Unit 1: Sentences
Unit 2: Subjects
Unit 3: Predicates
Unit 4: Statements and Questions
Unit 5: Commands and Exclamations
Unit 6: Nouns
Unit 7: Proper Nouns
Unit 8: Singular and Plural Nouns
Unit 9: Plural Nouns That Change Spelling
Unit 10: Possessive Nouns
Unit 11: Verbs
Unit 12: Verbs with Singular and Plural Nouns
Unit 13: Verbs for Present, Past, and Future
Unit 14: More About Verbs
Unit 15: Am, Is, Are, Was, and Were
Unit 16: Adjectives and Our Senses
Unit 17: Adjectives for Number, Size, and Shape
Unit 18: Adjectives That Compare
Unit 19: Adverbs That Tell When and Where
Unit 20: Adverbs That Tell How
Unit 21: Pronouns
Unit 22: Pronouns for One and More Than One
Unit 23: Using I and Me
Unit 24: Different Kinds of Pronouns
Unit 25: Contractions
Unit 26: Using Capital Letters
Unit 27: Quotation Marks
Unit 28: Using Commas
Unit 29: Commas in Compound Sentences
Unit 30: The Paragraph
Unit 3: Understanding Reading Standards
Theory: Reading Closely and Finding Main Ideas
To be a successful reader, you mustunderstand both the concepts and procedures of reading. Reading standards help us identify the skills we need to practice every day. One important standard isreading closely to determine what a text says explicitly. This means finding the details that are right there on the page. Another key skill is making logical inferences. This is like being a detective; you use clues in the text to figure out things the author does not say directly. Additionally, determining the central idea, or main idea, of a text is crucial. The main ideais the most important point the author wants you to know. Supporting details are the small pieces of information that explain more about the main idea.
Practice: Finding the Main Idea
Read the short text below. Pay attention to the most important point.
The Busy Ant
Ants are very hard workers. They worktogether in big groups called colonies. Some ants build the nest, moving dirt and sand. Other ants go out to find food for the colony. They can carry heavy crumbs and seeds back home. Every ant has a job to do to help the group survive.
- A. Ants like to eat seeds.
- B. Ants are hard workers that help their colony.
- C. Ants build nests in the sand.
- A. Ants sleep all day.
- B. Some ants move dirt to build the nest.
- C. Colonies are small groups.
Tip: When looking for the mainidea, ask yourself: “What is the one thing this whole story is talking about?”
