SKILL OF THE WEEK
Mini-Lesson for May 10-17, 2010
Click here to download this week's Skill of the Week skills page.
Details give the reader important information about the subject of the text.
- Have students review the cover of this week’s issue of Scholastic News. Ask students to describe the animal featured on the cover.
- Explain that their answers are details about that animal. Details give readers important information about the subject of the text.
- Tell students that the article "Good as New!" contains details about several different animals. Explain that sometimes when you read longer text, facts and details about different subjects can get confusing—especially if that text is part of a reading-comprehension test. Explain that one helpful strategy is to preread any questions or activities about the text. Another helpful strategy is to underline details in the text that may help you answer the questions.
- Preview the Skill of the Week skills-page with students. Have students determine which details they will need to look for when reading the article "Good as New!" in order to complete the skills- page chart.
- Have students read the first section of the article with you.
- Model underlining details in the text and write each detail on the skills-page chart under the correct column.
- Have students read the second section of the article. As a class, decide which details to underline in the text and where those details belong on the skills page chart.
- Have students read the last section of the article on their own. Then have students underline details and complete the chart independently.
- Review the chart as a class.
| Name of Animal | What type of animal is it? | How was the animal injured? | What effect did the injury have on the animal? | What type of artificial part did the animal need? |
| Winter | dolphin | Winter’s tail got caught in a crab trap. | Winter could not swim well. | tail |
| Beauty | bald eagle | A poacher shot off part of Beauty's beak. | Beauty could not eat or drink. | beak |
| Andre | dog | Two of Andre's legs got caught in a wolf trap. | Andre could only lie on his side or take a few hops. | legs |
