• Practice for every day of the school year • Help students prepare for standardized testing

stop after each paragraph and ask yourself questions about what you read. Have students read the 
passage. When students have finished, direct them to complete the strategy practice activity and 
share their responses. Then direct students to complete the skill practice activity. Review the answers 
together. 
DAY
2
Remind students of the 
Compare and Contrast
skill. Read aloud the instructions at the top of the 
page. Draw a Venn diagram on the board and label one circle 
soccer
and the other circle 
basketball
. 
Instruct students to copy the diagram, and model how to fill it in if necessary. Have students read 
the passage and fill in the diagram. When students have finished, invite volunteers to share 
responses from their diagrams as you fill them in on the board. Remind students of the 
Monitor 
Comprehension 
strategy, which was taught during Week 6. Say: One way to check your 
comprehension is to see if your diagram matches the one on the board. If you missed something 
from the passage, think about what you were doing when you were reading that part. Then direct 
students to complete both activities. Review the answers together.
DAY
3
Introduce the 
Make Inferences
skill to students. Say: When we make inferences, we use clues and 
our own experience to figure out what happens or why something happens. Tell students to close 
their eyes. Walk over to the light switch and turn the lights off. Tell students to open their eyes. Ask: 
How do you suppose the lights turned off? (You turned them off.) What makes you say that? (You 
are standing by the light switch. Flipping the switch is the easiest way to turn the lights on or off.) 
Say: You used clues—seeing me standing by the light switch—and your own experience—