Unit 3: Tapping the Power of Nonfiction

Though forks were first used in China thousands of years ago, it took a long time for them to make their way to what is now the United States. 
Ancient Greeks began using forks after the Chinese. However, they did not use forks for eating. They used them for serving food. From Greece, forks moved to the Roman Empire. Romans first used long forks for cooking and serving. By the 300s, they began using table forks to feed themselves. 
The table fork spread from there to what is now the Middle East and Turkey, before arriving in Italy and becoming popular in the 1000s. It stayed popular in southern Europe, but was not used much in northern Europe until it first became popular in France and Spain in the 1700s. 
The table fork arrived in England from France before making its way to the North American colonies, where it first became popular shortly before the American Revolution.

• The fork changed after arriving in the Roman Empire.
• Roman forks were longer than Greek and Chinese forks.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

Depression is a common illness that is easy to treat. Unfortunately, many people don't take their symptoms seriously and don't talk to their doctors about their problems. They don't know that depression has a physical cause; it is not a sign of weakness or a mood that will just go away.

Which of the following details would best support the main idea of this passage?

• Jorge doesn't feel like himself anymore.
• Girls are more likely to suffer from depression than boys.
• Depression often runs in families.
• Many people try to hide their depression and avoid getting help.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.1

Microchips provide the power for wristwatches. They are also the brains in our computers, and they control robots. These chips are used in video games and space shuttles. They make our cameras, radios, and televisions small and light.
What is the story mainly about?

• How computers work
• Why televisions are small
• How microchips are used

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

Define: Central Idea/ Main Idea

• The moral of a story.
• The message of a story.
• The main point of the story.
• The main thought about a story.

Tags

CCSS.L.6.6

CCSS.L.7.6

CCSS.L.8.6

CCSS.W.6.2D

CCSS.W.7.2D

What is the main difference between THEME and CENTRAL IDEA?

• Theme is a universal lesson and the central idea is what the text is about.
• Theme is what a story is about and central idea is the universal lesson it teaches.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

What is the best question to ask yourself when you are trying to find the main idea?

• Who is the main character?
• What is the main event?
• What is one important detail?
• What point is the author trying to make?

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

How should a central idea be written? 

• One full sentence
• 2 words
• Five sentences
• A paragraph

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

What does the explanation do for the central idea?

• Talks about a random part of the text.
• Quotes the central idea
• Explains how the evidence supports the central idea

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.6.1

CCSS.RL.7.1

What is the central idea?
 There are many types of lethal venom in the animal kingdom, but perhaps no stranger carrier than the platypus. The platypus is one of few venomous mammals.  Males carry a venom cocktail in their ankle spurs that incapacitates victims with excruciating pain.  Stranger still, the platypus is the only mammal that uses electroreception.  What this means is that the platypus uses its bill to sense the electricity produced by the muscular movements of its prey.  The platypus neither sees, hears, nor smells its prey while hunting but, rather, pursues it through electroreception.  Perhaps most odd, the platypus is the only mammal that lays eggs rather than giving birth to live young.  The platypus is an odd creature indeed.  

• The platypus is an odd, poisonous creature.
• Platypus males have a poison ankle spur.
• Platypus can sense electricity
• None of these options

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

A summary does what?

• nothing
• tells an opinion
• makes an educated guess
• is a shorter way to explain a text with important information or key points

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2