Six-Way Paragraphs

Understanding What You Read

Six-Way Paragraphs use six types of questions to help you strengthen the

basic skills necessary for reading factual material.

Subject Matter

This question looks easy, and often is.

It can help you with the most important skill of all reading and learning: concentration.

Here’s a hint for gaining concentration:

After reading the first few lines of something, ask yourself, “What is the subject matter of this passage?”

Supporting Details

Supporting details come in various forms: examples, explanations, descriptions, definitions, comparison, contrasts, exceptions, analogies, similes, and metaphors.

These details are used to back up or support the main idea.

Conclusion

The conclusion can be stated or implied.

While reading you must think, “Where is the writer leading me? What’s the conclusion?”

Like a detective you must try to guess the conclusion, changing the guess as you get more and more information.

Clarifying Devices

These are words, phrases, and techniques that a writer uses to make main ideas, sub-ideas, and supporting details clear and interesting.

Examples include

similes and metaphors,

transitional or signal words, and

organizational patterns.

Vocabulary in Context

You will become a better reader if you learn the exact meanings and different shades of meaning of the words that are already familiar to you.

Main Idea

The main idea tells who or what the subject of the passage is. It also answers the question does what? or is what?

The too narrow statement is in line with the main idea, but expresses only part of it.

The too broad statement is in line with the main idea, but is too general in scope.

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