Reading Comprehension - Informational Text
The Informational Text domain of the Grade 4 ELA assessment asks you to read nonfiction - articles, reports, how-to texts, biographies - and show three things: what the text says, what it means, and how it is put together. Questions typically ask for a main idea, a supporting detail, the purpose of a text feature, the text structure, or a conclusion drawn from evidence.
Find the topic, then the main idea
- The topic is a word or phrase (prairie wetlands). The main idea is a full sentence saying what the whole text says about that topic.
- A main idea must cover every paragraph. If a sentence only fits one paragraph, it is a detail, not the main idea.
- Answer with evidence: locate the sentence that proves your choice before you commit.
Use text features
Headings name a section's topic, bold print flags key terms, captions explain pictures, diagrams and labels show parts, a glossary defines words, and an index gives page numbers. Skim features before reading to predict, then check that your prediction was corrected by the text.
Name the structure
The author organizes information as description, sequence (first, next, finally), compare/contrast (both, unlike, however), cause and effect (because, as a result, so), or problem and solution. Structure questions often ask why the author chose that order - for example, a sequence is used because the steps must happen in order.
Purpose, fact, and opinion
The author informs, explains, persuades, or entertains, and the audience shapes the word choice. A fact can be checked; an opinion carries judgement words such as best, should, beautiful.
Worked example
Passage: Each spring, meltwater fills shallow hollows across the prairie. These wetlands, called potholes, dry up by late summer. While they hold water, potholes are crowded with insects and snails. Ducks build nests in the tall grass nearby and raise their ducklings there. Question: Which sentence best states the main idea? A. Prairie potholes are temporary spring wetlands that feed and shelter wildlife. B. Meltwater fills hollows in spring. C. Ducks build nests in tall grass. D. Potholes dry up by late summer. Reasoning: B, C, and D are each true of one sentence only - details. A covers all four sentences: what potholes are plus what they do for wildlife. Coverage of the whole passage is the test, not whether a statement is true.
Traps that cost marks
- Choosing a true detail as the main idea.
- Answering from what you already know about ducks instead of from the text.
- Picking an answer with the right key words but the wrong relationship, such as a cause described as an effect.
- Skipping a caption or diagram that actually holds the answer.