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A. Literacy Connections and Applications / C. Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts · Understanding and Responding to Texts

Understanding and Responding to Texts: Unit Review

A1.1 A1.2 A2.1 A2.2 A2.3 A2.4 A2.5 A2.6 A2.7 A3.1 A3.2 A3.3 C1.1 C1.2 C1.3 C1.4 C1.5 C1.6 C1.7 C2.1 C2.2 C2.3 C2.4 C2.5 C2.6 C2.7 C3.1 C3.2 C3.3 C3.4 C3.5 C3.6 C3.7 C3.8About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can use reading strategies before, during and after reading.
  • I can analyze texts: plots, inferences, style, devices, point of view and bias.
  • I can learn from texts by First Nations, Métis and Inuit creators.
  • I can research safely, check my sources and act responsibly online.

Words to know

genre
A group of texts that share characteristics.
spatial order
A pattern that describes where things are.
global inference
An inference about the whole text.
personification
Giving human actions or feelings to a non-human thing.
bias
Unfairly favouring one side.
credible
Trustworthy, because the creator is an expert or reliable.

Let's review!

In this unit you became a sharper, more critical reader, listener and viewer. You learned new genres and cultural text forms, spatial order, type styles and hyperlinks, visual design and media techniques, prior knowledge and predictions, reading rate and references, connections and big topics, summaries and conclusions, multiple plots and cause-and-effect chains, local and global inferences, elements of style, personification and anthropomorphism, point of view and bias, cultural elements and texts by First Nations, Métis and Inuit creators, and smart, safe research.

This review has a few questions from every lesson. Try each one, then press Show answer to check. If a part feels tricky, go back to that lesson for more practice.

Before reading• set a purpose• use prior knowledge• preview features• predictDuring reading• adjust reading rate• follow cohesive ties• check predictions• infer, visualizeAfter reading• summarize• draw a conclusion• make connections• reflect on strategies
Reading strategies from this unit, sorted by before, during and after reading.
ThinkWho made it?Who is it for?Why was it made?What's left out?
Four questions a critical reader asks about any text, ad or media message.

Text Forms, Genres and Choosing Texts for a Purpose

1

In 1850s Upper Canada, a made-up girl named Clara helps her family through a hard winter. What genre is this? Give two characteristics.

2

How many syllables are in each line of a haiku?

3

Your purpose is to decide whether your school should have a longer recess. What texts should you read?

4

Name one cultural text form.

Text Patterns and Features: Spatial Order, Type Styles and Hyperlinks

1

The bookshelf is beside the window. Above it hangs a map. What pattern is this?

2

What do italic words often show?

3

What should you ask yourself before clicking a hyperlink?

Images, Graphics and Design in Media Texts

1

What does a low camera angle do?

2

Name two conventions of a poster.

3

A message about brushing teeth is made for Kindergarten children. Suggest a form and two techniques.

4

Why is the biggest text on a poster usually at the top?

Before Reading: Using What I Know and Making Predictions

1

Name three sources of prior knowledge.

2

What three kinds of clues help you make a prediction?

3

Write a question you could ask to check a prediction.

Checking My Understanding: Reading Rate, References and Word Clues

1

The narwhal, a whale with a long tusk, lives in Arctic waters. What does narwhal mean? What helped you?

2

When should you slow down your reading rate?

3

The puppies were hungry. They whined at the door. What does They refer to?

4

Name two references you could consult.

Making Connections: Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility in Texts

1

What is accessibility?

2

Make your connection stronger: That reminds me of my school.

3

What did Viola Desmond do in 1946, and why does it matter?

Summarizing, Drawing Conclusions and Reflecting on Strategies

1

What three parts should a strong summary of an informational text include?

2

Use Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then for The Three Little Pigs.

3

Name a strategy that helped you understand a text this week and explain how.

Analyzing Texts: Main Ideas, Multiple Plots and Cause and Effect

1

What is a subplot?

2

Finish the chain: It rained all night → the field flooded → ___ → ___.

3

What word often signals a switch between plots?

Local and Global Inferences: Explicit and Implicit Evidence

1

Is Grandma's hands hurt that day a local or global inference?

2

What is the difference between explicit and implicit evidence?

3

Tariq looked at the empty cookie jar, then at his little sister's crumb-covered smile. Make a local inference with evidence.

Elements of Style: Voice, Word Choice, Word Patterns and Sentences

1

Which voice fits a letter to the mayor: formal or informal?

2

Find the alliteration: Seven sleepy seals slid on the slippery shore.

3

How do short sentences like Stop. Listen. Run! change the feeling of a story?

Literary Devices: Personification and Anthropomorphism

1

The moon winked at the sleepy town. Personification or anthropomorphism?

2

A rabbit named Rosie runs a bakery and argues with her brother about cupcakes. Which device is this?

3

Why are animal characters common in books for young children?

Point of View, Perspectives and Bias

1

You open your eyes. You are on a spaceship. What point of view is this? Give one advantage.

2

What is bias?

3

Greedy builders want to destroy our park! Find the loaded words.

4

Why should you read more than one perspective?

Cultural Elements and First Nations, Métis and Inuit Texts

1

Name the five kinds of cultural elements.

2

Which tradition is Métis: the Red River Jig, the Creator's Game, or the one-foot high kick?

3

How does When We Were Alone connect history to today?

4

Name one theme in this lesson's texts.

Smart Research and Digital Citizenship

1

Name three questions you can ask to check whether a source is reliable.

2

A website asks for your school and birthday to enter a contest. What should you do?

3

What does Stop, think, ask mean?

Just for fun

Why did the book join the detective club?

It was great at making inferences and it always had a good plot!

How to use this review

  • Do the review over two short sittings if your child gets tired. Each section matches one lesson.
  • Encourage your child to read the questions independently, and read longer passages aloud together.
  • For open questions (connections, summaries, inferences, examples), there is no single right answer. Look for a clear idea with evidence from the text.
  • After each answer, ask "How do you know?" or "Which clue told you?"
  • Note which section had mistakes, then revisit that lesson's examples and practice.
Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

A story set on a space station in the future is...

2.

Which sentence uses spatial order?

3.

A low camera angle makes a character look...

4.

Moose, the largest members of the deer family, live in Ontario's forests. The words between the commas...

5.

A good summary includes...

6.

A global inference is about...

7.

The wind whispered through the pines. This is...

8.

I couldn't believe my eyes. What point of view?

9.

Which is an artifact?

10.

Which source is most credible for facts about owls?

For parents and teachers

Use this review to find what to practise:

  • Mixed up genres or couldn't choose a text for a purpose → revisit Text Forms, Genres and Choosing Texts for a Purpose.
  • Confused spatial order with sequence, or unsure about type styles and links → revisit Text Patterns and Features: Spatial Order, Type Styles and Hyperlinks.
  • Couldn't explain camera angles, design or audience → revisit Images, Graphics and Design in Media Texts.
  • Predictions without clues, or never checked → revisit Before Reading: Using What I Know and Making Predictions.
  • Stuck on new words, ties like this and they, or reading everything at one speed → revisit Checking My Understanding: Reading Rate, References and Word Clues.
  • Weak connections, or unsure about accessibility and inclusion → revisit Making Connections: Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility in Texts.
  • Summaries too long, out of order, or missing a conclusion → revisit Summarizing, Drawing Conclusions and Reflecting on Strategies.
  • Lost track of two plots, or mixed up cause and effect → revisit Analyzing Texts: Main Ideas, Multiple Plots and Cause and Effect.
  • Inferences without evidence, or confused local and global → revisit Local and Global Inferences: Explicit and Implicit Evidence.
  • Couldn't explain voice or why a style fits a form → revisit Elements of Style: Voice, Word Choice, Word Patterns and Sentences.
  • Mixed up personification and anthropomorphism → revisit Literary Devices: Personification and Anthropomorphism.
  • Mixed up first, second and third person, or missed bias → revisit Point of View, Perspectives and Bias.
  • Unsure about cultural elements or First Nations, Métis and Inuit texts → revisit Cultural Elements and First Nations, Métis and Inuit Texts, and read one of the recommended books together.
  • Unsure about reliable sources, personal data or online responsibilities → revisit Smart Research and Digital Citizenship.

Keep reading together every day. Talking about books ("What do you think? How do you know? Whose voice is missing?") is the best comprehension practice there is.