Reading, Annotating, Summarizing and Responding to Informational Texts English I

READ & ANNOTATE Number Paragraphs Circle unfamiliar words and define them in the left margin. Read the text, highlight important information/details and take notes in your own words in the right margin. Find the main idea of the text and label it. Write a 5-8 sentence summary of the text.

Let’s Practice “Starving In the Amazon for Seven Weeks” by Guilhem Nayral Number each paragraph starting, of course, at number one. Next, find the following words, circle them, and write their definitions in the left margin. trajectory – path excrement – waste; poop excruciating – very painful coccyx – tailbone gendarme – French policeman rappel – come down usually on a rope.

Let’s Practice “Starving In the Amazon for Seven Weeks” by Guilhem Nayral Now read and highlight important information/details Highlight only those things you feel are important to the story. It does not need to be an entire sentence. It can simply be a phrase or group of words. Use the Summary Template to help focus your efforts. As soon as you highlight, write a note in your own words in the right margin to remind yourself of why you highlighted this information. Again, this does not need to be done in complete sentences.

Information Summary Template Title and Author: Who was involved? What was done? When was it done? Where was it done? Why was it done? Central Idea:

Example:

Example:

Example:

Let’s Practice “Starving In the Amazon for Seven Weeks” by Guilhem Nayral Using a different color, highlight the main idea and label it. The main idea is the reason the author has written the article. It is the main point he is trying to get across to the reader. Ask yourself, “What does the author wants me to understand or appreciate after reading this?” The main idea is usually found toward the beginning and/or end of an article. The title cannot be identified as the main idea.

Example: Main Idea

Let’s Practice “Starving In the Amazon for Seven Weeks” by Guilhem Nayral Write a 5-8 sentence summary of the article. This should be a basic recall of what the article is about. Focus only on the main points. Do not use personal pronouns such as I, me, you, we, etc. This is not the place to voice your opinion about the article or the author. Do not use any quotes in a summary. Do not simply copy some of the author’s main points word-for-word; explain them in your own words.

Example: Use the sentence stems below to help you construct a 5-8 sentence summary. “Starving In the Amazon for Seven Weeks” by Guilhem Nayral is an article about ______________________________________________________________________. In the article, Nayral discusses _____________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________. He also mentions ________________________________________________________ For instance, ___________________________________________________________ The message of this article is ______________________________________________

Responding to a prompt using the RAGES strategy

RAGES Response Format R – Restate the question as a sentence A – Answer the why or how part G – Give an example (quote from text) E – Explain how the example supports S – Summarize and conclude

RESPOND Go back through the text looking for a connection to the prompt. With a different color, highlight any evidence that connects to the subject of the prompt.

Example:

RESPOND Go back through the text looking for a connection to the prompt. With a different color, highlight any evidence that connects to the subject of the prompt. Decide on your answer (or position) and begin writing using the RAGES strategy.

R – Restate the question as a sentence What fundamental mistake did Nayral and Pillois make while lost in the Amazon that may have kept them from being rescued sooner? R – Restate the question as a sentence Nayral and Pillois made a fundamental mistake while lost in the Amazon that may have kept them from being rescued sooner. Restates the question in the form of a complete sentence. DOES NOT rewrite the question DOES NOT begin with “yes” or “no” DOES NOT leave out any of the words.

DOES NOT repeat any part of the question in this step. What fundamental mistake did Nayral and Pillois make while lost in the Amazon that may have kept them from being rescued sooner? A – Answer the why or how part They built their only fire underneath a tarp. Clearly states WHY or HOW. DOES NOT repeat any part of the question in this step. Written in one complete sentence.

Quotes the author WORD – FOR – WORD Uses quotation marks What fundamental mistake did Nayral and Pillois make while lost in the Amazon that may have kept them from being rescued sooner? G – Give an example (quote from text) In “Starving In the Amazon for Seven Weeks” Nayral points out that, “Occasionally, we'd hear helicopters. But we couldn't see them, and they couldn't see us or our fire through the thick canopy.” Leads into the quote with proper citation Includes the title of source and the name of the author Quotes the author WORD – FOR – WORD Uses quotation marks

E – Explain how the example supports What fundamental mistake did Nayral and Pillois make while lost in the Amazon that may have kept them from being rescued sooner? E – Explain how the example supports If they had built a fire out in the open or created some other sort of sign that they were there, perhaps the helicopters would have spotted them and rescued them sooner. DOES NOT repeat the answer. DOES NOT state any of the following (or similar phrases): I choose this quote because… This quote supports my answer because… The quote explains… Clearly explains the quote and/or how it supports the answer.

What fundamental mistake did Nayral and Pillois make while lost in the Amazon that may have kept them from being rescued sooner? S – Summarize and conclude Therefore, the most critical mistake Nayral and Pillois made was that they did not create a way for the rescue helicopters to easily find them. Begins with a concluding transition (Therefore; In conclusion) Clearly restates position (step 1) and reason (step 2) Written in one clear, concise, complete sentence Does not simply rewrite the topic sentence Does not introduce any new ideas.

Additional Things to Check for… Formal Writing Rules DOES NOT use any personal pronouns (I, me, you, we, etc.) DOES NOT use any contractions DOES NOT begin any sentences with and, but, or so. MLA Format Includes proper heading Includes a title Entire paper is double spaced Response is written in the form of a paragraph First line is indented ½ inch 12 pt. font & 1-inch margins (if typed)

Final Response Nayral and Pillois made a fundamental mistake while lost in the Amazon that may have kept them from being rescued sooner. They built their only fire underneath a tarp. In “Starving In the Amazon for Seven Weeks” Nayral points out that, “Occasionally, we'd hear helicopters. But we couldn't see them, and they couldn't see us or our fire through the thick canopy.” If they had built a fire out in the open or created some other sort of sign that they were there, perhaps the helicopters would have spotted them and rescued them sooner. Therefore, the most critical mistake Nayral and Pillois made was that they did not create a way for the rescue helicopters to easily find them.