Coached Example

Read the passage and answer the questions.

Every year Americans celebrate Labor Day on the first Monday in September. Labor Day has come to symbolize the end of summer. Many people are unaware of the origins and true meaning of the holiday. Labor Day was created by the labor movement to recognize the achievements and importance of American workers ...

It is uncertain who exactly came up with the idea for-the holiday, but the Central Labor Union adopted the proposal for the holiday and organized a demonstration and a picnic. The first Labor Day was celebrated in New York City on September 5, 1882. It fell on a Tuesday. In 1884, the holiday was permanently moved to the first Monday of the month. As. labor organizations grew, other cities began to celebrate the holiday. Still, Labor Day was not an official government holiday. This evolved as states passed legislation to make it official. On June 28, 1894, by act of Congress, Labor Day became a national holiday.

1. 'What is a main idea of the passage?

A. The first'labor Day fell on a Tuesday.

B. People see Labor Day as the end of summer.

C. Labor Day was created to celebrate American workers.

D. Over time, labor organizations grew bigger and more powerful.

Choose the idea that is most important, not just a detail.

. Which sentence BEST summarizes paragraph 2?

A. The Central Labor Union organized the first Labor Day.

B. Labor Day was not celebrated on Monday until 1884.

C. No one knows who first had the idea to create the holiday.

D. First celebrated in 1882, Labor Day became a national holiday in 1894.

The correct answer captures the main idea of the paragraph as a whole.

• Chapter 2 . Reading Informational Text

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Lesson Practice

Use the Reading Guide to help you understand the passage.

Guid Reading

Why does the author divide the passage into sections? How do the headings help you understand the passage?

Where in paragraph 1 is the main idea of the passage . stated?

Often, the main idea of a paragraph is stated in the first sentence of the paragraph. How do the supporting details in paragraph 4 support the main idea of the paragraph?

Animals in Motion

All animals compete with other living things for their basics of survival. Animals have body structures that help them survive in their own environments and find the things they need. Some structures help animals move around their environment.

How In-Vertebrates Move Invertebrates do not have a spinal column, or backbone.

The oceans contain many different invertebrates. Jellyfish are mostly free swimmers. They use their hollow body shape to pump themselves through-the water, much like an umbrella opening and closing.

Mollusks such as snails and clams use a muscular foot to slowly drag themselves along. Squid and octopi use a form of water jet propulsion to shoot through the water. Echinoderms such as sea stars use their tube feet with suction cups to slowly crawl from place to place. The tube feet are powered with the pumping of ocean water.

Worms move in many different ways depending upon their habitat. Bristle worms, which live in the ocean, have structures that are not only their means of locomotion, but also serve as gills for respiration. Earthworms use contractions of their muscles to move through soil. In addition, earthworms have structures called setae. Setae are short, bristly hairs that anchor one end of the worm in the soil while the worm's muscles extend the body, moving the worm forward.

The best movers in the invertebrate class are the arthropods. Arthropods have jointed appendages. Appendages are structures that are attached to, and grow outward from, the main body. Lobsters, spiders, mites, and insects all have jointed appendages. Jointed appendages are a huge advancement for these creatures because they allow for fast movement.

How Vertebrates Move Like invertebrates, vertebrates also show amazing diversity

in body structures for locomotion. However, vertebrates have a backbone and can move in more complex ways than invertebrates can. This is because of the internal skeletons that all vertebrates have.

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To summarize this passage, remember to focus on the main ideas and most important supporting details.

How do the suppcirting details in paragraph 9 support the main idea that birds-have different structures to help them fly?

What would be another good title for the passage?

For example, fish have a slime layer and a streamlined shape, which reduce friction as they swim. Fish use specialized fins for fast, precise swimming.

Amphibians live in water and swim early in life but then develop muscular legs for hopping and running on land. Frogs and salamanders are examples -of amphibians. While it might seem difficult for reptiles to move about on land with their -heavy, dry scales, many are very fast. Some common reptiles are snakes, alligators, and crocodiles. Reptiles and other animals use their tails for balance.

Most, but not all, birds fly. Some birds can run very fast, and others can swim quickly. Some birds can do all three. For example, ducks can fly, walk, and swim. Their walk is more of a waddle, but they can get along on the ground. Ducks have webbed feet, and this structure is perfect for swimming. When a duck pushes its feet back, the web spreads; this creates more surface for ducks to thrust through the water. Then, when the duck draws its feet forward and brings its toes together, the web folds up, reducing the resistance to the water.

Birds have- various structures that enable them to fly. Their wings are designed with feathers to provide lift. They have strong, hard-working hearts to get enough oxygen to their muscles. They also have hollow bones, which make them light and able to take flight Some birds have wings, but they cannot fly. Penguins, for example, are flightless birds. They walk on land, using their tail for balance. Sometimes they slide over the snow on their bellies. Like ducks, penguins can swim. They have strong wings shaped like flippers, which allow them to swim up to 30 miles an hour.

The most varied types of locomotion are seen in mammals, such as humans, dogs, horses, and monkeys. Mammals can run, walk, fly, swim, swing arm over arm through the trees, gallop, jump, skip, and walk on two legs—all due to specialized arrangements of their appendages.

[96 • Chapter _2: Reading Informational Text

-Lesson 9: -Mainide—CandStittliarlinglIntiiils

Answer the following questions.

1. Which of the following states a main idea of the passage?

A. Amphibians live in water and on land.

B. Animals use different methods to get around.

C. Earthworms contract their muscles to move.

D. Penguins have wings shaped like flippers.

3. What is the relationship between birds' bones and their ability to fly?

A. The hollow bones make the birds light

B. The strong bones help birds flap their wings.

C. The bones help bring oxygen to birds' muscles.

D. The bones are -small enough to fit inside the wings.

2.. Which supporting detail . BEST shows that ducks are built for motion in the water?

4. What is the main idea of paragraph 5?

A. Appendages are structures that grow outward from an animal's body.

B. Examples of arthropods with appendages are lobsters, spiders, and insects.

A.

B.

C.

D.

Ducks waddle when they walk.

Ducks can swim, fly, and walk.

Ducks have webbed feet.

Ducks are vertebrates. C. Animals with jointed appendages have a big advantage when they move around.

D. Due to their jointed appendages, arthropods move the best among invertebrates.

C. Explain how a penguin's body structures help it to move. Give two examples.

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Coached Example

Read the passages and answer the questions.

An Important Discovery

Before the invention of the compass; sailors and explorers would often get lost. All they had to work with werescrude maps; natural landmarks, such as cliffs; and celestial bodies, like the sun and stars. While these provided some direction, they were limited and far from foolproof. Then, people discovered that lodestone, a magnetic mineral, aligned itself to point north and south. This occurs because Earth has a magnetic field with two poles in the north and south. As early as the 12th century, Chinese, western European, and Arab navigators began using lodestone to determine theirjosition and direction. Early compasses were made of a piece of wood or cork set to float in a bowl of water. Eventually, the needle itself was made of lodestone. Over time, cards marked with directions were added to compasses to make them easier 4o read. The development of the compass had a major impact on navigation and exploration of new worlds.

GPS: Global Positioning System

GPS is a navigation and location system that uses satellites, computers, and receivers. Originally developed for the United States military, it is operated by the United States Air Force. How does it work? A constellation of twenty-four satellites in outer space, inclined to 55° to the equator, transmit signals around the world twenty-four hours a day. The satellites are monitored and controlled at stations throughout the world. The system provides precise information for people on Earth on their position, velocity, and time. It can determine the longitude and latitude ofa receiver on Earth. Today, GPS systems are used - by people everywhere, including hikers, sailors, pilots, and drivers, to determine where they are and how to arrive at their destination. Officers on ships, for example, use GPS to know their location in the open seas, how fast they are traveling, and to determine the best route. GPS is not affected by weather and can be used by anyone who has the equipment to receive the signals from the satellites. For many people; it has become an essential navigational tool.

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The authors' main purpose in both passages is to

A. describe the challenges that navigators on land and sea overcome.

B. persuade readers that GPS systems are more effective than compasses.

C. inform readers about devices that help people find destinations.

D. inform readers about recent advances in technology.

The correct answer must apply to both passages.

2. A key difference between the two passages is that

A. only "GPS: Global Positioning System" is about navigation.

B. "An Important Discovery" has more historical context than "GPS: Global Positioning System."

C. "An Important Discovery" has more technical information than "GPS: Global Positioning System."

D. only "An Important Discovery" includes a before-and-after comparison.

Check each answer choice against both passages.

3. How would having GPS technology have helped early navigators?

Use information from both passages to answer the question.

116 • Chapter 2: Reading Informational Text A

Reading Guide

The title can reveal a passage's main purpose and focus.

Words like similar, like, likewise, and same signal a comparison.

Compare and contrast texts by analyzing how they are alike or different.

Use the Reading Guides to help you understand the passages.

A Brief History of the Automobile

The automobile was a hUgely significant invention. Yet, there is conflicting information about who invented it.

Most people would say Henry Ford. However, he was not the first person to invent the automobile. There are records of early autos as far back as the late 1700s, but some details are sketchy. One of the earliest American automobiles was invented in New York City in 1866 by Richard budgeon. His automobile was powered by a steam engine. It was not like the cars we think of today, of course. It was called "the Dudgeon steam wagon." It was a self-propelled vehicle and looked like a small locomotive, similar to the kind you see pulling railroad cars.

Dudgeon was a machinist, and his motivation for creating an automobile was his love of animals. At the time, most people used horses and horse-drawn carriages for transportation. Sometimes the horses were mistreated or abused. Dudgeon wanted to end what he called "the fearful horse murder and numerous other ills inseparable from their use." So, Dudgeon built a steam wagon to provide an_alternative to horse power. His vehicle burned coal for power and reached speeds up to 30 miles an hour. It had a boiler, a firebox, a•smokestack, and wheels made of wood and iron.

Some historians credit German Karl Benz with creating the first true automobile in 1885. His vehicle had an internal combustion engine and was powered by gasoline. Likewise, in 1908, Henry Ford introduced the Model T. Affordable and reliable, it soon became the most popular car in America. Within ten years, half the cars in this country were Model Ts.

The invention of the automobile cannot be credited to just one person. The combined efforts of innovative thinkers contributed to one of the greatest inventions in history.

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Based on the titles, what differences can you expect between the passages?

Words like different, on the other hand, but, unlike, and however signal contrast.

Reread the first paragraph of each passage. What clues do they give you about the content of the passage?

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18 Chapter 2: Reading Informational Text

-Reading,. Guide What's So Great About Cars? A long time ago, there were no cars on the road. People

walked, rode bicycles or horses, and traveled in horse-draw carriages. Today we live in a much different world. We are a nation of motorists. For many people, the car is a sign of progress and human ingenuity. Some of us, on the other hand, wish that the automobile had never been invented.

Let's talk about the first obvious problem caused by cars: pollution. In the United States alone, cars emit over 300 million tons of carbon into the atmosphereevery year. This constitutes about one third of this country's total production of carbon dioxide—a chief contributor to global warming. This could have catastrophic results, including an increase in floods, droughts, and storms, and a reduction in the amount of fresh water available.

Our dependence on cars has naturally led to a dependence on oil, since gasoline is derived from crude petroleum, and we use it to fuel our cars. Unfortunately, we buy much of our oil from foreign countries, which has had negative economic and political consequences. In addition, off-shore drilling for oil has resulted in many accidental oil spills, including the disastrous oil spill in 2010, which had a devastating impact on the environment, wildlife, and the people of the Gulf Coast region.

The truth is, automobiles are multi-ton battering rams. In the United States alone, tens of thousands of people die every year in car crashes. Car accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers in our country. Automobile-related deaths are a personal and national tragedy.

Centuries ago, people began conceiving the idea of a self- , propelled vehicle. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but history has proven that cars have major drawbacks. As a society, we need to reconsider our dependence on automobiles.

Answer the following questions.

1. In "A Brief History of the Automobile," the author compares Dudgeon's automobile to

A. a Model T.

B. a locomotive.

C. an airplane.

D. a horse-drawn carriage.

2. Why does the author of "What's So Great About Cars?" compare automobiles to "multi-ton battering .

rarns

A. to point out that battering rams are dangerous

B. to emphasize the deadly force of cars

C. to suggest that cars can break doors .

D. to show that heavier cars use more fuel

3. Which is true of BOTH passages?

A. They discuss the impact of global warming.

B. They remind readers that riding in cars has certain risks.

C. They emphasize the skill and imagination it took to invent cars.

D. They point out how people traveled before cars were invented.

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4. Which is NOT a key difference between the two passages?

A. One includes facts and details, while, the other does not.

B. One focuses on "positives," while the other focuses on "negatives."

C. One is written to inform, while the other is written to persuade.

D. One discusses environmental issues, while the other does not.

. List three benefits of automobiles that the author of the second passage ignores.