detail #1: (piece of information) detail #2:

Vocabulary

n The voters were so upset about the outcome of the election that a skirmish broke out and the police had to break it up. Using the explanation clue, the word skirmish in this sentence means fight sunshine hurricane creature

n We shopped at the emporium, which is as large as the shopping center, for shampoo and bath soap. Using the comparison clue, the word emporium in this sentence means amusement park bathroom large store library

n Our country's highest politician, the president, has the job of making sure our country stays safe. n In this sentence, the word politician means man boss golfer elected person

n n Mom and Dad were trying to decide how to update the family room. They couldn't agree on most things like what furniture to buy. Finally, after many discussions, they at least agreed on what hue they wanted the walls to be painted. Write a synonym for the word hue. Synonym:

n Write a word to complete the sentence. We climbed the ____ to have a picnic. I liked eating my hot dog.

n Circle the word that does not belong. knowledge learning wisdom incomprehension

n Although Mary was willing to play in the snow, Jack was reluctant because he was so cold. Using the antonym clue, the word reluctant in this sentence means ready not willing excited

Multiple Meaning

Read the sentence. Pick the choice that uses the underlined word in the same way as in the original sentence. n Lack of money drove Joyce to sell the farm. A. The blizzard drove Marlene to decide to stay home and be alone on Christmas. B. Dad drove us to the mall but Mom said she would take us home. C. The family drove three hours to see the ocean.

n The employee put a caution sign up so no one would slipon the wet floor. A B C The messenger handed the slip of paper to the teacher. The man will slip on the wet floor if he's not careful. We need a permission slip in order to go on the trip.

Inference

n Sam lay half in his pet house. He lifted his nose and sniffed the still air. The sky was changing from deep blue to yellow. Down the street a rooster crowed. Sam yawned, got up, and stretched his four long, black legs. Sam began to bark. Complete We can guess that sam is a _____ bird, rooster, dog, cat TF X STATEMENT Sam is waking up X Sam is going to sleep

Who is Sam? a bird, a rooster, a dog, a cat n When is this happening? sunset, dawn, noon, during the night n Where does this story take place? Country, city, village, town Why did Sam get up? n

Sequencing

Fill in the blanks to put the group of sentences in order. The first step is numbered for you. The plant burst into flower. The rain watered it, covering it with mud. 1 A seed fell to the soft ground. The seed quickly grew into a tall plant.

Summarizing

n I am so proud of my aunt. She quit smoking! Today marks the 90 th day from when she quit. The family is going out to dinner to celebrate. We will go to her favorite restaurant, La Taliano. My aunt had smoked for twenty years. Recently, she was told by her doctor that she had better quit. There are many health risks associated with smoking. She told me she wanted to live a long time to see me grow up. I'm in third grade right now. She gave up cigarettes on a Friday night, and so far, has never looked back. I know it hasn't been easy. I am making her a special card to tell her how much I love her.

Read the paragraph and answer the questions. n Who is the story about? ____________ n Why did the aunt quit smoking? ____________ How did the aunt quit? ____________

Thankyou ! “If the child is not learning the way you are teaching, then you must teach in the way the child learns” Rita Dunn