1-3. Answers will vary.
tusk Ice Age extinct
other animals become extinct, the climate changes
Lesson 11A Click here to enlarge the passage
Vocabulary Lesson 11A
imagine (v.) to think about something and form an idea in your mind
nearby (adv.) a short distance away
overall (adj.) referring to a situation in general
perfect (adj.) as good as it can possibly be, no errors or flaws
send (v.) to arrange for a letter or package to go to a person
analysis (n.) a careful examination of something
detail (n.) a small feature of something
ongoing (adj.) continuing, going on now
sequence (n.) the order in which something happens
lead (v.) to result in something happening
entire passage lines 6-7 lines 8-14
line 11 line 23
Imagine overall
details perfect sentanalysis
predator prey tail stomach finsjawsteeth
three animals Temnodontosaurus: largest eyes; Kronosaurus: huge head and teeth; Thalassomedon: very long neck, carried stones in stomach
Lesson 11B Click here to enlarge the passage
Vocabulary Lesson 11B
indeed (adv.) used to confirm something or strengthen a point
model (n.) a small or simplified copy of a larger thing
characteristic (n.) a special quality or feature of someone or something
probably (adv.) as is likely
prime (adj.) something that is most important in a situation
set (n.) things that belong together or are thought of as a group
grab (v.) to take or pick up something suddenly or roughly
crush (v.) to press something hard until it breaks
portion (n.) a part of something
defense (n.) action taken to protect against attack
entire passage line 1 line 11-16
line 19 lines 23-24
eyes prey bananas crush neck stones fish
probably characteristics
set grab/crush defense portions models indeed
crush Characteristics Models prime defense
Answers will vary, but possibilities include head shape and bill, long jaws, arm shape, two legs, long tail for balance, claws on feet.
defense sequence led to
prime characteristics Ongoing details indeed
They hatch their young from eggs. Answers will vary.
For More Information online/life/dinosaurs-other-extinct- creatures/index.html
Key Words for Internet Research AlbertosaurusJobariaThalassomedon DeinosuchusKronosaurusTylosaurus dinosaursSuperCrocwoolly mammoth giant squidTemnodontosau rus
Reading Skills
Reading for Gist Reading for gist is reading to get a general sense of what a reading passage is basically about. In other words, we read to understand the main topic, or theme of the passage. For example, a reading passage might basically be about a new type of technology, or a tourist's vacation trip, or a story about a fictional character.
Identifying Details Identifying details in a text to answer specific questions (eg: who, what, when, where, why) is often achieved through a strategy known as ‘Scanning’ for details. This is actually a technique often used in daily life when looking up a word in the telephone book or dictionary. Also when you read a newspaper, you're probably not reading it word-by-word, instead you're scanning the text for important information of interest.
Recognizing the Purpose Recognizing the purpose of a text involves firstly asking yourself a few important questions such as “What am I reading?” to determine text type (eg: newspaper article, website, advertisement), “Why did the author write the text?”, to establish author’s objectives, and “Why am I reading this text?”, to determine your own reading objectives and what you can extract from the passage.
Understanding Reference Understanding reference in a text is an important reading skill which involves focusing on specific meaning of ‘pronoun references’ used throughout a passage (eg: this, those, their, it). This is an important skill to help develop full comprehension of significant details of a section of a passage which refer back to previous statements made.
Paraphrasing Paraphrasing involves the skill of identifying a restatement of a section in a passage that retains the basic meaning while changing the words, often explained in a more simplified form. A paraphrase often clarifies a more ambiguous original statement in the text by putting it into alternative words that are often more easily understood.
Understanding the Main Idea Once we've determined the text type of a passage, and what it's generally about, we usually then read on to understand the main idea of the passage. In other words: What is the writer basically telling us? Or, What is the writer's main message? Understanding the main idea of a text means being able to identify the most important point or information in the passage.
Defining Vocabulary Often a reading passage contains definitions or explanations of new words related to the topic. The definitions in the text may be given through different clues to help you identify how the author has explained its meaning. It is important to understand synonyms or parallel expressions are often used to define target vocabulary items.
Making Inferences When we read a text, the author does not tell us everything. Therefore, we must be able to guess some things and make clear assumptions from the information, facts, opinions and author’s feelings presented in the passage. Such a process of guessing and critical thinking is called ‘Making inferences’