1-3. Answers will vary.

trade tribe expedition member

v v

Lesson 6A Click here to enlarge the passage

Vocabulary Lesson 6A

represent (v.) to act as or stand in place of something

clear (adj.) easy to understand, see, or hear

identity (n.) who you are

among (prep.) within or surrounded by a group

land (n.) an area of ground

different (adj.) not the same as others

strong (adj.) powerful, not easily broken, confident

knowledge (n.) information and understanding about a subject

site (n.) a place where a particular thing happens

village (n.) a small community in the countryside

entire passage line 10

line 12 line 20

d e f a c b

village site

strong knowledge represented land

knowledge different

identity clearly among

frog wombatkookaburrakangaroolizardeel

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Lesson 6B Click here to enlarge the passage

Vocabulary Lesson 6B

thirsty (adj.) feeling in need of water

meeting (n.) an event in which people get together for discussion

discuss (v.) to talk about something to reach a decision

idea (n.) a plan, suggestion, or possible course of action

else (adj.) other than the thing that was already mentioned

patient (adj.) calm and not annoyed

bored (adj.) not interested

rise (v.) to get up

normal (adj.) usual and ordinary

flood (n.) a large amount of water covering an area that is usually dry

join (v.) to become part of a group

lines lines 17-18

line 21 line 20

meeting discussing idea patiently

bored thirsty else normally

land different among villages

strong else sites represent

1 and 2. Answers will vary.

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Key Words for Internet Research AesopkangarooNative American languages Australian Aborigines kookaburrarock art DreamtimelegendSacagawea HatshepsutLewis and Clark expedition Shoshone wombat

Reading Skills Reading Skills

Reading for Gist Reading for gist is reading to get a general sense of what a reading passage is basically about. In other words, we read to understand the main topic, or theme of the passage. For example, a reading passage might basically be about a new type of technology, or a tourist's vacation trip, or a story about a fictional character.

Identifying Details Identifying details in a text to answer specific questions (eg: who, what, when, where, why) is often achieved through a strategy known as ‘Scanning’ for details. This is actually a technique often used in daily life when looking up a word in the telephone book or dictionary. Also when you read a newspaper, you're probably not reading it word-by-word, instead you're scanning the text for important information of interest.

Defining Vocabulary Often a reading passage contains definitions or explanations of new words related to the topic. The definitions in the text may be given through different clues to help you identify how the author has explained its meaning. It is important to understand synonyms or parallel expressions are often used to define target vocabulary items.

Paraphrasing Paraphrasing involves the skill of identifying a restatement of a section in a passage that retains the basic meaning while changing the words, often explained in a more simplified form. A paraphrase often clarifies a more ambiguous original statement in the text by putting it into alternative words that are often more easily understood.

Understanding the Main Idea Once we've determined the text type of a passage, and what it's generally about, we usually then read on to understand the main idea of the passage. In other words: What is the writer basically telling us? Or, What is the writer's main message? Understanding the main idea of a text means being able to identify the most important point or information in the passage.