CLAST READING REVIEW WORKSHOP

Main Idea- the central, or most important, idea in a paragraph or passage. The main idea may be stated or implied (suggested). A main isea may be discovered by looking for a statement that summarizes the content of the material. In non-fiction writing, a stated a main idea is most often found in the first dentences of a paragraph; however, it may be found in any other sentence. Even if there is a stated main idea, do not expect that one of the answer options on a test will be an exact copy of the main idea statement in the paragraph or passage. Remember to select broad statements, rather than highly detailed ones, for main ideas.

To answer a main idea question, follow these steps:

1. Ask' "What or Who is the paragraph or passage about?"

2. Ask' "What idea about the who or what is the autor concerned with?"

3. Find an answer option that best matches your answer to the question above.



Context clues- the sentence, paragraph, or passage that surround a word and make it meaningful. Since most words have several possible meaning, it requires context to determine a word's specific meaning in a particular situation. Learning the meaning of a word through context is the most practical way to build vocabulary, since a dictionary is often unavailable when a reader encounters an unfamiliar word. There are several different types of context clues. These include: 1. punctuation clues- the new word might have its meaning pointed out by punctuation marks: commas, dashes, parentheses, or brackets.

2. definition clues- words may be directly defined. Look for terms like "means," "involves," " is called," "that is," "which means," "is defined as," "refers to," and "resembles", as well as sentences using the linking verbs "is," "are," "was," or "were."

3. example clues- an example or examples might be found near the new term that will aid in defining it. Look for terms like "such as," "for example," "for instance," and "including" to point out examples.

4. contrast clues- contrast clues make use of antonyms to show differences between persons, things, and ideas. Contrasting ideas may use terms like "but," "yet," "however," "although," "on the other hand," "instead of," "while," "rather than," and " on the contrary."

5. synonym clues- A more familiar word with the same meaning might be used by an author further along in the text.

6. experience clues- sometimes the experience of the reader can be helpful in determining the meaning of an unfamiliar word.

7. inference clues- sometimes the reader may use logic, together with the general sense of the sentence or paragraph, to think of a meaning for an unknown word.



Author's purpose- an author's purpose is his reason or ontent in writing. Three common purposes are to inform( to give factual information about a topic), to persuade ( to convince you to agree with the author's opinions), and to entertain ( to amuse you or to give you enjoyment).

Purposes for writing: to describe something, to analyze something, to state a problem, to tell a story, to define something, to state a problem, to compare, to classify, to evaluate, or to criticize. An author's purpose is suggested by the way he writes about a topic. For instance, if his purpose is to amuse, he will use jokes or ancedotes in his writing.



Author's overall organizatonal pattern- authors try to present their ideas in some clearly organized way. They do this by arranging the supporting details in some common pattern.



Fact and opinion- A fact is a statement that can be vaildated or proven to be true or false by using measurements, historical or scientific documents, or even personal observation. By this definition, a fact is not always accurate or correct.

An opinion is a statement that expresses an author's beliefs, judgements, and values. It expressess a point of view and cannot be proven.



Tone- an author's tone is the attitude or feeling he creates in writing about his subject; the reader can recognize a mood or feeling from a speaker's tone of voice.



Explicit/Implicit relationships within sentences- if the relationship within the sentence is explicit (stated), transition words and phrases will be used. If the raltionship within the sentence is implicit (unstated), the reade must infer the relationship.



Valid arguments- An argument involves reasons or evidence to support a conclusion or statement. A valid argument is a statement that fits into a logical pattern of reasoning and/or which makes use of relevant, verifiable proof to support a particular conclusion.



Inferences and Conclusions- is what a reader thinks the writer is suggesting through the words or ideas presented. Making inferences and conclusions enables a reader to fill in information that are not directly stated by the author. Making inferences is related to other reading skills. For instance, it is necessary to infer the main idea of a paragraph when there is no main idea stated