Reading, Grammar, and Vocabulary for Week of 1/4-1/8/16
Reading Skill:
This week, our focus will be on nonfiction text structures. Students will learn how to distinguish
the type of text structure in a piece of writing (paragraph, article, etc.). The text structures we
will focus on include:
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Compare and Contrast
Cause and Effect
Problem and Solution
Sequence
Description
Students will be given short paragraphs to read and will need to determine the text structure
of each. We will do multiple examples together in class to help students work on this skill.
Grammar Skill: Subject-Verb Agreement
A sentence has a subject and a verb that agree. This means that the subject and verb must
both be singular, or they must both be plural.
If the subject does not end in -s, the present tense verb does. If the subject ends in -s, the
present tense verb does not!
Example:
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A plant grows. (the noun is “plant” which is singular. The verb is “grows” which is also
singular)
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The plants grow. (the noun is “plants” which is plural. The verb is “grow” which is also
plural)
Vocabulary Words: Study the definitions of these words.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
throughout: in, to, or through every part of
textures: the look or feel of a surface
peak: the top of a mountain
steep: rising or falling sharply
tropical: the warm areas of Earth near the equator, experiencing warm/hot and
humid climates
6. landscape: a stretch of land that is viewed as scenery
7. slopes: a stretch of ground that slants upward or downward
8. altitude: a height measured from sea level or from the Earth’s surface
9. survival: the act of staying alive
10. equipment: things needed for a purpose