Descriptions of the Tested Topics Grades 5–6

Below are descriptions for all the tested topics in Reading and an activity that you can do with your child to address each topic.

Word Analysis Skills and Strategies

Words are the building-blocks of everything students read. To truly understand a word, readers need to figure out both what it means and how it is used. Students should be able to use parts of a word to figure out its meaning. This will help them figure out the meanings of new words with similar parts. They should also be able to use clues from the word’s context to figure out its meaning.

While reading with your child, find descriptive words that are simple and clear and that your child knows well. Make a list of these words. When you come across a challenging or confusing word, find its meaning in the dictionary, then place the more complicated word next to a familiar word that has a similar meaning. For example, your child might list cold as a familiar word. If you come across the word frigid in your reading, add frigid to the list next to cold. Encourage your child to use his or her new words when writing or describing something in the future.

Read to Comprehend, Interpret, and Evaluate Literature

By reading, watching, and listening to plays, poems, and stories, students connect their own lives to literature. Students should think about and discuss characters, settings, plots, conflicts, and resolutions. When reading poetry, students should pay attention to the musical and visual qualities of descriptive language. Students should also understand how an author’s background, environment, and history influence the author’s writing.

As you read together, help your child locate important information in the text. Compare this process of gathering knowledge to how a soccer team gains points each time a player scores a goal. Before a player can score, the team must overcome the opposition. When your child is unclear about a text detail, remind him or her to carefully scour the text in order to find the needed information. Have your child write down questions on index cards. As he or she gathers the correct answers on the cards, applaud each new point made.

Read to Comprehend, Interpret, and Evaluate Informational Text

Informational texts present ideas and opinions that are based on real-life events. Students often use informational texts for research. When they read informational texts, students should think about and discuss the main ideas, important details, visual features, and organization. They should also make conclusions about the uses and purposes of information within different texts.

Ask your child to think of a family member, neighbor, or friend who has an interesting job or hobby. Help her come up with a list of questions and to arrange a time to interview the person to find out more. After she has gathered information, ask her to create a flyer advertising the need for someone to fill the job or to join a club that focuses on the hobby. Talk with your child about the process of gathering and presenting the information.

Forming an Initial Understanding

When readers form an initial understanding, they are able to understand the basic facts of what they read. Understanding the basic facts is an important first step for more complex understanding. Some people call questions that address this topic “find and point” questions, because the answers are right in the text.

Encourage your child to create a game based on facts and stated information taken from a book, story, or article that you have read together. Have your child write factual questions on index cards (with the answers on the back). Allow your child to quiz you on the facts and details of the reading. As you answer the questions together, encourage your child to point out the places in the text where he or she found the answers.

Developing an Interpretation

When readers develop an interpretation, they have a more complete understanding of what they read. They can connect information across parts of a text, and they can also focus on details in a text. Questions that address this topic ask students to “read between the lines.”

Encourage your child to read outside of school and discuss these readings with her. In particular, ask her about the actions of the main characters. Have her describe what these actions show about the character's personality. Based on the character's choices or behaviors, ask your child to give the character a nickname that captures his personality. Make sure that your child can describe the behaviors or actions that led to the nickname.

Determining a Critical Stance

When readers determine a critical stance, they are able to ask questions, form opinions, and make decisions about what they read. Students might be asked to evaluate a text’s quality and appropriateness, the information the author includes, the way the text is organized, and how it compares to other texts. Questions that address this topic ask students to “read beyond the lines.”

Remind your child that there are many types of writing, just as there are many types of movies. Ask him to categorize the movies he enjoys. For example, your child might enjoy action/adventure movies, romances, and scary movies. Talk about the elements of each type. Next, ask your child to make a list of his favorite movie types. Hang this list where he can see it. As the school year progresses, ask your child to add the names of books and stories that fit into these categories.