Catching yourself when you're lost

English · English Thinking · ages 6-8

Name ______________________ Date ____________

The text says, 'Two birds sit on a fence.' A retelling says, 'Three birds sit on a fence.' Check the retelling against the text. What number of birds should the retelling give?
Answer: ______________
What is decoding?
- Guessing what happens at the end of a story
- Using letter sounds to work out a word
- Explaining what the whole paragraph means
You have just read a part of a story. When can you check what that part means?
- Now, after reading that part
- Only when you reach a difficult word
- Only after you finish the whole story
If you can say all the words in a sentence correctly, that means you understood it.
Circle one: True False
You only need to check your understanding when a book is hard.
Circle one: True False
If a part of a story does not make sense, reading it again as fast as you can is certain to fix it.
Circle one: True False
A sentence does not make sense to you. What is one useful thing to try?
- Skip it without checking what it means
- Read it again more slowly
- Say it louder without checking the meaning
Mina is unsure which picture matches a sentence she read. What can this picture check alone tell us?
- She must have missed the whole meaning of the sentence.
- The check alone does not prove she missed the meaning.
- She must have understood every detail of the sentence.
Leo is listening to a story. He is unsure what happened in the middle. What can he ask the teacher to do?
- Read only the ending and leave the middle unchecked
- Stop the story without discussing the confusing part
- Read the confusing middle part again
Mia rereads a confusing part slowly. She wants to know whether the reread helped before deciding to ask for help. What should she do next?
- Check what the part means to her now
- Use the time she spent as proof it helped
- Assume a slow reread always clears up confusion

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Catching yourself when you're lost W1-mt_GugVunb2lI-s1

2 · The text gives two birds. The retelling changes that detail to three. Correct the retelling to match the text: 2 birds.
Using letter sounds to work out a word · Decoding uses letters and their sounds to work out a written word. You can do this silently or aloud. Understanding is knowing what the words mean.
Now, after reading that part · You can pause and check after reading a part. You do not need to wait for a difficult word or the end of the story.
False · Saying the words correctly does not by itself show that you understood them. Decoding uses letter sounds to work out words, silently or aloud. Check the meaning too.
False · You can check meaning in easy parts too. Easy words do not by themselves prove that you understood the message.
False · A fast reread is not certain to resolve confusion. Try rereading slowly, then check the meaning again.
Read it again more slowly · A slow reread may help you work out the meaning. Check again afterward to see whether it helped.
The check alone does not prove she missed the meaning. · Uncertainty about choosing a picture does not by itself prove that Mina missed the meaning. It also does not prove complete understanding. Another check could tell us more.
Read the confusing middle part again · Hearing the confusing part again gives Leo another chance to check its meaning.
Check what the part means to her now · Mia should check the meaning after rereading. Spending time on a reread does not show whether it helped. If she is still unsure after checking, she can ask for help.