Learning Upgrade

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Teaching Content

Curriculum of Comprehension Upgrade

The map below shows the 50 lessons that students must complete in order to finish the Comprehension Upgrade course. Passages to read include literature(stories, poems, plays), expository writing (textbook, essays), and functional text (ads, directions, email). Reading level of the passages ranges from Grades 5 to 9. Below the map are tables listing the content of each level by level and by subject area. Level Content by Subject Area

Subject Topic Levels Covering Topic
Basics of Print Book structure 1
Formats of writing 2
Reference Books 7
Vocabulary, Words Greek & Latin Roots 11
Homophones,Analogies 12, 41
Synonyms,Antonyms 15,16
Idioms 22
Context Clues 13
New Words (4 per level) 18, 21, 24, 25, 27, 30, 32, 35, 39, 43, 47
Expository / Informational Text Summary,Main Idea 3
Purpose,Tone, Attitude 4,5
Expository Organizers 6 (define), 27, 39, 45
Subjects / Textbook 18, 20, 24, 32, 39, 43
Cause & Effect 28
Compare & Contrast 42
Flowcharts, sequence 36, 47
K-W-L Charts 10 (define), 18, 24, 35, 43
Question Answer Relations 14 (define), 27
Charts & Graphs 19
Preview, Skim, Scan 46
Functional Text Follow Directions 48
Forms & Applications 31
Internet searching 44
Literature & Literary  Analysis Narrative Writing 8
Story Maps 9 (define), 21
Metaphor & Simile 29
Poetry 17
Point of View 30
Prediction, Mystery 34, 40
Plays, Drama 37

Teaching Content of Each Level

Level Content
1 Book Structure:Title, author, table of contents, index
2 Types Of Text:  Fiction / non-fiction, narrative / expository, book / play / novel
3 Main Idea: Summary, topic, theme
4 Author’s Purpose: Inform, narrate, persuade, describe, entertain
5 Tone: Attitude and mood
6 Expository Organizer: Title, purpose, main idea, details, conclusion
7 Reference Books: Encyclopedia, dictionary, atlas, thesaurus
8 Narrative Writing: Problem, characters, setting, solution
9 Story Maps:  Problem, characters, setting, events, solution
10 K-W-L: What you Know, Want to learn, Learned
11 Greek & Latin Root Words: Greek & Latin roots and meanings
12 Homophones: Words with the same sound, different meaning
13 Context clues: Meanings from nearby words and phrases
14 QAR: Question answer relationships
15 Synonyms: Words with the same meaning
16 Antonyms: Words with the opposite meaning
17 Poetry: Comprehension, types of poems
18 History: Comprehension of articles, K-W-L
19 Charts & Graphs: Understanding graphics
20 Music: Comprehension of articles
21 Mythology: Story mapping
22 Idioms: Meanings of common idioms
23 Conclusions & Inferences: Comprehension
24 Earth Science : Comprehension of articles, K-W-L
25 Dance: Comprehension of articles
26 Advertising: Q-A-R with advertisements
27 Art: Comprehension, expository organizers
28 Cause & Effect: Understanding why, use of “because”
29 Metaphor & Simile: Identifying in text
30 Point of View: First and third person
31 Applications & Forms: Filling in fields in common forms
32 Biology: Comprehension of articles
33 Fact & Opinion:  Separating fact from opinion
34 Prediction: Making predictions and determining whether they are correct
35 Geography: Comprehension of articles, K-W-L
36 Flowcharts: Order and sequence, filling in flowcharts
37 Plays: Drama selections, script, setting, dialog, comedy, tragedy
38 Social Studies: Comprehension of articles
39 Astronomy: Comprehension of articles, expository organizers
40 Mystery Prediction: Reading a chapter mystery book, predicting outcomes
41 Analogies: Word relationships
42 Compare & Contrast: Comparison passages, Venn diagrams
43 Biography: Stories of famous people, K – W - L
44 Internet Searching: web searching techniques
45 Health: Comprehension of articles, expository organizers
46 Preview,Skim, & Scan: Preview text for headings, main idea
47 Careers: Types of jobs, career articles
48 Follow Directions: using an ATM machine, shopping at a mall
49 Fast Fluency Game: timed reading and analysis
50 Final Challenge: Understanding challenge game