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

Checking My Understanding: Fix-Up Strategies, Sentences and Cohesive Ties

C2.4 C1.1 A1.1About 40 minutes

Learning goals

I can notice when I stop understanding a text.
I can choose a fix-up strategy: visualizing, reading ahead, rereading, asking questions or consulting another source.
I can use vocabulary, grammar and sentence structure to untangle long sentences.
I can follow cohesive ties (pronouns, synonyms and linking words) to see how ideas connect.
I can explain how these skills help me in other subjects and settings.

Words to know

monitor
To keep checking whether you understand as you read.

fix-up strategy
Something you do to fix confusion while reading.

visualize
To make a picture or movie in your mind from the words.

consult
To check another source, such as a dictionary, glossary, diagram, expert or another text.

clause
A group of words with a subject and a verb. A sentence can have more than one.

cohesive tie
A word that links ideas across sentences, such as a pronoun (it), a synonym (the arm), or a linking word (however, this).

transferable skill
A skill you can use in many places, such as critical thinking or communication.

Remember from Grade 5

In Grade 5 you noticed when meaning broke down and used fix-up strategies like rereading and reading on. You untangled complex sentences and followed cohesive ties like pronouns.

In Grade 6, texts get denser: more science words, longer sentences and ideas that connect across paragraphs. You'll practise choosing the right strategy for the kind of problem, and consulting other sources when the text itself isn't enough.

Hook: Did you just read without reading?

Have you ever reached the bottom of a page and realized you had no idea what it said? Your eyes moved, but your brain was thinking about lunch. That's normal! Strong readers notice when this happens and do something about it. That's called monitoring.

Canada's Arm in Space (written for this website)

Canadarm2, which was built in Canada and attached to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2001, is a robotic arm about 17 metres long. Unlike the original Canadarm, which stayed fixed to the space shuttle, Canadarm2 can move end over end, like an inchworm, from one anchor point to another on the outside of the station. This ability lets it reach many parts of the ISS.

The arm has many jobs. It catches visiting cargo spacecraft, moves large pieces of equipment, and can hold astronauts in place during spacewalks. Because its work is so important, controllers on the ground and astronauts on the station take turns operating it. However, the arm cannot do fine, delicate tasks by itself. For those, it works with Dextre, a smaller two-armed robot sometimes called the station's handyman.

Signs you've lost the meaning

You can't say what you just read in your own words.
A word or name makes no sense (What is an anchor point?).
You don't know who or what a pronoun like it or this is talking about.
You can't picture what is happening.
Something doesn't fit with what you know.

Problem	Fix-up strategy to try
I can't picture it.	Visualize: draw a quick sketch, or act it out with your arm.
I don't know a word.	Use context clues and word parts; read ahead for an explanation; consult a glossary or dictionary.
A long sentence lost me.	Reread and find the main clause (who did what); set the extra parts aside.
I don't know what it or this means.	Look back for the noun the pronoun replaces.
I'm confused about an idea.	Ask a question, then read ahead for the answer.
The text assumes I know something I don't.	Consult another source: a diagram, a video from a trusted site, an expert, or a simpler book.

Match the fix-up strategy to the problem

Worked example

Let's untangle a long sentence

Canadarm2, which was built in Canada and attached to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2001, is a robotic arm about 17 metres long. What is the main idea of this sentence?

Find the main clause: the subject is Canadarm2, and the main verb is is. Canadarm2 is a robotic arm about 17 metres long.
Notice the part between commas that starts with which: which was built in Canada and attached to the ISS in 2001. It's extra information about Canadarm2.
Put it back together in two short sentences: Canadarm2 is a 17-metre robotic arm. It was built in Canada and attached to the ISS in 2001.

Main idea: Canadarm2 is a robotic arm about 17 metres long. The which clause adds when and where it was built and attached.

Untangling a long sentence: find the main clause (shaded), set aside the which part between the commas, and read the main idea on its own.

Worked example

Let's follow the cohesive ties

In paragraphs 1 and 2, what do these words refer to: This ability, its work, it (in it works with Dextre), and For those?

This ability points back to the sentence before it: Canadarm2's ability to move end over end from one anchor point to another.
its work and it: both mean Canadarm2 (also called the arm, a synonym tie).
For those means for fine, delicate tasks, from the sentence before.
However is a linking word that signals a contrast: after all the arm's jobs, here's something it can't do alone.

This ability = moving end over end; its / it = Canadarm2; For those = fine, delicate tasks. However signals a change in direction. Following these ties keeps the ideas connected.

Visualizing and consulting other sources

Visualize: Lay your arm flat on the table. Put your hand down (the first anchor), then lift your elbow and shoulder over and plant your shoulder end further along. That's the inchworm movement!

Consult another source: The passage mentions anchor point but doesn't explain it. A reader could:

Read ahead to see if it's explained (it isn't).
Use context: the arm moves from one anchor point to another on the outside of the station, so an anchor point is probably a place where the arm can attach.
Consult a trusted source, such as the Canadian Space Agency's website, with a grown-up, to confirm.

Visualizing the inchworm move: Canadarm2 holds on with one end, reaches over to grab the next anchor point with the other end, then lets go of the first. (Simplified sketch, not to scale.)

Transferable skills

Monitoring is a transferable skill: it works in math (Does my answer make sense?), science (Can I picture this diagram?), when listening to a coach or teacher (Can I say it back in my own words?), and when reading in another language. Noticing confusion early, and doing something about it, is a sign of a strong learner in any setting.

Quick quiz

Monitoring check! Without looking back: what colour is Canadarm2 in the passage?

Trick question: the passage never says. If you noticed that, your monitoring is working!

Hands-on activity

Sticky-note monitoring and a sentence surgeon

You need: a chapter of a non-fiction book (science or social studies), sticky notes in two colours, a pencil.

Read the chapter. When you understand a part well, put a ✓ on a sticky note beside it. When you get confused, put a ?.
For each ?, write which fix-up strategy you used and whether it worked.
Sentence surgeon: copy the longest sentence you can find. Underline the main clause and put brackets around extra clauses. Rewrite it as two or three short sentences.
Circle three cohesive ties (pronouns, synonyms or linking words) and draw arrows to what they connect to.
Teach a family member one fix-up strategy and show them where you used it.

Your turn

Name four fix-up strategies.

What is the main clause in: The arm, which can be controlled from the ground, catches cargo spacecraft?

In the passage, what does This ability refer to?

What does the linking word However signal in paragraph 2?

Use context clues: what is an anchor point?

Who or what is Dextre?

You can't picture how the arm moves like an inchworm. Which strategy should you try first?

More practice: warm-up

What does monitor mean when you read?

In what year was Canadarm2 attached to the ISS?

About how long is Canadarm2?

Name one sign that you've lost the meaning.

What is a pronoun? Give an example.

More practice: on your own

How was the original Canadarm different from Canadarm2?

Rewrite as two short sentences: Because its work is so important, controllers on the ground and astronauts on the station take turns operating it.

Find a synonym tie in the passage for Canadarm2.

When is consulting another source better than reading ahead?

How could monitoring help you in math?

Challenge

Write a long sentence about Dextre that uses a which clause. Then underline (or name) the main clause.

A classmate says, Rereading is always the best fix-up strategy. Do you agree? Explain with an example.

Explain how cohesive ties help a writer avoid repeating Canadarm2 in every sentence, and why that matters for readers.

Check your understanding

Quiz

You don't know what it refers to in a sentence. What should you do?

What is the main clause of Canadarm2, which was built in Canada, is a robotic arm?

The word However usually signals...

A text mentions a word that is never explained and has no context clues. Which strategy fits best?

How does Canadarm2 move around the outside of the ISS?

Which is a sign that you've lost the meaning?

For parents and teachers

What this lesson teaches: Grade 6 students select and use strategies such as visualizing, reading ahead, asking questions and consulting other sources to monitor and confirm understanding (C2.4). They use knowledge of vocabulary, grammar, cohesive ties, sentence structure and background knowledge to read texts (C1.1), and explain how these transferable skills work across subjects (A1.1).

How to help at home:

When reading together, stop and ask: "Can you tell me that part in your own words?"
Model your own confusion: "Hmm, I lost track there. I'm going to reread."
With long sentences, ask: "Who did what?" to find the main clause.

Common difficulties:

Not noticing confusion at all. Use the sticky-note routine.
Using only one strategy (usually rereading). Help match strategy to problem.
Losing track of pronouns in dense texts.

Facts used: Canadarm2 was built in Canada and installed on the International Space Station in 2001; it is about 17.6 m long and can move end over end between attachment points. The original Canadarm worked on NASA's space shuttles. Dextre is a Canadian two-armed robot on the ISS, often described as its handyman.