Lesson 5: Don t Forget the Details

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1 CCSs: RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.10, RI.3.1, RI.3.10 Details are bits of information that help you understand what is going on in a story. We use details all the time. When we speak, we use details to explain what we mean. If you wanted to order a pizza, you would need to give some details. What would you like on your pizza? What size? What kind of crust? The answers to these questions are details. Without details, you may not get what you want. Read this story. It will help you learn the tips in the lesson. Doggone It Imagine that your dog, Scooter, ran through the backyard gate when your brother, Benji, took out the trash yesterday. You really love Scooter. You want her to come home. So you and Benji make 10 posters to hang up in your neighborhood. This is what the posters look like: Pretty soon the telephone starts ringing. You quickly pick it up. Did you lose a cat? the caller asks. No, we lost our dog, you say. Oh, sorry to bother you. I found a lost cat, the caller says and hangs up. Oops. You and Benji take markers and run out to add the word dog to all the posters. 46

2 CCSs: RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.10, RI.3.1, RI.3.10 An hour later, the phone rings again. I ve found a lost dog that might be yours, the caller says. Scooter! You ve found Scooter, you say. Thanks! I really miss my little brown dog. Oh, I guess I don t have Scooter, the caller says. This dog is big and has a red coat. I hope you find your dog. She hangs up. Come on, Benji, you say. Here we go again. The two of you take your markers and add some more words to the posters. It s supper time, and Scooter still hasn t returned home. You re really getting worried now. You walk outside and call, Scooter! Come home, girl! No luck. The phone rings, and you rush into the house to answer it. Hello, I ve found a little brown dog in my yard. I wonder if it could be yours, the caller says. Does your little brown dog have any markings on her? Yes, she has a white spot on her nose, and the tip of her tail is white, you tell the caller. This dog has a white spot on her nose, and the tip of her tail is white, the caller says. I think I ve got your little brown dog. Please come over right away to find out if she is yours. 47

3 CCSs: RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.10, RI.3.1, RI.3.10 Your parents drive you and Benji to the caller s house. There you see that Scooter is tied to a tree with a long leash. Scooter! you yell as you run up to hug her. Scooter gives you a great big lick on your cheek. She s happy to see you, too. In the story about Scooter, you and Benji put up a poster about your lost dog. But there is a problem. At first, the poster doesn t give much information about Scooter. It doesn t tell that she is a girl. It doesn t tell that she is little. It doesn t tell that she is brown. It doesn t even tell that she is a dog! The poster doesn t give any details about the missing dog. 1. Go back to the story. Reread it and underline details that tell you about Scooter. 2. The poster doesn t tell everything you know about Scooter. Add one more detail about Scooter to the poster at the bottom of page Where are Scooter s white spots? A. under her belly and between her eyes B. on her nose and the tip of her tail C. on her back and her front paws D. on all four paws and the tip of her nose 4. What detail is printed on the poster but is not given in the story? A. the dog s color B. the names of the dog s owners C. the phone number to call D. the size of the lost dog 48

4 CCSs: RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.10, RI.3.1, RI How does adding details to the poster help in finding Scooter? TIP 1: Use details to picture the story. Details are important in reading stories, just as they are in a lost dog poster. They help readers picture what is happening. They help us understand how things are alike and different. And they make the characters seem like real people. Read this story, and then answer Numbers 6 and 7. Cullen wanted to play a prank on his older sister Sue. She was hard to scare. First, Cullen put a plastic snake on her bed. But she just threw it away. Then, Cullen put sugar in the salt shaker, so she put sugar on her popcorn. The popcorn tastes good this way! she said. Cullen went to the living room to think of a good prank. Suddenly, he felt something tickle his neck. He reached and felt a big hairy spider! Just then, he saw his sister behind him. She was holding a string with a plastic spider on the end. Now that s funny, Sue said and giggled loudly. 6. Which of these is not a detail from the story? A. Cullen used a plastic mouse. B. Cullen used a plastic snake. C. Cullen put sugar in the salt shaker. D. Sue used a plastic spider. 7. Which of these best describes Cullen? A. the older sister B. the younger brother C. a person who is hard to scare D. someone who giggles loudly 49

5 CCSs: RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.10, RI.3.1, RI.3.10 TIP 2: Find key words in the question or answer choices. Then look for them in the story. Most detail question and answer choices contain important words from the story. Key words are clues that can help you find answers in the passage. Look for key words in the next story. Imagine that you weighed 85 tons and were about as tall as a four-story building. Would your legs get tired of supporting your heavy body? Now, imagine the brachiosaurus. Its body was so heavy that it needed gigantic legs just to hold it up. Some scientists have compared the brachiosaurus s legs to the pillars that help hold up the roof of a building. As big and bulky as they were, the legs of the brachiosaurus still got extremely tired. That was why the animal spent so much time standing in water. The water helped hold up the brachiosaurus s body. It probably soothed those aching legs, too! The brachiosaurus was a tall, heavy dinosaur. Look for the bold key words in Numbers 8 through 10. They will help you find the answers to the questions. 8. About how tall was a brachiosaurus? 9. What part of a brachiosaurus has been compared to the pillars that help hold up the roof of a building? 50

6 CCSs: RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.10, RI.3.1, RI Why did the brachiosaurus spend so much time in the water? A. because it wanted to hide its big legs B. because it got very thirsty C. because it liked to swim D. because the water helped hold up its body TIP 3: Retell the story in your own words to help put the events in order. Details tell readers what happens first, second, third, and so on. One of the best ways to keep a story straight is to pick out the important details. Then retell them in your own words. During a test, just tell it to yourself in your mind. As you read the next story, look for the most important events. With a loud crack, Ashley hit the baseball with her Luis Gonzalez bat. It sailed high above the torn red cap on Daniel Maxwell s head. It grazed the leaves on a branch of the willow tree. It slid above the rickety board fence at the edge of Ashley s yard. And it kept going, right through Mr. Jackson s living room window. Ashley hit the baseball into Mr. Jackson s living room. Ashley waited for the crash of glass. She waited for an angry yell. But Mr. Jackson didn t get mad. His window was open! The ball landed on a book in his lap. He stood up, leaned out the window, and threw the ball back over the fence. 11. Underline three important events in the story. 12. What happens last in the story? A. The ball lands in Mr. Jackson s lap. B. Ashley swings at the ball with her Luis Gonzalez bat. C. Mr. Jackson throws the ball back over the fence. D. The ball sails over Daniel Maxwell s head. 51

7 CCSs: RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.10, RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI Retell the important events in your own words. TIP 4: Look for order words such as first, next, and last. Sometimes when you read a story, you ll see words that help you know the order in which events take place. Here are some order words to look for: as at last first last now after before following later then at first during in addition next while TIP 5: Important details should tell you more about the main idea. Important details tell you the most about the main idea. They tell facts about something. Or they show what happens in a story. Other details make the writing interesting. But they are less important. Some questions on a test ask which detail is the most important. Here s how to answer. First, think about the main idea. What is the passage mostly about? Then look at the choices. One choice will help to explain the main idea. That detail is the most important. 52

8 CCSs: RI.3.2, RL.3.10, RI.3.1 Answer this question about the brachiosaurus article in Tip 2 on page What is the most important detail about the brachiosaurus in this story? A. It weighed 85 tons. B. It needed large legs. C. It stood in water. D. Its legs got tired. Use the story about Ashley and the baseball on page 51 to answer this question. 15. Which sentence is most important to the main idea of the story? A. It grazed the leaves on a branch of the willow tree. B. It slid above the rickety board fence at the edge of Ashley s yard. C. And it kept going, right through Mr. Jackson s living room window. D. The ball landed on a book in his lap. 53

9 CCSs: RL.3.10, RI.3.1, RI.3.2 TIP 6: Use webs and other graphic organizers to list important details. A graphic organizer is a picture that puts information in order. A web is a graphic organizer. It links details to the main idea. The main idea is in the middle of the web. Lines connect the details to the main idea. Here is a web about the pranks Cullen and his sister tried on page 49. The pranks are what are being described. It is in the middle of the web. The detail tells one prank described in the story. plastic snake Cullen and His Sister s Pranks 16. What other pranks did Cullen and his sister do? Add two more details about pranks they tried. You may look back at the story on page 49. Lesson Practice begins on the following page. 54