It’s a feeling…. An opinion…. An attitude! It’s a fact. It’s a fact…. It’s a real fact! Sentence Power!!!!!

Why Are Sentences So Important? The sentence is the basic means of written communication. In order to be literate and articulate, students need to master sentence power.

Text Comprehension Sentences Words Sounds When students read, they get information from sentences. Sentences provide facts and details, opinions, clues about the sequence of events, and information to understand cause and effect relationships. Students cannot get such meaning from sounds or words alone. R Readers use sentences to build meaning in context and to decide on a main idea. You can think of the steps to comprehension as an inverted triangle, illustrating that comprehension is built upon the understanding that sounds create words that are parts of sentences which make up a text.

Ten Important Sentences Ten Important Sentences are provided for every selection in the Student Edition. Each sentence is logical and cohesive; each sentence provides a key idea from the selection. Together, the Ten Important sentences help students make meaning in several ways.

Ten Important Sentences Present key events in a story or narrative nonfiction selection such as a biography or autobiography. Give the stated main ideas and details in an essay or informational selection. Demonstrate a predictable pattern in a selection, for example in a song, poem, or nonsense story.

Ten Important Sentences Build Comprehension Recalling facts and details Finding and distinguishing between facts and opinions Arranging events in sequence Recognizing cause and effect relationships Identifying main idea and supporting details.

Activity: Locate Sentences Read the selection aloud to students or have students read all or parts of the selection silently. Have students locate each of the Ten Important Sentences. Discuss whether students agree with the choice of sentences. Which could they add or delete?

Activity: Determine Main Idea After reading, focus on the selection and talk with students about the big ideas. Have students locate the sentences that provide the five elements of the main idea: Who? Did what? Where? When? And why? Help students as they write the answers to these important question in one sentence of their own.

Activity: The Main Idea Glove Use the main idea glove to talk about the five elements of main idea.

Comprehension FACT AND OPINION Teach Smarter

Why Teach Fact and Opinion? Children should distinguish between statements of fact and statements of opinion to learn to evaluate each and to avoid being misled.

Expectations A statement of fact can be proved true or false; a statement of opinion is someone’s belief or idea about something. Clue words to statements of opinion include think, believe, probably, best, worst, beautiful, and so on. Students explain the difference between statements of fact and opinion.

Expectations Students identify statements of fact and cite methods for checking. Students identify valid and faulty statements of opinion. Students separate statements of fact and opinion found in one sentence.

Teach Smarter! Introduce Basic Terms A statement of fact tells something that can be proven true or false. A statement of opinion tells a person’s ideas or feelings. It cannot be proven true or false. Introduce the definitions of important terms, using student-friendly definitions. Deinfing Fact and Opinion a statement of fact tells something that ce proven true or fals. You can prove it true or false by checking resources, asking an expert, or checking it out yourself. A statement of opinion tells a person’s ideas or feelings. It cannot be proven true or false. Words such as think, believe, best, and worst are clues to an opinion. Explain that authors often include statements of fact and statements of opinion in the text. Suggest that knowing how to tell the difference will help readers understand more fully what they’re reading and avoid being misled.

Teach Smarter! Model the Skill Statements of opinion will usually contain clue words such as think, believe, feel, best, worst, and so on. Explain that statements of fact can be checked and can be proven to be either true or false. Explain that statements of opinion will usaully contain clue words such as think, believe, feel, best, worst, and so on. Using a grade-level text, model how to distinguish between statements of fact and statements of opinion.

Teach Smarter! Provide guided and independent practice. Ask students to explain the difference between fact and opinion while providing them with guidance and support. Supply children with a nonfiction text and have them distinguish between statements of fact and opinion. Then ask them to explain the difference between the two. Provide guidance and support. As children become proficient, move to activities that require them to apply the skill independently.

Teach Smarter! Apply and Assess. Check children’s understanding of the skill by providing them with a piece of text. Check children’s understanding of the skill by providing them with a piece of text. Have them distinguish between statements of fact and opinion. Then ask them to tell you how they did so.

Teach Smarter! Maintain the Skill. Encourage the children to find statements of fact and statements of opinion as they read nonfiction texts. Encourage the children to find statements of fact and statements of opinion as they read nonfiction texts. Remind them to read carefully and distinguish statemtents of fact from statements of opinion. Remind them to check statements of fact and to determine if statements of opinion are well or poorly supported..

TIP! Model the process of identifying statements of fact and opinion by thinking aloud and answering these questions: Can the statement be proven true or false? How can you check the statement of fact? Do any of the statements begin with the words I think, I believe, or In my Opinion? Tell children that statements of fact can be checked in may ways such as by checking in reference sources or by asking an expert.

Distinguishing Facts and Opinions Everyday IDEAS! Check It Out! Call out statements of fact and have children tell how they would check them. Distinguishing Facts and Opinions Make statements of fact and opinion about a subject the class is studying. Have children tell which is which!

Activity: Distinguish Facts and Opinions Read the selection aloud to students or have students read all or parts of the selection silently. Discuss the selection, emphasizing sentences that arts and sentences that are opinions. Have students mark each of the Ten Important Sentences “F” for fact or “O” for opinion.

Comprehension SEQUENCE Teach Smarter

Why Teach Sequence? Identifying a sequence of events helps students understand events and time relationships as they are presented in a selection.

Expectations Students identify the sequence of events, using clue words that signal sequential order, such as first, then, finally. Students identify the sequence of events in selections that do not have clue words.

Expectations Students identify the sequence of events in selections with and without clue words. Students recognize simultaneous events signaled with clue words such as meanwhile, while, and during.

Review Basic Terms Defining Sequence Sequence—the order in which things happen. It can also mean the steps we follow to do things Clue Words—signal words such as first, last, and after that can help you understand the order of events. Clue words such as while and during signal events that are happening simultaneously. Defining Sequence Sequence—the order in which things happen. It can also mean the steps we follow to do things Clue Words—signal words such as first, last, and after that can help you understand the order of events. Clue words such as while and during signal events that are happening simultaneously. Review identifying sequence in selections with and without clue words. Review this process by having students put events in order where clue words appear, and using common sense where they do not. Define simultaneously as meaning “happening at the same time.”

Model the Skill Understanding sequence can help students comprehend and remember important ideas in a text. Tell students to visualize what is happening as they put events in order. Point out that dates or times are also clues. Understanding sequence can help students comprehend and remember important ideas in a text. Tell students to visualize what is happening as they put events in order. Point out that dates or times are also clues. Model how to identify the sequence of events in a selection. Identify events happening at the same time.

Provide Guided and Independent Practice Create a sequence chart of time line and work with students to list important events or steps in order on the chart. Supply students with a selection in which understanding sequence is essential. Read it together and have students visualize what is happening. Point out clue words that suggest simultaneous events. Create a sequence chart or time line and work with students to list important events or steps in order on the chart. Encourage students to use common sense and what they know to put events in order when no clue words are present. Provide guidance and support. As student become proficient, move to activities that require them to apply the skill independently.

Apply and Assess Check students’ understanding of the skill by providing them with a new piece of text that includes simultaneous events but that may or may not include clue words. Have students use a graphic organizer to list the important events in order and explain how they determine the sequence.

Maintain the Skill Encourage students to identify sequence as they read biographies, historical selections, and steps in a process from appropriate nonfiction texts. Encourage students to identify sequence as they read biographies, historical selections, and steps in a process from appropriate nonfiction texts. Help students make connections between main ideas, story structure, summarizing, and sequences. Make connections between following directions and the order of the steps.

TIP! Model the process of identifying sequence by thinking aloud and answering these questions: What is the order of events in this selection? How do you know? What clue words helped you understand the sequence? Are there illustrations or other clues to help you understand the sequence? How can they help? Do any events happen at the same time?

Everyday Ideas! Reinforce Sequence Clue Words invite volunteers to tell a sentence with clue words that signal events that happen before or after other events or at the seam time. Sequence Fix-Up Provide students with a list of events from a selection just read. List the events in the wrong order and have students rewrite them in the correct order.

Activity: Sequence Events Read the selection aloud to students or have students read all or parts of the selection silently. Discuss the sequence of events, thoughts, or ideas in the selection. Have students cut apart the Ten Important Sentences and mix the sentences in random order. Then have students order them correctly.

Comprehension Cause and Effect Teach Smarter

Why Teach Cause and Effect? Research supports the need for understanding cause and effect as a basic thinking skill in all subject areas including science and social studies.

Expectations Children identify what happens and why it happens. Children understand that sometimes cause-and-effect relationships are signaled by clue words such as because or so. Students define cause and effect. Students identify cause-and-effect relationships Students speculate on related scenarios and their causes and effects after reading.

Teach Smarter! Review basic terms and previous instruction. Defining Cause and Effect An effect is something that happens A cause is why that thing happens Review basic terms and previous instruction. Review important terms, using student-friendly definitions. Defining Cause and Effect An effect is something that happens A cause is why that thing happens. Sometimes clude words such as because, so since, therefore, and as a result signal cause and effect. Sometimes causes are not stated. Figure out the causes by asking yourself, “Why might this have halppen?” or “why did this probably happen?” Sometimes one paragraph has more than one cause-and –effect relationship. Review previous instruction about c and e. Remind students that while one cause often has one effect, on effect may have several causes, and one cause may have several effects. Ensure that the cause-and-effect relatiohships you discuss are casual and no sequential.

Teach Smarter! Model the Skill Being able to identify and understand cause and effect is an important skill that students will use when they read stories, study school subjects, and watch TV and movies. Model the Skill Explain that being able to identify and understand cause and effect is an important skill that students will use when they read stories, study school subjects, and watch TV and movies. Using a grade-level text, model how to identify cause and effect.

Teach Smarter! Provide guided and independent practice. Ask students to explain the difference between fact and opinion while providing them with guidance and support. Supply children with a nonfiction text and have them distinguish between statements of fact and opinion. Then ask them to explain the difference between the two. Provide guidance and support. As children become proficient, move to activities that require them to apply the skill independently.

Teach Smarter! Apply and Assess. Check children’s understanding of the skill by providing them with a piece of text. Check children’s understanding of the skill by providing them with a piece of text. Have them distinguish between statements of fact and opinion. Then ask them to tell you how they did so.

Teach Smarter! Maintain the Skill. Encourage the children to find statements of fact and statements of opinion as they read nonfiction texts. Encourage the children to find statements of fact and statements of opinion as they read nonfiction texts. Remind them to read carefully and distinguish statemtents of fact from statements of opinion. Remind them to check statements of fact and to determine if statements of opinion are well or poorly supported..

TIP! Model the process of identifying statements of fact and opinion by thinking aloud and answering these questions: Can the statement be proven true or false? How can you check the statement of fact? Do any of the statements begin with the words I think, I believe, or In my Opinion? Tell children that statements of fact can be checked in may ways such as by checking in reference sources or by asking an expert.

Distinguishing Facts and Opinions Everyday IDEAS! Check It Out! Call out statements of fact and have children tell how they would check them. Distinguishing Facts and Opinions Make statements of fact and opinion about a subject the class is studying. Have children tell which is which!

Activity: Link Cause and Effect Read the selection aloud to students or have students read all or parts of the selection silently. Talk about events in the story and what causes them to happen. Have students look at the Ten Important Sentences and find one or more pairs of sentences in which one sentence tells what happens and the other tells why it happens.

Sentence Power!!!!!