THREE Ways Readers

Determine the Main Idea

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Copyright 2016 Reading and Writing Project. Page 1 of 4

1. LOOK for a POP OUT sentence.

2. LOOK for repeated words.
3. LOOK for repeated synonyms

Wolves by Seymour Simon

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Copyright 2016 Reading and Writing Project. Page 2 of 4

Like lions and tigers teeth, wolves teeth are well suited for catching and
eating other animals. Wolves have powerful jaws. The long, pointed teeth
in the front sides of a wolfs jaw are called canines (KAY-nines). They are
useful for grabbing and holding prey such as moose. The small teeth in the
front between the canines are incisors (in-SIGH-zors), useful for picking
meat off the bones. Two teeth along both sides of the jaw are carnassials
(car-NA-see-uls). They work like scissors to slice food into pieces small
enough to be swallowed.

Wolves have marvelous hearing. They can hear other wolves howling
from three or four miles away. They can locate mice by the squeals they
make even when the rodents are beneath a snowpack. Like bats and
dolphins, wolves can also hear high-pitched sounds well above the range of
human hearing. Wolves turn their ears from side to side. The direction
the ears are pointing when the sound is loudest helps the wolf determine
where the sound is coming from. Scientists believe that wolves hunt small
prey more by sound then by smell or sight. Larger prey is often found by
scent or by chance encounters.

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Copyright 2016 Reading and Writing Project. Page 3 of 4

Growing NEW Ideas in Nonfiction

___ This is mostly about And what I think about

Growing NEW Ideas in Nonfiction

___ This is mostly about And what I think about

that is.

that is.

___This makes me think because

___This makes me think because

___I dont think because

___I dont think because

___This makes me realize

___This makes me realize

___The weird or odd thing about this is.

___The weird or odd thing about this is.

___This connects to or this fits with because

___This connects to or this fits with because

___This makes me wonder

___This makes me wonder

___This makes me feelbecause

___This makes me feelbecause

___This is just like

___This is just like

___This is different than.

___This is different than.

___This is the same as in these ways But

___This is the same as in these ways But

different in these ways

different in these ways

_____ are _________ (trait) and _____ (trait)

_____ are _________ (trait) and _____ (trait)

___The theory Im growing is..

___The theory Im growing is..

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Copyright 2016 Reading and Writing Project. Page 4 of 4

Wolves teeth help them catch and eat

their prey.
The long, pointed teeth on the front sides
are useful for grabbing and holding prey.
The small teeth in front are useful for
picking meat off bones.
The teeth along the jaw work like scissors
to slice food into pieces small enough to be
swallowed.
Wolves marvelous hearing helps them
locate things.
Wolves hunt small prey more by sound than
sight or smell.
They can locate mice by the squeals they
make even when the rodents are beneath a
snowpack.
They can hear other wolves howling from
three or four miles away.