Elephants use their trunks for many things. Elephants use their trunks to smell. In fact, elephants can smell better than bloodhounds. Baby elephants sometimes suck their trunks to soothe themselves the way human babies suck their thumbs. Elephants do not drink with their trunks. They use their trunks to suck up water and then pour it in their mouths. Elephants also greet each other with their trunks the way humans do by shaking hands. What is the main idea?

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. What is a good summary for the passage?

A summary does what?

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! What is a good summary for the passage?

The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be held in Brazil. It will be the 20th year of the World Cup. Brazil was chosen in October of 2007 to host the 2014 competition. Earlier in the year, South America had been chosen as the continent for the contest. Brazil was the only country to put in a bid. This is the second time Brazil will host the World Cup. The country hosted it in 1950. It is the first World Cup to be held in South America since 1978, when Argentina hosted. No other South American country has hosted the World Cup more than once.

The summary of this passage is:

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?

Does your dog need a haircut? Then come to Alexia’s Professional Pet Pampering Salon! The moment you walk in, you will be greeted by one of our highly trained pet groomers. They will assist you in choosing a pet care package that is right for you. Wait in our luxurious waiting room where you will have a great view of your pet being taken care of through a large glass window. You are sure to enjoy your experience!

What is the Author's Purpose for writing this selection?

Did you know that there are more than 150 species of owls in the world? Some counts indicate that there are more than 220 species of owls depending on how different owls are classified? Owls also have a flattened facial disk that funnels sound to the bird’s ears. Sounds are magnified as much as 10 times to help the owl hear noises humans can’t detect. Humans are threatening these great animals with habitat loss and pesticides that poison the birds.

What is the authors' purpose for writing this selection?

It was a dark and spooky night and I was all alone in the old hotel bed. I tried to go to sleep, but I was too scared! My friends had told me too many stories about staying at this hotel, but I wanted to stay here anyways. All of a sudden I heard a rustling sound on the floor. I covered my head with the blanket in fear!

What is the author’s purpose for writing this selection?

Making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches is very simple. First, gather your ingredients. You need two slices of bread, a spreading knife, peanut butter, and jelly. Then, open the jar of peanut butter and get some on the spreading knife. Spread the peanut butter on one of the slices of bread, then do the same with the jelly on the other slice of bread. Next, close all of the jars and clean up any mess you might have made. Finally, enjoy your peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

What is the author’s purpose for writing this selection?

The Christmas tree that my mom decorated this year is very beautiful. It has hundreds of lights and every branch glows. The ornaments are all red, green and gold and each glitters and shines brightly. On top of the decorated tree is an angel that lights up. Around the base of the tree are all of the Christmas presents for our family and friends.

What is the author’s purpose for writing this selection?

Which point of view is used in this sentence?

She took the book and opened it to a random page.

This sentence is third person point of view. What clue word in the sentence shows you this?

Angie had a brand new book on dinosaurs.

There is no way I am going to lose this race. I know I can beat every other runner here!

What can you infer about the setting based on the passage below?

Dorothy lived in the midst of the great Kansas prairies, with Uncle Henry, who was a farmer, and Aunt Em, who was the farmer's wife. Their house was small, for the lumber to build it had to be carried by wagon many miles. There were four walls, a floor and a roof, which made one room; and this room contained a rusty looking cooking stove, a cupboard for the dishes, a table, three or four chairs, and the beds. Uncle Henry and Aunt Em had a big bed in one corner, and Dorothy a little bed in another corner. There was no garret at all, and no cellar—except a small hole, dug in the ground, called a cyclone cellar, where the family could go in case one of those great whirlwinds arose, mighty enough to crush any building in its path. It was reached by a trap-door in the middle of the floor, from which a ladder led down into the small, dark hole.

Which of the following could be a possible setting in a story?

1. Read the following passage from Alice in Wonderland:

Once in the wood, she was anxious to get back to her right size again, and then to get into that lovely garden. But how? Peeping over a mushroom, she beheld a large blue caterpillar sitting on the top with its arms folded...

Which detail from the text provides a clue to the place where this passage takes place?

Which of the following key words might you see in a chronological order paragraph?

Which of the following key words might you see in a compare/contrast paragraph?

Susan and Julie both made their own Halloween costumes. Both girls used recycled materials and spent many hours on their creations. Both were quite different, though. Susan's was a funny clown, complete with shoes and wig. Julie's costume was a spooky ghost with creepy eyes. What text structure is used in the passage?

Ashley worked very hard on decorating her house for Halloween. She put out orange lights by the street, and blasted creepy music from the front door. She made pretend graves in the front yard, and her brother was going to jump out from behind the tree to scare kids. What text structure is used in the story?

What is the text structure?

What type of text structure is this?