Understanding Informational Passages

Informational Text practice

Step 1- Preview and Predict

Read the First and Last paragraphs

Open Ended

Based on the first and last paragraphs, what can you predict this text will be about?

Read to comprehend

Find the key idea for each paragraph

Open Ended

What is the main idea of paragraph 5?

Add your key ideas together to get a summary.

Multiple Choice

What is the best summary of the article?

• Velcro, a fastener named from a combination of the words “velvet” and “crochet,” was invented by the Swiss engineer George de Mestral. He modeled Velcro after burrs that he found in nature. He learned that nylon was the best material to use to make Velcro.

• George de Mestral was an engineer from Switzerland who had a curious mind. After studying burrs stuck to his dog’s fur, Mestral decided to create a new kind of fastener. Velcro, the product that Mestral created, is a hook-and-loop fastener that works the same way burrs work in nature.

• George de Mestral was the engineer who invented Velcro, a type of hook-and-loop fastener modeled after burrs Mestral found stuck to his dog’s fur. Mestral overcame many obstacles as he worked to produce Velcro. Today, Velcro is commonly used to fasten a variety of materials.

• A curious man, George de Mestral noticed one day that burrs were stuck to his dog’s fur. He looked at these burrs under a microscope and saw that tiny hooks on the burrs allowed them to latch onto the fur. Mestral went on to invent Velcro, which uses hooks similar to those found on the burrs.