Page 73 - SpringBoard_CloseReading_Workshop_Grade6_Flipbook

Close Reading of informational Texts in social studies/history (continued)
16 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6
Check your Understanding
Questioning the Text: Using the text-based questions as a model, ask questions that explore the implicit meaning behind de Tocqueville’s words. Begin your questions with why or how. Remember that though you may not know the answer to the question, you think the answer might be important to understanding the meaning of the passage.
Synthesizing your Understanding
Understanding Subject, Purpose, and Tone: Refer back to Activity 1 and review subject, purpose and tone. Reread the passage by de Tocqueville and underline sentences that you believe express important ideas about the subject, purpose and tone of the passage. Then respond to the questions below.
1. What is the subject? Who and what is this excerpt about? Be as specific as you can in identifying the subject of the passage.
2. What is the purpose? What is the reason behind the creation of this piece of writing? What do you suppose the writer wanted the audience to think or do as a result of reading the text?
3. What is the author’s attitude toward the subject of this passage? Tone describes the attitude of the author about the subject being discussed. Now that you have identified the subject and the purpose, make inferences about how the writer feels about the subject. Use adjectives to describe the tone and support your ideas with evidence from the text.
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