Weather reporters have to give out a lot of information. That's why they use pictures. The pictures help them tell us about the weather without using so many words. Weather reporters need to know where the cold air is. They need to know where the warm air is. They have to know where it is raining and what types of clouds are in the area. Their reports need to be correct, but they also need to be short. The pictures help weather reporters get the information out in a fast way.

Which sentence best describes the main idea of the paragraph?

Soccer is known in some countries as football. It is a popular sport across the world, with over 200 countries playing the sport. It is estimated that over 250 million people, both men and women, play soccer. The sport has been part of the Olympic games from 1900 to 1928 and from 1936 to today.

What is the main idea?

Do you ever wonder how you taste things? You owe your sense of taste to your taste buds. We have 9,000 taste buds just on the tongue alone. There are also taste buds on the roof of your mouth. You even have taste buds on the back of your throat.

What does the author want you to learn from the passage?

Ali volunteered at the animal shelter for three months. He learned a great deal about raising kittens and training them. Every time he learned something new, he practiced it. He also told his parents about what he was learning. He wanted to persuade them that he could be trusted with a kitten of his own. One afternoon, Dad picked Ali up from volunteering and asked him how the day went.

“Oh, it went great,” Ali answered enthusiastically. “They even let me help introduce the cats to people who want to adopt them!”

“That’s terrific!” Dad answered with a grin. “I’m so glad you’re getting this experience. You’ll need it for our new kitten!”

“We’re getting a kitten?” Ali practically shouted. “That’s awesome! I can’t wait!”

Which question would help readers monitor their reading and understand the text?

CAUSE:

My alarm clock did not go off this morning, so...

What is the cause in this sentence?

Because it rained, I got soaked.

What is the cause in this sentence?

Since I got straight A's, my parents took me out to dinner.

What is the effect in this sentence?

Due to peanut allergies, students aren't permitted to bring in baked goods.

What is a cause?

What is an effect?

Which happens first: cause or effect?

Cause: My brother added lots of sugar to his drink.

Effect:

Cause:

Effect: I got in trouble.

Cause:

Effect: The plant died.

Cause: My dad picked corn from the garden.

Effect:

Cause: Jill left a glass of water outside when it was very cold.

Effect:

Forest fires sometimes begin through natural events. Very little rainfall and dry forests are ideal situations for fires to start. All it takes is a lightning strike, sparking a fire that can destroy the entire forest. Often, forest fires are so large that firefighters can't stop them, and these fires sometimes threaten homes and businesses. Then, people are forced to flee the fire and hope that their property isn't destroyed.

Based on this passage, what is the initial cause of some forest fires?

Suri and Dawson are rock climbing. Suri decides to attempt a new skill she has learned. At first, she is successful, but then she loses her grip and falls. Suddenly, the safety ropes catch her, but she smashes her hand on the rock.

What is the effect of Suri's fall?

One reason streams become polluted is storm water runoff. When rain or melted snow runs off, it carries trash from sidewalks and streets with it. These pollutants flow into storm sewers or directly into a lake, stream, or river. Then, bacteria from the trash spread to create health hazards. The trash itself can choke and suffocate ducks, fish, turtles, and birds. Used motor oil, paint, and insecticides can poison fish.

According to this passage, which of the following is caused by storm water runoff?

Because Amelia was determined to be a famous actor one day, she auditioned for every school play, signed up for after-school acting classes, and subscribed to a special magazine for actors.

What causes Amelia to audition for school plays, sign up for acting classes, and subscribe to an acting magazine?

Which text feature is used in the sentence below?

A Latin term meaning bird is avis.

A city planner wants to identify a trend in new home construction in the closest suburbs. He wants to track building over ten years. What text feature will he use to show his results?

A researcher is looking through an old textbook and encounters the word oligarchy in italics. He doesn't know the meaning of the word. Where in the book might he find the definition?

While reading a science textbook a student finds the term allotrope. He doesn't know what it means. Where should he look?

Which text feature is demonstrated below?

Cause of World War II

Following WWI, Germany was burdened with tremendous debt. The economy was slow to recover, and many cities lay in ruins. The Treaty of Versailles required that Germany repay France and other nations over 100 billion Marks.

Hyperinflation

Germany struggled to repay its debt. One solution was to print money at an alarming rate. This resulted in hyperinflation and caused the value of the German Mark to plummet.

Which text feature is intended to provide a brief description of what appears in a photo or drawing?

Brenda has purchased a book about the Titanic. She wants to see if there is a section about the building of the ship. Where should she look?

Sandra has a book about the history of the British Royal families. She wants to find all the references to Queen Victoria in the book. Where should she look?

Marisol has added a photo of a famous speech to her paper on Civil Rights. What text feature should she use to identify the speaker in the photo?

Cassie has designed a new kind of light bulb that she believes will be energy efficient and less expensive. She wants to patent the design so that others can't copy it. She needs to draw a picture of the light bulb and explain the key components. Which text feature will she use?

Where should a reader look to find the identity of people in a photograph in a newspaper or online article?

A student wants to illustrate a cross section of the largest pyramid in Egypt and label the different chambers in the pyramid. Which text feature should she use?

Which text feature is used in the sentence below?

The key words in this chapter include segregation, Apartheid, and discrimination.

Tells the name of the entire book...

Tells the name of the nonfiction article

Tells the name of a nonfiction article

This feature will list the important words in alphabetical order and give you the page number to find the word.

Text Structure: Gives events in chronological order

Text Structure: Describes what happened and why.

Text Structure: how things are different and the same

Text Structure: an author introduces a problem, then explains how somebody solved it

Text Structure: describes the topic and its characteristics.

Why the writer is writing and what the writer wants the reader to do with the text

A brief (1-2 sentence) statement about the main points.

facts that back up the main idea.

Central Point - It is the most important thought about the subject.

The subject discussed in a text.

Which of these is not an nonfiction text feature?

In what part of a nonfiction book can you the table of contents?

What is the difference between fiction and nonfiction?