A. Literacy Connections and Applications / C. Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts · Understanding and Responding to TextsChecking My Understanding: Reading Rate, References and Word Clues
C2.4 C1.1 A1.1 A1.2About 40 minutes
Learning goals- I can notice when I stop understanding and choose a strategy to fix it.
- I can adjust my reading rate, read ahead, visualize, ask questions and consult references.
- I can use word knowledge, grammar and cohesive ties (words that link ideas) to understand a text.
- I can set a reading goal and plan my next steps.
Words to know
monitor
To keep checking that you understand as you read.
reading rate
How fast or slowly you read.
reference
A source you can check for help, such as a dictionary, glossary, atlas or another book.
cohesive ties
Words that link ideas together, like this, their, however, then and also.
appositive
A group of words, set off by commas, that tells what a word means: Lemmings, small furry rodents, live in the Arctic.
tundra
A flat, treeless land in the far north where the ground stays frozen below the surface.
Remember from Grade 3
In Grade 3 you used fix-up strategies: rereading, visualizing, asking questions, using context clues and word parts, and figuring out what pronouns like it and they stand for.
In Grade 4 you will add new strategies: adjusting your reading rate, reading ahead, and consulting references. You will also use grammar clues and cohesive ties to follow the ideas.
Hook: Driving a car
A good driver slows down in a snowstorm and on curvy roads, and goes a bit faster on a clear, straight highway. Good readers do the same! They read slowly when a text is new or full of facts, and more quickly when it's familiar or they are looking for one detail.
| When this happens... | Try this strategy |
|---|
| Lots of new facts and numbers | Slow down (adjust your reading rate) and reread. |
| A confusing sentence | Read ahead a few sentences. The next part often explains it. |
| I can't picture it | Visualize: make a movie in your mind; look at the pictures. |
| I'm lost or curious | Ask a question (Why? What does this mean?) and look for the answer. |
| A word I can't figure out | Use context, word parts and grammar. Then consult a reference: the glossary, a dictionary, an atlas or another book. |
| Still confused | Talk about it with someone, or find another text on the same topic. |
Read: The Snowy Owl
The snowy owl is one of the largest owls in Canada. It spends the summer on the Arctic tundra, a flat, treeless land in the far north. Below the surface, the ground there stays frozen all year. This frozen ground is called permafrost.
Snowy owls nest right on the ground. In summer, their main food is lemmings, small furry rodents that live in tunnels under the snow and grass. Unlike most owls, snowy owls often hunt in the daytime. This makes sense, because in the Arctic summer, the sun shines almost all day and night.
Thick feathers cover the owl's body, and even its feet, so it stays warm at very cold temperatures. However, not all snowy owls stay in the Arctic all winter. Some fly south to southern Canada. In some winters, many more owls than usual fly south. Scientists call this an irruption, and they are still studying why it happens. During an irruption, people in Ontario may see a snowy owl perched on a fence post in a snowy farm field.
Worked exampleLet's use grammar clues and references for new words
What do tundra, lemmings and irruption mean?
- tundra: After the word comes a comma and a flat, treeless land in the far north. This group of words, set off by a comma, is an appositive. It tells what tundra means. Grammar helped!
- lemmings: Same trick: lemmings, small furry rodents that live in tunnels... The appositive gives the meaning.
- irruption: The text says In some winters, many more owls than usual fly south. Scientists call this an irruption. The word this points back to the sentence before. So an irruption is when many more owls than usual fly south.
- Check with a reference: A dictionary or the glossary in an owl book can confirm the meanings. Be careful: irruption is not the same as eruption (a volcano exploding)!
Tundra: flat, treeless northern land. Lemmings: small furry rodents. Irruption: a winter when many more owls than usual fly south. Grammar (appositives) and cohesive ties (this) helped, and a dictionary can confirm.
Worked exampleLet's follow the cohesive ties
Cohesive ties link sentences together. What does each tie connect?
- This frozen ground is called permafrost.
- their main food is lemmings
- This makes sense, because...
- However, not all snowy owls stay in the Arctic all winter.
- This frozen ground points back to the ground there stays frozen all year, the ground of the tundra.
- their means the snowy owls'.
- This in This makes sense points back to the idea that snowy owls hunt in the daytime.
- However signals a change of direction: the text just said owls stay warm in the cold, but however warns that some still leave.
- Following these ties is like holding a rope from one sentence to the next, so you don't get lost.
The ties connect to: the tundra's ground, the owls, hunting in daytime, and a contrast (some owls leave).
Each cohesive tie points back to an earlier idea, like a rope from one sentence to the one before.Adjusting your reading rate and reading ahead
The first paragraph of The Snowy Owl has three new words close together: tundra, surface and permafrost. That's a signal to slow down.
The second paragraph has the sentence Unlike most owls, snowy owls often hunt in the daytime. You might wonder: Why? If you read ahead one sentence, the text explains: the Arctic summer sun shines almost all day and night.
If you just want to find one fact (like What do snowy owls eat?), you can scan quickly for key words like food or eat, then slow down to read that part carefully.
Reflect and set a goal
Strong readers know which strategies work for them. After reading, ask: Which strategy helped me most today? What will I try next time?
Example goal: When I meet a word I don't know, I will look for an appositive or read ahead before I give up. If that doesn't work, I'll check the glossary.
These are transferable skills: critical thinking, self-directed learning and communication that you'll use in every subject.
Just for funCareful with irruption and eruption! If a volcano had an irruption, it would be full of snowy owls flying south for the winter.
Hands-on activityStrategy detective
You need: an informational book or magazine article, sticky notes or small slips of paper, and a pencil.
- Read two pages aloud to a grown-up.
- Each time you use a strategy, put a sticky note there and write its name: slowed down, read ahead, visualized, asked a question, used a reference, used an appositive.
- Find two cohesive ties (like this, they, however, also) and draw an arrow on a sticky note to show what each connects to.
- Look up one word in a dictionary (paper or online with a grown-up).
- Write a reading goal for next week on an index card and keep it in your book.
Your turn
1Why should you slow down when a text has many new words and facts?
So you have time to understand and remember each new idea.
2What is an appositive? Find one in The Snowy Owl.
A group of words, set off by commas, that tells what a word means. Example: the Arctic tundra, a flat, treeless land in the far north, or lemmings, small furry rodents...
Ground that stays frozen all year below the surface.
4In their main food is lemmings, who does their refer to?
5Why do snowy owls often hunt in the daytime? Which strategy helps you find out?
In the Arctic summer, the sun shines almost all day and night. Reading ahead one sentence gives the answer.
6What does the word However signal in the third paragraph?
A change or contrast: owls stay warm, but some still leave the Arctic.
7Name two references you could consult for a hard word.
Any two: a dictionary, a glossary, an atlas (for places), another book or website, an expert.
More practice: warm-up
1What does monitor your understanding mean?
Keep checking that you understand as you read.
2What do snowy owls mostly eat in summer?
3Where is a glossary found?
At the back of an informational book.
A winter when many more owls than usual fly south.
5Name one cohesive tie word.
Any: this, that, they, their, it, however, also, then, because.
More practice: on your own
1How is irruption different from eruption?
Irruption: many more animals than usual move into an area (like owls flying south). Eruption: a volcano exploding. They sound alike but mean different things, so a dictionary helps.
2You want to find only how snowy owls stay warm. How should you read?
Scan quickly for key words like warm or feathers, then slow down to read that part (thick feathers cover the owl's body, and even its feet).
3Visualize the last sentence of the text. Describe what you see.
Example: A white owl sitting on a wooden fence post in a snowy field, maybe a barn far behind it. (Any picture that matches the words.)
4What question could you ask while reading paragraph 3? How could you find the answer?
Example: Why do some owls fly south? The text says scientists are still studying it, so I could consult another text or a reliable website to learn more.
5Fill in the tie: Snowy owls nest on the ground. ___ nests are shallow scrapes in the soil.
Their (it refers to the snowy owls).
Challenge
1Write a sentence with an appositive that explains the word inuksuk.
Example: We saw an inuksuk, a stone landmark built by Inuit, on the hill. (Look for the meaning set off by commas.)
2A friend says, I read super fast, so I always understand. Do you agree? Explain.
Not always. Reading fast is fine for familiar texts or finding one fact, but for new, fact-filled texts you need to slow down, reread and check. Good readers adjust their rate.
3Which strategy helped you most in this lesson? Write a goal for using it next week.
Example: Using appositives helped me most because they give the meaning right in the sentence. Next week, I'll look for commas after hard words before I reach for the dictionary. (Any strategy with a reason and a goal.)
Quiz
1. When a text is full of new facts, you should...
2. Lemmings, small furry rodents, live under the snow. The words between the commas...
3. In This frozen ground is called permafrost, the word This is a...
4. Which is a reference you can consult?
5. However usually signals...
6. If a sentence confuses you, one good strategy is to...
What this lesson teaches: Grade 4 students use strategies such as adjusting reading rate, visualizing, reading ahead, asking questions and consulting references to monitor understanding (C2.4). They comprehend texts using knowledge of words, grammar, cohesive ties and sentence structures (C1.1). Reflecting on strategies and setting goals builds transferable skills and student agency (A1.1, A1.2).
Facts used: Snowy owls breed on the Arctic tundra, nest on the ground, eat mainly lemmings in summer, often hunt in daylight, and have feathered feet. Some move south in winter, and in some years many more do (irruptions); scientists continue to study the causes.
How to help at home:
- Read nonfiction together and point out appositives (a word, comma, its meaning, comma).
- When your child stumbles, ask: "Which strategy could help?" before giving the answer.
- Keep a dictionary (paper or a child-safe online one) within reach while reading.
Common difficulties:
- Reading everything at one speed. Practise scanning for one fact, then reading slowly.
- Losing track of pronouns and ties. Ask, "Who is 'they'? What does 'this' mean here?"
- Skipping hard words. Encourage a strategy, then a reference, rather than skipping.