Reading for Information

1. Reading for Information Get the Big Picture

2. Reading for Information – Get the Big Picture • Preview the material by looking at its content and structure • Prepare a “scaffold” of your notes by writing down all the headings (leave plenty of space for adding information later) • Locate visual information (graphic aids) • Add information as you read.

3. Reading for Information– Get the Big Picture • When you are previewing the text, pay special attention to TEXT FEATURES, special design elements such as headings, subheadings, boldfaced type, and captions. Think of these as road signs guiding you along your journey.

4. Reading for Information – Get the Big Picture • Graphic aids, such as maps, charts, diagrams, etc., present detailed information in an easy-to-read format. • Titles of articles reveal the topic of the article. • Headings state the main idea of each paragraph. • Captions clarify information in the graphic aid.

5. Reading for Information – Get the Big Picture Let’s look at pages 868 and 869 in your literature book for examples of these text features. What three things do we learn about disasters by looking at the headings and subheadings on page 868? Practice setting up a scaffold for your notes. Share your scaffold with your neighbor.

6. Reading for Information – Get the Big Picture • Look at page 869. If you were doing a report on the parts of an earthquake, would this article help you? Explain. • What important information do you gain from reading the caption beneath the picture on page 869? • Look at the graphic aid entitled “Anatomy of an Earthquake.” Prepare a scaffold for taking notes. How many bullets will you have?

7. Reading for Information – Read for Understanding • Earthquakes • Fault • Aftershocks • Epicenter • Focus

8. Reading for Information – Read for Understanding Read for understanding; remember, this is why you’re reading in the first place – to UNDERSTAND AND TO ENGAGE WITH WHAT YOU’RE READING!

9. Reading for Information – Read for Understanding • Find the main ideas of each paragraph: • What is the glue that holds the roof together? • What does the author want you to know about that glue in that paragraph?

10. Reading for Information – Read for Understanding • How did the author establish or prove the validity of that main idea. In other words, how did he or she support it? • Facts • Examples • Illustrations

11. Reading for Information – Read for Understanding • MAIN IDEA HOUSES • Finding the main idea of a paragraph is sort of a mathematic formula. A + B = C. In this case, A is the word or phrase that appears most often in the paragraph. B is the something the author wants you to know about that word or phrase. C is the paragraph’s main idea. Sometimes that main idea is stated directly in a sentence we call the topic sentence. Other times, the main idea is suggested or implied. Either way, the main idea is like the roof of a house; it needs lots of support!

13. Examples Illustrations

14. MAIN IDEA HOUSE