Skill Review

Main Idea is...

• what the text is mostly about.

• one word.

• the lesson the author wants you to learn.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Read the following passage and then identify the main idea:

TROUBLED WATERS-

The Northwest Passage is a sea route from Atlantic Ocean westward to the Pacific. Located north of the Artic Circle, the route is filled with thousands of huge icebergs. Explorers began searching for the passage in the late 1400s. They wanted to find a shorter route from Europe to Asia. Over many years, explorers such as Francis Drake and Henry Hudson tried to find the passage. All had problems sailing in the icy waters. The Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen finally completed the difficult voyage by sea in 1905. It took Amundsen and his crew three years to make the dangerous journey to Alaska.

• Because the Northwest Passage is so difficult to sail through, explorers took hundreds of years to find it.

• The Northwest Passage is filled with large icebergs and is a dangerous route to travel.

• Though it took him three years, explorer Roald Amundsen successfully sailed the entire Northwest Passage in 1905.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

Theme is...

• the lesson or moral the author wants you to learn.

• a summary of the events of the story.

• one word.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

Which is the following is an example of theme?

• Carry your laptops with two hands at all times.

• Cereal is a very common breakfast food.

• Sometimes you have to work hard to achieve your goals.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

One way to figure out theme is to..

• think about what the character has learned or the choices they've made.

• read the first paragraph a couple of times.

• place the events in chronological order.

• read the last paragraph or the conclusion of the story.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

PLEASE read the ENTIRE following passage, then identify the theme:

(*the next question will also be based on this story and ask for evidence to prove the correct theme)

A Tale of Two Sisters

Liane was confident about the sand sculpture contest. She and her sister, Amanda, had been building sandcastles for years. People often stopped to admire the intricate details of their creations.

The two knelt in the damp sand by the foamy surf and tried to hatch a winning idea for the contest.

"We should make something really unusual for this contest. Like a giant octopus or something," said Liane.

"I thought we were making a sandcastle town, like we always do. Look, I collected all these shells for the walls," said Amanda. She pointed at a pile of smooth cowrie shells.

"Come on, let's do something different," Liane insisted. "Think big!"

"I don't know," Amanda said, dragging a finger in the sand. "No, I'm sticking to the original plan." She compressed a clump of sand between her palms, shaping it into a castle corner.

"I'll just make my own, then," Liane said. She marched to another spot a few yards away, plopped herself down, and began making her own sculpture.

At the end of the day, Liane gave up on her sculpture of a giant octopus attacking a castle. It looked like a lopsided shack with a blob on it. Liane hadn't had time to add any details.

Amanda had made a satisfactory castle, small but neatly ornamented with shells. Around it she had shaped the sand to look like rolling farmland. Amanda had spent most of her time on making a little herd of shell cows.

Looking around, Liane realized that neither of them would win the contest. Liane's sculpture was missing Amanda's skillful touch, and Amanda's castle was missing Liane's big ideas.

• You won't win if you don't plan ahead.

• Sometimes it's good to try new things on your own.

• Sometimes it's better to compromise and work together.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Select the quotation from the story "A TALE OF TWO SISTERS" that most strongly PROVES and supports that the theme is -Sometimes it's better to compromise and work together-.

• Looking around, Liane realized that neither of them would win the contest.

• "I'll just make my own then," Liane said.

• "Come on, let's do something different," Liane insisted. "Think big!"

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

The Life and Work of Dolores Huerta.

Which detail best shows Dolores Huerta made sure that workers would not give in during a strike?

(A) Quick-witted and fiery, Dolores helped organize a strike of workers to protest low wages. (B) If she found workers ready to give up and go to work, she blocked their cars with her truck or hid their car keys to make sure the strike was successful. (C) Along with Cesar Chavez, Dolores helped organize the UFW boycott against California growers of lettuce and table grapes.

• Sentence A

• Sentence B

• Sentence C

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Which supporting detail in the passage best proves that dolphins are more closely related to humans than they are to fish?

(A) A dolphin looks more like a fish than a person. (B) But like you, the dolphin is a mammal, a warm-blooded mammal that feeds its young on mother's milk. (C) It is one of the many kinds of whale, the most successful group of marine mammals... (D) Millions of years ago their ancestors left the land to live in the sea. Over time they evolved to suit their new environment, becoming sleek and streamlined.

• Sentence A

• Sentence B

• Sentence C

• Sentence D

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.2