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The Teaching Home
E-MAIL NEWSLETTER
Information, Inspiration, and Encouragement
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Number 25
Jan. 17, 2003
Cindy Short and Sue Welch, editors
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You are welcome to forward this newsletter in its entirety.
Table of Contents
Part 5 of Our 15-Part Basic Skills Series
Reading Comprehension: Inferences
Learning Activities for Reading Comprehension
Literature-Based Unit Studies
Recommended Resources
The Teaching Home Back Issues
"At Last! A Reading Method for Every Child"
Buy Christian Bank Checks Online
"Through the Bible in Felt" & Educational Felt Sets
The Teaching Tank: Science for Homeschool Families
Sunny Side Up: Humorous Anecdote
Greetings!
In this issue we return to our 15-part series on basic skills
by addressing another level of reading comprehension. While
the examples deal mainly with literature, they can also be
applied to the reading of factual material such as textbooks.
May you experience the joy of the Lord as you study and
learn with your family!
Sincerely,
Sue Welch
for Pat, Sue, Heather, Holly, and Brian Welch
The Teaching Home is a home-school family business
produced in our home since 1980.
http://www.TeachingHome.com
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15-Part Series on Basic Skills
by Cindy Short and Sue Welch, editors
Our 15-part series is written to help you evaluate your
children's skill levels and help them improve in these areas.
Topics include:
1. Listening - Vol. II, No. 18
2. Word Analysis/Phonics - Vol. II, No. 19
3. Vocabulary - Vol. II, No. 21
4. Reading Comprehension: Facts - Vol. II, No. 23
5. Reading Comprehension: Inferences (This Issue)
6. Reading Comprehension: Generalizations
7. Spelling
8. Capitalization & Punctuation
9. Grammar
10. Writing & Penmanship
11. Visual Materials
12. Reference Materials
13. Math: Concepts & Computation
14. Math: Problem Solvin
15. Thinking Skills, Logic, and Speech
Skill #5 Will Be Continued in Our Next Issue
The following articles will provide additional information
on this topic in our next newsletter:
Using Study Guides for Literature
Resources and Links for Literature Study Guides
100+ Creative Book Reports / Unit Study Activities
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Succeed with Phonics the Easy Way!
Stop reading problems before they start and resolve any
reading problem with simplified techniques in "At Last! a Reading
Method for Every Child," by Mary Pecci, "Who's Who of American
Women." Free Message Board guidance.
http://www.OnlineReadingTeacher.com
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Reading Comprehension: Inferences (Understanding)
Comprehension is defined as the ability to grasp the meaning
of informational material and make sense out of it.
We have already dealt with the first level of reading
comprehension, which involves observing facts and gaining
knowledge from what is read.
At that level the reader answers the questions "who, what,
when, and where?" thus becoming aware of the people and events
described and their place in time and space.
At the second level of reading comprehension, greater
understanding is achieved as the reader draws logical conclusions
based on evidence the writer includes along with the reader's
general knowledge.
The questions "how and why?" are answered as the reader
infers motives and visualizes actions that are not specifically
stated but implied by the writer.
(Reading Comprehension is continued below.)
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Learning Activities for Reading Comprehension
These exercises will help your child learn to think about
what he reads and comprehend (understand) it more fully.
__ Describe physical elements (people, places, and things) as
well as actions, conversations, and events.
__ Paraphrase (restate in your own words) a sentence, paragraph,
event, description, or conversation.
__ Translate or convert material from one form to another, for
example:
Words to illustrations.
Words to numbers (timeline).
Words to map.
__ Interpret facts by explaining or summarizing.
__ Support conclusions drawn from the facts by identifying,
locating, and tracing themes or the development of a plot or a
change in a character.
__ Which of the following questions require you to draw
conclusions and make inferences beyond what is definitely stated
in the context? Cite the passage(s) supporting your answer.
__ Infer the motives and reasons for the actions of the
characters. Why did they behave as they did? What did they hope
to achieve?
__ Discuss the positive and negative traits of the characters.
Describe each character in terms of his personality, his moral
and ethical character, his choices, and his reactions.
__ Identify cause and effect relationships. What were the
effects of certain actions and events? What made them possible
or necessary?
__ Point out instances in which the cause is not clear and look
for facts you can use to infer the cause.
__ Trace the plot development in terms of cause and effect. How
did the events progress? What happened (or what should happen)
and why? How was the conflict resolved and why?
__ What principle is illustrated by a certain cause and effect?
__ Predict the consequences or effects of a certain action before
reading on.
__ Compare and contrast elements such as:
Characters in the same or different stories.
Time and place settings of story and your own time and place.
Events in a story and the probability of them happening in real life.
__ Group and classify like elements in a story (e.g., characters,
settings, or figures of speech).
(Reading Comprehension is continued below.)
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Literature-Based Unit Studies
You can use one or more pieces of literature (fiction or
non-fiction) as the basis and central theme of a unit study that
includes projects and assignments in all subject areas.
These unit studies can be as short and simple or as long
and complex as your family's interest and available study time
allow. Here are some suggestions from which to choose.
Choice of Book(s)
You may want to choose one book, a series, an author, or
several books or stories sharing the same topic, setting, or time
period. When selecting a book, look for
1. An unabridged edition.
2. Large enough print for children (or even a large-print edition).
3. Reading lines that are not too long.
4. Type that does not go too far down into the center gutter (the
inner margins of the pages, close to the spine).
You may also want to get an extra copy of the book to mark
up and highlight. (See http://www.bookfinder.com for low-priced
used books.)
Your family may want to start by reading the book aloud
together or listening to it on an audio tape, or you may want to
integrate your studies into your reading of the book as you go along.
Resources
Next, look for study materials on the specific book as well
as supplemental materials related to themes and topics present in
the book.
Look first for resources from a Christian worldview.
Possibilities are: a Christian textbook, Christian study guide
(see article in next issue), encyclopedia or other reference
books, library books, audio tapes, videos, computer or board
games, art or craft kits, recipes, costumes, or material from the
internet. These materials can be on any level.
You may want to set aside a large box or shelf to assemble
all your resources in one place.
Research Skills
Teach your children how to go about finding, evaluating, and
gathering the above resources from a variety of sources.
Language Arts
Reading, comprehension, spelling, grammar, and penmanship
can all be taught using passages from your book for assignments.
Various kinds of book reports (see article in next issue) can be
used to develop and practice specific language arts skills as well.
History & Geography
Maps, a globe, and a timeline will help you place the book
and its author in their time and place settings.
Read in a Christian history textbook or other resources
(above) about the time period(s) and place(s), noting the
historic characters, events, and prevalent philosophies of the
day and how these may have affected the book's plot, characters,
and message.
World View
Use a Bible concordance to look up words and find passages
related to ideas and character traits in your book.
Analyze the characters and the message of the story from a
biblical view-point (see future issue on Reading Comprehension:
Evaluation).
Literature
Use a Christian textbook to define and discuss the literary
elements of your book such as allusions, characters, dialogue,
imagery, plot, poetic form, point of view, setting, theme, and
tone.
Compare and contrast your book with another.
Are any other books or poems referred to in your book? Look
them up and read them as well.
Art and Music
You might be able to borrow from your library several
editions of the book you are studying to see and discuss the
different ways artists interpret the story. State why you like
or dislike them and why.
(Look for article in our next issue with suggestions for art
projects.)
Listen to music referred to in your book (if appropriate).
What other music was written in that time period?
Cultural Elements: Food and Clothing
Is any food mentioned in the book? Does your library carry
a cookbook that goes with the story or that contains recipes for
the foods that would have been eaten by its characters? Can you
make any of the foods eaten at that time and place?
Research to find what clothing would have been worn by the
characters in the book.
See suggestions in the next newsletter issue for more unit
study projects.
(Reading Comprehension is continued below.)
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Sunny Side Up: Shouldn't She Know That?
Our 6-year-old proudly quoted a passage of Scripture to me
after which I replied, "That's good, Steven. What book (meaning
the reference) did this Scripture come from?"
Steven looked at me in bewilderment and said, "The Bible."
Sent by Vernice K., Missouri
You are also invited to submit your humorous anecdote.
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God Loves You.
Because we were separated from God by sin, Jesus Christ died
in our place, then rose to life again. If we trust Jesus Christ
as our Savior and Lord, He will give us eternal life.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of
works, that no one should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9).
http://www.TeachingHome.com/about/salvation.cfm
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