Exploros | Comprehending Text

Engage

Overview

In this experience, students make inferences using their existing knowledge to increase their reading comprehension. They monitor their own understanding of what they are reading and learn techniques to use when they have trouble understanding. Then, they identify key points in a text and compare information in multiple sources.

Objectives

Develop understanding while reading.
Understand how to make inferences.
Use evidence and details from a text to determine key ideas.

Duration

One class period.

ELL Support

This experience uses basic and academic vocabulary that students will meet routinely in the classroom. Ensure that ELL students recognize key vocabulary while reading and in discussion.

If your ELL students have difficulty reading the text of this (or any) experience, which provides important reading strategies, here’s a tip. Use the Chrome browser with Google Translate extension. Students can set the browser to translate the experience to any of the dozens of languages supported by Google Translate.

Vocabulary Words Used in “To the Moon and Back”

satellite: an electronic device placed into orbit around a moon or planet for communication purposes, or to collect information
orbit: circle around
extend: to lengthen, enlarge, or stretch out
atmosphere: the layer of gases surrounding a planet
module: a self-contained unit of a spacecraft

When you learned how to read, you started by learning the alphabet. Then you began to recognize words and sentences. You read books for children, then branched out to other kinds of reading: street signs, cereal boxes, websites, texts, and so on. In this experience, you will learn some strategies for understanding what you read. Start by ensuring that you understand all the vocabulary you read and hear in discussions during this lesson.

Objectives

Develop understanding while reading.
Understand how to make inferences.
Use evidence and details from a text to determine key ideas.

Think about the following scenarios.

You are sitting in a waiting room. Your appointment was at noon, but it’s already 1:30. You are terribly bored. There is a stack of magazines on the table, so you pick up the one on the top of the stack and start flipping through it. At least that is a good way to pass the time.
You are on a hike when you are bitten by a spider. Your cell phone isn’t working, but you have a nature guide that lists different spiders and insects. You need to look up the spider that bit you to find out if it is poisonous.

We read for all kinds of reasons—from enjoyment to life-saving information.

List at least one reason you read. To post more than one, separate them with commas, like this: geography, history.

Post your answer

Sample answers include:

pleasure
information
learning
studying
planning
texting/social media
word games

Discuss student responses. Point out that reading for pleasure is different than reading to gain information or to learn something.

When everyone is ready to continue, unlock the next scene.