1. Informational Text Drawing Conclusions

2. Research Primary A firsthand account: – Biographies, letters, interviews, oral history, eyewitness news accounts, reports, essays, editorials, and speeches Secondary Writers summarize, interpret or analyze events in which they did NOT participate – Encyclopedias and other reference works, textbooks, magazine articles, newspaper articles

3. Determine Author’s Purpose Who is the author’s intended audience? Was it written to tell a personal story OR to change an unsympathetic reader’s mind OR To provide background information

4. Compare and Contrast the Information Does the source provide objective information? Is it about the author’s thoughts and feelings? If the subject is controversial, about what do your sources agree and disagree?

5. Connect Maybe the subject is the same, but the setting and characters are not the same.

6. Synthesize Consider the sources as a group: – How does each source contribute to your understanding? – Do they present different opinions to give you a balanced view of the issues?

7. Draw Conclusions What do you now understand about he subject? What do you need to find out?

8. Today: We will read several selections about “The Troubles” in Ireland. We will learn about what it is like to live in a place your home is a battleground.