Taken and adapted from Mikulecky, B. & L. Jeffries. (2005). Reading Power.

Pears
Education, Inc. USA

TIME ORDER
Read each paragraph. Look for the signal words and underline them. Then write the
main idea, the signal words, and the examples on the lines below. Compare your
work with another student.
Travel

1.
A trip to another country requires a certain amount of planning. First, you must
decide where you would like to go. Next, you need to look at maps and books about
those places. When you have decided where to go, you should find out how to get
there. An agent can tell you about ways to travel and the cost. Then, you should find
out what kind of documents you will need to enter the country. In the meantime, you
may want to find out the language spoken there. If you don't already know it, you
might want to learn a few important words and phrases. Finally, you should make a
packing list to make sure you bring everything necessary for a pleasant trip.
Main Idea:
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Examples
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2. No matter where you travel by plane, the process is usually the same. You arrive
at the airport at least an hour before the plane is scheduled to leave. Right away,
you show your tickets and your passport to the agent. You get a seat assignment
and check your suitcases. Then, you go to the gate where you will board your
plane. As you walk there, you may stop to buy magazines and candy or make a
last-minute telephone call. When you arrive at the gate, your carry-on bags are
examined by a special x-ray machine. You must also walk through a metal
detector. Finally, an agent announces that it is time to board your plane, and you
are on your away.
Main idea:
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Signal words
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Examples
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3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a basketball star in the United States. When he

was born in New York City in 1947, his parents named him Ferdinand Lewis
Alcindor, Jr. He studied at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCIA) in
the late 1960s. At that time, he led the universitys basketball team to three
championships. It was also during his college years that he converted to the
Muslim faith. He changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In 1969, Kareem
began his professional basketball career as a center on the Milwaukee Bucks
team. Later, in 1975, he joined the Los Angeles Lakers. When he retired in 1989,
Kareem held several all-time records in basketball. He had also been named
most valuable player six times.
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Examples
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4. Maya Angelou, an African-American author, had many difficult experiences

while she was growing up. Born in 1929 in Long Beach, California, her original
name was Marguerite Johnson. Her parents separated when she was three. Then
she and her brother went to live whit their grandmother in St. Louis, Missouri.
When she was only eight years old Maya experienced abuse from her mothers
boyfriend. Wherever she lived, she was often badly treated because of racial
prejudice. But her life was also shaped by strong influence of love. In her
childhood, she learned of love from her grandmother and her brother. As she grew
older, she also began to love literature. After junior high school, Maya went to live
with her mother in San Francisco. There, in 1945, she graduated from high school.
A few months later, she had a baby son, who became the center of her life. In later
years, Maya included all of these experiences in her novels, plays, and poems.
She has received many honors as a writer and spokes-woman for Afro-Americans.
But perhaps her greatest honor came in 1993. President Bill Clinton asked her to
write the official poem for his inauguration. Then she read the poem aloud at the
ceremony in front of the American public.
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Examples
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LISTING

Read each paragraph. Write the topic and main idea. Underline the signal
words and then write the signal words and details.

1. People find many ways to use their home computer for fun. First of all, there are
thousands of computer games. These can be played by one or two people, or
even in groups. Second, people can use the DVD on their home computer to
watch movies. They can also download movies from the Internet and watch them
at home. And last, probably the most popular way computers are used for fun is
sharing music with friends. Music that is on a friend's computer can be sent over
the Internet to many people.
Topic: _______________________________________________________
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Details
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2. Because of the Internet, people can use their computer to meet other people around the
world. One way that they do this is by visiting a chat room. There are chat rooms about
every subject. Sometimes people who meet in a chat room want to meet in person.
Sometimes people even get married to someone they met in a chat room. Another way to
meet other people is by signing up on a list serve. Everyone on the list can send
messages to everyone else on the list. You can find people who are interested in the same
things you are. The problem with a list serve is that you might get hundreds of e-mail
messages every day!
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Main idea:
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Details
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