to restate what happens, using your own words

Danielle and Alice got off the bus, which made regular stops between Crown Street and President Drive. They had just arrived on President Drive where their friend Norman lived.

“That was a really quick trip,” Alice said.

Danielle looked at her watch and replied, “It only took 20 minutes.”

What prediction can you make?

Olaf, the sailor of the North Sea, decided it was time for him to have a boat.

“Will you buy a ship from the shipmaker?” Ragnar asked.

“No,” Olaf answered with a smile. “I will cut some trees, and I will work for seven months. In the end, I will have a boat fashioned by my own hands.”

How was Olaf going to get a boat of his own?

The desert was unsafe for pioneers. A desert has little water and shade. It was difficult for the pioneers to find food or water. There were also many unusual animals they had never seen before.

Based on this information, what can the reader conclude?

Steve and David wanted to go fishing. There was a large pond nearby. The pond was filled with all kinds of freshwater fish, such as trout and bass. There was another smaller pond nearby where people were not allowed to fish.

What prediction can you make?

The earth began to tremble. Everyone froze right where they were. Even the traffic in the streets came to a halt. Windows cracked, then shattered. Buildings began to sway like grass in a strong breeze. Finally, tiny cracks appeared in the sidewalks, and a low rumbling sound filled the air. Somewhere, someone shouted a warning – but it could barely be heard above the din.

What can the reader conclude?

Stan and his sister, Roslyn, were new to their neighborhood. They decided to explore all the new places. First, they visited the zoo, which was filled with unusual animals. “Where shall we go first?” Stan asked his sister as they entered the zoo. There was a sign with five arrows pointing in different directions.

What prediction can you make?

Natasha got up early and made a cake. She made sure she had paper plates and plastic silverware. Then, she decorated the living room with paper streamers and balloons. Finally, she went to the store and picked out something she knew Beth would like. When she got home, she wrapped it in shiny silver paper and tied a bow on top. Everything was ready.

The reader can infer that Natasha is preparing for --

“Seriation,” explained Mrs. Parker, “is a word that means putting things in order of age or date. The oldest is listed first.” Robbie nodded. “For instance,” she went on, “let’s say you saw a baby, a grandma, and a teenager walking together. Which one do you think would be listed first using this process?” Robbie thought for a moment and raised his hand.

What can the reader predict will likely happen?

Sam and Leah were preparing a small garden. They had to plant their garden in a special greenhouse. “I think we should plant some string beans, potatoes, and carrots,” Sam said. “I’d rather plant roses, tulips, and carnations,” Leah replied. “Let’s do both!” Sam said, and Leah agreed.

What are Sam and Leah likely to do?

Carrie and Juanita heard the crash inside the house as they stood outside the front door. Several seconds later, Juanita’s grandmother answered the door. “I must apologize for the loud noise,” Juanita’s grandmother said. “I can’t imagine what you must be thinking!” Carrie looked beyond the door and saw the floor covered with broken plates. “What happened?” she asked? “Oh – just a little accident,” Juanita’s grandmother said, blushing.

How did Juanita’s grandmother feel when she first met Carrie?

The Johnson family was moving. Emily wasn’t sure where they were going yet; it was still under discussion. Emily’s mom wanted to go where there were sunny beaches. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson discussed where they wanted to live and finally told the girls where they were moving.

The reader can conclude that the Johnson family will likely move to --

Galileo was a famous scientist from Italy who studied the stars. He was born in 1564. He is best known as one of the first people to study the sky with a telescope. He discovered many things, including mountains on the moon. He is one of the most important astronomers.

What prediction can you make?

Hector decided he had waited long enough for Dr. Moban to arrive. Just as he opened the door to leave, a man entered. “Are you my first patient?” the man asked. “I’m so sorry to be so late, but I was stuck in traffic.” Hector looked at the man and said, “I’m sorry. I must leave right now. Perhaps I’ll make another appointment.”

How did Hector feel about this appointment?

Neil Armstrong was a very lucky man. In the past, he had been a Navy jet flyer and test pilot. Then, in 1962, he became an astronaut. Seven years later, Armstrong and three other astronauts were on the Apollo spacecraft that touched down on the moon. The door to the small ship opened, and Armstrong was the first astronaut to get out.

Neil Armstrong is famous for being the first person to –

Joy looked forward to the weekend because she and her father would travel by train to Hope City. There they would choose an animal to adopt from the Hope City Pet Rescue. The weekend arrived, and they set off for Hope City. In the Pet Rescue's yard, Joy spotted a cute four-legged animal with black fur.

What prediction can you make?

“Our boat is gone!” Cara cried. She and her friend Nasreen looked at the spot where they had tied their rowboat during the storm. Suddenly, there was the sound of a motorboat. The girls turned around to see a man waving to them from a boat. As the man dragged his boat on the beach he exclaimed, “Thank goodness you two are safe! I was sent by the hotel to find you!”

The reader can infer the man feels --

Which line contains an idea that would be most important to include in a summary of this passage?

Rosa Parks has been called the "mother of the civil rights movement." She is one of the most important people of the 20th century. In December of 1955, she refused to give up her seat on a city bus to a white passenger. The bus driver had her arrested. She was sent to court. She was found guilty of breaking the law.

Her act sparked a boycott of the bus system by blacks. Blacks refused to use the buses for more than a year. The boycott introduced the country to a man named Martin Luther King, Jr. People all over the country came to know King. Soon, the U.S. Supreme Court made segregation on city buses against the law.

Over the next forty years, Rosa Parks helped make Americans aware of the history of the civil rights struggle. She earned many honors, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Nonviolent Peace Prize. She is an example of courage and strength. She inspires all Americans to live free.

Which of the below statements best summarizes the passage?

April's parents were dog breeders and their kennels were often filled with a litter of puppies. April helped care for the dogs by bathing them and giving them the best food and water.

April's class had also been learning how to care for animals in their science lessons, so she was thrilled when her teacher announced a field trip to an animal shelter. The shelter manager, Rachel, led the class into the kennel area where dogs and cats sat along opposite walls of the building. April was stunned by what she saw. Some dogs looked like they had been starved before coming to the shelter.

"What happened to these dogs?" April asked.

"These dogs are here because their owners did not care for them properly," Rachel replied. "We try to keep the animals healthy so they can go to good homes. If you know someone who wants to adopt a pet, please tell them about our shelter."

April decided to take action and she printed flyers with information about the shelter. April's parents handed them out to people who bought their puppies. The following day April received permission to post a flyer at her school. That afternoon, April received a phone call at home.

"Hi, April, this is Rachel. I wanted to thank you for creating flyers for the shelter. Our adoptions have already started to increase!"

"You're welcome! I just wanted to help rescue the puppies."

April's parents were dog breeders and their kennels were often filled with a litter of puppies. April helped care for the dogs by bathing them and giving them the best food and water.

April's class had also been learning how to care for animals in their science lessons, so she was thrilled when her teacher announced a field trip to an animal shelter. The shelter manager, Rachel, led the class into the kennel area where dogs and cats sat along opposite walls of the building. April was stunned by what she saw. Some dogs looked like they had been starved before coming to the shelter.

"What happened to these dogs?" April asked.

"These dogs are here because their owners did not care for them properly," Rachel replied. "We try to keep the animals healthy so they can go to good homes. If you know someone who wants to adopt a pet, please tell them about our shelter."

April decided to take action and she printed flyers with information about the shelter. April's parents handed them out to people who bought their puppies. The following day April received permission to post a flyer at her school. That afternoon, April received a phone call at home.

"Hi, April, this is Rachel. I wanted to thank you for creating flyers for the shelter. Our adoptions have already started to increase!"

"You're welcome! I just wanted to help rescue the puppies."

Which detail from the second paragraph would be most important to include in a summary of this passage?

Turn over a bag of potato chips. Is the label interesting? A simple food recipe may use several ingredients. These come from the soil and from chemistry labs around the world. Surprises also show up in the labels on clothing and other products. Look at the label on a package of lipstick. The tube seems small and shiny, but inside lipstick there is soap, oil, fish scales, and wax!

Which is the best way to summarize this passage?

Picture this: a herd of elephants flies past you at sixty miles perhour, followed by a streak of tigers, a pride of lions, and a bunch of clowns. What do you see? It must be a circus train! One of the first uses of the circus train is credited to W.C. Coup. He partnered with P.T. Barnum in 1871 to expand the reach of their newly combined shows using locomotives. Before circus trains, these operators had to lug around all of their animals, performers, and equipment with a team of more than 600 horses. Since there were no highways, these voyages were rough and took a long time. Circuses would stop at many small towns between the large venues. Performing at many of these small towns was not very profitable. Because of these limitations, circuses could not grow as large as the imaginations of the operators. After they began using circus trains, Barnum and Coup only brought their show to large cities. These performances were much more profitable and the profits went toward creating an even bigger and better circus. Multiple rings were added and the show went on. Today, Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus still rely on the circus train to transport their astounding show, but now they use two.

The summary of this passage is:

Giddy-up, cowboys and girls! In the Southwest during early half of the 1800s, cows were only worth 2 or 3 dollars a piece. They roamed wild, grazed off of the open range, and were abundant. Midway through the century though, railroads were built and the nation was connected. People could suddenly ship cows in freight trains to the Northeast, where the Yankees had a growing taste for beef. Out of the blue, the same cows that were once worth a couple of bucks were now worth between twenty and forty dollars each, if you could get them to the train station. It became pretty lucrative to wrangle up a drove of cattle and herd them to the nearest train town, but it was at least as dangerous as it was profitable. Cowboys were threatened at every turn. They faced cattle rustlers, stampedes and extreme weather, but kept pushing those steers to the train station. By the turn of the century, barbed wire killed the open range and some may say the cowboy too, but it was the train that birthed him.

The summary of this passage is:

Electric trolley cars or trams were once the chief mode of public transportation in the United States. Though they required tracks and electric cables to run, these trolley cars were clean and comfortable. In 1922, auto manufacturer General Motors created a special unit to replace electric trolleys with cars, trucks, and buses. Over the next decade, this group successfully lobbied for laws and regulations that made operating trams more difficult and less profitable. In 1936 General Motors created several front companies for the purpose of purchasing and dismantling the trolley car system. They received substantial investments from Firestone Tire, Standard Oil of California, Phillips Petroleum, and other parties invested in the automotive industry. Some people suspect that these parties wanted to replace trolley cars with buses to make public transportation less desirable, which would then increase automobile sales. The decline of the tram system in North America could be attributed to many things—labor strikes, the Great Depression, regulations that were unfavorable to operators—but perhaps the primary cause was having a group of powerful men from rival sectors of the auto industry working together to ensure its destruction. Fill it up, please.

The summary of this passage is:

Ben is so APPREHENSIVE about appearing in the play that he has an upset stomach.

I tried to make my pony jump the stream, but she balked.

My father's favorite SALUTATION is "Howdy, friend!"

When an author gives animals, objects, ideas, or actions, the qualities of humans, he/she is using...

A phrase that expresses an idea without using any terms that relate to what's being expressed is called...

"Lightning danced across the sky. "

This is an example of:

"Don't cut any corners."

This is an example of:

"That was the straw that broke the camel's back."

This is an example of:

What genre is informational text?

It is fun to read about chimpanzees. All wild chimpanzees live in Africa. They live mostly in thick rain forests and in woodlands. There are two types.

While oranges and lemons are both citrus fruits that grow on trees, they are different colors and have very different tastes.

Every morning, I wake up at about 7:00 AM. The first thing I do is make my bed and pick out the clothes I’m going to wear. Then, I brush my teeth and take a shower. After my shower, I dry my hair and get dressed.

You may not know who Mark Zuckerberg is but I bet you know about Facebook. Zuckerberg and his roommates launched Facebook from their college dormitory at Harvard. Facebook started off as just a "Harvard thing," but Zuckerberg and roommates spread it to other universities like Stanford, Dartmouth, and NYU. As Facebook grew in size and popularity, Zuckerberg took investments but resisted buyout offers. The founders maintained control and in 2012 Facebook became a publically traded company. Today Facebook is one of the world’s most popular websites and Zuckerberg is the CEO. Facebook has over one billion users and Zuckerberg is one of the 25 richest people in America. That’s not too bad for a college dropout.

The sun shone bright yellow in a cloudless blue sky. A faint haze rose from the glistening pavement, suggesting steam rising off a hot surface.

For the walls, Jenny thought she would use a bright yellow paint. She would pick a border that had mostly bright red and green colors, and maybe a little bit of blue. She already had found some curtains that were sky blue with streaks of red, blue and yellow that she thought would go great with the walls. And finally, she had picked a carpet that was mostly blue with specks of red and yellow. Jenny couldn't wait till she was done decorating her room. It was really going to look awesome.

Which sentence best summarizes the passage?