ISEE Primary 3 key terms

The most important point a story or passage is about. It is what the author most wants you to understand after reading, and the other sentences help support it.

A small piece of information in a passage, such as a name, number, or action. Details help explain or prove the main idea.

What a passage is about, usually stated in a word or short phrase. The topic is broader than the main idea, which says something about the topic.

A short retelling of a passage that keeps only the most important ideas. A good summary leaves out small details and does not add new information.

Words or details in a passage that support an answer. When you choose an answer, you should be able to point to the part of the text that proves it.

A conclusion you reach by combining clues in the text with what you already know. The answer is not stated directly, but the text strongly suggests it.

The words and sentences around an unknown word that help you figure out its meaning. Clues may be examples, opposites, or explanations nearby.

The meaning a word has in a particular sentence, which may differ from another meaning of the same word. Readers use nearby words to choose the right meaning.

A person or animal that takes part in a story. Readers learn about characters from what they say, do, and think, and from what others say about them.

Where and when a story takes place. The setting can be a place, a time of day, a season, or a period in history.

The events that happen in a story, in the order they happen. A plot usually has a problem, actions to solve it, and an ending.

A word describing what a character is like inside, such as kind, brave, or shy. Traits are shown by the character's actions, not by appearance.

A pattern in stories and information texts where something goes wrong and then someone finds a way to fix it. Recognizing this pattern helps you follow the text.

A pattern that explains why something happened and what happened because of it. The cause makes the effect occur.

The order in which events happen. Words such as first, next, then, and finally signal the order in a story or set of directions.

Finding how two things are alike and how they are different. Signal words include both, also, like, unlike, but, and however.

A statement that can be checked and proven true or false. Facts do not depend on a person's feelings or opinions.

A statement that tells what someone thinks, feels, or believes. It cannot be proven true by checking, though it may be supported with reasons.

The reason an author writes a text, such as to inform, to persuade, or to entertain. The purpose shapes the words and details the author chooses.

Parts of a book or article that are not the main sentences, such as headings, captions, labels, and bold words. They help readers find and understand information.

A piece of writing arranged in lines and often in groups called stanzas. Poems may rhyme and often use rhythm and imagery to share feelings or ideas.

A group of lines in a poem, separated from other groups by a space. Stanzas work like paragraphs in a poem.

When words end with the same sound, such as cat and hat. Poets use rhyme to create rhythm and make lines memorable.

The value a digit has because of its position in a number. In 472, the 4 means 4 hundreds, the 7 means 7 tens, and the 2 means 2 ones.

Any one of the symbols 0 through 9 used to write numbers. A number such as 305 has three digits.

A number written using only digits in the usual way, such as 3,508. It is different from expanded form and word form.

A number broken apart to show the value of each digit, such as 3,000 + 500 + 8 for 3,508. It helps show place value clearly.

A number written out in words, such as three thousand five hundred eight. Spelling the number words correctly matters.

Changing a number to a nearby, simpler number by using place value. To round to the nearest ten, look at the ones digit: 5 or more rounds up.

A number close to the exact answer, found by rounding or by using friendly numbers. Estimates help you check whether an answer is reasonable.

The answer you get when you add two or more numbers together. For example, the sum of 24 and 8 is 32.

The answer you get when you subtract one number from another. For example, the difference between 50 and 18 is 32.

The answer you get when you multiply two numbers. For example, the product of 6 and 7 is 42.

A number that is multiplied by another number in a multiplication problem. In 4 × 5 = 20, the factors are 4 and 5.

The result of multiplying a number by a whole number. Multiples of 3 include 3, 6, 9, 12, and so on.

A set of objects arranged in equal rows and columns. An array shows multiplication: 3 rows of 4 objects is 3 × 4 = 12.

A number that names part of a whole or part of a group. It is written with a numerator on top and a denominator below.

The top number in a fraction. It tells how many equal parts are being counted or described.

The bottom number in a fraction. It tells how many equal parts the whole is divided into.

Fractions that name the same amount even though the numbers are different, such as 1/2 and 2/4. Multiplying top and bottom by the same number makes an equivalent fraction.

The distance all the way around the outside of a shape. For a rectangle, add the lengths of all four sides.

The amount of flat space inside a shape, measured in square units. For a rectangle, multiply length by width.

A number line with marks or Xs above it showing how often each value appears in a set of data. It helps you see which values are most common.

A graph that uses bars of different lengths to show and compare amounts. The taller the bar, the greater the amount.

Information collected by counting, measuring, or asking questions. Data can be shown in tables, graphs, and line plots.

The amount of time that passes from a start time to an end time. It is found by counting forward on a clock or number line.