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In reading class, you read stories that have a beginning, middle and an end. This pattern of organization is not followed in informational texts such as your social studies book. Instead of reading to find out what happens, you have to actually read to learn new information. There are several ways to improve your reading in social studies and other content area classes. We will be learning these different strategies throughout the year.
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Using context clues
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Learn about Prefixes & Suffixes
 Changing Word Forms/ How to Look up words you don’t know
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Previewing the chapter
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Predicting/Prior Knowledge/Purpose
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Knowing what to look for ( Road Map)
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Maps
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Graphs
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Charts
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KWL
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SQ3R
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Webbing
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Outlines
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Structured Notes
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Summarizing and Paraphrasing what you have read

When you read, you will have better comprehension if you can understand what you are reading, along with comprehending the meaning of what you are reading.
Context clues are parts of a reading near a word or phrase that you don’t know that help you figure out its meaning.
Some examples of context clues:
1. A definition before or after the unknown word or phrase
“Civilizations are groups of people who have a complex organized
society within a culture.” (p. 35 World)
*definition follows the word civilizations
2. A synonym or antonym near the unknown word
“Because of the region’s fertile, or rich soil and its curved shape, we
call it the Fertile Crescent.” (p. 35 World)
* synonym for fertile (rich) follows the word
“Since Catholics suffered from discrimination in England, Lord
Baltimore hoped they could find tolerance and
safety in his
colony.”(p.3 Content-Area Reading Strategies)
* tolerance and safety are antonyms for discrimination
3. Examples in the text that show the meaning of the unknown
word or phrase.
“Farmers in this region use a cultivation system called double cropping

in which two crops are grown on the same land in the same year.
They can double-crop rice and a vegetable or rice and sugar cane.”
(p. 102 World)
*example follows in the second sentence
4. A restatement of the basic meaning of the unknown word or
phrase.
“He was a member of an aristocratic family. His
noble birth and his
honesty won the favor of King Charles I…”
(p.2 Content-Area Reading
Strategies)
*the sentence after aristocratic restates the meaning with
the words noble birth
Using context clues is a good way to work out he meaning of unfamiliar words. If you still can’t figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar word, try to break the word into its parts.
A good approach is to look for a prefix or suffix that can help you figure out a word’s meaning.
Prefixes and suffixes are attached to the “core” or
“root” words of a longer word.
*Prefixes – are word parts found at the beginning of words.
*Suffixes - are word parts hat are found at the end of words.
We will keep a list of root words, prefixes and suffixes and their meanings in our notebooks for the year. This sheet is titled “Building Your

Vocabulary“ and should be kept in the vocabulary section of your notebook.
Once you know the meanings of word parts, you can figure out the meanings of words that are unfamiliar to you.
Root theism
Prefix
Prefix
Suffix
Suffix mono- poly-
-ology
-cracy having to do with gods or religion one many the study of government
Now put the terms together and determine the meaning of the word you formed:
Monotheism – having to do with ONE god
Theology- the study of gods or religions
Polytheism- having to do with MANY gods
Theocracy- a government based on religion/gods
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If you still can’t figure out the meaning of a new are needed to see this picture.
word,
You will need to look up the word in your glossary or a dictionary.
Some things to remember when looking up words:
-Words are arranged in alphabetical order

- Not all forms of a word will be found in a glossary or dictionary, so
sometimes you will need to figure out the “core” word
*If you can’t find a word you are trying to look up, see if any of the
following apply:
 take off plural endings : s, es, ies
 take off past tense endings or irregular spellings: ed, ied, etc…
 take off suffixes : ly, tion, ous, etc…
 take off prefixes: en, in, pre, etc…
EXAMPLE
After the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt, the pharaoh wore a double crown. (p. 85 World)
The word unification is not in your glossary, but you can find the word unify. See if the definition of unify seems to fit how your word is being used.
Definition: Unify- to unite
****So you can figure out that a double crown was worn after Upper
and Lower Egypt united.
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The prefix pre means before , therefore prereading means what you do before you read.
Previews at theatres are designed to spark your interest in new movies. A preview gives you clues as to what a movie will be about, characters, key plot events and maybe even a problem that needs solving.
In the same way when you preview a social studies chapter, you will gain clues about what you will be learning about. Previewing helps you get the most important information from your chapter.
To preview a chapter in your history book, what do you do first?
1.
List the title: Write the chapter name and the pages of the chapter.
The title usually tells
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you the main idea of the entire chapter .
2.
Scan the chapter : List the headings and subheadings.
Look for highlighted text that is meant to stand out. Also be alert for words that are in boldface or italics. Pay attention to bulleted or numbered lists and what they seem to be about. I list all the important terms you should know for the chapter on the front of your chapter preview sheet.
3.
Look at the graphics , list what the pictures in the chapter are about.
4.
Also list and describe diagrams, maps and graphs.

After you finish filling out your chapter preview you should also skim the chapter. Skimming is not reading the chapter word for word but looking for key words and ideas, You should read the first and last paragraphs in each section when you are skimming.