©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers Reading Seminar Unit 3 BUILDING COMPREHENSION

Seminar Agenda Discuss how to approach new vocabulary you encounter Review this unit’s assignments Go over some class tips for success Grammar Blast! ©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Work Due This Week Discussion Board Assignment Seminar – here you are ;o) Textbook Reading pp My Reading Lab- (complete the practice exercises before attempting the test) Unit 3 Reading Skills Reading Level passages (must be finished by Unit 7) ©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Vocabulary is all the words used or understood by a person. By the time you are 18, you know about 60,000 words. During college you learn an additional 20,000 words. Each subject has its own set of words. You can learn new words through: Context Clues Word Parts Visuals

©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers Context Clues: The SAGE Approach A context clue is the information that surrounds a new word, used to understand its meaning. The four types of context clues are: Synonyms Antonyms General sense of the passage Examples

©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers Synonyms A synonym is a word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word. Synonym signal words are: or, that is Example: The dentist gave me laughing gas to alleviate (or ease) the pain of taking out my wisdom teeth.

©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers Antonyms An antonym is a word that has the opposite meaning of another word. Antonym signal words are: but, not, unlike, in contrast, yet, however. Example: During dinner, Anne let out a loud burp that mortified her mother, but amused her friends.

©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers General Context Sometimes a definition is provided. Sometimes a description is provided. Sometimes logic and reasoning skills are needed. Example: To insure safety, written and road tests should be mandatory for everyone who seeks a driver’s license for the first time; no exceptions should be allowed.

©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers Examples An example is provided of the word. Example signal words indicate that an example is coming: for instance, such as, consists of, including Example: Some authors use pseudonyms; for example, famous American author Mark Twain’s real name was Samuel Clemens.

©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers Try This! Jamie speculated about how much weight he wanted to gain during the three-month bodybuilding program he was beginning for the first time. “Speculated” means: Knew Wondered Worried Celebrated

Strategies Used to Solve Problem: Clue words Key assumptions = “how much weight he wanted to gain” Wondered General Context Clue ©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Your Turn To Practice Read the sentence—Identify all the clues you find and explain your response. Being nocturnal, that is, active at night, owls are rarely seen during the day. ©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Good Responses Should Include: -The extra information in-between two commas gives the answer away. Nocturnal means “active at night” Rarely seen in day is antonym to word ©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Let’s Try Again. Read sentence. Identify the clues, select an answer, then explain your process. At the beginning of A Christmas Carol, the character Scrooge has a mercenary nature, but by the story’s end, he has become a generous spirit. A.Carefree B. angry C. greedy D. curious ©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Solution Clues -but = shows a shift in attitude -mercenary is opposite of generous spirit C. greedy ©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Context Clues: Your Turn Some authors use pseudonyms; for example, famous American author Mark Twain’s real name was Samuel Clemens. A. typist B. mental tricks C. ghost writers D. pen names Identify the strategies you used. Applying strategies is the most important step. ©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Solutions Strategies: -for example = a clue (it is giving an example) -looking at the prefix “pseudo” means fake. -it gave us an example Best answer would be D. pen names --fake names is a synonym for pen names ©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Last Practice for Context Clues Rigorous programs, such as boot camps and outward-bound programs, help develop character in the individuals who take part. A. required B. lengthy C. difficult D. abusive CLUES: STRATEGIES ©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Solution: Synonyms= boot camps and outward- bound programs are both strenuous. -It helps develop character = difficult/ challenging ©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Textbook Skills: Using a Glossary A glossary is a list of selected terms with their definitions as used in a specific area of study. Skim the chapter before reading and look for specialized terms. Use the glossary to make vocabulary lists.

©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers Word Parts Root: the basic or main part of a word. Prefix: A group of letters added to the beginning of a root word to make a word. Suffix: A group of letters added to the end of a root word to make a word. Example: in-vis-ible

Learning Prefixes Learning prefixes will expand your vocabulary knowledge greatly. Let’s look at a few. (page 59) -anti= against—Let’s think of some words that start with anti. -Does the prefix help guide us to a definition? ©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Let’s Try Another Retro --What does it mean? --Give me some examples of this prefix being used. --Does it help us create a definition of some sort? ©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Let’s Look at the Suffix -ology This suffix is used very often. Without looking, do you know what it means? Can you think of any examples? ©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Complete the Practices in your book for an in depth explanation of roots, suffixes, and prefixes and how they can help you understand words. (pages 58-68)

©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers Visual Vocabulary A graph, chart, cartoon, or photograph gives a visual image of a word.

Vocabulary Strategy to Help You When you make flashcards to study new words, try to create a picture for each word, or use the word in action. This will help you create a relationship for the word creating a better connection for memory. Two Column Notes could work too ©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Chapter Review There are four types of context clues (SAGE): Synonyms Antonyms General context Examples

©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers Chapter Review Antonyms help you see the shade of a word’s meaning by showing you what the original word is not. The root is the basic or main part of a word. The prefix is a group of letters with a specific meaning added to the beginning of a word (root) to make a word. The suffix is a group of letters with a specific meaning added to the end of a word (root) to make a new word.

Class tips for success… Always avoid informal slang or “text speak” when in the classroom or ing a business, instructor, etc. For example, always write out “you”. Do not just write “u.” Always capitalize the word “I”. Always use proper punctuation- periods, question marks, commas, etc. ©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Class tips for success… Why is it important to develop professional level writing skills? College level, professional writing skills will be needed to progress in your educational goals. Employers expect college educated employees to have excellent written communication skills, regardless of your major. ©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Grammar Blast of the Week! Confusing words review There/Their/They’re Whether/ Weather Too/To/Two It’s/Its You’re/Your ©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers

Any questions? Thanks so much for being here this evening! Contact me with questions or to schedule and IM chat ©2004 Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers