reading in 15 minutes

N E W Y O R K

®

Junior Skill Builders

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Copyright © 2008 LearningExpress, LLC.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American CopyrightConventions. Published in the United States by LearningExpress, LLC, New York.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:Junior skill builders : reading in 15 minutes a day.

p. cm.ISBN: 978-1-57685-661-11. Reading (Middle school) 2. Reading (Secondary) 3. English

language—Grammar—Study and teaching (Middle school) 4. Englishlanguage—Grammar—Study and teaching (Secondary) I. LearningExpress(Organization) II. Title: Reading in 15 minutes a day.

LB1632.J86 2008428.4071'2—dc22 2008020199

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

First Edition

For more information or to place an order, contact LearningExpress at:2 Rector Street26th FloorNew York, NY 10006

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Introduction 1

Pretest 5

S E C T I O N 1 : B U I L D Y O U R V O C A B U L A R Y 1 7

Lesson 1: Multiple-Meaning Words 19• Don’t be fooled by words with more than one meaning

Lesson 2: Words That Sound or Look Alike 27• The difference between a homophone and a homograph

Lesson 3: Synonyms and Antonyms 35• Using words that mean the same or mean the opposite

Lesson 4: Prefixes and Suffixes 43• Get clues about a word’s meaning from its parts

Lesson 5: Terminology and Jargon 51• Don’t be thrown by technical terms and

subject-matter vocabulary

Lesson 6: Context Clues 59• Find the meaning of unknown words from hints in the text

Lesson 7: Denotation and Connotation 67• Know what a word implies as well as what it really means

C O N T E N T S

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i v c o n t e n t s

S E C T I O N 2 : VA R I E T Y I N R E A D I N G 7 5

Lesson 8: Genre: Fiction or Nonfiction? 77• How do you know if something’s fiction or not?

Lesson 9: Author’s Purpose 85• Why did the author write this selection anyway?

Lesson 10: Tone and Style 93• How does what authors say and how they say it make

you feel?

Lesson 11: Text Features 101• What information can you get from headings, subheads,

and captions?

Lesson 12: Graphics 109• What information can you get from graphs, maps, and

other visuals?

S E C T I O N 3 : O R G A N I Z AT I O N O F T E X T 1 1 7

Lesson 13: Main Idea and Supporting Details 119• What’s a selection all about? Are there enough facts to back

that idea?

Lesson 14: Chronological Order 127• Follow things as they happen, from beginning to end

Lesson 15: Cause and Effect 135• What makes something happen? What effect can one thing

have on another?

Lesson 16: Compare and Contrast 143• How are people, places, and events alike? How are

they different?

Lesson 17: Fact and Opinion 151• What can the author prove to be true? What are simply his or

her personal beliefs?

Lesson 18: Question and Answer 159• The author asks you a question, and then you find the answer

Lesson 19: Problem and Solution 167• The author states what’s wrong and suggests how to fix it

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content s v

Lesson 20: Making Inferences 175• Learn to make good guesses so you can predict what’ll

happen next

Lesson 21: Drawing Conclusions 183• Weigh all the evidence, and then make a decision

Lesson 22: Summarizing 191• Retell only the most important parts of what you read

S E C T I O N 4 : E L E M E N T S O F L I T E R AT U R E : T H E FA C T S 1 9 9A B O U T F I C T I O N

Lesson 23: Character and Setting 201• Who’s the story about?• Where does the story take place?

Lesson 24: Plot: Conflict and Resolution 209• Follow a story’s ups and downs on the path of happily

ever after

Lesson 25: Point of View 217• Who’s telling this story anyway?

Lesson 26: Theme 225• What’s the message or lesson the author wants me to learn?

Lesson 27: Imagery 233• Use your senses to get “into” the story

Lesson 28: Flashback and Foreshadowing 243• Thinking about the past• Warning readers about what might happen in the future

Lesson 29: Figurative Language: Idiom, Personification, Hyperbole 251• Words don’t always mean what they say• Objects can be characters, too• Making things bigger than life

Lesson 30: Figurative Language: Similes and Metaphors 259• Compare things that are different, in very interesting ways

Posttest 267

Glossary 280

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CAN YOU SPARE 15 minutes a day for 30 days? If so, Junior Skill Builders:Reading in 15 Minutes a Day can help you improve your reading comprehen-sion skills.

Just what is reading comprehension? Here’s a clue: Understanding is asynonym for comprehension. So, as I’m sure you figured out, reading comprehen-sion means, “understanding what you read.” Not everyone does, you know. Ifyou ask some people to tell you about a book or article they read, they often say,“I’m not really sure—I didn’t get it!” Well, this book will help you definitely “getit” every time you read, whether it’s an ad or a full-length novel!

THE BOOK AT A GLANCE

What’s in the book? First, there’s this introduction, in which you’ll discoversome things good readers do to get more out of what they read. Next, there’s a

I N T R O D U C T I O N

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2 i n t r o d u c t i o n

pretest that lets you find out what you already know about the topics in thebook’s lessons—you may be surprised by how much you already know. Then,there are 30 lessons. After the last one, there’s a posttest. Take it to reveal howmuch you’ve learned and improved your skills!

The lessons are divided into four sections:

1. Build Your Vocabulary: The Wonder of WordsFiguring out the meaning of unknown words

2. Variety in Reading: What’s to Read?Recognizing the characteristics of different kinds, or genres, ofwriting

3. Organization of Text: Putting the Words TogetherIdentifying various text structures an author can use to presentideas

4. Elements of Literature: The Facts about FictionUnderstanding the basics and other devices authors use to makestories more interesting

Each section has a series of lessons. Each lesson explains one comprehensionskill, then presents reading selections and questions so that you can practicethat skill.

BECOME AN ACTIVE READER

Active readers are people who “get it.” They really understand what an authoris thinking, saying, and trying to get across in the text. Here are a few thingsactive readers do. As you read this list of some things active readers do, you maydiscover that you’re already one!

1. Preview what you are about to read.Read the selection title and look over any pictures and captions.Skim the text. Ask yourself: What did the author think was importantenough to show in a picture? Why did the author choose to put that wordin boldface, or darker, text?

2. Predict what the selection will be about.What do you think the selection is about? Write your prediction ona sticky note and attach it to the selection. As you read, look forinformation to confirm your prediction.


in troduct ion 3

3. Set a purpose for reading.Ask yourself: Why am I planning to read this? What do I want to getfrom it? Maybe it’s assigned reading for class and you want to findfacts so you can answer questions. Maybe you need to read direc-tions that tell you how to do something. Or maybe you just wantto read for enjoyment. Knowing why you’re reading can help youget what you want from the text.

4. Ask questions to guide your reading.Ask some 5Ws and an H question: Who? What? When? Where?Why? and How? For example: Where do the characters live? Why didthey choose to do what they just did? As you read, look for answers.They might be right there, explained in the text. Or you might haveto put details from the text together to figure out the answer toyour question.

5. Note what’s important.As you read, highlight or underline key words and ideas. Askyourself: Is this word or detail really important or is it just kind of inter-esting? Make sure you identify and highlight or underline only themost important ones. And write your personal reactions to whatyou read in the margins or on sticky notes by the text. How youreact to what you read is very important.

6. Clear the way.As you read, stop if you’re confused. Circle unfamiliar words orphrases, then reread the text. That may make the meaning clear. Ifit doesn’t, check nearby words and pictures for clues to the mean-ing. And tap into your own personal knowledge. Ask yourself:Have I ever read anything else about this subject before? Do I know a wordor phrase that means about the same thing? Try that word or phrasein the text to see if it makes sense. If you’re still confused, just readon. Maybe you’ll find the answer there!

7. Ask questions to understand the author.Try to figure out how the author thinks and what he or she is try-ing to communicate to you. Ask questions like: Did the authorwrite this to inform me, entertain me, or persuade me to do something?Is the writing funny, sad, friendly, scary, or serious? Why did theauthor choose this particular word to describe the character? Why didthe author have the character react like that? Does the author tell bothsides of the story?


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8. Return, review, and rewordWhen you finish reading, review your sticky notes and high-lighted or underlined text. This will quickly remind you not onlyof the most important ideas, but also of how those ideas are con-nected. Finally, state what the selection is about in your ownwords.

Each of these points is covered again later in the book. But for now, practice beingan active reader as you take the pretest that follows!


reading in 15 minutes

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