Reading comprehension skills strategies level 7

Directions: The missing word in each passage below is a noun ending in -ment. Find the one that makes the most sense and fill it in. encouragement statement commitment postponement fulfillment retirement adjournment detriment 1. We had to move the party to a later date. I was disappointed at the ___________________________________. 2. Mrs. Long had been a teacher for 30 years. She was looking forward to her ___________________________________. 3. The runner finally achieved what he had always wanted. Winning the gold medal was the ____________________________ of all his dreams. 4. Dad had always assured me that I could do it. I appreciated his ___________________________________. 5. The club meeting was over and the leader called for an __________________________________. 6. On the basketball court, being undersized is a ____________________________. 7. I knew that having a paper route meant getting up early and always getting the job done. I was willing to make the ____________________________. 8. When asked if he would run for office again, rather than answering right away, the Mayor prepared a written ___________________________________. Name: _______________________________________ Reading Comprehension • Saddleback Educational Publishing ©2002 10 Date: _____________________ 3 Watson, Irvine, CA 92618•Phone(888)SDL-BACK•www.sdlback.com Directions: Use the clues to help you finish each sentence correctly. • praise given as a result of an action • to carry or bring in • able to act independently • to leave or empty out • able to use both hands with equal skill • one who is new at doing something • to enact into law • one that resists; enemy 1. If ambivalence means having two opposing feelings, then ambidextrous means ________________________________________________________________________________ 2. If portable means able to be carried, then import means ________________________________________________________________________________ 3. If compliance is the act of fulfilling a requirement, then a compliment is ________________________________________________________________________________ 4. If automatic means able to work on its own, then autonomy means ________________________________________________________________________________ 5. If novel means new or not known before, then a novice is ________________________________________________________________________________ 6. If illegal means against the law, then legislate means ________________________________________________________________________________ 7. If vacant means unoccupied or empty, then evacuate means ________________________________________________________________________________ 8. If adverse means opposed to one’s interest, then adversary means ________________________________________________________________________________ Name: _______________________________________ Reading Comprehension • Saddleback Educational Publishing ©2002 11 Date: _____________________ 3 Watson, Irvine, CA 92618•Phone(888)SDL-BACK•www.sdlback.com What do you do many times every day of your life, often without even realizing it? Follow directions! It’s important to keep this skill sharp! Directions: Your ability to read and follow directions carefully can be useful in many situations— anything from solving a puzzle to saving your life. Practice with this puzzle. Comp__ognathus Cave Stegosaurus Vall__y Jura__sic Meado__ Gras__y Cl__aring Fos__il Swamp Iguanado__ Ridge Pteranodon ___aterfalls Dr. Digby found a map of an area where a secret T-Rex skeleton is supposedly buried. Dr. Digby is a pretty good paleontologist, but he’s terrible at directions and worse at cracking codes. He’s hired you to help him find the spot. Here’s how. The missing letter(s) in each place is one of the points on a compass (n, s, e, w). First, fill in the missing letter(s). Then draw a straight line to the place that is in the direction of the letter you filled in. When you are finished, write a message to Dr. Digby telling him where to find the spot to dig for the T-Rex skeleton. _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ Name: _______________________________________ Reading Comprehension • Saddleback Educational Publishing ©2002 12 Date: _____________________ 3 Watson, Irvine, CA 92618•Phone(888)SDL-BACK•www.sdlback.com Directions: Here’s a puzzle to solve that takes concentration, a little knowledge, and the ability to follow directions. The solution is hidden in the grid. Color the box to indicate coordinates. Remember, to find a coordinate move over, then up. For example, coordinate (8,B) is over 8, then up to B. Good luck! E D C B A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1. If penguins are found in the Arctic, color boxes (4,E) and (8,B) green. If penguins are not found in the Arctic, color boxes (1,E) and (10,C) red. 2. If the moon is not a planet, color boxes (3,E) (6,A) and (9,C) red. If the moon is a planet, color boxes (4,A) (8,E) and (9,B) green. 3. If a koala is a bear, color boxes (1,B) (7,C) and (11,D) yellow. If a koala is not a bear, color boxes (2,A) (6,C) (5,E) and (11,E) red. 4. If our atmosphere is mostly oxygen, color boxes (2,E) (8,A) and (4,C) green. If our atmosphere is not mostly oxygen, color boxes (6,E) (9,A) and (11,B) red. 5. If there are 48 states total in the United States, boxes (6,D) (3,B) and (8,D) yellow. If there are not 48 states total in the United States, color boxes (9,E) (2,D) and (5,C) red. 6. If a centimeter is longer than an inch, color boxes (6,B) (1,A) and (10,D) green. If a centimeter is not longer than an inch, color boxes (2,B) (7,E) and (5,A) red. 7. If the earth revolves around the sun, color boxes (10,E) (5,B) (1,D) and (11,A) red. If the earth does not revolve around the sun, color boxes (1,C) and (7,B) yellow. 8. If Egypt is in Africa, color boxes (9,D) (7,A) and (2,C) red. If Egypt is not in Africa, color boxes (8,C) (3,A) and (4,D) green. 9. If the number 1 million has 6 zeros, color boxes (3,D) (11,C) (5,D) and (10,A) red. If the number 1 million does not have 6 zeros, color boxes (3,C) (4,B) and (10,B) yellow. To find out how well you did, what do you see on the grid and in what color? ___________________________________________________ Name: _______________________________________ Reading Comprehension • Saddleback Educational Publishing ©2002 13 Date: _____________________ 3 Watson, Irvine, CA 92618•Phone(888)SDL-BACK•www.sdlback.com You can never go wrong “reading between the lines,” if you reread and rethink. Directions: Use context clues to figure out the meaning of the bold word. Write it on the line. 1. The restaurant on the dock had a nautical theme. ______________________________________________ 2. That criticism was a crass remark. ______________________________________________ 3. The old tree’s trunk was gnarled. ______________________________________________ 4. I had a hunch that you would show up today. ______________________________________________ 5. We will implement the plan according to schedule. ______________________________________________ 6. I heard the noisy chatter of a magpie. ______________________________________________ 7. Some snakes are oviparous; others give live birth. • • • • • • • • • • • • ______________________________________________ 8. At last we spotted a pod of whales. ______________________________________________ 9. “I saw it first,” Stan quipped. ______________________________________________ 10. The party put us in a jovial mood. ______________________________________________ 11. The inexpensive jewelry contained faux gems. ______________________________________________ small group twisted and knotty related to ships or sailing egg-producing happy, cheerful rude, insensitive remarked put into effect fake, artificial gut feeling, premonition natural ability, talent a jaylike bird 12. She has an aptitude for solving problems. ______________________________________________ Name: _______________________________________ Reading Comprehension • Saddleback Educational Publishing ©2002 14 Date: _____________________ 3 Watson, Irvine, CA 92618•Phone(888)SDL-BACK•www.sdlback.com Directions: Read the story. Use context clues to figure out the possible meanings of the words in bold. Then write them next to their meanings below. Today was the day Jamal had dreamed about for most of his 22 years. As he stood in the tunnel waiting for the profound moment when he would first step out on the field, he thought about how he had arrived at this point. He smiled fondly at the mental picture of himself as a nine-year-old in an oversized uniform. He recalled falling intermittently and fumbling the too-big ball. Middle school was better, but still he made mistakes and a few times even cost his team the game. In high school, he toiled long hours to get into top physical shape and then crammed his nose into the books to keep his grades high. It had paid off. He made it into a good college on a football scholarship. Day in and day out, he studied, worked out, and practiced. The scouts took notice of him, and when draft day came he waited nervously through a litany of names until, yes, his was ultimately called. Third-round choice—the fourth running back chosen overall. The summer had been hot and grueling. Not only did he endure the exhaustion of pushing his body to the limits in team practices and his mind into learning dozens of formations in the team’s playbook, but he also took the razzing that veteran players dish out to rookies, and the anxiety of possibly being cut from the team. But, here he was. The first game of the regular season. Just moments ago he had donned his pads and proudly put on his uniform. As the crowd noise swelled, so did his heart. He had made it onto a professional football team. 1. extremely difficult and tiresome: __________________________ 2. reciting of a list: ______________________ 3. finally; at last; in the end: _____________________________ 4. worked hard: ________________________________ 5. teasing; playing pranks on: ______________________________ 6. put on or dressed in: __________________________ 7. rose; grew in size or strength: ___________________________ 8. periodically; from time to time: _________________________ 9. pushed; placed with intensity: _____________________________ 10. people who search for those with particular talents: ___________________________ 11. handling clumsily; dropping; loosing grip: ________________________________ 12. deeply or intensely felt: _____________________________ Name: _______________________________________ Reading Comprehension • Saddleback Educational Publishing ©2002 15 Date: _____________________ 3 Watson, Irvine, CA 92618•Phone(888)SDL-BACK•www.sdlback.com